Time & Perspective Quote by Alex Lifeson

Credit, here, is being used less as a compliment than as a kind of boundary marker. Alex Lifeson is talking like a bandmate who’s learned that mythology forms in the vacuum where specifics should be. By naming Geddy, he’s quietly correcting the narrative of authorship: the work happened because someone stayed in the room, did the unglamorous hours, and shouldered the responsibility of choosing. In a band, “major decisions” aren’t just aesthetic calls; they’re power, workload, and the emotional risk of being the one who can’t hide behind consensus.

The line about Paul “needing that kind of focus” does double duty. On the surface it’s generous, almost protective: Paul is talented but requires structure. Underneath, it’s a diplomatic way of describing fragility, distraction, or uncertainty without saying the ugly parts out loud. Lifeson frames Geddy as the stabilizer, the adult presence in the studio - not a tyrant, but the person willing to insist on cohesion when creativity starts to sprawl.

Context matters: Rush’s internal politics have always been read through a lens of virtuosity and control, with fans eager to assign each member a domain. Lifeson resists the easy heroic story (the lone genius, the equal democracy) and offers the more plausible one: art as project management. It’s also a subtle act of self-positioning. By ceding “major decisions,” he sidesteps ego and implies trust, while still reminding you he was close enough to witness who actually drove the process.