The frustration Rush fans feel over Alex Lifeson's arrest, due to alleged bad behavior, has been duly noted in the comments to my two posts on the subject (here and here.) Fans are understandably outraged at what they perceive to be abusive treatment at the hands of the Naples, Florida police, and are equally in shock at the news of this kind of behavior from the beloved guitarist. So outraged and shocked are they, in fact, that they've "spoken in his behalf and have attacked his agency [the Naples police], the deputies, the hotel, the city and the community." The investigating officer pleads with fans in this article to please let him do his job.

I have to say, I agree - let's let the police do their thing, and when they've announced their findings, then people can stand up and say whether they feel it's right or not. I'm a huge Rush fan and have been for nearly 15 years now, and as frustrated and shocked as I am, I have to keep some semblance of distance from this. Alex is still a human being, given to overreacting and doing stupid things just like we "normal" people do. The story is still fuzzy, but I can say that I wouldn't be surprised if most fathers might lose control seeing their son being, as we can assume Alex perceived here, attacked - police or no. Adding copious amounts of alcohol to the situation doesn't help. Even the most calm, laid back people can turn into monsters while drunk. I still can't convince myself this is true because if Alex really had a temper problem while drinking, surely it would have shown up at some other points in the 30 year career of Rush. I think it's safe to assume, given the subject matter of "A Passage To Bankok," that this isn't the first time Alex has been under the influence of a chemical of some sort. But there's no record of any violent behavior whatsoever. The police's story is fishy, but it holds water. Let's hope, however, it's not true.

(Unproductivity, however, is always true. Always.)