Neil Young's "Canadianness"

Neil Young - Circa 1975
Photo by Henry Diltz

In a somewhat tongue in cheek analysis -- we think -- a case is made as to why Neil Young is not a Canadian.

While obviously Neil was born in Canada and will always be defined by his Canadian roots, The Walrus Blogs claims that ain't necessarily so, calling Neil a "Southern Man" aka "American":

The romance that Neil holds for American listeners is obvious; he’s always straddled the line between loner and consummate hipster. His charm seems accidental, as nothing about him seems to make sense: his lyrics consist of one-liners pieced together with nonsense, and they rarely seem as punchy on second thought as they do when he delivers them; his guitar technique is like that of a kid trying to emulate his heroes before he’s finished learning how to play. At his most interesting, Neil is a relative moderate embroiled in a world of excess, chronicling his friends’ downward spirals with insight but far from square himself. In short, he’s always been cool, but he’s never been a fuck-up or a ham.

Some people call this mystique; I call it Canadianness.

But we have to face the truth: the northerner in Neil went south with him.

More on The Walrus Blogs.

Also, see why a southern man does need Neil Young around anyhow.

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