Neil Peart interviewed in New York Times article about fitness and drumming
Neil Peart, along with Blondie drummer Clem Burke and air drummer Ari Gold, was interviewed in a New York Times article about the fitness benefits of drumming.
Read the full New York Times Article: They're Not With the Band
Here's an excerpt:
Neil Peart, who was named the third-best drummer of all time in a 2011 Rolling Stone readers poll and provides inspiration for some gymgoers, said that in the three and a half weeks of rehearsals before his band, Rush, began its 2012 tour last week, he dropped at least 10 pounds.
Mr. Peart, who reported changing out of sweaty clothes two and three times a day, joked: "Obvious business opportunity. 'Do you want to lose weight and tone your entire body, from your nose to your toes? Sign up now for the fabulous new Bubba Drum Workout!'" (Bubba is Mr. Peart's nickname.)
The weight loss wasn't because Mr. Peart, 59, was out of shape. He took up distance swimming in his 30s and favors cross-country skiing. On a day off between shows in Red Rocks, Colo., in 2010, he chose to flesh out the plot of a novelization of the band's 2012 "Clockwork Angels" album by climbing the 14,265-foot Mount Evans with his co-author, Kevin J. Anderson.
This year's pre-tour training regimen began in February. Three times a week, Mr. Peart would bike 20 minutes to his local Los Angeles Y.M.C.A., swap his helmet for a bandanna, and spend 30 minutes on the cross-trainer (keeping his heart rate near his recommended maximum), followed by calisthenics, yoga sun salutations (he held each pose for a count of 20 Mississippi) and the return bike ride home. (His favorite workout track? Silence. "The only activity I combine with music is driving," Mr. Peart said. "For me, exercise is an act of will.")
Thanks to Rushisaband for the head's up!
Labels: interview