NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 71

were separated when she 
was sent to Bergen-Belsen 
and he to Dachau, but 
after the war Morris found 
her in a displaced persons 
camp. They married and 
immigrated to Canada along 
with surviving members of 
their extended families. 
Lee also shares an 
emotional remembrance 
about him, his brother 
and sister accompanying 
their mother to the 50th 
anniversary commemoration 
of Bergen-Belsen in 1995. 
“My parents and those 
relatives aren’t here 
anymore,” notes Lee, 
whose familiar first name 
came from his mother’s 
mispronunciation of Gary. 
“I grew up hearing about 
the horrors of World War II, 
you know? I’m here because 
they survived. I have a 
responsibility to tell their 
story.”
There’s further trauma 
as Lee’s father passed 
away when he was 12, a 
loss he acknowledges was 
“emotionally unattended” 
over the years, until he 
began writing the book. 
There are happy memories 
as well, of family gatherings 
and traditions and growing 
up in a Jewish neighborhood 
(Willowdale) in Toronto, 
and Lee drops enough 
Yiddish throughout the book 
to make his entire family 
tree proud. 
Assisted by Daniel Richler, 
son of the late Canadian 
novelist Mordechai Richler, 
Lee made sure those remain-
ed in the book even after the 
1,200-page first draft was 
being edited. 
“I don’t think the 
description of Yiddish food 

was in the first cut,” he 
explains. “I thought it 
was important to bring 
some of that personality 
back in.”
Lee does chronicle 
antisemitic encounters 
as a youth, particularly 
in school at the hand 
of “jerks trolling the 
streets and hallways for 
Jews to torment.” 
And when he tried 
to quit attending 
Hebrew school before 
his bar mitzvah, 
Lee was supported 
by a man in the 
neighborhood 
who helped usher 
him through 
the process. (A 
photo of his bar 
mitzvah painting 
is included in My 
Effin’ Life). 

RENAISSANCE 
MAN
Lee, of course, 
went on to rock 
‘n’ roll stardom with Rush, 
receiving an Officer of the 
Order of Canada honor 
in 1996. He’s been cited 
as a key influence by the 
generations of bass players 
that followed, contributed 
a guest vocal on the 1981 
hit “Take Off” by the 
comedic McKenzie Brothers 
(including early classmate 
Rick Moranis) and released 
a solo album, “My Favourite 
Headache,” in 2000. 
Lee also became a noted 
baseball enthusiast and 
memorabilia collector, 
occasionally providing 
commentary for game 
broadcasts. He also is an 
avid wine connoisseur and 
birdwatcher. 

His bass guitar 
collection led to 
Geddy Lee’s Big 
Beautiful Book of 
Bass, and, on Dec. 
5, he’ll premiere 
Geddy Lee Asks: 
Are Bass Players Human Too?, 
a four-part docuseries on 
Paramount+. 
Rush last toured during 
2015 and came to an end 
in 2018. Drummer Neil 
Peart’s death in January 
2020 as well as his mother’s 
worsening dementia put Lee 
in “a funk” that encouraged 
him to write the memoir. It 
also rekindled Lee’s interest 
in making more music; he 
recently released a pair of 
demos from “My Favourite 

Headache” and plans to do 
more recording with Rush 
guitarist Alex Lifeson. 
“There were some 
cathartic things about 
writing this book that, in a 
way, clarified my thinking 
and helped me step out of 
that fog,” says Lee, whose 
wife, Nancy, converted to 
Judaism when they married 
in 1976. His grandson 
Finnian refers to him as 
Zaidy. “I’m excited to be 
onto the next stage of my 
life after this.” 

DETAILS

Geddy Lee talks about 
My Effin’ Life at 8 p.m. 
Monday, Dec. 4, at the 
Fillmore Detroit, 2115 
Woodward Ave. Doors 
at 7 p.m. (313) 961-5451 
or thefillmoredetroit.com.

was in the first cut,” he 

was important to bring 
some of that personality 

antisemitic encounters 
as a youth, particularly 

streets and hallways for 

DETAILS

His bass guitar 

collection led to 

Beautiful Book of 

, and, on Dec. 

5, he’ll premiere 

Are Bass Players Human Too?

Headache” and plans to do 
more recording with Rush 

at 7 p.m. (313) 961-5451 
or thefillmoredetroit.com.

PHOTOS COURTESY GEDDY LEE ARCHIVE/HARPER BOOKS

Young Geddy 
with his 
mother and 
brother Allan 
display early 
Canadian 
Beatles LPs
Twist and 
Shout and 
Beatlemania. 

Young Geddy Lee with his 
father and sister Manya

