If you find 12-minute headbanger songs about black holes, objectivism, Tolkien, suburban disillusionment, Big Brother and class struggles between different species of deciduous trees appealing, then you must be a Rush fan. Well, check it, ponytail man — a new documentary about the greatest Canadian heroes is arriving in theaters this summer.
Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage is the latest trip down metal memory lane from co-directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn, the same duo that brought you Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and last year’s surprisingly awesome and intimate Iron Maiden: Flight 666.
So fear not, guy with the mullet and the vintage Maple Leafs jersey — the Banger Films team knows how to make a killer music documentary. In fact, the film scooped up the audience award at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, where it premiered last month. Reports from the fest noted that both fans and non-fans were equally delighted (meaning you can totally take your girlfriend to see it, if you have one).
You can see from the Rush trailer above that the band doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the trio’s sense of humor has certainly helped it weather four decades of being rock’s most uncool combo. As singer and bassist Geddy Lee puts it bluntly in the trailer, “They made fun of us relentlessly” — “they” being everyone who didn’t get it: radio, MTV, the mainstream press, human females.
But enough people did “get it” to make the band one of the biggest cult phenomenons in rock history. Some big names show up in the movie to talk up their Rush obsessions: Les Claypool, Kirk Hammett, Gene Simmons, Jack Black and Billy Corgan, among others.
There’s also copious screen time for the band, with Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart all sitting for extensive interviews. And, from the looks of it, gobs of awesome concert and backstage footage, both old and new.
