Accomplishments/Awards

Alex won Best Rock Talent in 1983 (Guitar for the Practicing Musician)
Inducted into the Guitar for the Practicing Musician Hall of Fame (May 1991)

Personal Profile

Alex Lifeson was born on August 27, 1953, in the mountain fishing port of Fernie, British Columbia. Alex's real name is Alex Zivojinovic. He started playing guitar when he was 12, having previously made an unsuccessful attempt at trying to learn viola. His first six-string was a Kent classical acoustic, which his father bought him as a Christmas present. A year later Alex acquired a $59 Japanese electric model.

His early guitar influences are Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page. He was basically self-taught as a guitarist. His only formal training was during Rush's early days on the Toronto club circuit.

"A friend I went to school with taught classical guitar," Alex recalls. "He was a very good teacher and I studied with him for about a year and a half. That started around 1971, but then one day he was in a motorcycle accident and had to go to hospital, so the lessons kind of fell off. Also, we'd started to play in clubs a lot more, so I wouldn't really have had the time to keep them up anyway."
Other contemporary guitarists whom Alex admires include Paco De Lucia, Allan Holdsworth, Edward Van Halen, Andy Summers and Rory Gallagher.

Alex is married and has two sons, Justin and Adrian. When not on tour, he also spends time flying, and is in fact, a licensed pilot. He also has a strong reputation in the group as a gourmet cook.

He released a solo album titled "Victor" in January 1996.


Taken From
Success Under Pressure -- by Steve Gett

The 1974 debut Rush album marked Alex's first appearance on vinyl and it displayed his strong affection for Jimmy Page's playing. At that point, and indeed up until a few years ago, Lifeson generally favored Gibson guitars. Nowadays though, he tends to prefer using a Fender stratocaster, both on stage and in the studio. The latter has certainly helped his to establish a sharp, distince guitar sound and one wonders what actually precipitated his switch from Gibson.

"When I got my first Fender, it was just a replacement for my original Gibson 335, which I'd had since 1968," he explains. "We were doing a show with Blue Oyster Cult and the rigger who set up the baskets for the PA system didn't tie down the horns sitting on top of the bass cabinets. What then happened was that they vibrated themselves off the cabinets and fell down on top of my double-neck guitar, shearing the pick-ups off and gouging the body. Then, the speaker fell on my 335.

"I couldn't care less about the double-neck -- that was easily replaced -- but the 335 was very special to me. So I took it off the road and got a Fender to replace it. But I couldn't play with it. The neck, the body and the balance were totally alien to me.

"Over the last few years I've started to use it a lot more. I put humbucking pick-ups in the back position and managed to get a sound that was closer to the body of a Gibson, but yet still had the bright character and clarity that Fenders are renowned for. I'd also kept the two front pick-ups as they were, in order to retain that special Fender sound. Gradually, I got used to it. I put on a couple of different necks and now find it very comfortable to play.

"The ironic thing is, though, that I now find the Gibson's feel a little strange at times. They seem a little stiffer, although I still enjoy playing them very much. I was brought up on them and I think my change to Fenders was basically a technical progression."

During recent road outings, Alex has only employed a Gibson during a medley of older material at the end of the show. The rest of his stage gear comprises: four Marshall combos and a wide range of effects, including two Yamaha E1010 Analog Delays, a Delta Lab DL5 Harmoniser, a Roland Boss Chorus, an MXR Distortion Plus, a Cry Baby Wah-Wah... the list goes on.

As far as his studio equipment is concerned, he maintains: "My set-up is almost identical. The only difference is that I might not use the pedal board and go directly into the amp. Or I might set amps up in different positions in the studio to try for different sounds."

Those who have witnessed a Rush concert in recent years will probably have observed that Alex is a lot less mobile on stage than he was in the past and that he rarely indulges in bouts of 'guitar hero' posing. While admitting that this may be true, he assesses: "You don't have to be jumping around the stage like a maniac to put on a good show. If it sounds good and you play everything well, then that's enough."

Like the rest of the band, the guitarist's appearance has also changed dramatically over the past few years. During the 70's, he tended to be seen in satin kimonos and strides, with a long mane of blond hair hanging down his back. These days, he sports a very short-cropped hairstyle and often favors a jacket, shirt and tie as his stage attire.

"I like having my hair shorter a lot more," he declares, "and you can only wear satin pants and boots for so long. Nowadays, I just dress depending on the mood I'm in."

Alex is adamant that spontaneity is the key factor behind his guitar playing and, during his career, he has come up with some excellent lead breaks. He pinpoints the ones on "Limelight" and "Chemistry" as being amongst his most memorable. The solos on "The Body Electric", "Kid Gloves" and "Between The Wheels", from the Grace Under Pressure Lp are also particularly outstanding.

Other contemporary guitarists whom Alex admires include Paco De Lucia, Allan Holdsworth, Edward Van Halen, Andy Summers and Rory Gallagher.

When he's not busy working with Rush, he likes to spend as much time as possible at home with his wife and sons, and also in planes! Seriously, Lifeson has quite a penchant for flying and he is, in fact, a licensed pilot. He has also garnered a strong reputation within the group as a gourmet cook