Rush’s Alex Lifeson: Our 1985 “Power Windows” Interview (Audio)

A Master Class in Tones and Techniques With an Extraordinary Guitarist

This interview with guitarist extraordinaire Alex Lifeson (linked below) was done on the afternoon of December 18, 1985. At the time, Rush was touring in support of their Power Windows album. Later that evening, they headlined the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, with the Steve Morse Band opening.

As you’ll hear, Alex and I focused a good portion of our conversation on a track-by-track breakdown of his playing approach, guitars, effects, and amps on the Power Windows album. Along with other subjects, Alex also talked about the role of their producer in fine-tuning their arrangements, as well the current Rush tour and how guitarists can expand their playing and make more innovative use of effects devices. I hope you enjoy this conversation! Here’s the link:

Rush’s Alex Lifeson: The Complete 1985 “Power Windows” Interview

Portions of this interview were transcribed for my April 1986 article in Guitar Player magazine, “Alex Lifeson of Rush: The Evolving Art of Rock Guitar.” For more of Alex’s insights, check out the audio of our in-person Grace Under Pressure interview from May 1984:

Rush’s Alex Lifeson: The Complete 1984 “Grace Under Pressure” Interview

Thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for filming the intros and enhancing the sound of the original master interview tapes.

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