Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson reportedly mentioned several guitarists, but Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page was the only one he aspired to mimic. In a chat with Premier Guitar, the guitarist stated why Page was the only one for him. He said:
“Jimmy Page was certainly my favorite growing up. I admired his playing, attitude, and appearance; everything about him made me want to be like him.”
Alex Lifeson mentioned a different name and explained why he couldn’t ‘steal’ their work. He continued:
“Of course, Hendrix was fantastic, but I never felt compelled to copy his playing. I thought he was so distinctive, different, and fantastic, and so hard to replicate, that I decided to leave that one alone.”
He added:
“But Alvin Lee, in the early 1970s, and later Steve Hackett from Genesis, [I] always admired their playing. Again, as the guitarist in a band, you provide excellent service to the music.”
When asked if Jeff Beck influenced him, the musician responded with:
“Oh, God, yes. He was a member of The Yardbirds when I first started playing guitar. We used to play a couple of Yardbirds tunes when we were 13, just getting started.”
Lifeson’s passion for Led Zeppelin was evident in a 2009 Guitar World interview, where he and bassist Geddy Lee chose their favorite songs. The guitarist mentioned three Led Zeppelin songs, indicating that the band inspired Rush’s sound. When discussing ‘How Many More Times’, he said:
“Of all guitarists, Jimmy Page was my most influential. I aspired to look, think, and play like him. Zeppelin heavily influenced Rush in its early days. Page’s casual manner of playing demonstrated enormous confidence, and there are no restrictions to his game.”
The guitarist remembered the first time he saw Page and said:
“I met Page during a Page/Plant concert in Toronto in 1998. I was acting like a child, all googly-eyed. My hands started shaking as terror filled me. Meeting him filled me with joy because his work is so important to me.“
