Seeing Rush in pop culture is one of the things that has given me more child-like enthusiasm than anything else.
One of the things that gets me absolutely excited is when I hear a Rush reference come out of nowhere. To this day, I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it’s the feeling that there are people in higher places that ‘get Rush’ and got some kind of pleasure from dropping a little tidbit of Rush into their art for other fans to find. It’s like all the members of a secret club speaking in a secret language. There’s an exclusivity to Rush that only those who know the band and love the band really understand. To the outsider, it just seems strange or nerdiness.
Whether a simple 2112 sighting or a full on reference to the band, they’re a small but satisfying moment of joy when they happen. Now, the number of Rush references out there is huge (I mean massive), so for the sake of not re-covering any ground that has been established, here are Rush references from series, sources and shows that appeared more than once. Check the link above for the massive list of Rush references and check back periodically because it’s updated consistently!
Mystery Science Theater 3000 made quite a few Rush references in riffs directed at bad movies in their decade on the air:
- Commenting on a letter, Joel says “Very trippy, and I bet you listen to Rush, don’t you?” (Episode 213- Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster)
- Tom Servo confirms that Joel identified “The Rush Guy” (Episode 213- Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster)
- Listening to the movie’s soundtrack, Tom notices “Neil Peart on drums.” He rhymes “Peart” with “Bert.” (Episode 303- Pod People)
- Mr. Servo also says “Neil Peart on drums” in Time of the Apes (Episode 306- Time of the Apes). He mispronounces it here, too.
- Joel Robinson sees a poorly-lit woman and says, “You know, in that light she looks just like Geddy Lee.” Crow sounds nauseous… [Note: She really does look like a ’70s Geddy] (Episode 504- Secret Agent Super Dragon)
- Dead body with headphones on. Crow: “He died listening to Rush.” Joel: “2112.” (Episode 508- Operation Double 007)
- Mike Nelson sees three weirdos and says “Hey, it’s the band Rush!” (Episode 516- Alien From L.A.)
- Silver Morgan calls home for her sister, Mary Lee, who isn’t there. So Crow says, “Well, then, is GEDDY Lee there?”(Episode 601- Girls Town)
- Crow T. Robot sees a crate marked RUSH and yells, “Rush albums! Woo!” (Episode 614- San Francisco International)
- Mike says, “Man, I’m so baked right now… you gotta hear this Rush tape.” (Episode 804- The Deadly Mantis)
Check out the whole list of Rush references in Mystery Science Theater 3000 here.
The Adult Swim show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force referenced Rush in the episode, Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary, 3 times: the first with Master Shake saying he remixed ‘Happy Birthday’ with Geddy Lee, the Fly By Night/bass guitar themed jet and at the end of the episode when Meatwad is singing ‘The Spirit of Radio’.
This scene from Freaks and Geeks.
This exchange from the movie, Orgazmo, produced by Trey Parker and Matt Stone of the South Park fame:
Dave the Lighting Guy: Everybody say, “Geddy Lee!”
Joe Young: Who’s Geddy Lee?
Dave the Lighting Guy: Geddy Lee, best bass player EVER, come on!
Everybody: Geddy Lee!
[Dave snaps photo]
Futurama referenced the band 3 times:
- “Anthology of Interest II” (#47, aired January 6, 2002): To save the world from alien invaders using his videogame skills, Fry says “All right! It’s Saturday night, I have no date, a two liter bottle of Shasta and my all Rush mix tape, let’s rock!” and then proceeds to play “Space Invaders” while listening to “Tom Sawyer”.
- “Obsoletely Fabulous” (#70, aired July 27, 2003): After being told he is obsolete, Bender joins a colony of other obsolete robots and declares “We’ll soon stage an attack on technology worthy of being chronicled in an anthem by Rush!”.
- “The Prisoner of Brenda” (#98, aired August 19, 2010, on the title card at the very beginning of the episode, the bottom caption reads “What happens in Cygnus X-1 stays in Cygnus X-1”
Family Guy has two known references:
- – During the episode “Chick Cancer” (#87), after Stewie says he is “cooler than that cheetah from the commercials”, it flashes to Chester Cheetah sitting in his living room which has a Rush starman poster on the wall while listening to “Tom Sawyer”. He opens a bag of Cheetos, chops them with a razor blade, snorts the powder, and then says “Ah God there is no f(bleeped out) drummer better than Neil Peart (pronounced ‘Pert’)!” (click here for a video clip).
- – A 2112 sighting: as Stewie and Brian are leaving Aspen, Colorado, a highway mileage sign gives the distance to Rhode Island as 2112 miles (note, this is in fact the actual mileage from Aspen to Rhode Island, +/- 6 miles!).
Another Adult Swim show, Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law has two episodes with Rush references:
- “Blackwatch Plaid”: The security level in Harvey’s office building is raised to “Moving Pictures”, their highest level, and displayed the Moving Pictures album cover. Click here to view a 1:29 segment from the episode.
- “Peanut Puberty”: When Peanut is called to the blackboard in class, he uses his binder to hide his “arising” event of “superty”, and on his binder is a RUSH sticker – the logo from the first album.
Additional Reading for Rush in Pop Culture
Rush in Pop Culture – CBC Music
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Check out more of the 25 Days of Rush series
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