![]() ![]() “I was hoping the festivities would help absorb the shock, but it wasn’t to be!” he will tell us later on in the conversation, recalling the tumult the announcement brought on in the city.Īt the Thakers’ new address, we are welcomed in by Dhvanit’s mum Neeta, his wife Aesha - we are meeting both after close to eight years - and the two cute additions to the fam, Krishnavi (who is sporting a ‘Daddy is my whole world’ tee) and her little sister Jayasvi, 10 months. Honestly, I carefully handpicked November 5 (2021) to deliver the news of me quitting the radio, because it was Bhaidooj - it is one of the days in the year with least listenership. “You know, I wasn’t anticipating such uproar. While we are awash with anticipation to decrypt the reasons that made Dhvanit Thaker (RJ Dhvanit, or simply Dhvanit, for his listeners, aficionados and followers), take the monumental decision of quitting radio, the RJ-actor-singer seems ambivalent talking about it for the first time. As cases of Omicron abated, we set up an in-person meeting, masks and sanitisers in tow, at his new crib on the outskirts of the city. I still really enjoy playing it.Hi, I am ready to talk about it now,” the crisp, familiar voice came over the phone, one that Amdavad woke up to, celebrated, and rejoiced in every day for the last 18 years. The verses have a particular feel to them that is classic in a way. “I think it does have a lot going for it, in terms of construction and the way it plays out. To what does Lifeson attribute its popularity and longevity? The Spirit Of Radio quickly became a concert high point, often used as a set opener. It’s got some good pace to it, got a good chorus I think the guitar riff and the sequencer underneath it is a very catchy musical moment.” Lifeson: “We’re always surprised when we have a hit anywhere. ![]() It also saw Rush touch on reggae during a brief break-down section, no doubt due to their appreciation of the then-burgeoning Police.Īlthough always thought of as an album band, Rush scored their first proper Top 20 UK hit single with The Spirit Of Radio, which peaked at No.13. We had that sequence going underneath, and it was just really to try and get something that was sitting on top of it, that gave it that movement.” But it wasn’t really specifically about them – it was more about the idea.”Īlso included in the song is a tip of the cap to Simon And Garfunkel’s 60s classic The Sound Of Silence: ' The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls, and tenement halls/And whispered in the sounds of silence’ became ‘ The words of the profits are written on the studio wall, concert hall/Echoes with the sounds of salesmen.’ Just a play on words – Neil being a little clever,” Lifeson says.įitting in with the song’s lyrical meaning, Lifeson had a clear vision of what he wanted the opening guitar riff to sound like: “I just wanted to give it something that gave it a sense of static – radio waves bouncing around, very electric. Like, you’d hear ‘The Edge, 102!’ There was a station here in Toronto, CFNY, that used that as their call motto. Lifeson also points out where the song’s title came from: “I think that was a common motto for radio stations at the time. And then it was moving more towards a format, and away from that freedom, becoming more regulated, more about selling airtime. "So free-form, really a platform for expanding music at the time. They’d just talk about the songs there were no commercials or anything. Growing up in the early 70s, FM radio was such a free forum for music you’d have DJs who would play stuff for an hour. ![]() Peart wrote the lyrics on that record, as he did (with rare exceptions) on all Rush albums from 1974’s Fly By Night onwards, but Lifeson offers some insight into the meaning of the lyrics on …Radio: “That song was really a statement of where radio was going, where it had been. ![]() When asked about any specific memories of recording the track The Spirit Of Radio, Lifeson recalls taking an unorthodox approach: “I’m sure we did it in the control room, because that’s how we worked: on a stool, sitting behind Paul Northfield, who engineered the record, with Terry there, giving Paul a kick in the back of his chair every so often when he drifted away. ![]()
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