Re-Moving Pictures
Rush album cover artist Hugh Syme explains how he devised the concept for the cover of Moving Pictures.
From 2112’s infamous starman, through floating brain hemispheres and a kid casually kicking a skull, Hugh Syme has always been on hand to bring Rush’s musical fever dreams to life. Working for years in close conjunction with drummer Neil Peart, Syme’s work became synonymous with the Canadian trio, latterly putting a new, reimagined spin on some of their classic albums.
When did you first hear the words ‘Moving Pictures’?
I remember exactly where I was: sitting in my friend Gail’s home in St Catharines, Ontario, when Neil called me with the album’s title. I also recall my immediate resolve on the cover’s direction.
Which was?
Men in red coveralls actually moving pictures. The additional layers and triple entendres would follow.
Did you spend much time at Le Studio as the band were working on the album? Deborah Samuel and I went up to shoot photos of the band for the album. We stayed for about three days in the studio’s guest house. We also sat for two hours in a paddleboat while Deborah shot Neil playing his red Tama kit on a raft in the middle of a nearby lake for a Tama ad. A private, and tireless, drum solo echoing off the surrounding Laurentian Mountains. That was a good day! Though the highlight on that trip to Morin-Heights was being asked by the band to play PPG synth on Witch Hunt.
You finally settled on two concepts for the record: literally moving pictures and making movies. Was there ever a doubt which one would be the actual cover?
No, that order made sense to me. The three movers actively moving pictures on the front, then [on the back] they’re taking a break, as we reveal a film set in an overview for context.
Who came up with the idea of using the government building as the backdrop?
I did. A happy and timely accident. I remember driving north on University Avenue in Toronto and was struck by the legislative building at Queen’s Park, whose architecture featured three distinct arches, each supported by three pillars, and the three arched windows on the overhead mezzanine. You must remember that the concept of ‘three’ was emerging as a recurring motif for the band at the time and I thought, ‘Well, it won’t hurt to ask.’ And to my delight there was no hesitation, permit or fee required. Simply that we shoot on a Sunday when parliament wasn’t in session.
You’ve reimagined the cover and created new illustrations for some songs for the reissue. How was that?
For all the 40th anniversary box sets, happily. It’s been a real delight every time, and a challenge to me personally to refamiliarise myself with Neil’s lyrics, and to reflect the themes of each song with today’s skill sets and mindset. It was a joy and privilege then – as it continues to be all these years later.
Is that really Neil in the middle of the shot on the back cover? Or is that a myth? I love a good mystery, don’t you? PW