An Evening With Heroes

Some nights in life are just way better than others. In fact, some nights, you just wish for what we call, “Time Stand Still.” Some nights, you want to “Freeze this moment a little bit longer, make each sensation a little bit stronger.”

Now, if you recognize these lyrical references, then you know the “we” I’m referring to here is my fellow superfans of the greatest rock band ever — RUSH. And as a superfan, last night was a “Time Stand Still” evening.

You see, last night, I went to an author reading and interview/conversation with RUSH frontman/bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Geddy Lee, as he spoke and read from his new memoir, playfully titled, “My Effin’ Life.”

Geddy was joined by a “special guest host,” actor/comedian/musician Jack Black. Black is also a RUSH superfan, and he made a rather famous appearance during the band’s R30 tour show in Irvine, California, on July 14, 2004 (superfans also tend to know the dates of the shows we’ve been to). I was there that night, and I witnessed the porcine actor run out on stage, strip down to his underwear and strike the RUSH “Starman” pose in the middle of their performance of the operatic “2112.”

Jack Black was decidedly more subdued last night, although still wittily playful and funny, as he directed the conversation with Geddy. That conversation started with an intensely beautiful reflection on how Geddy’s parents met, and how they both managed to survive a Nazi labor camp that made munitions in their native Poland. And then, how they managed to reunite after they were separated and sent to the death camp Auschwitz. It was an amazing story of reverence for one’s past that tugged at the heart of the human spirit.

The conversation then moved to recollections of the band, its 40-year history, its highs and lows along the winding path and the intimate, humorous and poignant musings of the music, people and places experienced along the way.

Yet for me, the best part of the night was the many recollections about Geddy’s band mates — master guitarist Alex Lifeson and the inimitable drummer/lyricist, the late Neil Peart.

The stories and reverence for his childhood friend Alex, and the incredible admiration and love with which Geddy spoke of his bandmate, were quite moving and inspirational. I hope that my colleagues have even a modicum of that kind of love and respect for me, as that would be a tremendous honor.

Your editor, pre-show, with his copy of “My Effin’ Life” by Geddy Lee.

For me, the absolute best moments were hearing Geddy’s tender reflections on Neil Peart. From the story of how mesmerized he and Alex were when they first heard Neil play drums at the band’s audition, to the moment when they realized he would be the perfect person to write the band’s lyrics. That latter story was one of my favorite moments of the evening, as it reminded me of something in my own life.

You see, Neil was a voracious reader, and Geddy and Alex always saw him with his nose in a book, usually a challenging literary classic. One day they said to Neil, and I paraphrase here from memory, “Hey, you like to read a lot, why don’t you try to write some lyrics?”

Neil did just that, and artistic genius was born.

I had this same sort of moment as a child. One night, I recall my parents asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said, “I don’t know, I’m only 12 years old.” After I left the room, I heard my parents chuckling, then I heard my father tell my mother, “Well, he’s always reading those big books, maybe he’ll be a writer.”

I guess parents do sometimes get things right.

The recollections of Neil, his brilliance, his unique lyrical style and masterful musicianship and his unquenchable desire for knowledge and for always improving all came to life in Geddy’s heartfelt recollections of his fallen comrade, and that was the best part of spending time last night with Geddy, and by extension, my fellow heroes of RUSH.

Today, I want to leave you with my own recollections of Neil Peart, as I wrote about my thoughts on what his life meant to me upon hearing of his death nearly four years ago. I hope you find my tribute worthy of the man, worthy of my heroes and worthy of the very best within us.

A Shadow Crossed My Heart
(Originally published Jan.16, 2020)

Suddenly, you were gone
From all the lives you left your mark upon…

— RUSH, “Afterimage”

On Friday afternoon, I learned of the death of one of my real-life heroes. And after the initial wave of incredulity subsided, I felt a shadow cross my heart.

Perhaps not surprisingly, those precise words, “I felt a shadow cross my heart,” are lyrics from the song “Nobody’s Hero” by my favorite rock band, RUSH. Those lyrics also happened to be written by that real-life fallen hero, the band’s virtuoso drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.

Peart is a rock and roll legend. He’s inarguably one of the greatest drummers in music history, and at age 31, he was the youngest drummer ever to be inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. Decades later, he and his RUSH bandmates, bassist-vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Yet, “The Professor,” as he was referred to by the legions of RUSH fans around the world, was more than just a genius behind the drum kit. And he was much more than just someone with a penchant for turning a lyrical phrase.

Peart was a man who helped shape my mind, and my existence, with the profundity of his prose and the intensity of his thought.

His intellectual genius can only really be appreciated within the full context of the band’s 19 studio albums, 11 live albums and 33 music videos, not to mention the thousands of shows the band played over the course of its incredible 40-year career. Yet today, I will attempt to reveal a glimpse of the man’s mind with a sampling of a few of my favorite lyrics from his epic body of work.

After you read them, along with my thoughts on the lessons they convey, you’ll get a better sense of what was so profoundly influential for me about Peart’s work. I also suspect you’ll get a much deeper look at the man that I am, and the man I continually aspire to be.

Hold your fire
Keep it burning bright
Hold the flame
’Til the dream ignites
A spirit with a vision
Is a dream with a mission

— “Mission”

The lesson here is that man requires a productive life purpose, and the key to achieving that purpose is carrying out your vision with passion and persistence.

From the point of ignition
To the final drive
The point of the journey
Is not to arrive

— “Prime Mover”

Life isn’t about the endpoint of attaining a goal. Life is much more about the doing, and the experience, of action in the moment.

The most endangered species: the honest man
Will still survive annihilation
Forming a world, state of integrity
Sensitive, open and strong

— “Natural Science”

The virtue of honesty is hard to adhere to, but one must always pledge fealty to truth. Doing so allows you to live in a state of integrated calm. Another way of saying this is that the moral is the practical.

You don’t get something for nothing
You can’t buy freedom for free
You won’t get wise with the sleep still in your eyes
No matter what your dream might be

— “Something For Nothing”

The only way to learn is by engaging with the world; however, doing so comes at a price. Let’s face it, it’s damn hard to really think things through. Yet as humans, we have no other choice but to think, and no amount of denial will make that fact go away.

Philosophers and Ploughmen
Each must know his part
To sow a new mentality
Closer to the Heart

— “Closer To The Heart”

We all have a responsibility to ourselves to be as happy as we can be, whatever our role is in this grand play we call life might be. Doing so not only helps us achieve happiness, it helps the world be a little bit better place for everyone.

He’s a writer and arranger
And a young boy bearing arms
He’s got a problem with his power
With weapons on patrol
He’s got to walk a fine line
And keep his self-control

— “New World Man”

There’s a constant struggle in each of us to maintain calmness of mind and spirit, and to keep our self-control in a world that’s so often seemingly out of control. Yet, the truth is that all we can have control over is ourselves, and we must struggle to achieve that. It is this battle that rages within every human, and it’s one that first must be recognized and acknowledged in order to be won.

Now, I could go on for volumes here with an analysis of significant RUSH lyrics and their deep meaning, but I think you’ve already got a clear sense of how much Peart and his work mean to me. And, I can’t properly convey the influence Peart had on my life without mentioning his love of literature and philosophy, which he weaved brilliantly via direct references into his lyrics.

Perhaps the most influential of these references for me was his dedication, “To the genius of Ayn Rand,” in the liner notes to the concept album “2112.” As a very young man listening to that 1976 album, I had no way of knowing the immense influence Rand would have on my own life. Yet, a seed was planted there by Neil to investigate Rand’s unique mind further, and I did just that with intellectual gusto.

Finally, I will conclude this tribute with a reflection on my own personal interaction with Neil, and it came, of all places, behind the wheel of a racecar.

It was October 2010, and I was at Willow Springs International Raceway in Southern California. The legendary track is home to many pro and amateur sports car and motorcycle races. It’s also a place where motorsports enthusiasts can bring their own cars and motorcycles to do some performance driving on a real track.

On that day, I was there testing my own cars. I was also there to help coach some of the “newbies” at the track to make sure they were safe and to help them gain more confidence behind the wheel at high speeds.

Much to my amazement, one of the attendees at Willow Springs that day was Neil Peart.

Now, as you might guess, for me, this was a surreal moment burned into my consciousness. I mean, it’s not often you meet a real-life hero of yours in the flesh. It’s also pretty rare to have that hero ask you about how fast, and in what gear, he should be taking the notoriously difficult Turn 9 at Willow Springs.

Neil Peart strolling through the pits at Willow Springs (Photo by Jim Woods)

Yet, that is what Neil did. He asked me for advice on how to be a better driver.

I happily gave him that advice, and I also allowed him to follow me around the track so I could point out to him the proper turn-in points, “apexes” as we call them, so that he could improve his lap times.

After helping Neil Peart improve as a driver, I felt compelled to tell him how he helped me become a better human through his music and lyrics.

Peart was flattered by my confession, but I could also tell he felt characteristically uncomfortable with my fanboy, tearful praise of his work. I mean, I even had a RUSH patch on my driving suit!

Upon seeing the patch, Peart said to me, “Well, I hope it brings you luck.”

What Peart didn’t realize was that he had already brought me the greatest luck a man could ever have — the luck of discovering the beauty, passion and intensity of his brilliant achievements.

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ETF Talk: I ‘SPYD’ With My Little Eye This Dividend ETF

Dividends are usually seen as good for investors.

Stocks that offer dividends effectively pay an extra little bonus to investors every quarter or month, as an incentive to keep people coming back for more. You would think this same incentive would carry over to exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that specialize in dividends; but as of late, this has not been the case.

The market darlings this year have been top tech stocks, causing the largest dividend ETFs, such as SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD), to be left behind and, as a consequence, underperform. However, it may not be all doom and gloom.

Dividend ETFs are often flight-to-safety plays, as nothing offers more comfort to investors in rough market weather than the shelter provided by exposure to companies that have a history of offering dividend payouts. With a recession in 2024 a real possibility, dividend ETFs have a good chance of rebounding on the potential market storm.

With that said, I am starting a series of articles to introduce you to some dividend ETFs I believe have the potential to be very promising. I am starting with an ETF I “SPYD” out on the market horizon.

The SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD) is a fund that tracks an index of the 80 highest-yielding dividend stocks selected from the S&P 500. Dividend payout is measured by taking the latest dividend and multiplying it by the frequency of the payment. That annualized payout is then divided by the company’s share price at the date of each rebalancing.

Unlike similar ETFs, SPYD does not include any dividend sustainability or quality screens. It also equally weighs its portfolio, instead of weighing it by yield like some income-focused funds. This provides what the fund manager describes as a fundamentally sound measuring stick to identify large-cap U.S. stocks with the strongest payout ratios to shareholders.

At present, SPYD has a market value of $6.25 billion in assets under management, and an expense ratio of 0.07%. Its current top holdings include Seagate Technology Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: STX), NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG), International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM), Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) and AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T).

Courtesy of www.stockcharts.com

As of Nov. 20, the fund is up 6.31% in the past month, but is down 1.30% in the past three months and 6.16% year to date, due to the current overall low performance of dividend ETFs.

Before setting your sights on SPYD, it’s important to remember that not every investment risk pays off. Remember to always consider your personal financial situation and goals before making any investment. Investors are always encouraged to do their due diligence before adding any stock or exchange-traded fund (ETF) to their portfolios.

I am always happy to answer any of your questions about ETFs, so do not hesitate to send me an email. You may just see your question answered in a future ETF Talk.

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In case you missed it…

Thank a Producer

It’s the week after Thanksgiving, and for most Americans, the Thanksgiving holiday marks a pause from riding out the day’s events of a normal Thursday, and instead, diving headlong into a celebratory feast complete with all the culinary delights of the season.

Thanksgiving is also an occasion where many of us rightly express gratitude for all the bounty we enjoy. We are thankful for family, friends and the freedom to enjoy that abundance. And indeed, we should be grateful and thankful for these things.

Yet, all too often, there is one group of individuals that doesn’t get enough gratitude and thanks for all they do to make that feast possible. And in an interesting twist here, you are most likely one of those individuals.

Here, I am talking about being thankful for the producers.

By producers, I am referring to anyone who works hard to create wealth. Anyone who has made the noblest of choices, the choice to cast their mind, body and spirit into the world in pursuit of productive achievement of the sort that creates the goods and services we need to survive and thrive in a hostile environment.

Make no mistake about it, the world is a hostile environment. Before there were any dinner tables, grocery stores, electrified homes, televisions, internet, etc., there was the cold, harsh and unforgiving state of nature. Yet in the face of this adversity, a producer chose to forage ahead and mold reality into all the comforts we enjoy today, and that we all-too-often take for granted.

Now, you might argue that Americans have been blessed with incredible natural resources, and that we should thank the heavens for this blessing. But I see it differently.

In my view, natural resources are neither natural nor resources. It takes man’s mind to create resources from nature.

Think about it. Nearly every value you hold as a human — safety, security, shelter, clean water, ample food supply, the ability to traverse the globe — indeed, modern civilization itself, is made possible by a thinking human’s efforts to produce such things.

It’s man’s mind; his reason, ingenuity, science, hard work and capital, put in the service of his attempt to achieve values, that is responsible for your Thanksgiving bounty. And this bounty is the virtuous result of man’s ability to shape nature into the byproducts of his will.

As the great novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand puts it, “The power to rearrange the combinations of natural elements is the only creative power man possesses. It is an enormous and glorious power — and it is the only meaning of the concept ‘creative’.”

So, as you sit down to celebrate the day of thanks, thank a producer.

Even better, if you also are a producer (and if you are reading this, I am nearly 100% certain that you are), then take a moment to thank yourself.

You’ve earned it.

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Need More RUSH

“What is a master but a master student? And if that’s true, then there’s a responsibility on you to keep getting better and to explore avenues of your profession.”

— Neil Peart

I thought I would conclude this issue with another quote from Neil Peart, not just because of how I am feeling today, but also because of the message imbued in this statement. You see, I’ve always considered myself a lifelong student of the world, and a man devoted to mastering reality.

I also believe I have a responsibility to myself and the world to keep improving at my profession, in my hobbies and in my personal relationships. It’s that focus that’s helped me earn the forum I have here, and I hope it’s also one of the reasons why you have chosen to read this publication each week. Finally, it is my solemn promise to you, and to existence, that I will never stop getting better.

Wisdom about money, investing and life can be found anywhere. If you have a good quote that you’d like me to share with your fellow readers, send it to me, along with any comments, questions and suggestions you have about my newsletters, seminars or anything else. Click here to ask Jim.

In the name of the best within us,

Jim Woods