My Favorite Headache (4:44)
The Present Tense (3:25)
Window To The World (3:01)
Working at Perfekt (4:59)
Runaway Train (4:31)
The Angels' Share (4:34)
Moving To Bohemia (4:25)
Home On The Strange (3:47)
Slipping (5:05)
Still (4:29)
Grace To Grace (4:57)
Vinyl Edition Instrumental Bonus Tracks
My Favorite Headache (4:47)
Home on the Strange (3:48)
Geddy Lee | Basses, voices, piano, guitar, programming, percussion, whining
Ben Mink | Electric and acoustic guitars, violins and violas, programming, wheezing
Matt Cameron | Drums
Recorded during the spring and summer of 2000
Produced by Geddy Lee, Ben Mink and David Leonard
Mixed and engineered by David Leonard
Matt Cameron's drums recorded by Adam Kasper
Additional recording by Dennis Tougas, B. Mink, G. Lee.
THANKS AND I MEAN THANKS:
To Nancy, Julian and Kyla
For their encouragement, patience and patience!!
To Ben and David for so many hours (you bad boys you)!
Ben would like to thank in no small way - Ingrid, Izzy and Lucie
For their time and positive energy:
Val Azzoli, Ray Danniels, Pegi Cecconi, Liam Birt, Anna LeCoche, Randy Rolfe, Sheila Posner, Shelley Nott, Cynthia Barry, Karen Jones, Warren Seyffert, Jill Berliner
For their generosity of spirit:
Matt and April, Adam and J.J, Amy, Cailey and Parker Bruce Leonard, Greg Keplinger, Jeremy Taggart, Ed Wilson, Jason Sniderman, Robbie Higgins, Daniel R. for "supra", JL, Martin Laba, The good people at Studio X, Ormond Jobim and the equally good people of Reaction Studios, Alex Andronache at Metalworks and of course (my soul brothers) Lerxst and Pratt!
© 2000 Atlantic Records © 2000 Anthem Entertainment
"In all honesty, we started writing in hopes of creating some sort of production company together, where we could write songs for other people...But then a feeling of possessiveness started to take over. We both thought, 'I really like this song, and if I give it to somebody else to do, they're going to change it. And that would just be such a drag!' So then we said, 'OK; it looks like we want to make a record.'" - Geddy Lee, Montreal Gazette, November 30, 2000
"[Ben Mink] came to Toronto for a couple of days in my home studio, and, with Neil's cataclysm still at the forefront of my mind, the first song we wrote was 'Gone,' a ballad about loss. We spent hours arranging and recording parts for it, but in the end I decided it was too emotionally raw. I wasn't comfortable releasing it for the public, and it remains in the vault as an extremely well recorded 'demo.' I recently discovered a second song that we left off that album, called 'IMUR,' also a highly polished demo. I can't for the life of me think why we didn't use it. Must have run out of time when we were in Seattle."- Geddy Lee, My Effin' Life
"I have been doing a lot of writing over the last couple of years with various people. I have got quite an accumulation of material together. We [Lee and Mink] have been friends for many, many years. We have always talked about writing together. We started this a couple of years ago, a series of writing sessions in Vancouver and Toronto. We have gathered some material together that is ... interesting. The problem for me is I love writing, I love making music. But I am not really driven by the kind of ambition to feature myself on a solo album. I would love to see this material I have been working on see the light of day. Inevitably (releasing a solo album) will be the direction I may have to take to get it exposed." - JAM! Showbiz, January 18, 2000.
"Ben's dad was telling him a story about something that happened to his mother, and he said, in his Polish accent, 'and right away, she gets the favorite headache.' Once I stopped laughing, I realized what a great phrase that is, and I became determined to use it. It represents my sort of reluctant relationship with making music: I love it passionately, but it drives me crazy, because once I get into a project I'm completely consumed by it." - Geddy Lee, Bass Player Magazine, January 2001
"With Ben, it was a collaboration from the word go. He was for me the perfect sounding board. 'Window on the World,' for example, stemmed from a ridiculous conversation we were having about online pornography (I think magazines liked Wired were speculating at the time about things like teledildonics) and people surfing cyberspace and finding a window onto some sexual paradise."- Geddy Lee, My Effin' Life
"'Slipping,' ... I wrote mostly on piano. While I love to rock, and rock hard, there's a quieter part of me that aspires to simply write basic, beautiful melodies. I've never figured out how to satisfy both sides of me in equal measure, and more often than not the gentler side has taken a back seat, but this one is as vulnerable as I've ever allowed myself to be. It's so personal that I could never have done it with my band. It's a good example of why you have to occasionally venture out-to see what you might reveal about yourself. In a way, it's about my life with Nancy. (I couldn't have said so at the time, but now that I've written about my married life in this book, I can out myself.) It's an apology for my failings as a human being in love, for every failure to understand, every failure to be considerate enough, every failure to act when I should have and for the pain my self-absorption caused. Not that she noticed! In fact, nobody in my family made so much as a peep about the record."- Geddy Lee, My Effin' Life
"As far as the album cover goes, it's a very abstract representation of the title. It kind of represents the yin and yang of that phrase. Half in heaven, half in hell. The character on the cover finds himself torn between these two worlds. It's a little abstract but a lot of fun...the slinky is part of what we call a Gordian knot which is a knot that is almost impossible to untie. It's kind of representative of that phrase." - Geddy Lee, "Rockline", November 29, 2000
"Following more than a quarter-century of success with Rush - including 22 albums, all certified RIAA gold-or-better, with cumulative worldwide sales of over 35 million - My Favorite Headache finds Lee joined in the studio by guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Ben Mink and drummer Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden). The album's 11 diverse new Lee compositions were co-written with Mink (best known for his collaborations with k.d. lang [webmaster note: better known to Rush fans for Mink's electric violin on Signal's 'Losing It', also as a member of 'FM' who toured with Rush in the early 80's]). This landmark recording sees Lee taking on a number of instruments - along with his bass and vocal duties - including piano, guitar, percussion, and various programming elements. Recorded in Seattle, Vancouver, and Toronto, the album was produced by Lee, Mink, and renowned studio whiz David Leonard (Santana, Barenaked Ladies, Prince), and also features drummer Jeremy Taggart (Our Lady Peace) on one track." - Atlantic Records/Geddy Lee Newsletter, September 19, 2000.
"This packaging is technically referred to as a 'Digipack' and record companies generally do not like to use them claiming that they cost more to produce. Which may well be the case based on the fact that their production is geared up to use the plastic 'Jewel Box' and as a result any other type of request is considered a special order. So, if an artist insists on using the 'digipack' type of cover they will make that artist pick up the extra cost. They also claim that 'MARKET RESEARCH TELLS US THAT FANS REALLY PREFER JEWEL BOXES AND VIEW THEM AS BETTER VALUE FOR MONEY'. As for myself I much prefer the 'digipack' type of packaging for the following reasons, more environmentally friendly, they feel better in your hands (like an album cover!..I'm old fashioned I guess!), they look much better in terms of graphic display, and they don't shatter the instant you open them like the dreaded Jewel Box!! Although they may have a tendency to fray a bit over time. For those artists that believe that artwork is important in ways beyond the practical, unique packaging usually becomes a bit of a battle with most of the larger record companies. Even for very successful artists." - Geddy Lee, The Geddy Lee Interactive Website, January 11, 2001
"I really like [Matt Cameron] from Soundgarden. I like his playing a lot...he has a lot of room to shine and I enjoy his playing immensely." - Neil Peart, Powerkick, The Rock Drummer's Quarterly, Summer 1992
Geddy Lee's solo project, design by Steve Mydolyn and Fuel Design, photography by Michael Graf and Andrew MacNaughtan. The "chair" image is a composite of two images from the liner art. The green image featuring Geddy's portraits merges the back cover with the "Gordian knot" graphic taken not from the compact disc, but from a promo flat. The final image is the collage poster which was included in the 2019 vinyl reissue.
"As far as the album cover goes, it's a very abstract representation of the title. It kind of represents the yin and yang of that phrase. Half in heaven, half in hell. The character on the cover finds himself torn between these two worlds. It's a little abstract but a lot of fun...the slinky is part of what we call a Gordian knot which is a knot that is almost impossible to untie. It's kind of representative of that phrase." - Geddy Lee, Rockline, November 29, 2000
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This is a collection of transcripts of magazine and newspaper articles and other media related to this release or coinciding with the time frame surrounding it. This is an ongoing work in progress; feel free to email any suggested additions.
One Man Standing On The Plains Of Abraham
Watching A Damaged Sunrise
One Man Standing Near The Edge
Of A Quiet Breakdown
I Watch The Sea
It Helps To Anchor Me
I Watch The Sea
It Helps To Anchor Me
Once You Start Hiding
You Keep On Hiding
Till Your Paranoia Calms Down
Once You Start Watching
You Keep On Watching
Till You're Tied Up And You're Spellbound
Just Between The Ice Ages Anyway
I Want To Talk But I Haven't Got
Too Much To Say
I Don't Mean To Be So Nihilistic
Forgive Me If I Seem To Be Too Realistic
Once You Start Running
You Keep On Running
Till Your Muscles Start To Breakdown
Once You Start Falling
You Keep On Falling
Till You Hit The Cold. Cold Ground
I Watch T.v.
What Do You Want From Me
I Watch T.v.
What Do You Want From Me
Just Between The Ice Ages Anyway
I Want To Talk But I Haven't Got
Enough To Say
I Don't Mean To Be So Nihilistic
Forgive Me If I Seem To Be Too Realistic
Once You Start Hiding
You Keep On Hiding
Till You Feel You're Safe And Sound
Once You Start Watching
You Keep On Watching
Till You're Tied Up And You're Spellbound
I Watch The Sea
It Helps To Anchor Me
I Watch The Sea
I Saw It On T.V.
Living In The Present Tense
When You Lose The Past
And The Future Makes No Sense
You're Living In The Present Tense
Crawling Out, Secure And Confident
Imbued With Innocence
Ready For The Whirl
Suddenly The View Was More Intense
Living In A Different Kind Of World
You're Living
Living In The Present Tense
There's Nothing To Blame
No Victim Of Consequence
You're Living In The Present Tense
Something You Said
It Made Me
Step Outside ..the Moment
Eyes Pan Right And Left
Around My World
Open Yourself
Up To The Possibility
Aware Of Some Reality
Outside Your World
In A Silent Universe
The Moment Can Be So Real
You Almost Can't Stand It
In A Distant Universe
Distracted From Ourselves
You Can't Help But Wonder
In A Crowded Universe
When The Talking Turns To Noise
You Almost Start Laughing
You're Living
Living In The Present Tense
When You Lose The Past
And The Future Makes No Sense
You're Living In The Present Tense
Nothing To Blame
No Victim Of Consequence
You're Living In The Present Tense
I've Gone Flying, Trying To Reach You
You've Been Hiding, Riding Me To A State Like This
Give Me That Window To,
Give Me That Window To,
Give Me That Window To The World
We Are Sailing, Flailing Through The Ether
You've Been Trailing, Failing Me With You're
View Of Bliss
Give Me That Window To,
Give Me That Window To,
Give Me That Window To The World
A Little More Than This,
A Little Less Than That,
You've Got Magic In Your Hands
A Little More Like This,
A Little Less Like That,
I've Got Magic In My Hands
You've Conspired, Inspired Me To
Find A Place Like This
Give Me That Window To,
Give Me That Window To,
Give Me That Window To The World
Draw A Line
Strong And Clear
Make It Bend To Your Will
All The Lines
In A Face
So Hard To Make Stand Still
'till The Flaws Disappear
'till What's Wrong Disappears
'till All That's Wrong Will
Disappear
Working At Perfect
Got Me Down On My Knees
Success To Failure
Just A Matter Of Degrees
Success To Failure
Just A Matter Of Degrees
All The Colours Of The Day
Have Somehow Disappeared
All The Colours Of The Universe
Are Closer Than They Appear
Are Not As Close As They Appear
Are Not As Close As They Appear
Not As Close As They Appear
Nothing Is Perfect
Certainly Not Me
Success To Failure
Just A Matter Of Degrees
Working At Perfect
Got Me Down On My Knees
But When It's Right
It's Right As Rain
And When It's Right
There Is No Pain
And When It's Right
You Start Again
Working At Perfect
Got You Down On Your Knees
Success To Failure
Just A Matter Of Degrees
Success To Failure
Just A Matter Of Degrees
Nothing Blooms
In A Loveless Room
You've Got To Want It
You've Got To Want It
Who's The Fool
Where Apathy Rules
You've Got To Want It
You've Got To Want It
If You Don't Want It
It Remains The Same
It's A Heart Of Darkness
That Wants To Play That Game
If There's No Defiance
It Remains Insane
If It's All Compliance
It's A Runaway Train
Nothing So Cruel
Where Malevolence Rules
You've Got To Want It
You've Got To Want It
There Is No Defence
Against Pointed Arrogance
You've Got To Want It
You've Got To Want It
If You Don't Want It
It Remains The Same
It's A Heart Of Darkness
That Wants To Play That Game
It Can Be Surprising
When You Lose The Shame
And The Sun Starts Rising
Another Day To Tame
If You're Heart Is Aching
Just Remove The Shame
You've Got To Want It
Give Your Soul A Shaking
And Refuse The Blame
You've Got To Want It
Who's The Fool
Where Apathy Rules
You've Got To Want It
You've Got To Want It
If You Don't Want It
It Remains The Same
It's A Heart Of Darkness
That Wants To Play That Game
If There's No Defiance
It Remains Insane
If It's All Compliance
It's A Runaway Train
It's A Runaway Train
The Angels' Share
The Secrets Of The Universe
It's Seldom Fair
Partly Blessing Partly Curse
All Those Things We Cannot Know
We Dream , We Hypothesize
Maybe These Are Secrets Shared By Those
Watching From The Sky
If We Are Only Members Of The Human Race
No Supernatural Beings From A
Supranatural Place
If You Can't Solve The Problem
Come And Tell Me To My Face
The Angels' Share
All The Human Mysteries
There Is No Prayer
To The Thieves Of Celestial History
The Myth Of Perfect Reason
We've Forgotten At Birth
It's A Kind Of Clandestine Conspiracy
A Seraphin Joke Of Eternity
If We Are Only Members Of The Human Race
No Supernatural Beings From A
Supranatural Place
If You Can't Solve The Problem
Come And Tell Me To My Face
All Those Things We Cannot Know
We Dream , We Hypothesize
Maybe These Are Secrets Shared By Those
Watching From The Sky
If We Are Only Members Of The Human Race
No Supernatural Beings From A
Supranatural Place
If You Can't Solve The Problem
Come And Tell Me To My Face
Where The Air's Not Clean
Where The Water's Glowing Green
Where The Dog's Are Mean
I'm Moving To Bohemia
Taking You Along
Say Goodbye To Suburbia
You Don't Have To Cut The Lawn
I Had A Dream Of A Different Place
I Had A Dream That You Had A Different Face
I Heard A Scream Of A Desperate Kind
I've Got A Feeling That You're Gonna Love What
You'll Find
Where We're On T.V.
Where The Money Grows On Trees
Where The Beer Is Free
Moving To Bohemia
Taking You Along
Say Goodbye To Utopia
We'll Wave Before We're Gone
I Had A Dream Of A Different Place
I Had A Dream That You Had A Different Face
I Hear The Beat Of An Anxious Heart
I Feel The Heat...it's Time For Us To Start
Time For Us To Start
I'm Moving To Bohemia
Where The Literature 's Obscene
Bathing In Euphoria
Where The Naked Truth Is On The Screen
I Had A Dream Of A Different Place
I Had A Dream That You Had A Different Face
I Heard A Scream Of A Desperate Kind
I've Got A Feeling That...
You're Gonna Love What You'll Find
You're Gonna Love What You'll Find
He Sleeps With A Chain Saw
Got Eyes Like An Outlaw
He Takes A Two Smoke Walk
He Don't Like To Talk
And He Don't Like Change
And He Don't Like Change
You May Think He's Deranged
But He'd Rather Be Home,
Home.. Home On The Strange
He's A Canadian Icon
He's Sleeps With His Clothes On
He Likes To Work With His Hands
He's An Apolitical Man
And He Don't Like Change
And He Don't Like Change
You May Think He's Deranged
But He'd Rather Be Home,
Home.. Home On The Strange
One In A Lifetime
One In A World
One In A Life Time
One In A World
One In A Life Time
One In A World
He Sleeps With A Chainsaw
He Sings Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa
He Likes To Work With His Hands
He's An Apolitical Man
And He Don't Like Change
And He Don't Like Change
You May Think He's Deranged
But He'd Rather Be Home,
Home.. Home On The Strange
And He Don't Like Change
And He Don't Like Change
You May Think He's Deranged
But He'd Rather Be Home,
Home.. Home On The Strange
Meant To Tell You
Tell You From The Start
Meant To Show You
What's Inside This Shallow Heart
But I Could Not Find The Words
Worthy Enough To Say
I Slipped Along The Way
I Slipped Along The Way
Tried To Be There
Be There When You Fall
Tried To Make You Feel Big
When Life Makes You Feel Small
But I Could Not Find The Steps
Quickly Enough To Take
I Slipped Along The Way
I Slipped Along The Way
Want To Change Things
Want To Clear The Air
Fix The Things Around Us
So Badly In Need Of Repair
But I Might Not Have The Sense
Sense Enough To Change
I Slipped Along The Way
Trick Of The Light
Or Just
A Loss Of Perspective
Flaw In The Grand Plan
Just
The Way It Is
Looks Good From A Distance
But
The Closer I Come
It...
Becomes More Daunting
But
These Moments Will Pass
Still
Halfway Up The Hill
My Fingers May Bleed
But I've Got To Get There
Still
Standing On The Hill
My Spirit's Released
But I've Got To Get There
Lost In An Abstract Thought
Dazed And Distracted
Winded Yet Still I'm Caught
With A Fragment Of Doubt
Slowed By Reflection
But
These Moments Will Pass
Still
Halfway Up The Hill
My Fingers May Bleed
But I've Got To Get There
Still
Standing On The Hill
My Spirit's Released
But I've Got To Get There
It's Just Confusion
An Illusion
Easily Overdone
Here Comes Resolution
Absolution
It's Not An Illusion
Not A Fiction
Easily Overcome
Here Comes Revolution
Absolution
Trick Of The Light
Or Just
Too Much Perspective
Looks Good From A Distance
But
The Closer I Come
It
Becomes More Daunting
But
These Moments Will Pass
Still
A Hundred Thousand Years
A Hundred Thousand Miles Of Track
A Hundred Thousand Tears
Hundred Thousand Souls
You Can't Give Back
When The Dark Subsides
An Eternity Goes By
On The Fault Line
Between Then And Now
When The Truth Hides
An Eternity Goes By
On The Fault Line
Between Then And Now
Grace To Grace
Immaculate Vision
Of What Should Have Been
Face To Face
Eloquent Stories
Of What Could Have Been
A Hundred Thousand Dreams
A Hundred Thousand Beams Of Light
A Hundred Thousand Schemes
Gods In The Heavens Can't Get It Right
When The Dark Subsides
An Eternity Goes By
On The Fault Line
Between Then And Now
When The Truth Hides
Integrity Falls Shy
On The Fault Line
Between Then And Now
Grace To Grace
Immaculate Vision
Of What Should Have Been
Place To Place
Elegant Story
Of What Could Have Been
When The Truth Hides
Integrity Falls Shy
On The Fault Line
Between Then And Now
When The Truth Hides
An Eternity Goes By
On The Fault Line
Between Then And Now
Grace To Grace
Immaculate Vision
Of What Should Have Been
Face To Face
Elegant Story
Of What Could Have Been
Grace To Grace
Immaculate Vision
Of What Should Have Been
Grace To Grace