Rock memoirs can sometimes feel like victory laps—loud, brash, and full of myth-making. My Effin’ Life by Geddy Lee, the legendary frontman and bassist of Rush, is different. It’s raw, funny, and unexpectedly tender, pulling back the curtain on both the music and the man who spent decades redefining what a rock band could be.
Instead of myth-making about rock gods, Lee takes us deep into the real stuff: his mother’s survival of the Holocaust, the weight of loss in his childhood, the insecurities that clung to him even as his band filled arenas. But don’t worry—it’s not all heavy. There are hilarious detours into the weirdness of touring life, studio mishaps that remind us rock stars are human, and heartfelt odes to baseball, his other great obsession.
Of course, Rush fans will find plenty of gold. Lee doesn’t skimp on the details of how the band carved out their sound, his creative partnership with Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, and the peculiar joy of being in one of the most unique trios in rock history. But what makes the book special is how it never feels like a press release—it feels like a friend talking late into the night, confessing the fears and triumphs that shaped him.
The writing itself is sharp, self-deprecating, and full of rhythm, echoing the musician’s voice. He’s candid about burnout, about questioning his place in the world once the amps quieted, and about the deep grief of losing Neil Peart, not just a bandmate but a brother. These passages make My Effin’ Life as much about survival and identity as it is about music.
