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Rush frontman Geddy Lee has revealed that he and his bandmates did “a lot of cocaine” at one point in their career to keep up with the fast pace of their tours.
Lee revealed this information in a new interview with Toronto Life. When asked whether the Rush musicians were sober at the peak of their careers or whether they hid their vices better than their colleagues, the singer and bassist replied: “Are you asking me what drugs we took?” Honestly, it was strange , living on a bus. We once played 23 cities in 23 nights. Back then we used a lot of cocaine to stay in shape. If there are wild nights when a group stays in a city for two days, you can expect heavy drinking to occur.”
He adds: “When we were opening for bigger bands, people were constantly pouring beer on each other and throwing cakes in each other’s faces. We sprayed Kiss once and they did the same to us. The hotel we were staying in was completely ransacked. Someone took a huge potted plant and threw it over the balcony. You could have killed someone! That’s how things were, somehow…”
A few days ago, Lee said he was open to the idea of performing again with his former bandmate Alex Lifeson under the name Rush.
The band retired in 2020 after drummer Neil Peart passed away that year.
Lee is currently promoting her memoir, “My Effin’ Life,” published November 14 by HarperCollins.