Letter to the Los Angles Times writers Randall Roberts and Randy Lewis

Friends ... I'm sure you've received plenty of criticism over your thoughts about Rush and the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame, but I wanted share with you my two cents. For me, the crux of the issue comes down to the question over what qualifies a band for inclusion into the Hall of Fame. I think that's where we all get lost. The suggestions you made in your video make sense -- you guys aren't the first to criticize Geddy Lee's voice. And Canada's favourite rock trio has been knocked for being pretentious and for writing complicated melodies and lyrics that many view as inaccessible. However, one thing I've never heard is somebody complaining that Rush music is difficult to dance to -- that's like criticizing Picasso because he's a terrible piano player. I don't care if Rush gets inducted into the Hall of Fame, but it seems to me Rush might qualify for reasons that you didn't talk about. Rush has influenced rock music and musicians in ways that are unique and far reaching. Rush fans adore them for some of the reasons you complained about in your video. The band has always created music that was challenging and intricate -- and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart has similarly challenged listeners with cerebral themes and lyrics not usually found in rock music. These are among the reasons Rush fans adore them. Because of all of this -- or despite it -- musicians from many genres cite Rush as an important influence. For decades, when fans or critics make their lists of musicians known for their talent, popularity and innovation, all three Rush members make the cut. I'm a Rush nut, and even I was stunned at the number of rock stars who worship Peart's drumming, Lee's skill as a bass player and the guitar work of Alex Lifeson. The recent documentary "Beyond The Lighted Stage" didn't just celebrate Rush's popularity, but it also helped put the reasons for the success of Rush into perspective. Perhaps this year offers the best proof that Rush is more important than you appreciate. Even though Rush has sold-out their concerts for decades, its current tour is no exception. Fans are flocking in the thousands to Rush shows across North America. And this is no nostalgia-based, greatest-hits tour many of Rush's contemporaries have undertaken in recent years. Rush's latest record, this summer's Clockwork Angels, is just as relevant as any Rush album released in the previous decade, or material released in the 1990s, the 1980s or the 1970s. For a band whose debut album was released in 1974, Rush is recording and touring in 2012 with remarkable success. This isn't just rare -- it's unheard of. Many Rush fans are silver-haired fans who remember when songs like Closer to the Heart or Spirit of the Radio were on the charts, but the appreciation for Rush continues to deepen. Young fans are still attracted to the unique sound of Rush and discover nuggets from its catalog that includes 19 studio albums over four decades. Last week at a Rush concert in Saskatoon, I sat beside two teenaged Rush shirt-wearing brothers, one of whom bragged about being able to play the 1975 Rush song Fly By Night “almost all the way though" on the guitar. If inclusion into the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame were based on issues surrounding popularity, influence, musicianship, relevance and longevity, then they ought to have been inducted years ago. If Rush is ignored for reasons you talk about and the Hall of Fame doesn't the like the complicated music and Geddy Lee's voice, then that's okay by me. Cheers, Andrew Matte Regina, Sask. CANADA

"I'll treat this as an adventure"

This was published in 2009 on nationalpost.com Andrew Matte: 'I'll treat this as an adventure' nationalpost.com Thu Jan 15 2009 Section: Full Comment Along with the rest of Regina, I've heard plenty about challenges in health care - there are too few nurses, not enough infrastructure and not enough money. I didn't think much of the issue until I was hospitalized last week and learned lots about our health-care system shortcomings. After my whirlwind tour of the General Hospital's emergency ward, I was given bad news. Sure, I was told I'd be admitted for a few days, but the news got worse when I was told there was no bed for me. Instead, I would spend a few nights recovering from asthma complications at Code Burgundy, a large main-floor ward also used by patients who come for a few hours of treatment or assessment during the day. Code Burgundy was established, I was told by hospital staff, because of the nursing shortage - elsewhere, there are nicely decorated rooms and soft beds, but not enough nurses to care for patients. Others told me "there are just no beds." Instead, this makeshift room, which is also referred to "patient overflow," collects patients the hospital can't normally handle and the remaining available nurses are assigned to patients like me. Until last week, I assumed patient overflow was something easily remedied by a bedpan and a little privacy. The number of patients this ward accommodates varies from night to night - some get released, some find that coveted bed "upstairs," and one nice lady during my stay was transferred by ambulance to the Pasqua Hospital, where a regular bed had become available. Members of the unfortunate group that remained, which fluctuated last week between 12 and 20, were left to convalesce in make-do circumstances. Mind you, this is no African refugee field hospital. But my bed was little more than a narrow cart on wheels, and the reassuring gurgle from my intravenous pump was interrupted at night by noises expected at a big room full of sick people and those who care for them. You'd be surprised how often - and how loudly - patients are coaxed from their sleep at 4 a.m. for a some sort of test or treatment, or how often patients call out for help long after the lights are out. And never did I miss my own bed more than when I was handed a half-sized rubber pillow squished flat by a thousand heads before me. I tried to treat this as an adventure. After all, my health was improving and I took solace in the notion I'd be home soon while other patients might not have similar prospects. On the other hand, I was disappointed my tax money wasn't working harder for me. I figured this roomfull of mostly senior taxpayers who were spending their days and nights on stretchers, deserved better. There was also fabulous irony in how I looked forward to leaving the hospital so I could catch up on my rest. I'm 41 and I was at Code Burgundy for only a few days, so I felt bad for older people whose stays were longer than mine. Others deserve better, too, including the patients who were scheduled for day procedures but received pre-dawn phone calls telling them not to come in because new patients like me were using their space. The nurses and doctors are owed more, too - I felt let down by the system, but I was treated well by the men and women who cared for me, all of them energetic and positive despite the conditions. It must frustrate doctors and nurses to see the care of their patients compromised. I wonder what Tommy Douglas would think if he were a hospital patient today. My guess is that he'd be dazzled by the care, but then turn burgundy with frustration over the notion of patient overflow in a booming Saskatchewan in 2009. I don't know why this problem exists, so I have no advice for the politicians and health administrators who should fix it. During my hospital stint, I was reminded of all that I have read about nurse recruitment and the Saskatchewan Party's boasting about what it spends on health-care, neither of which comforted me last week. But I suspect that if the right people spent a night or two at Code Burgundy, I bet they'd start to work as hard as nurses to figure out a way for all hospital patients to have a bed. And then all of us would sleep a little better. Length: 739 words Idnumber: 200901150138 Permalink: network.nationalpost.com...»