Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson has described 1996 solo album Victor as the “greatest accomplishment” in his career.
He says working outside of the Canadian trio forced him to take responsibility for every aspect of the work – and completing it felt all the sweeter as a result.
Lifeson tells Spin: “Everything was on my back. I produced it, I wrote it, I got musicians together, I played bass, I played guitar, I played keyboards, I worked on the cover art. I did the whole thing.
“That was probably my greatest accomplishment in personal terms of being a musician and taking on the responsibility of making a record – which we all share within Rush, with the producer, the three of us and our office.”
He continues: “It didn’t matter to me if I sold one copy or a billion. I did it. I put the time and effort in, and that was a very proud moment for me when I finished that record.”
Rush will wrap up what’s likely to be their last large-scale tour tomorrow night (August 1) as they celebrate 40 years together – although Lifeson and frontman Geddy Lee have both talked up the band’s future.
The guitarist believes they’ve survived so long thanks to hard work and perseverance. He says: “If you want to be good at anything, you have to put in your 10,000 hours, stick with it and never give up. As difficult as it seems sometimes, don’t give up if it’s truly something you want to do.”
The band’s most recent studio album was 2012’s Clockwork Angels – a record drummer Neil Peart said would make an “amazing” film.
