In a recent interview with The World Cafe, Geddy Lee delved into the past, recounting his expulsion from Rush and the subsequent confrontation with Alex Lifeson that unfolded years later. The early days of Rush were marked by frequent lineup changes, with Lindy Young and Mitch Bossi joining at different points. The band underwent a managerial shift when Ray Danniels took over, resulting in a brief period where Lee was ousted and replaced by Joe Perna. However, Lee’s reinstatement swiftly followed an unsuccessful gig at Rutsey’s invitation.

Reflecting on the surprising decision to remove him from the band, Lee shared his initial shock:

“It’s interesting the way it all went down. You know, we were kids. We were really kids. So, that day, I was informed by our fourth member (Lindy Young) at that time, who ended up becoming my brother-in-law eventually, he told me that, ‘The band had broken up good, we broke up.’ I was like, ‘What?’ I was kind of reeling from that.”

Lee went on to express a sense of vindication when Rutsey invited him back, saying:

“But a few months later, when John called me and asked me to rejoin the band because the band that they had turned Rush into was a disaster, I wasn’t unhappy to hear about that. I felt sort of vindicated when John called and said, ‘Look, why don’t you come back?’ Al was my best friend still, in a weird way, and I wanted to play with them again. So I went back happily, and we just went at it. I never really put them on the hot seat as to what really occurred. So, it was really nice to do that finally.”

In his memoir ‘My Effin’ Life,’ Lee humorously details the conversation with Lifeson about those tumultuous times:

“I asked Al to come over to my house because I wanted to interview him for my book. [Laughs] So, we’re having our usual laughs, kidding each other, and I just put it to him. I said, ‘So, Al, when I got kicked out of the band, who really was the motivating factor? Who was it? Was it the new manager Ray, or was it John? Where did you stand on all of this? Did you defend me?’”

Lifeson candidly admitted to his passive role in the situation:

“He was looking at the ground a little bit, and he was saying, ‘Well, you know me back then, Ged, I was just a guy who went along with things, and John was such a dominant personality,’ which he was, he was a very strong personality. I just think that Al just went with the flow, and he didn’t really have an excuse or a strong reason.”

Through this narrative, Lee reflected on the impact of emotional responses on one’s recollection of events