“People focus on the fact that he only played on the first record. But there were six years before that when he was their leader”: Rush movie makers knew they couldn’t leave John Rutsey out

John Rutsey in Rush.

In 2010 directors Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen of Banger Films – who’d already enjoyed success with Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and Iron Maiden: Flight 666 – released their Rush documentary Beyond The Lighted Stage. That year they told Prog about the challenges involved in putting it together, and what they’d learned about their fellow Canadians in the process.

“Rush is the longest-running intact rock band ever,” says Sam Dunn. “And with over 40 million records sold over four decades they’re arguably one of the most influential rock bands ever too. So we felt that, with this sort of legacy, it was high time someone made a documentary about their career.”