In 2019, Giuliano ‘Jools’ Gizzi, the guitarist from Scottish rockers Gun, told Prog how he discovered the genre, and his appreciation for Rush counterpart Alex Lifeson.
“I got into progressive music when I was a kid. We’re talking around 1976, just before the big punk explosion. My best friend’s brother was a big Jethro Tull fan, and into Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream as well – I used to go over there to hang out and he would play all these records. That’s how it all started.
“For me, though, Rush had better songs than those other groups. The phenomenal musicianship of that band just blew me away. Alex Lifeson is one of the most amazing guitar players ever. Geddy Lee – I’d never heard anything like that before. What a distinctive voice. That guy can play like hell as well. And Neil Peart was probably one of the top drummers in the world.
“I was about 12 or 13 when I started learning guitar and I tried to play along to Rush, but it was really challenging! Lifeson has such a unique guitar sound. I remember trying to work out what extra notes he’d put in. I was so infatuated with it, I just practised and practised.
“I think Bastille Day from Caress Of Steel was the very first Rush song I learned, but 2112 was my favourite Rush album – it had some great songs: Overture, A Passage To Bangkok.
“I had the chance to see them on that tour. To hear it all being played live just blew me away. A lot of bands change things when they play live but those three guys played it note for note. It was phenomenal.
“I saw them a good few times after that. Just watching them and hearing all those albums really inspired me and made me want to be a musician.
“Many years ago, Gun were recording at the Maison Rouge in London and someone told me Alex Lifeson was doing guitar overdubs in one of the other studios. I hung around – but sadly I never saw him. That’s as close as I ever got to meeting one of them.
“Although my tastes have changed, we supported Uriah Heep for a couple of shows in 2018 and Von Hertzen Brothers were on before us. They were really amazing and I remember watching them and thinking, ‘Wow!’ They reminded me of those early days of Rush.”
