IE : I think there ’ s real cultural value in you writing about your Jewish heritage at a time when fascism is back into the open , especially in recent years . Holocaust denial and antisemitism seem to be rising along with other hate crimes . Were those issues catalysts for what you wrote , or is that timeliness coincidental with simply telling an important part of your family ’ s history ? GL : I think it ’ s a bit of both . I always intended |
homage to my mother , who was very dear to me and who sacrificed so much in her life .
IE : I vividly remember first hearing “ Red Sector A ” in 1984 , because Grace Under Pressure was my first brand-new Rush album . The sound was so cool , but the song was chilling . The horror went beyond fictional storytelling . It felt personal and had gravity . GL : That song started out innocently enough ,
|
because the section we were given to stand in while watching the first launch of the Space Shuttle was called Red Sector A . That ’ s where Neil got the name , but the story had nothing to do with that . It really was inspired by conversations Neil and I had about my mother ’ s last few hours before and during her liberation [ from a Nazi concentration camp ] in 1945 . They had all given up hope that civilization had survived because otherwise , why wouldn ’ t someone come and save them or let them free ? So , they were shocked when they saw the German soldiers with both hands in the air . They just interpreted |
that as a new kind of Hitlerian salute [ laughs ]. But there she was , free . It was hard to take in , I think .
IE : You described a safer but stifling suburban childhood and connections to songs like “ The Necromancer ” and especially “ Subdivisions .” “ Middletown Dreams ” reflects on the desire to escape small-town ennui . Does Rush music appeal disproportionately to people with those sorts of backgrounds ? GL : I do think that there ’ s a strong connection with other people that live in the suburbs or in
|