"If the first is the year of sorrow," Neil wrote. "The second is the year of emptiness." - Geddy Lee

For a bass player to find a drummer with the exact same mindset is a rare and special thing.

Here we are in our finery, playing at the venerable Gasworks. Deep in the throes of glam, we’d change into our sequins and studs in a tiny dressing area situated beneath a restroom, which more than once leaked through the ceiling, forcing us to go onstage redolent of urine.

"I have said this before, and so has Neil, but it bears repeating: if we learned one thing from all of this, it was a young artist's greatest asset is the word "no". It's an immensely valuable word. There will always be pressure on you to compromise, pressure to sell your dreams short, and there will always be people who want you to be something that you're not, but none of these things can happen without your permission. My most urgent advice to aspiring artists is always" Be true to yourself and just say no". Oh, and always take your wallet onstage with you. Bada-bing!"