Since I was a kid beating on the arm of our couch with markers along to MTV, Rush was in the periphery. It started there with the videos for “Tom Sawyer” and “Limelight.” Later it was the smoking section at my high school—the burnouts and their 2112 patches on their jean jackets. And, of course, classic rock radio. But it wasn’t until about eight years ago that I finally got it. I bought a couple records on the cheap, and it all started to make sense. Geddy Lee’s voice became soothing, not grating; the synthesizers interesting, not silly. Since that time, I’ve seen Rush three times, and I’ve purchased several more albums. I get it now. But even if one doesn’t get the songs, the synthesizers, or that voice (or why Rush fans seem to love Dungeons & Dragons and air- drumming), you can’t deny the fact the band has always done things the way they wanted—for 40 years—and worked hard at it. That deserves the utmost respect. Rush wrapped up their massive R40 tour this year, and just released R40 Live (available on CD, DVD and Blu-ray), which was recorded over two nights in Toronto. This along with stellar, must-listen vinyl reissues of their entire catalog, which have trickled out over the course of 2015, has kept bassist-vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart busy this year. Things look to be slowing down, but to what end is still a little unclear. Rumors that Peart was retiring recently made the Internet rounds, but this conversation—done before any announcements were made—sheds a little light on what the future holds. Lee also looked back on the past 40 years, discussed the “geek culture” associated with Rush, and dug into the band’s masterpiece 2112, which turns 40 next year. Paste: So, is this really it? Geddy Lee: Well, I don’t know, I can’t tell you. Its intention was not a farewell tour; its intention was a look back and a celebration of 40 years of music. We happen to find ourselves in a very differing state of mind in terms of doing major tours. Neil is not up for the kind of work that it takes for him to be ready to put out a three-hour show the way we have for the last 20-odd years. So his interest in this kind of touring has dwindled. And that’s sort of where we’re at. It doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t do another record together, and it doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t play another concert together—it just means that for the moment we cannot agree on doing a big tour.