Geddy Lee of Rush Announces His Next Book

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 07: 2013 Inductee Geddy Lee of RUSH performs with Yes onstage at the 32nd Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on April 7, 2017 in New York City. Debuting on HBO Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 8:00 pm ET/PT

(Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Rush frontman Geddy Lee announced his memoirs today. He's releasing My Effin' Life on November 14, 2023. He didn't reveal much more. In all of the social media posts from Geddy and Rush, it showed the cover, featuring a photo of Lee from the '70s and a note that said "More soon."

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Rush retired after their 2015 "R40" tour. In 2020, drummer/lyricist Neil Peart succumbed to brain cancer, squelching any hopes for a reunion. Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson have performed together three times in the years since. Last year in September they performed at two Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts, one in London and one in Los Angeles. A month earlier, they took the stage with the members of Primus at a concert paying tribute to South Park at Red Rocks in Colorado.

Lee has told bits of his stories over the years, including in the 2010 Rush documentary Beyond The Lighted Stage. In 2017, Dave Grohl and his mom, Virginia Grohl, wrote a book called From The Cradle To The Stage, where they profiled musicians and their mothers. Geddy and his mom, Mary Weinrib, were interviewed. They were later featured in an episode of the documentary series of the same name. Mary Weinrib, a Holocaust survivor, died in July of 2021 at 95.

This will be Lee's second book: in 2018, he published the massive 408 page Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass. It features interviews with other bassists including Adam Clayton of U2, Robert Trujillo of Metallica, Les Claypool of Primus and former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman.

Rush: Their 50 Greatest Songs, Ranked

Few bands have enjoyed legendary decades-spanning career like Rush. Fewer still have been able to take their final bow on their own terms. Once Rush reached arena-headlining status, they never had to "downsize," or even go on package tours. They rarely played multi-act festivals and towards the end of their career, even stopped using opening acts on their tours, so that they could play longer shows. They also were always able to play a lot of new music at their shows, and fans responded. They've had classic songs on every album, starting with their self-titled debut in 1974, up through their final album, 2012's Clockwork Angels. Of course, that made it difficult to narrow down this list to just 50 songs -- and of course so many of you will disagree with the songs we included, the songs we didn't include, and the order. That's part of the fun of lists, though.

50 - “The Wreckers” from ‘Clockwork Angels’ (2012)

49 - “I Think I’m Going Bald” from ‘Caress Of Steel’ (1975)

48 - “Seven Cities Of Gold” from ‘Clockwork Angels’ (2012)

47 - “In The End (live)” from ‘All The World’s A Stage’ (1976)

46 - “The Fountain of Lamneth” from ‘Caress Of Steel’ (1975)

45 - “Resist (live)” from ‘Rush In Rio’ (2003)

44 - “The Necromancer” from ‘Caress Of Steel’ (1975)

43 - “Mystic Rhythms” from ‘Power Windows’ (1985)

42 - “Ghost Rider” from ‘Vapor Trails’ (2002)

41 - “Lakeside Park” from ‘Caress of Steel’ (1975)

40 - “Best I Can” from ‘Fly By Night’ (1975)

39 - “Here Again” from ‘Rush’ (1974)

38 - “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” from ‘Fly By Night’ (1975)

37 - “In The Mood” from ‘Rush’ (1974)

36 - “Between The Wheels” from ‘Grace Under Pressure’ (1984)

35 - “Force Ten (live)” from ‘A Show Of Hands’ (1989)

34 - “Beneath, Between & Behind” from ‘Fly By Night’ (1975)

33 - “Finding My Way” from ‘Rush’ (1974)

32 - “Cygnus X-1 Book One: The Voyage” from ‘A Farewell To Kings’ (1977)

31 - “Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres” from ‘Hemispheres’ (1978)

30 - “Nobody’s Hero” from “Counterparts” (1993)

29 - “New World Man” from ‘Signals’ (1982)

28 - “Anthem (live)” from ‘All The World’s A Stage’ (1976)

27 - “The Analog Kid” from ‘Signals’ (1982)

26 - “Dreamline (live)” from ‘Clockwork Angels Tour’ (2013)

25 - “Time Stand Still (featuring Aimee Mann)” from ‘Hold Your Fire’ (1987)

24 - “Vital Signs” from ‘Moving Pictures’ (1981)

23 - “Animate” from ‘Counterparts’ (1993)

22 “Xanadu” from ‘A Farewell To Kings’ (1977)

21 - “The Big Money” from ‘Power Windows’ (1985)

20 - “Losing It (live, featuring Jonathan Dinklage”) from ‘R40 Live’ (2015)

19 - “Red Sector ‘A’ (live)” from ‘Grace Under Pressure Tour Live (recorded in 1984)

18 - “La Villa Strangiato (live)” from ‘Exit… Stage Left’ (1981)

17 - “Show Don’t Tell” from ‘Presto’ (1989)

16 - “A Farewell To Kings” from ‘A Farewell To Kings’ (1977)

15 - “Freewill” from ‘Permanent Waves’ (1980)

14 - “Distant Early Warning” from ‘Grace Under Pressure’ (1984)

13 - “Fly By Night” from ‘Fly By Night’ (1975)

12 - “Bastille Day (live)” from ‘All The World’s A Stage’ (1976)

11 - “One Little Victory” from ‘Vapor Trails’ (2002)

10 - “Far Cry” from ‘Snakes and Arrows’ (2007)

9 - “Subdivisions” from ‘Signals’ (1982)

8 - “Working Man” from ‘Rush’ (1974)

7 - “Limelight” from ‘Moving Pictures’ (1981)

6 - “2112” from ‘2112’ (1976)

5 - “Closer To The Heart” from ‘A Farewell To Kings’ (1977)

4 - “YYZ (live)” from ‘Exit… stage Left’ (1981)

3 - “Tom Sawyer” from ‘Moving Pictures’ (1981)

2 - “Red Barchetta (live)” from ‘Exit… Stage Left’ (1981)

1 - “The Spirit Of The Radio” from ‘Permanent Waves’ (1980)

Rush

Brian Ives // Managing Editor, Beasley MediaWriter

Brian has been working in pop culture and media for about three decades: he’s worked at MTV, VH1, SiriusXM, CBS and Loudwire. Besides working as a writer and an editor-in-chief, he’s also appeared on air as a pundit, guested on radio shows and hosted podcasts. Over the years, he’s interviewed the surviving members of Led Zeppelin, the members of U2, Beyonce, Pink, Usher, Stevie Nicks, Lorde… and is grateful to have had the chance to interview Joe Strummer of the Clash and Tom Petty.