Audacy's Taryn Daly got a chance to talk with prog-rock icon and Rush frontman Geddy Lee, as he gets set to take his new memoir, My Effin’ Life, out on the road for a 14-city tour that promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for those in attendance.
LISTEN NOW: Geddy Lee on 'My Effin’ Life'
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Geddy Lee's brand new memoir, My Effin' Life, is set for release on November 15, detailing his journey as one of Rock's most respected bassists, co-writers, vocalists, and keyboardists for over five decades as part of Rush, as well as stories from inside and outside of the band that made him a household name.
"Yeah, I wrote this book called 'My Effin' Life, and now I have to do an effin' tour to support it," Geddy jokes. "I'm trying to do the best job I can to create an entertaining evening for Rush fans. We're putting together a schedule that will involve some guest interviewers. We can talk about Rush and my life, and bass guitars, and wine... or whatever the hell comes up in conversation."
"Ill hopefully read a couple of excerpts from the book," he adds, "without stumbling too much, I hope. I'll finish it off I hope, with the best option -- which is talking to the audience and having them ask me questions, have a real exchange and maybe some people can get their opinions off their chest, or ask me something they've been dying to know."
"I had no interest to do a book like this," Geddy admits. "I was nudged many times by a publisher and people that I know in the business. Of course, after my 'Big Beautiful Book of Bass,' they thought the next step was obviously a memoir, and I was very resistant to that because I saw my life as unfinished business and didn't really want to look backwards. I figured there's too much to do still."
"A lot of things transpired to change my mind on that," Geddy explains. "Number one, we had just gone through a terrible ordeal with our poor friend and bandmate, Neil [Peart], who passed away after suffering three and a half years from a terrible disease, and that hit us all very hard and put us in a reflective mode. Then we were locked down in a pandemic just a month and a half after he passed. So there you are, alone with your thoughts. At the same time," he continues, "My mum who I was very close to was really struggling with dementia. I got to thinking how tenuous this grasp we have on our memory banks is."
"I couldn't even imagine wanting to think about what happened in 1974 and that not being there," Geddy says. "So, I thought, maybe this is the time. Maybe, if there's ever a time, it's now."
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Listen to the full interview with Geddy Lee above, and don't miss the show as Geddy takes his effin' life on the road, with tickets on sale NOW, and every purchase including a copy of My Effin’ Life provided to ticket holders upon entry into the venue. Click HERE for full details.
Geddy Lee - My Effin’ Life tour dates:
Mon Nov 13 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
Wed Nov 15 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia
Fri Nov 17 – National Harbor, MD – The Theater at MGM National Harbor
Sat Nov 18 – Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre presented by Citizens
Sun Nov 19 – Cleveland, OH – State Theatre at Playhouse Square
Tue Nov 21 – Montréal, QC – Théâtre Maisonneuve
Thu Nov 23 – Vancouver, BC – The Centre in Vancouver
Fri Nov 24 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
Sun Nov 26 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
Tue Nov 28 – Los Angeles, CA – Orpheum Theatre
Thu Nov 30 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
Sun Dec 03 – Chicago, IL – Auditorium Theatre
Mon Dec 04 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
Thu Dec 07 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
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