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So, It seems the band Rush is from Absalom.
Or, maybe Absalom is actually in Canada?
OK, seriously ...
I was doing a quick search for the lyrics to the Rush song "Distant Early Warning" (very cool song by an EXCELLENT band, by the way) so I could e-mail them to someone. I noticed that the last few lines of the song say:
I know it makes no difference
To what you're going through
But I see the tip of the iceberg
And I worry about you
Absalom
Absalom
Absalom
I had always wondered what that last word was Geddy sings, but never bothered to check.
So, he is singing Absalom? Huh? Connection? Odd coincidence? Could it be that the members of Rush are originally from Absalom???
I looked up the lyrics on a number of additional lyric sites to confirm and they all say the same.
So, are the folks at Paizo (or, the person that invented Absalom anyway) Rush fans?
I did also see on Wikipedia that Absalom is the name of someone in the Bible as well ...
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Might be coincidence, but I know Sean snuck a Rush easter egg into a Forgotten Realms Product.
Edit: Gedlee's Eletric Loop
Rush is from Canada. It's like Absalom, but different...
As for Distant Early Warning, that song is about what a scary world we live in (cold war, nukes, superpowers, etc.). The biblical story is, on some level, about dispassionate rulers and grieving fathers, and Absalom is something of a metaphor for compassion.
Neil Peart already had the lyrics "obsolete, absolute" in the song, and thought that "Absalom" sounded very similar, and in the context of the song, was even a fitting ending; the biblical story ends with Absalom being slain by his princely brother (a microcosmic/biblical metaphor of a superpower) and their father, the king, lamenting the loss of his son, much like modern (1981-modern) superpowers might come to lament the loss of pretty much all of mankind if they couldn't control their arms-race toward nuclear annhilation.
So, It seems the band Rush is from Absalom.
Or, maybe Absalom is actually in Canada?
OK, seriously ...
I was doing a quick search for the lyrics to the Rush song "Distant Early Warning" (very cool song by an EXCELLENT band, by the way) so I could e-mail them to someone. I noticed that the last few lines of the song say:
I know it makes no difference
To what you're going through
But I see the tip of the iceberg
And I worry about youAbsalom
Absalom
AbsalomI had always wondered what that last word was Geddy sings, but never bothered to check.
So, he is singing Absalom? Huh? Connection? Odd coincidence? Could it be that the members of Rush are originally from Absalom???
I looked up the lyrics on a number of additional lyric sites to confirm and they all say the same.
So, are the folks at Paizo (or, the person that invented Absalom anyway) Rush fans?
I did also see on Wikipedia that Absalom is the name of someone in the Bible as well ...
That was a most awesome post...math rock and rpgs, a perfect combination.
On a somewhat related note, go mining Iron Maiden lyrics for story ideas -- they've got all manner of historical themes and stories in their songs.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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On a somewhat related note, go mining Iron Maiden lyrics for story ideas -- they've got all manner of historical themes and stories in their songs.
Even funnier considering your screen name.
But yes, Iron Maiden was responsible for my introduction to Dune, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, and lots of other classical works.
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Great catch Marc!
The entire Grace Under Pressure album is awesome!
Funny, I've been singing that song slightly different all these years!
Seen the video of them trying to play their own music on Rockband?
"Rush is the band that didn't get you laid in High School."
-Conan O'Brian
But yes, Iron Maiden was responsible for my introduction to Dune, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, and lots of other classical works.
And if it weren't for Rush's 2112, I never would have read Ayn Rand's "Anthem."
Interestingly if you play that song backwards Geddy says "4th edition sucks"
Go figure
Interestingly if you play that song backwards Geddy says "4th edition sucks"
Go figure
Heh heh...
But seriously, back in the late 80s/early 90s, my homebrew world was almost entirely built on the songs of Rush and Led Zeppelin (with a bit of Iron Maiden sprinkled in). I no longer have the notes and maps, which is too bad, but I distinctly remember By-Tor and Snow Dog being a well-known myth/legend in the world, and the finale of the campaign involved the PCs assaulting the Temples of Syrinx.
Find those notes
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The name Absalom is usually used as a literary device to signify a breakdown between the generations.
The Absalom of the Old Testament raised a nearly successful rebellion against his father, King David. But Joab, David's go-to hatchet-man threw javelins through him after Absalom got his much-famed hair snagged in tree branches that took him off his mount and left him dangling.
David wanted him left alive, but Joab knew better.
I think the choice of "Absalom" for the Pathfinder campaign world has more to do with it sounding ancient and grand than it does to any literary reference, though.
Interesting thread. I was a big Rush fan since their progressive rock phase.
Although its from their synth phase, Grace Under Pressure is a pretty cool album - can't decide whether I like it or Signals more since they came so close together. Besides the bibilical implications, Distant Early Warning is also a bit of a tribute to Dr. Strangelove in terms of the theme.
My first D&D influence that comes to mind courtesy of Rush was from the cover to Permanent Waves. The image of that sweet-looking girl in her skirt and bobby socks smiling as she walks through a destroyed town was always seemed a little sinister. In my homebrew game, that was the image of the goddess of storms and destruction. She used to freak my players out by showing up all nice and sweet at the scene of major fires, wars, etc.
Find those notes
Unfortunately, they are long gone now...
Find those notesUnfortunately, they are long gone now...
ummmm, recreate them?
And here I thought Absalom was from that Kingdom in Utopia... (xp for anyone who knows what I'm talking about).
Interestingly if you play that song backwards Geddy says "4th edition sucks"
Go figure
Heh heh...
But seriously, back in the late 80s/early 90s, my homebrew world was almost entirely built on the songs of Rush and Led Zeppelin (with a bit of Iron Maiden sprinkled in). I no longer have the notes and maps, which is too bad, but I distinctly remember By-Tor and Snow Dog being a well-known myth/legend in the world, and the finale of the campaign involved the PCs assaulting the Temples of Syrinx.
I mapped out a country and did a dungeon based on The Necromancer ~1985 or so.
Have you heard Geddy Lee and friends singing about Irrisen and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings?
Totally freakin' awesome.
ummmm, recreate them?
I wish I had the time to do so...
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And if it weren't for Rush's 2112, I never would have read Ayn Rand's "Anthem."If being the catalyst for reading Ayn Rand isn't reason enough to loathe Rush, I don't know what is.
Nice.
People are having a bit of fun here ... no need to be like this. If you 'loathe' Rush, there are plenty of other threads you can spend your time in.
Anyway ...
To all those who have based some aspect of a game on a Rush lyric or album - awesome!
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And if it weren't for Rush's 2112, I never would have read Ayn Rand's "Anthem."If being the catalyst for reading Ayn Rand isn't reason enough to loathe Rush, I don't know what is.Nice.
People are having a bit of fun here ... no need to be like this. If you 'loathe' Rush, there are plenty of other threads you can spend your time in.
Oh no, you misread me. I love Rush. Ayn Rand, on the other hand...