You’ll want to Rush right out and grab a copy of this book

You likely won’t see legendary Canadian rock trio Rush live in concert again, but you can meet one of the founding members of the band at Bolen Books later this month.

Bassist and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, whose book Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass (Harper Collins) was released last December, is coming to town for a May 22 signing session at the Hillside Centre bookstore.

The 408-page full colour volume features photography by Richard Sibbald of the multitude of basses in Lee’s collection, plus interviews with notable bassists and spotlights on historically important instruments from the 1950s to the ’80s.

Lee is known as an intense collector of various things, from baseball memorabilia to musical items, including many examples of the instrument he has wielded with stunning, small-p precision since the late 1960s with Rush.

He attempts to explain this in the book’s introduction, subtitled, Falling Down the Rabbit Hole:

“Once I turn my gaze to a thing with any degree of interest, I become curious, and feel compelled to research it. Curiosity turns into “fascination,” which begets even deeper “engagement,” and then , uh-oh, it’s a full-blown obsession. And I’m like, Really? Again? … It’s not surprising that sooner or later I’d dive down the proverbial rabbit hole into the world of vintage bass guitars.”

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I've been busy the past couple of weeks shamelessly promoting the Big Beautiful Book of Bass. Forgive me, but it was a heck of a lot of work for all of us on this project and I'm very proud of the result - so proud, in fact, that I'd like to share another page or two with you all... The Rickenbacker chapter looks at solid bodies, hollow bodies and the infamous doublenecks, some of which have been straining my backbone for over 40 years. This particular sneak peek features the model which, in many ways, helped me create my own sound: the inimitable Rickenbacker 4001, shown here standing in a group dating from 1964 to 1972, and with some close-ups on a couple of terrific '68s, one of which I played on the R40 Tour in 2015. These are super-cool looking beasts that most definitely live up to the word, "iconic"! 📸: @richardsibbaldphoto To pre-order one of 3 versions of the BBBoB including signed Limited Editions just click the link in the bio! In stores December 18th!! #BBBoB #geddyleesbigbeautifulbookofbass #vintageRickenbacker #Rossmeisl #crestingwave #Rickenbacker4001 #bassporn #ChrisSquire #Lemmy #againwiththismaccaguy ?#RichardSibbaldPhotography #mid-centurymodern #signedlimitededitions #bigbottom #youwantabigbeautifulbassbookforxmas #reallyyoudo #forgottosayeffininthisone

A post shared by Geddy Lee (@geddyimages) on Nov 22, 2018 at 6:30pm PST

For $93 plus GST, you can come and get an autographed copy of Lee’s book at Bolen’s and snap a candid shot while he’s signing. This will be the first chance you’ll have to get your hands on the book at Bolen’s (you pre-order it in-store or online) and Lee will sign up to four copies at once if you’re looking at them as gift ideas. No other Rush memorabilia will be signed and the event runs from 7 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, May 22.

Victoria is the first stop on Lee’s next stage of his book signing tour, which ends June 4 in Montreal.

For more information on the event, visit bolen.bc.ca or check out the page dedicated to Lee and the book signing tour at rush.com.

editor@mondaymag.com
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