how did Neil Peart attend a McCain/Palin rally in 1981?

"Witch Hunt"

The night is black
Without a moon
The air is thick and still
The vigilantes gather on
The lonely torch lit hill

Features distorted in the flickering light
The faces are twisted and grotesque
Silent and stern in the sweltering night
The mob moves like demons possessed
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right
Confident their ways are best

The righteous rise
With burning eyes
Of hatred and ill-will
Madmen fed on fear and lies
To beat and burn and kill

They say there are strangers who threaten us
In our immigrants and infidels
They say there is strangeness too dangerous
In our theaters and bookstore shelves
That those who know what's best for us
Must rise and save us from ourselves

Quick to judge
Quick to anger
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear walk hand in hand...

Rush apparently got a lot of shit for that once the music press found out. I think his lyrics are more about heroism than selfishness, though.

I'm guessing he doesn't subscribe to the lunatic fringe libertarian's POV:

For a start, the extent of my influence by the writings of Ayn Rand should not be overstated. I am no one's disciple.

Like in the late 70's early Eighties. If you listen to the later stuff the Randian influence isn't evident. I've always thought their themes are pretty progressive actually

I can remember songs about nuclear war (they were against it), gay people (they were for them), nosy governments (against), friends that died (for the friends, against they died), conventional war (against that too), individualism (for it), but also community.

I know Neil is very smart. But when he had his whole Rand trip, he was very young. I doubt he realized just how extreme she was. In any case, Rush is a band that I like anyway. :)

I think "The Trees" is the absolute nadir of his moronic Randian obsession of the time. It celebrates selfishness, using a ridiculous forest metaphor. And '2112' states in the liner notes as being "dedicated to the genius of Ayn Rand". The song "Something For Nothing" from that album has lots of bumper sticker libertarian sound bites - "you can't get freedom for free!" and other superficialties.

Then there's "Anthem" from 'Fly By Night', etc. Not only lifted from Rand's work, but they named their Mercury Records imprint label that too, much later.

I think he's downplaying his past Rand influence the way some boomers downplay their 60's hippie days. He's mellowed a bit, but unfortunately, the music got more and more monochromatic and dull. But I blame that on dumping Terry Brown as a producer, more than any minimizing of the objectivist content of his lyrics. Of course, I am aditting in that statement that I haven't much cared for anything they've done since 'Signals'. I have several friends still into them, so I have been able to keep current long past their expiration date.