Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson has commented on the criticism his bandmate Geddy Lee has been getting.
In a new interview with ClassicRockHistory, the guitarist admitted that most of the comments they got were not ‘complimentary.’ He said:
“We got so much criticism, you know, Geddy’s voice and all that stuff. I’d say that 99% of our reviews were not very complimentary.”
However, it seems that those comments gradually lessened over the years:
“But over the years, that changed. I guess when you stick around for 40 years, it’s bound to get better. But we’ve always been so connected with our fans; it was always super, super important for us and what we wanted to do.”
Lee’s Advice For Those Who Don’t Like His Voice
Geddy Lee also has commented on the criticism about his voice. During his ‘My Effin’ Life In Conversation’ tour to promote his memoir back in November, the rocker recalled John Griffin’s and Dan Nouker’s comments on his voice. However, he wasn’t offended. Lee explained:
“John Griffin once wrote in the Montreal Gazette that I sounded like ‘a guinea pig with an amphetamine habit.’ In Circus, Dan Nouker said ‘If Lee’s voice were any higher and raspier, his audience would consist exclusively of dogs and extraterrestrial.’ I kind of like that!”
He also shared a very sincere advice for people who don’t like his sound:
“Sometimes my attitude was like, Hey you don’t like the way I sing? Well, then I politely invite you to f*ck the f*ck off.”