Irvine, California, July 14, 2004

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"Shaking his hand, I...told [Jack Black] how pleased I had been by the reference in School of Rock. Jack said, 'That was my idea!'

I also mentioned how we had originally wanted him to play the part of the 'awakening dreamer' in our opening film, the part Jerry Stiller had ended up doing ('What did they put in my tea?'). At the time, we had been told by Jack's people that he wasn't available, but typically, he had never even heard about it. He spread his arms and said, with obvious sincerity, 'I am at your service.'

Michael and I told him about the dryer ritual, how we sometimes had guests come out onstge to put quarters in the dryers, and asked if he would like to do it. He said, 'Well, yeah!,' and Michael said he would tell him when.

At the beginning of 2112, I saw Jack come bounding out from stage left in an improvised priate costume - skull-and-crossbones hat, eye-patch, and some kind of multicolored skirt thing - do a somersault, and strike some 'rock poses' as the crowd roared its delight. He fell to his knees in front of Geddy at the front of the stage, acting out more rock poses, then came back to the dryers and started to take his clothes off. 'Oh-oh,' I thought, 'Is this where somebody gets arrested?'

Fortunately he stopped at his boxers, then climbed on top of the dryers, just as the 'starman' logo appeared on the screen. Standing on the dryers, his pudgy body framed in the lights and his boxers displaying the classic plumber's crack, he struck the same pose as the naked man on the screen, arms up and hands splayed in resistance to oppression.

While I played on, I looked over at him in profile, and saw his face intent against the lights, immersed in the role, then he jumped down again, gathered up his clothes, and did a somersault offstage. The audience loved it, of course, laughing and cheering, and Geddy and I exchanged head-shaking smiles of disbelief. Before the encore, when we stood backstage for a quick swallow of water and a towel-off, Geddy said to me, 'That wasn't just an appearance - that was some kind of performance art!'" - Neil Peart, Roadshow