Rush’s Red Barchetta - Motor Law?
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Topic: Rush’s Red Barchetta - Motor Law?
Posted By: bluetailfly
Subject: Rush’s Red Barchetta - Motor Law?
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 16:50
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I am currently listening to Rush's Moving Pictures and Geddy Lee has just sung the line "...before the motor law." What is he referring to? Is it a Canadian thing? Or is this kind of knowledge on a "need to know" basis only? P.S. This remastered version sounds astounding: the guitar solo on "Limelight" is a transcendent experience. ------------- "The red polygon's only desire / is to get to the blue triangle." |
Replies:
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 17:00
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No...it's set in a fictional setting or world.A totalitarian/police-state type setting(I always assumed) And I also would assume that the "motor law" bans the use of the pollution-causing internal combustion engine,and people only use air-cars.So what the protagonist in the story is doing is basically a crime. -------------  |
Posted By: yargh
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 17:02
| It's a sci-fi song. The "motor law" is something about not being allowed to drive cars in the future. Great song, but thematically it's a re-write of 2112. |
Posted By: bluetailfly
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 17:03
Wow, I don't quite pick up those queues. I thought it was a straightforward biographical nostalgic lyric about Peart's childhood. I like your take on it though... ------------- "The red polygon's only desire / is to get to the blue triangle." |
TheProgtologist wrote:
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 17:06
Well...the police state thing is something I always had in my head,that might be really off the mark. But where in Peart's childhood would there be a "gleaming alloy Air-Car"? ------------- |
Posted By: bluetailfly
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 17:09
Is that what the lyric is? You mean there's not like an old roadster called a Red Barchetta? Wow, what an odd concept for a song. Sci Fi short story as prog rock. ------------- "The red polygon's only desire / is to get to the blue triangle." |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 17:25
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And my police state assumption stemmed from the "On Sunday I elude the eyes(security cameras?police survelliance?)and hop the turbine frieght,to far outside the wire(?),where my white-haired Uncle waits". Just the fact that the protagonist has to go to great lengths just to leave the city,leads me to believe that the society he lives in is totalitarian,and there is very little freedom or privacy in it. ------------- |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 17:28
The gleaming alloy air car is the police vehicle.The protagonist is driving an old car called a Red Barchetta,but I have never heard of a roadster or any car by that name. ------------- |
Posted By: bluetailfly
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 17:32
Yeah, read over the lyrics and think you're right. It's interesting that the story that inspired it was published in "Road and Track" in 1973 (but the story was set in 1982). http://members.aol.com/redbarche/ANiceMorningDrive.html - http://members.aol.com/redbarche/ANiceMorningDrive.html and Peart's "motor law" in the song seems to be government emissions laws in the story. ------------- "The red polygon's only desire / is to get to the blue triangle." |
Posted By: Pseud0
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 17:34
correct (the band has confirmed this) ------------- 
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Posted By: bluetailfly
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 17:35
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A Barchetta is a Fiat made car: http://www.fiatbarchetta.com/ - http://www.fiatbarchetta.com/ ------------- "The red polygon's only desire / is to get to the blue triangle." |
Posted By: yargh
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 18:16
...but the one referenced in the was the old Ferrari barchetta. |
Posted By: bluetailfly
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 18:24
Good to know, but where does it mention Ferrari? ------------- "The red polygon's only desire / is to get to the blue triangle." |
Posted By: yargh
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 18:43
It doesn't, but I read an Alex Lifeson interview on the subject, and he mentioned the Ferrari |
Posted By: goose
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 18:47
| There are a couple of books with basically the same story - one of them's by Nicholas Fisk, but I can't remember the title. |
Posted By: bluetailfly
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 18:57
Yeah, that makes sense and makes a better story as well, since the Ferrari version (I just read about) is a rare, legendary sports car. ------------- "The red polygon's only desire / is to get to the blue triangle." |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: October 28 2005 at 19:16
Always thought this was the best science fiction story in the form of a song - and personally my favourite Rush tune. Odd! Bloody hell this is the essence of good progressive music! Who wants stories about wizards and fairies - that's fantasy for the kids? |
Posted By: Orbert
Date Posted: October 31 2005 at 14:33
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As mentioned in the liner notes, "Red Barchetta" is based on the short sci-fi story "A Nice Morning Drive". I found a copy of it on the web one time and read it; it's not a bad story. Where Neil deviates from the original text, I think the story ends up improved. By the way, those gleaming alloy air-cars that the protagonist ends up trying to elude, I always figured they were the police, since he's breaking the "motor law" - whatever that is. Nope. The "motor law" doesn't actually come into play in the story, but those double-wide air-cars chasing him are the results of some other rather interesting laws passed between now and... whenever. Find the story and read it; you'll appreciate "Red Barchetta" even more. Edit: Found a link. http://www.2112.net/xanadu/articles/a_nice_morning_drive.htm - http://www.2112.net/xanadu/articles/a_nice_morning_drive.htm ------------- In and around the lake... 
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Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: October 31 2005 at 16:02
Rare 1952 Ferrari Barchetta Acquired by Petersen Automotive MuseumPosted Aug 28, 2005, 1:00 PM ET by Lu Zhou
http://motortrend.com/features/news/112_news050826_pam_barchetta/ - One of the rarest and most significant Ferraris of all time, the black 1952 Ferrari Barchetta that Enzo Ferrari gave to Henry Ford II has now been added to the portfolio of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The car that inspired the original T-bird more than fifty years ago also won the prestigious best of show honors at the Meadow Brook Concorso d’Italia earlier this month. This historic Ferrari is 100% original and has less than 13,000 original miles on it. Beginning next month, the Barchetta will be on display on the second floor of the Peterson Automotive Museum. This is definitely one car worth fighting the L.A. traffic to go see. Ok,so not a red on e but still a real car... |
http://motortrend.com/features/news/112_news050826_pam_barchetta/ - Posted By: Eetu Pellonpaa
Date Posted: November 01 2005 at 02:54
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Those cars are nice! But the song is great! Good drums on it. |
But then you can get a nasty accidents with 'em, people getting maimed... 
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: November 01 2005 at 05:12
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A Sci Fi/Satire song which celebrates the internal combustion engine and mans right to pollute the environment in the name of indulgence. Not a sentiment I really agree with, in fact I like the sound of the 'gleaming alloy air car'...... Still, a brilliant song, from a brilliant band.. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: November 01 2005 at 05:30
I always assumed the "gleaming alloy air-cars" were the police too. ------------- |
Posted By: Eetu Pellonpaa
Date Posted: November 01 2005 at 05:40
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I think the rights of an individual are a theme over many other Peart's lyrics too, no? |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: November 01 2005 at 06:46
Yes, very much so. Ayn Rands 'Objectivism' ideals are at the core of a lot of what he writes. With regard to ANY band, I'm more interested in music than lyrics to be honest. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Eetu Pellonpaa
Date Posted: November 01 2005 at 06:55
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Yep, pretty much same with me. Good lyrics are a fine bonus for a great music though! As I'm not a person with english as my primary landquage, it's probably easier for me to not pay attention on lyrics which I mid find a bit silly. I often have problems listening to music sung in Finnish, as I start to pay attention to the lyrics, which often start to irritate me, and the song is ruined for me... |