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An unofficial news blog for Neil Young fans from Thrasher's Wheat with concert and album updates, reviews, analysis, and other Rock & Roll ramblings. Separating the wheat from the chaff since 1996.
Looking backwards in order to look forward, here's where we came down on the subject. It was this comment from Shakey in Canada:
Wow! Neil has stirred up hornet's nest in the past because of his political point of view, but never over ticket prices. Who knows, maybe he's paying off the medical bills from his brain surgery, I'm sure they didn't give him a discount to save his life. Or just maybe they had him sign a few autographs and that should suffice.
How about we celebrate the fact that we can bitch about the price of admission instead of the price of Neil's commemorative release because his surgery wasn't successful.
This will be only the second chance in my life to be able to see Neil in concert, and I've been a fan of his since the age of 10 and I'm 46 now. This will also be the last chance I get to see my musical hero, the man who's music gave me the will to learn to play guitar, and show my 10 nieces and nephews what real music was during thier formative teenage years, or playing Niel tunes through headphones placed on my wife's pregnant belly for our two kids.
I'm being taken to this concert by two of my nieces, a 3 hr drive from Saskatoon to Regina, because I'm legally blind and crippled up from a rare decease called Devics Syndrome, not because they feel sorry for me, but because they know how important this concert means to me.
Next time he comes around I won't be able to go see my hero.
If his music means as much to you, as it does to me, you'll find the money and you know the concert will be worth every penny. If his music doesn't mean that much to you, don't go, it's that simple. I don't want you there anyway, I want to be there with all the other Neil fans who are there who love the man's music and are going for a good time.
Very little in today's world that's worth anything isn't free.
I heard back from "Shakey in Canada" after seeing Neil in concert and he let me know what he thought of that evening. It was something to the effect he wanted to replay those memories when he goes down for the count.
I'm not sure how "Shakey in Canada" is doing these days. Hopefully, he's not reading this yet again.
I know it would break his heart.
Some know the price of everything and the value ofnothing...
First off, we have no intention of discontinuing Thrasher's Wheat in the immediate future.
With that said, we need to give you a heads up on a couple of things coming over the next few weeks. Mainly, that blogging will be very intermittent and sporadic until after May 1.
And we'll get more into that in just a bit. We're going to cover a bunch of different topics here so bear with us.
A couple of weeks ago, we asked for your support as we continued to experience a variety of technical issues mainly involving the site going down due to excessive bandwidth consumption.
Immediately following Neil Young's Olympics performance, traffic spiked far in excess of what our early service level would have handled. Incredibly, after Neil's conclusion at the Olympics Closing Ceremonies, we were seeing a peak in excess of 2,000 simultaneous unique blog visitors per minute. So thanks to everyone who contributed last month letting us upgrade service just in time.
So we have no idea what else might happen in 2010, but it seems quite evident that Neil can really "move the needle" and melt servers here at Thrasher's Wheat.
Anyways. Let's just face it. What we're doing here on this blog has really just about outgrown our capacity to administer. The complexity, comments section monitoring and editorial/writing/proofing, etc. -- while quite fun in most regards -- is quite a bit of a challenge to deal with as we go out the door in the morning and before we call it a day each night.
Our technical infrastructure can no longer handle the current arrangement so there will be change ahead. We'd like to confidently say this will all be transparent but it -- undoubtedly -- will not. Right now, Thrasher's Wheat utilizes way too many servers for the publishing, file hosting, image storage, ad serving, feed generation, scripting, etc. These factors are what cause the slow page loads -- not withstanding the fact that we've intentionally designed a "heavy load" site.
In order to help improve things, we will be integrating the publishing and file servers. This will involve a full site migration to new URL's. That's where things get quite hairy. Believe me, the last thing in the world we want to do is change around URL's and do a site migration but this is what needs to be done to improve performance.
If you want all the bloody details on deprecating FTP hosts, canonical sub-domain names, and other technical stuff, see here.
This will be the 4th complete server migration since the site was founded in 1996. Honestly, we'd rather have a root canal than go through this again. Particularly after the one we did in 2005 when we said never again.
With luck, things will be back to normal by May 1.
Just to wrap up, thanks again for everyone's support for what we do here at Thrasher's Wheat. We couldn't do it without you. Because we believe in you.
Q : Of all the guitarists you know, who has made the biggest impression on you?
NEIL: Bert Jansch (Pentangle guitarist) is the best acoustic guitarist ; he's my favourite anyway. For electric guitar, I'd say Jimi Hendrix.
But as for acoustic guitar, Bert Jansch is on the same level as Jimi. That first record of his is epic. It came from England, and I was especially taken by The Needle of Death, such a beautiful and angry song. That guy was so good... And years later, on On the Beach, I wrote the melody of Ambulance Blues by styling the guitar part completely on Needle of Death. I wasn't even aware of it, and someone else drew my attention to it. I'd met him in England in the early 70s, with Pentangle, but I this huge limousine and all that shit and they had a strange attitude with me, considering me as one of those bonehead superstars.
An excellent overview on Bert Jansch on YouTube:
The first part of Acoustic Routes, the Bert Jansch documentary from 1992. Sorry about the poor video quality: the video has been ripped straight from VHS.
The first part features Billy Connolly, Hamish Imlach, Archie Fisher and Anne Briggs. Bert talks about his first album, his early influences, Anne Briggs, Jimmy Page et cetera.
Songs:
Bert Jansch - Strolling Down the Highway Anne Briggs - Go Your Way Anne Briggs - Blackwater Side Hamish Imlach & Archie Fisher - Solid Gone
"Ambulance Blues" - Folk legend Bert Jansch and Neil Young. Live at Bridge School Benefit 2006
"Keep on bloggin' `Til the power goes out The batteries dead ***TWISTED ROAD*** and shout"
Trunk Show allows us an intense focus on an aging man throwing his entire body into the music, at times seemingly surprised by the passion and sheer sadness of the sound he’s making.
There are, indeed, few sounds in popular music more heartbreaking than a Neil Young vocal.
Sometimes a sharp and atonal bleat, sometimes hanging nervously in the back of his mouth, Young’s voice is so instantly memorable it needs no words and no narrative to flesh it out. Demme trusts in this and is clearly, appropriately, in awe of it, but he also isn’t interested in presenting us the same permanently plaintive Young. In an interview, he has even advised: “If you’re not a Neil Young fan, don’t waste your time . . . if you don’t love electric guitar, don’t go.”
Accentuating the murkiness and loudness of the rocker’s new material is a stage lit by dim, sickly yellow and purple spotlights, substituting for the comfort of Heart of Gold’s ochre and umber. Gone are the backdrops depicting hearth and home; here, a few grotesque props remind us of the set design for the grungy Young-directed concert film Rust Never Sleeps. As if standing in defiance of those who accused Heart of Gold of pimping Young as some Starbucks-friendly folkster (or those who remain suspicious of an artist who briefly cultivated a soft-rock following in the Seventies), Trunk Show eventually announces its mission to blow your eardrums out.
The meat of the film is not the bravely shy singer but the merciless guitarist, and “No Hidden Path,” a monstrous 20-minute jam that brings the first half to its climax, serves as a kind of litmus test. Taken from his latest studio album, Chrome Dreams II, the song starts out with images of moon and mist that would have fit in the lyrics of “Harvest Moon,” before launching into the type of vague spiritual pronouncements that have recently muddied Young’s once-vivid songwriting.
Once the guitar takes over, though, there’s no turning back. A cacophony of escalating moans, yelps, and screeches, the performance is likely to try the patience of all but the truest devotees. But by the end, the uninitiated may feel they’ve undergone something like a religious conversion—especially when Young lets our bleeding ears rest once again on some of those impossibly delicate ballads. Even the most brutal of art-house provocateurs would have a hard time cinematically sustaining such an outburst of anguish and foreboding, while steering us so swiftly back to safety and solace.
What emerges is the most coherent and generous portrait of this artist yet captured on film, and probably the most remarkable melding of his soft and hard sides since the 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps. When he’s stalking across the stage in a rocked-out stupor, wisps of hair dangling in his face, it’s the force of his commitment that moves you. Where Heart of Gold showed us a man ready to make peace with the dying of the light, Trunk Show gives us all the rage Young has left in him.
Earlier in the week, Graham Nash and The Hollies were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
This is Nash's second time being honored and joins a very select few musicians who are lucky to be inducted by the Rock Hall more than once. First with Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1997 and now with The Hollies.
In an interview on 4waysite.com, Graham Nash said: "The Hollies being inducted actually means a little more to me than CSN."
As he prepared for his second time around, Nash spoke about the debt of gratitude he owes to Little Steven Van Zandt, why he doubted the Hollies would ever get to this point, and the prospect of playing with Maroon 5 at the induction ceremony.
“Well, I really couldn’t play in Kent, Ohio without doing this one,” Stephen Stills said. He strummed the first few chords as the crowd began to cheer. “No, not that one, we’ll play that one later,” he laughed. And with that, Stills launched into “Find the Cost of Freedom.”
Stills played two shows at the Kent Stage, at 8 and 10:30 p.m on Friday. The audience was a who’s who of great Northeastern Ohio beards, with a few young pups mixed in.
The old venue held two nearly identical shows, and even some of the jokes were recycled. Stills and his band opened with “Helplessly Hoping,” and the crowd was immediately hooked. After a shout-out to his old band mate Neil Young, he poked a little fun at Young and his fellow Canadians who stepped forward at the closing ceremony of the Olympics and introduced themselves, in Stills opinion, like alcoholics at an AA meeting.
The 2010 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young convention will be held in Reggio Emilia, Italy on Saturday May 1st 2010.
After almost 20 years, the men behind the infamous CSN&Y fanzine Wooden Nickel organize another special event for all those who love these four wonderful artists.
Live music, unreleased footage and a "traders" section for a long CSN&Y day - and night! - in the heart of the Italian Food Valley.
The festivities will begin on Saturday May 1st at 4:00 pm at Tabacchi Blues in Fontana di Rubiera: there will be a musical appetizer featuring acoustic bands & artists coming from all over Italy plus screening of rare and vintage CSN&Y footage.
For more information, dinner reservations, accommodation and details about the musical programme, please contact: csny.convention@gmail.com
In the transcendent scene from Jonathan Demme’s “Neil Young Trunk Show: Scenes from a Concert,” which opens Friday in theaters, the director and guitarist take the viewer on an epic tour of a song called “No Hidden Path.”
His gray hair like a halo of straw illuminated by the lights, a hunched-over Young stalks the stage while coaxing clusters of melody or abrasive howls from his guitar. He is a picture of disheveled concentration, eyes ablaze yet turned inward, immersed completely in the strings, the sound, the moment, blanking out all distraction. He huddles with his band as they play, drawing them into his orbit, then spinning away. He leans toward the drum riser, occasionally making eye contact with drummer Ralph Molina, who slams away beneath a fluttering Jolly Roger flag.
Demme’s cameras do not break away to survey the crowd, or jump-cut nervously from one musician to another. Instead, they calmly allow the viewer to observe the song’s unfolding drama, a series of ebbs and surges spanning a quarter-hour. The director’s intense, unswerving gaze matches Young’s own. His close-ups hold a moment until we can see beads of sweat on the guitarist’s weathered skin, then pull away slowly to reveal the faces of all the band members caught up in the moment alongside him. Young keeps digging deeper inside the song until he’s exhausted every possibility, savoring every note until the last lingering moan of distortion.
greg@gregkot.com
We can only add -- having attended both night of the filming at the Tower Theater -- that Kot's review only begins to capture that sense of magic when Neil goes into "the zone". We've witnessed directly many such occasions when Neil goes transcendentally into "the zone", but on these 2 nights in Philadelphia, Neil went into yet another dimension of unclaimed territory.
From another review on The Reelife Blog: My Cinematic Heros at the Coolidge Corner Theater, a video summarizing a remarkable night at the Coolidge Corner Theater (Brookline, MA, USA) that include Jonathan Demme, Robyn Hitchcock, & Declan Quinn. This is definitely worth checking out just for Demme's heartfelt tribute to L.A. Johnson. Thanks Tom!
Let it be known that this is really a beautiful film. I was fortunate to attend the Coolidge showing and was blown away by the power and artistry. Neil and Jonathan Demme together...when Bach spoke of the harmonic third voice, he probably never envisioned quite such a pair.
Lately I've been fixing up some fences, removing lots of crud and mildew by painting a heavy bleach solution on the pickets. Once you see the beauty of the wood exposed, it makes the whole yard look much better. That's what it's like with the songs in this film...feels like Neil is trying to "burn off all the fog" and get to the pure center of his art. Thanks to everyone who captured this for all to see.
Q: In Trunk Show you captured one of those monster jams in its entirety. 'No Hidden Path' lasts for 23 minutes.
Demme: When we filmed 'No Hidden Path,' I thought, obviously this is too long to be in a movie. But what if it could be? So in the cutting room, what we wound up doing was justifying our choices by saying, how do we get 'No Hidden Path' in there? There's no rule that you have to be chronological, or acoustic comes first, and electric last. So we kept alternating, and altering the mood. But it had everything to do with justifying this giant epic in the middle.
Q: Why did you shoot it at the Tower?
Demme: Neil's thing was, 'I want to play in theaters where there are lots of ghosts.' Not just rock-and-roll, but classical, vaudeville, whatever. . . . You'll see there's some grainy footage in there, shot from the balcony. Those are ghost views, suggesting the ghosts came out and watched a little bit of the show. Neil conceived of it as a valentine to performers, and performance. I like that and I was moved by it. The Tower was a two-night stand, and Neil thought it was particularly beautiful. So we jumped on the train from New York and came down, set up and shot."
"Bruce Berry was a working man, he used to load that Econoline Van" - Neil Young, opening lyrics to Tonight's the Night
The New Santa Monica Flyers will be performing a set from Neil Young's fabled "Tonight's the Night" album on April 9 at Valentine's Music Hall in Albany, New York.
In 1973, after the deaths of band mate Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry, Neil Young and his group (dubbed the Santa Monica Flyers) entered the studio with the sole purpose of unloading their grief and having as much fun as possible. The result was the very dark, ragged, loose and powerfully emotional "Tonight's The Night album."
Fueled by tequila and cheeseburgers, the album represents a dark chapter in Young's career. Winning almost no acclaim upon its release (that would come years later, as "Tonight's the Night" ranked #331 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 albums of all time in 2003), it did, however, influence numerous artists, including Johnny Rotten (the Sex Pistols) and Wilco. It was so dark and raw that Young's record company, Reprise, delayed its release for two years.
Though the album's history is well documented, the short club and theatre tour that followed is not. Today's fans are well aware that Young's musical style is subject to change at the drop of a hat. But in 1973, as Young was enjoying a streak of commercially successful albums -- "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere", "After The Goldrush" and "Harvest" -- his ever-growing fan base had no clue what Young was about to unleash. As the crowds waited patiently for popular material, it was instead treated to a tequila-fueled, live version of the as-yet-to-be-released "Tonight's The Night" album.
During these shows, the band took the same raw emotion of its studio sessions and released it on the stage, which was strangely decorated with a large palm tree, a wooden Indian, dozens of glittered boots and hubcaps. They played new song after new song, laced with drunken ramblings about Bruce Berry, Danny Whitten and Miami Beach, where "everything is cheaper than it looks, ladies and gentlemen."
It was dark and messy, yet heartfelt and raw. And most importantly, it was necessary.
On April 9, a group of Albany-based musicians will load that Econoline Van and head to Valentine's Music Hall for the 4th Annual Root-A-Rama and do their best to recreate the vibe and atmosphere of the "Tonight's The Night" tour of 1973, complete with hubcaps, glittered boots, a palm tree and a wooden Indian. You may recognize them from other local bands, but on April 9 they will be going incognito. They will be ... The New Santa Monica Flyers.
Doors open at 7PM. Show starts at 8PM. Other performers include Diego (West Sand Lake, NY) and Overland Gunslingers (Greenwich, NY).
Jeff Taylor's Prairie Rust Band in Pokomoke, Maryland on March 20
The Neil Young tribute band Jeff Taylor's Prairie Rust Band is appearing in Pokomoke Maryland on March 20. He'll be performing a bunch of Neil's solo acoustic songs and members of the Prairie Rust Band will join me for songs like OLD MAN, LONG MAY YOU RUN, CRIPPLE CREEK FERRY, and a lot more.
Also, we hear that he'll perform LIKE A HURRICANE on his new antique pump organ.
We've checked out a few of Jeff's Prairie Rust Band Neil Young tribute shows and have always had excellent time. Jeff and the band do Neil proudly.
LIVE AT THE MAR-VA THEATER
SATURDAY - MARCH 20, 2010 - 7PM SOLO AND ACOUSTIC BAND MAR-VA THEATER 103 Market Street Pokomoke, MD 21851 MAP IT 410-957-4230
Neil Young's VAPOR RECORDS is hosting an evening of artistry during SXSW:
WED. MARCH 17 MAGGIE MAE'S 323 East 6th Street
8 PM - LOST IN HOLLAND 9 PM - INFANTREE 10 PM - JASON YATES 11 PM - PEGI YOUNG 12 PM - JETS OVERHEAD 1 AM - EVEREST
From Spinner, an interview with Pegi Young by Matt Levin on her new album 'Foul Deeds' and SXSW:
SPINNER: How much is your husband involved in the creative process when you're working on an album?
PEGI: He was really not involved in the ['Foul Deeds'] record. ... He's on this record because of stuff I used from the first session [for 'Pegi Young']. He was cool, very supportive of the first one. In the studio, it's not easy for him to just sit there. ... It's natural for him to come into the studio and start calling the shots. He tries to do his own thing. I'll ask him straight up [what he thinks]. I listen. I trust these guys. They've been in the studio a lot. Made a lot of music... I'm in kindergarten. They're cutting their Ph.D's.
I wasn't accusing you of anything at all, just poking fun at your 'group think' comment. My words between the parenthesis were a satirical jab, more in the spirit of fun than anything.
The rest of my post had nothing to do with you thinking the covers are bad - I don't care if they're good or bad covers. That's not the issue. I haven't heard the covers, so can't comment on whether I like them or not - and that's a completely subjective thing. I wouldn't get down on someone for not enjoying something that I enjoy - that's ridiculous.
I was simply attempting to debunk the general trend of referring to Gabriel (in this case) as either trying to cash in on other peoples' popularity or "position" himself in a position of association with "iconic" performers to elevate his own "status".
I think all those arguments are incorrect. Artists have been covering each others' tunes for as long as they've been writing them. And artists generally do covers because they think they're great songs, and for no other purpose.
And I was asserting my own belief that people have slanted 'capitalist mindsets' that cause them to think that every action by an artist is a crass attempt at making money (or social positioning).
People always accuse Neil, for instance, of pretending to be "true" and using "artistic integrity" as a cover for being a Capitalist and ripping off his fans.
While it is true that in a capitalist economy you basically work inside that system, and thus every record ever released by anyone has the secondary goal of generating income the artist, the overarching purpose of what Neil Young does is personal, and artistic, and not solely for the sake of making profit.
It is a secondary consideration IF THAT, and Neil has released many albums that he KNEW would bomb, primarily because he doesn't care whether the vast majority of people like them - they are personal artistic expressions first and foremost. If they make money, that's just icing.
So, no offense meant to you at all, man, I wasn't even referring to your comment in the meat of my argument.
The only part that referred to you directly was the little joke at the beginning - because I think it's funny when people accuse us all of 'group-think' around here.
If you want to debate 'group think', I'm happy to, but really it's such a moot point. The fact is that people come here BECAUSE they agree about something (i.e. Neil Young is effin' great!) so obviously you'll get a lot of people who agree with each other.
It's just a social dynamic. There are no mindless zombies here (well, mostly), no group-thinkers, and no conspiracy to flame people who disagree with whatever the general consensus might be.
Thrasher encourages debate. He has his own opinion for sure, but he's certainly not shoving it down your throat, and neither am I. Sometimes debates get heated, and it might seem like the minority opinion is being jumped on by the majority, but really that's just an illusion created by the fact that there is a majority who shares a certain belief, and there's a debate going on about something.
If you think differently than the 'majority' opinion on something, you should be proud of your opinion man. I'd respect you for sticking to your guns and expressing it, whether I agree or not.
Peace, Matt ps - Sorry, just to clarify with regard to my last post, my whole tangent out of the "Peter Gabriel is crassly profiting off other peoples' songs" debate and into the "Neil is an evil capitalist who is ripping off his fans" debate was meant as an example, and not to restart that specific debate. I rambled about it for a bit too long though.
Thanks Matt! I'm sure this will not start another round of capitalist pigs profiting on the masses discussion or anything controversial. We'd never allow that debate here in our happy little "group think" community, now would we?
Folk/rock duo Andy Hill and Renee Safier with singer/songwriter producer Daniel Leanse will co-host a Neil Young Tribute on Sunday, March 14, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. at Molly Malone’s in Hollywood. Andy and Renee will be performing songs as well as playing in the backing band that includes Marty Rifkin (Bruce Springsteen) on pedal steel, journeyman bassist Steve Whalen, Joe Caccavo (guitar, mandolin, banjo) and John Hoke on drums.
The group will play two sets with ten singers participating, each singing their favorite Neil Young song. Vocalists include: James Lee Stanley, Circe Link, Jimmy Miles, Cindy Kalmenson, Victoria Levy, Vida Simon (Keb Mo), Caroline Vreeland, Nicole Gordon (Ernest Troost), Brax Cutchin, Bart Ryan, and Dry September’s Dave Tokaji. The song list will include ‘70s era Young to present day including: “After the Goldrush,” “Sugar Mountain,” “Powderfinger,” “Hey, Hey, My, My,” “Ohio,” “Long May You Run,” “Rockin’ In The Free World,” and more.
Molly Malone’s is located at 575 So. Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood and can be reached at (323) 935-1577. Tickets are $15.00 at the door or in advance at AndyandRenee.com: http://tinyurl.com/yknkn42.
Ronnie and Neil: Laying to Rest the "Feud Myth" Once and for All
Ronnie Van Zant with Neil Young "Tonight's The Night" T-shirt
Oakland Coliseum, July 2, 1977 - Photo by Michael Zagaris Neil Young with Lynyrd Skynyrd/Jack Daniels Whiskey T-Shirt
Verona, Italy 7.9.1982 - Photo by Paolo Brillo on Flickr
"Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
a southern man don't need him around anyhow"
Growing up in the American South in the 1970's as a Neil Young fan wasn't exactly easy. It seems as if all of our life that whenever the subject of musical tastes came up and we revealed our appreciation of Young's music, almost invariably it was met with those lines above from Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" .
You see, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" is more than just an anthem for many -- it serves as a statement for a way of life that is intensely protected such that when threatened -- it can produce some very uncomfortable results.
Background of "Sweet Home Alabama"
Thanks to Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd was inspired to write the song "Sweet Home Alabama".
Without Young's songs that were so critical of the South's segregationist and racist attitudes for inspiration, it is doubtful that the band would have produced a song with such a long lasting duration that continues to sell well 30 years after its release.
But the ultimate irony of "Sweet Home Alabama" is that for so many, the song's implied put down of Neil Young was NOT meant as criticism but as support of Young's anti-racism. Thus, for those who think it's so clever to put down Neil Young using the phrase"Hope Neil Young will remember, a southern man don't need him around anyhow" little do they realize that they have the meaning backwards. Every day, someone blogs or tweets the "Neil Young putdown" without comprehending that they've actually praised him. Similarly, with the State of Alabama using the phrase "Sweet Home Alabama" as an official slogan on license plates, one truly has to wonder what they were thinking the song was about.
Somewhere, Ronnie is still having a good laugh at Alabama officials and Neil Young bashers. Such is the duality of the southern thing.
MCA Records 45RPM Single
Is "Sweet Home Alabama" Really Sweet?
The history of Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1974 song "Sweet Home Alabama" has a long and tortured history. The enormously popular song has an extraordinarily complex backstory involving a wide swath of groups which have laid claim to the song's message and symbols. As this article demonstrates, the complicated saga of "Sweet Home Alabama" is anything but sweet.
Rarely has such a widely popular hit song been so vastly misunderstood by so many for so long.
Well, I heard Mister Young sing about her Well, I heard ole Neil put her down. Well, I hope Neil Young will remember a southern man don't need him around anyhow.
"Southern Man" + "Alabama" Lyrics by Neil Young
(Click photo to enlarge)
Known as a response record, such songs "refer directly to a previous hit and usually do it in a catty, mischievous way". The lines in "Sweet Home Alabama" are a direct response to Young's anti-racist, anti-cross burning "Southern Man" and "Alabama" songs. Lynyrd Skynyrd's comeback was intended to mean, at first glance, "Thank you for your opinion Neil, now leave us alone."
It is this perceived "attitude" which has led to Lynyrd Skynyrd earning a reputation as a "racist" band. Inasmuch as the fact that the band often performed with a Confederate flag as a backdrop, the label and perception has been hard to shake.
After singing this line, Skynyrd sing "Boo, boo, boo!" as if to disapprove of Wallace and his policies of racism. As for the "Boo, boo, boo!" chorus, some have dismissed it as Skynyrd 's wink at racism. Joshua Marshall writes in Talking Points Memo: "It always seemed to me more likely that that shadow lyric is a mocking allusion to anti-Wallace protestors." Nonetheless, many still regard the song to be a paean to the South's disregard for the civil rights movement.
Alabama Governor George Wallace
The last line in the song is an ad-lib by Van Zant that is rarely understood. He says, "Montgomery got the answer". Some of the original band members revealed this in a radio interview a few years back and possibly references the infamous march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, led by civil rights leader Martin Luther King. George Wallace was the governor of Alabama when this was released and -- apparently -- loved the song, especially the line, "In Birmingham they love the governor."
At best, this is ambiguous. At it's worst, this can be seen as an endorsement of the racist policies of the Alabama state capitol. Wallace, in the end, made the band honorary Lieutenant Colonels in the state militia. So is the song "Sweet Home Alabama" racist?
Immediately after the band sings the verse "Well, I heard Mr. Young sing about her," one can hear in the background what sounds like the phrase "Southern Man." Many believe it was Young's original recording being played. However, others claim it to be the album's producer, Al Kooper, impersonating Young.
Neil Young and Lynyrd Skynyrd: Friends or Foes?
"Now your crosses
are burning fast"
The response song "Sweet Home Alabama" was inspired by the two Neil Young songs "Southern Man" and "Alabama". Specifically, lyrics to "Southern Man":
Better keep your head Don't forget what your good book said Southern change gonna come at last Now your crosses are burning fast Southern man I saw cotton and I saw black Tall white mansions and little shacks. Southern man when will you pay them back? I heard screamin' and bullwhips cracking How long? How long?
And "Alabama"'s lyrics:
Oh Alabama Banjos playing through the broken glass Windows down in Alabama. See the old folks tied in white ropes Hear the banjo. Don't it take you down home?
In Young's anthology album "Decade" liner notes, he wrote about "Southern Man" in his usual opaque and obliquely ironic fashion:
"This song could have been written on a civil rights march after stopping off to watch "Gone With The Wind" at a local theater. But I wasn't there so I don't know for sure."
Others have made different interpretations of the contretemps. In Glide Magazine by Ross Warner, this opinion is ventured on Skynyrd's song:
Although the song is perceived as an anthem of southern pride, “Sweet Home Alabama,” was actually intended not only as the band’s fond recollection of their first time in a recording studio but as a reminder to the rest of America that not all southerners were rednecks. When Skynyrd criticized Neil Young’s “Southern Man,” it was for the sweeping generalization of all southerners as rednecks. Don’t condemn southerners now for what their ancestors did. “We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two,” Van Zant said. “We’re southern rebels, but more than that, we know the difference between right and wrong.” In fact, the band was quite outspoken about their disdain for Wallace’s policies.
Southern Rock Opera
Drive-by Truckers
The "feud myth" was further fueled with the Drive-By Truckers 2002 album "Southern Rock Opera" (one of the only truly genuine masterpiece albums released in the early 21st century) song "Ronnie and Neil":
And out in California, a rock star from Canada writes a couple of great songs about the bad shit that went down "Southern Man" and "Alabama" certainly told some truth But there were a lot of good folks down here and Neil Young wasn't around Now Ronnie and Neil became good friends their feud was just in song Skynyrd was a bunch of Neil Young fans and Neil he loved that song So He wrote "Powderfinger" for Skynyrd to record But Ronnie ended up singing "Sweet Home Alabama" to the lord
"I wrote this song to tell of the misunderstood friendship between Ronnie VanZant and Neil Young, who were widely believed to be bitter adversaries, but were in truth very good friends and mutual admirers..."
Street Survivors (original album cover)
Ronnie Van Zant wearing a Neil Young "Tonight's the Night" album cover t-shirt
As Fred Mills puts it in his book review of Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering The Free Birds Of Southern Rock by Gene Odom, "[Ronnie Van Zant] would just as soon go onstage wearing one of several Neil Young T-shirts that he owned in order to fuck with any yahoos in the crowd who missed the humor and irony of the “Sweet Home Alabama” lyrics."
As for Neil Young's reaction to all of this? One widely circulated theory during the 1970's was found in Neil's stunning response to Lynyrd Skynyrd with On The Beach's "Walk On."
I hear some people been talkin' me down, Bring up my name, pass it 'round. They don't mention happy times They do their thing, I'll do mine.
Little did we realize at the time the symbolism in "Walk On", but years later as On The Beach surfaces and makes its place with other classics, did some of Neil's meanings sink in. (The lyrics in "Walk On" have also been interpreted to refer to bandmates Crosby, Stills, & Nash. Others argue that the song is in response to press reviews of Young's Time Fades Away tour.)
It seems that whatever grudges Lynyrd Skynyrd had for Neil's music may have been resolved - if there ever was any feud to begin with. From an interview with Ronnie Van Zant:
"We wrote Alabama as a joke. We didn't even think about it - the words just came out that way. We just laughed like hell, and said 'Ain't that funny'... We love Neil Young, we love his music..."
As for the rumor that Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded the Neil Young song "Powderfinger" (see for lyrics analysis), here's an interview in MOJO Magazine , where Young said:
Young:Lynyrd Skynyrd almost ended up recording Powderfinger before my version came out. We sent them an early demo of it because they wanted to do one of my songs. Interviewer Q. Surprising, that. After all, Lynyrd Skynyrd put you down by name on Sweet Home Alabama, their first hit single.... Young: Oh, they didn't really put me down! But then again, maybe they did! (laughs) But not in a way that matters. Shit, I think Sweet Home Alabama is a great song. I've actually performed it live a couple of times myself. "
Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie VanZant Wearing Neil Young T-shirt
Oakland Coliseum, July 2, 1977
In addition to the song "Powderfinger", Young allegedly also gave the band the song “Sedan Delivery” and "Captain Kennedy" to record. From The Uncool, Cameron Crowe blogs:
Neil Young gave a tape to Joel Bernstein to give to me which I gave to Ronnie [Van Zant], that had three songs on it - "Captain Kennedy," "Sedan Delivery," and "Powderfinger" - before they'd come out. And he wanted to give them to Lynyrd Skynyrd if they wanted to do one of his songs. They didn't fit on Street Survivors.
Neil loved that band and said they reminded him of the Buffalo Springfield and they made him yearn for the days of the Buffalo Springfield. He loved Lynyrd Skynyrd and he loved being mentioned in the song.
Being a huge Neil Young fan, I sort of appointed myself as cheerleader for that love affair to happen and blossom. I think it was happening - Ronnie was wearing that [Neil Young] shirt on the album cover and on the road. I was really happy to be able to play a part in getting some new Neil songs into Ronnie's hands. I don't remember what he had to say about it, but he was a huge Neil Young fan.
It should also be noted that shortly after the band was involved in a fatal plane accident, Neil Young performed a rare live version of "Alabama" at Bicentennial Park, Miami, Florida on 11-12-1977 for Children's Hospital Charity with The Gone With The Wind Orchestra and he changed the lyric chorus from "Alabama" to "Sweet Home Alabama".
Recalling the concert tribute in an interview with the Boston Globe, Young said: "I just sang 'I hope you all will remember. I thought it was a cool thing."
In a interview on the Rockline radio program (November 23, 1981), when asked about "Sweet Home Alabama" and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Neil Young said: "Great band, great. I understand Ronnie once said that I'll be mellow about it [SHA], not care one way or other. He was right."
"Ronnie and Neil" by Drive-by Truckers - Asheville,NC, September 2007
Back to the Drive-by Truckers (a great band that's a cross between William Faulkner and Neil Young) song "Ronnie and Neil" and the implication that Neil Young was a pallbearer at Van Zant's funeral:
"And Neil helped carry Ronnie in his casket to the ground And to my way of thinking, us southern men need both of them around"
This is another Neil Young/Lynyrd Skynyrd "urban legend" which is debunked in an interesting essay in Tone and Groove. As for the rumor that Ronnie Van Zant was buried wearing a Neil Young t-shirt, again this seems to be another example of a myth to propogate the tragic legend.
Neil Young with Lynyrd Skynyrd/Jack Daniels Whiskey T-Shirt
Verona, Italy 7.9.1982 - Photo by Paolo Brillo on Flickr
From the book Freebirds: The Lynyrd Skynyrd Story by Marley Brant:
"The presentation of the song "Sweet Home Alabama" in concert was accompanied by the unfurling of Skynyrd's traditional backdrop, a huge Confederate battle flag. The reaction of the audience was always the same: vigorous, fervent, and instantaneous. Neil Young's song "Southern Man" had offended many Southerners by seeming to accuse all people born in the south of being intolerant racists. Young's observations were obviously generalized and not accurate and Southerners were ecstatic when Skynyrd defended their honor by releasing "Sweet Home Alabama" with its direct references to Young's faux pas. The idea that the Southern man, or woman, didn't need Neil Young around to point out the problems of their society was overwhelmingly supported by Skynyrd fans. "We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two," Ronnie told Rolling Stone magazine regarding the creation of the answer song. The band felt that Young's lyrical content was representative of the shortsighted "Yankee" belief that all Southern men should be held accountable for the verbalizations and actions of a racist minority. While the rebuttal was heartfelt, Skynyrd held Neil Young in high regard for his musical achievements and they weren't intending to start a feud of any kind. "Neil is amazing, wonderful... a superstar," said Van Zant. "I showed the verse to Ed King and asked him what Neil might think. Ed said he'd dig it; he'd be laughing at it." Ed King says that the tune was not so much a direct attack on Young but just a good regional song. The song was well received but immediately put a stigma on the band as rednecks. Producer Al Kooper added. "Hey, you have to be more careful when you write a song now. But I'll tell you something -- Neil Young loved it. That's true, he told me so to my face."
"The singer's mock attack on Neil Young and his apparent defense of Wallace branded Skynyrd with controversy which would continue for years. Young got the joke, however, responding by telegram and by letter to say he was proud to be the subject of Skynyrd's Southern anthem.' Perhaps Van Zant sums it up best. 'We're not into politics, we don't have no education and Wallace don't know anything about rock n roll.'
The "faux feud" contretemps seem to provide endless fascination for Ronnie and Neil fans.
So what do you think? And why?
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Neil Young's Nemesis or Ally?
Ronnie Van Zant: 1948 - 1977
More on Lynyrd Skynyrd and Neil Young. NOTE: Sometimes we're asked about what the deal is with our fascination with Ronnie and Neil. The fact of the matter is that much of this is driven by the constant correspondence we receive on the subject. Hardly a day goes by without the subject rearing its pretty (or ugly) head. What follows are some of the recent letters received on the subject. Feel free to jump in!
"Does your conscience bother you?
Tell the truth."
Peter Gabriel's "Scratch My Back" (or I'll link to you if you link to me)
Peter Gabriel's new CD "Scratch My Back" is interesting for a couple of reasons. One is that it has a cover of the Neil Young song "Philadelphia" from the Jonathan Demme film of the same title.
The other dimension to this is the one that is being most discussed in the music business. That is -- with plummeting sales -- what are we going to do? Doing song covers is certainly not a new phenomenon by any stretch. They're done for a myriad reasons. Artists pay homage. They like the song. Help raise awareness and expand an audience. A nice way to say thank you for helping me one day.
And we'll come back to this in a moment on why -- as a blogger -- we find this relevant.
"The project is groundbreaking for two reasons. Firstly, it's a collaboration. All the artists whose songs Peter has recorded here are returning the favour by each recording a song of his. The fruits of this exchange - or song swap - will be heard on a forthcoming companion volume, I'll Scratch Yours. 'The intention,' explains Peter, 'was that we would each do the songs in our own idiosyncratic way.'
Secondly, these songs have been approached from an angle that's rather revolutionary. Peter's usual band have been dispensed with on this project, leaving his voice accompanied solely by orchestral instruments. The approach makes for some radical reinterpretations. 'After all,' protests the album's arranger John Metcalfe, 'what's the point of covers that don't make any effort- So many are just really the same song with a different singer. Here was an opportunity - particularly as it was orchestral - not to do that, to reinterpret these songs with integrity.'"
"There seems to be two motivations behind Peter Gabriel's new album, one playful and the other more serious. The first gives the project its title: Gabriel covered compositions by 12 working artists, including David Bowie, Neil Young, Arcade Fire and the Magnetic Fields. He also invited them to plumb his own catalog for an upcoming answer record titled 'I'll Scratch Yours.'
Some have called this proposition opportunistic, a way for Gabriel to both reassert his place alongside more iconic elders and make a DNA connection with arty youngsters. In fact, the gesture's more natural for Gabriel than it's been for most sexagenarians who've sought a lift from the kids. He's a lifelong collaborator whose WOMAD festivals and Real World label have cultivated a serious international music community; and his current nonmusical projects, like the Hub ('a YouTube for human rights'), imagine Internet-driven connectivity as a kind of potlatch.
More questionable is Gabriel's rendering of his half of the exchange. Instead of highlighting what younger artists actually seem to love about his own work -- its cosmopolitan spirit, written in the rhythms of soul, qawwali and Afrobeat -- Gabriel has gone for an exceedingly Western art song approach. No bass, no drums from the man who gave us 'Sledgehammer'? Why?
I'd guess that Gabriel has a higher goal, as usual."
Now back to why we think this is relevant here.
As regular visitors know by now, one thing we do here is link over to other blogs. And they link back. Same concept of back scratching.
To point out the obvious, it's trying to create a virtuous circle. By now it seems a lot of folks are on Facebook and the concept works the same. Be my friend and I'll be yours. Build the network for what ever your reason.
So, link to our blog and we'll link back to yours. Or -- in the words of some singer-song writer from back in the 1970's, be on my side and i'll be on your side.
Bruce Springsteen's contribution to the soundtrack of Philadelphia was the more celebrated, but this Neil Young track was surely the most beautiful. This version marks Scratch My Back's tenderest moment, its gently undulating melody matched by the empathetic delivery of Young's lyrics.Gorgeous trumpet solo too.
Listen to sample tracks of Peter Gabriel's "Scratch My Back" and the Neil Young song "Philadelphia" on Amazon.com.
And here's one of the all-time high career points: Neil Young at the 1994 Oscar ceremonies playing "Philadelphia".
NEW YORK (Billboard) - In an unexpected pairing, Elton John and Leon Russell are recording an album together in Los Angeles with producer T Bone Burnett. Both performers have written songs for the project, which has no title or release date yet. Billboard.com has learned that Neil Young, Booker T. Jones, Marc Ribot and Jim Keltner are among the guests who have contributed to the album."
Long-time Elton John collaborator Bernie Taupin has also been working on the record, it was revealed on Taupin's official website, Berniejtaupin.com.
"Basic tracks for Bernie and Elton's new album with Leon Russell have been recently completed and the gang is about to start vocals and overdubs immediately," it was explained on the site.
The message continued, "The trio has cut 15 songs ranging from Stones-like rockers, country-tinged ballads, gospel and even a Sinatra-like weepy similar to something torn from the grooves of 'In the Wee Small Hours' [1955 Frank Sinatra album].
"It's varied in scope and drenched in a rich tapestry of atmospherics. Don't expect to hear the old EJ/BT sound; this is organic recording unlike anything you've heard from our duo before."
A release schedule for the abum is yet to be revealed.
Boy, this falls into the slap on the forehead, why didn't I think of it category.
So, we've had a Blu-Ray player for about 8 months now and have one single title: The Neil Young Archives. Which is OK, for sure and we count our blessings that we do. But that's all our Sony PS-3 has been used for -- just NYA.
That is until we read this comment by wmcgurn regarding a cover by St. Vincent's Annie Clark and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon Cover Neil Young's "Harvest Moon":
Here's an example where getting a blue ray player for the Archives has paid dividends. I never spent too much time watching music on YouTube because of the small screen and poor speakers on my computer. I just watched this version of Harvest Moon (Great!)streaming thru the YouTube portal on my blue ray - playing on an HD TV screen and through my surround system. I'd like to see more BD live downloads but I can keep occupied in the meanwhile surfing internet videos. Maybe I'll check out Sir Paul with Neil doing "A Day in the Life" again....
Talk about "doh"?!
All along -- we too had been watching YouTubes on a tiny little square on PC speakers.
The brilliant Wilco cover of the Neil Young penned Buffalo Springfield "wall of sound" epic Broken Arrow. Recorded on February 23, 2010 at Hamilton Place, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. This thing rocked on our PS-3 plugged into our system.
Now, we'll say this. Dealing with the URL is a challenge on the Blu-Ray. Here's what we did. On the YouTube channel -- which is a menu pre-select -- do a search on "Wilco Broken Arrow". There were only 3 matches that came up. The Hamilton version is the longest and best. You then have to select the choice and move the cursor over to the selction and hit play.
It's tricky the first time. But well worth it for HD YouTube videos that you'd like to enjoy. Or get some value out of your Blu-Ray player.
Comment of the Moment: Neil Young at Olympics Closing Ceremonies
Nearly universally, Neil Young at Olympics Closing Ceremonies was considered to be the highlight based on reviews and commentaries we saw here and here.
Naturally, not everyone was on-board with yet another career highlight peak. We single this comment out specifically, not because it was representative, but because of the reaction it provoked.
I'm a big Neil Young fan and an admirer of the work and obvious dedication that goes into maintaining Thrasher's Wheat. However, there does appear to be a tendency towards uncritical hero worship on this website. Praise is a lot less meaningful when it's offered reflexively.
In that spirit, I offer a somewhat different view of Neil's recent work from the website of singer/songwriter Robbie Fulks:
"Did you see him on the Tonight Show last Friday? My 12-year-old, the handsome and brilliant Preston, watched alongside me in stunned disbelief. Preston goes for a fair range of styles and decades -- Jason Mraz, Blue Oyster Cult, Kanye West, Dead Kennedys, Eric Johnson -- but none of it bears a remote resemblance to an elderly dude in a Hawaiian shirt blinking and twitching and strumming a guitar. "Oh my God," he said, "even you're better than this, Dad!"
I don't know an awful lot about the fellow (though I know a lot of his songs well enough to play and sing them -- he's one of those high-prestige Baby Boomer artistes whose products I find I don't need to buy for pretty much the same reason I don't buy recordings of snow shovel noises to put on speakers on my front lawn)..."
This is obviously an uninformed viewpoint, but it does serve to remind us that not everybody thinks Neil is a God. Neil would probably prefer it that way.
We'll just say this. Never, ever, in all the years that we've been editing Thrasher's Wheat have we seen such a false equivalency. The very attempt to balance Neil Young's performance of "Long May You Run" at the 2010 Olympics Closing Ceremonies and a 12 year old's impression of watching Conan O'Brien, is well... just not really worth bothering to analyze.
As Glenn Greenwald would blog, "Could a false equivalency be any more trite or vapid than that?"
You know, the real 'problem' (if you can call it that - to me it's more of a blessing rather than a problem) is that there's a lot of people who think Neil's a rockstar, some famous artist in the music scene. And therefore they judge his output and the things he does / doesn't just like they judge any other star or artist, like (no offence in any way) Aerosmith or Michael Bublé or whoever.
But he's not. It's just the fact that Neil has kept his personal integrity (his being) in EVERYTHING he records or does / doesn't that sets him apart and puts his music in a complete different place. It's just TRUE. Nothing more. You can take it or leave it, but it will stay the same: TRUE, in every meaning of the word.
There's not many who have achieved this in a business that forces everyone that's in it to be what others want you to be and to do what others want you to do.There's a lot of 'em who died trying to cope with that…
Everybody's Rockin is one of many albums that was not recorded for the sake of selling as many copies as possible. Come to think of it, I think none of his albums were. Not even Harvest itself. Neil didn't know it was gonna be his hitalbum, and if he did, he certainly did'nt aim for it. He steered out of the MOR when he found out.
And yes, that's irritating sometimes: to see someones work judged by all the wrong measures.
But hey, you can't blame people for not seeing what seems to be so obvious to us. They just don't get it. Sorry for them.
And I'm not pointing at anyone who posted on this page, this is just a general observation. It took me quite a lot of years to learn this from Neil. I wasn't happy from the year he put out RE-ACT_OR up until the Blue Note's.
They're all out there, his records. And they all have some place where they fit in. It's a fascinating musical biography.
Peter Dees (Holland)
Thanks Peter!
"Love And Only Love"
Long ago in the book of old, Before the chapter where dreams unfold A battle raged on the open page, Love was a winner there overcoming hate Like a little girl who couldn't wait.
Love and only love will endure Hate is everything you think it is Love and only love will break it down Love and only love, will break it down Break it down, break it down.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction." MLK
"And when the dawn breaks I see my fellow man/ and on the flat-screen we kill and we're killed again/ and when the night falls I pray for peace/ try to remember peace."
Trunk Show Boston Screening with Director Jonathan Demme and Robyn Hitchcock
Last week, a special screening of Trunk Show was held in Boston with Director Jonathan Demme and included a live musical performance Robyn Hitchcock. From The Boston Globe: Hitchcock is Demme’s leading man By Mark Shanahan & Meredith Goldstein:
"Why did Robyn Hitchcock perform at this week’s screening at the Coolidge of Jonathan Demme’s documentary about Neil Young? It’s not clear, even to Hitchcock (above right, with Demme), but what difference does it make? “To a halibut in the late 20th century, there’s no difference between me and Neil Young - or Jim Morrison, for that matter,’’ said Hitchcock. (In fact, the British singer is a buddy of Demme’s, and has been in three of his movies, including the documentary “Storefront Hitchcock.’’) The screening was part of a two-day celebration of Demme, who’s the recipient of this year’s Coolidge Award. The audience was enthusiastic about the film, but some people griped that lights inside the cinema were not turned off, which spoiled the experience."
Last night I saw Jonathan Demme's new movie on Neil -- Neil Young Trunk Show. I went from Hartford to Boston to see it. I cannot wait for everyone to see it. It will knock your socks off. Absolutely amazing. A bookend to Prairie Wind, but an opposite, not a matching one. It is raw and visceral and full of the power (I don't know what other word to use) of N.Y.'s music.
Power and soulfulness.
His voice is in great shape. His "reading," his inflections and changes in phrasing are masterful. His guitar playing is unworldly. He's totally at home and in the groove and at the peak of his powers. And the concert shows the range of his emotion and vision. There is so much there that most people just grab bits of it. I'm a huge fan and I came away thinking, "Is it possible I have underestimated this man?"
The genius of Demme is that he puts you right in Young's world. If someone says, "why do you love Neil Young?" you can just hand them this DVD. They will either watch with mouth agape and join us or be totally befuddled.
Last but not least: The SOUND quality is 4 stars. You hear the best versions of those songs you will ever hear, unless you were at the concert. I heard substantially the same concert in Boston a few days later in 2007 and I felt I was taken back to that place .
Magic, magic music making. This film is a gift from above.
PK: What's the deal with Neil Young now? You are making a trilogy?
JD: I would obviously love to do a third film with him and Neil likes the idea. We just need to figure out what that would be. I just found out that 'Neil Young: Heart of Gold' has done very well, at the box office. It has done very well, financially, around the world since it was released. It has made me kind of hopeful that our new film, 'Neil Young: Trunk Show,' may attract a similar audience.
PK: That's coming out here on March 1. They are going to show it during your gala.
JD: Yes, and this will be the first showing ever of the final color corrected, tweaked sound track version so it ought to be quite a show.
PK: Can you sum up in a couple of sentences what it is about Neil Young that makes you want to make 3 movies about him?
JD: Neil Young's music became a big part of my soul when I first started hearing it as an extremely young man back in the 60's. I think he is a great artist, a great great great great great artist. I just adore his music and it's been so exciting to work with him these times, to get to know him and see how he conducts himself and listen to the way he thinks. Neil is of course, musically, a giant, and Neil is also an exceptionally cinematic guy. I like the films he has made very much. I particularly love 'Greendale.' He is an exciting person to collaborate with."
"With trunks of memories still to come": Neil Young at Olympics Closing Ceremonies
Neil Young Extinguishes Olympic Flame
60,000 inside Vancouver stadium. Millions on the TeeVee box.
One acoustic guitar. One harmonica. One man.
Just singing a song.
It really is hard to know what to write after witnessing Neil Young's performance of "Long May You Run" at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics Closing Ceremony.
Watching the flames being extinguished above Neil's head as snow gently drifted down from above, while he strolled about -- all alone -- with his harmonica rack and Hank Williams' Martin guitar.
For once -- it seems -- words fail us. The pictures above say more than all the words we've ever blogged here.
The Neil Young tribute band 
Re-Master booklet:
>> Pre-Order on Amazon.com << 
Human Highway
Concert Review of the Moment
This Land is My Land
FREEDOM In A New Year
*Thanks Neil!*
![[EFC Blue Ribbon - Free Speech Online]](http://www.thrasherswheat.org/gifs/free-speech.gif)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Neil Young
Pardon My Heart
"We're The Ones 
Thanks for Supporting Thrasher's Wheat!
This blog 
(... he didn't kill himself either...)
#AaronDidntKillHimself
Neil Young's Moon Songs
Civic Duty Is Not Terrorism
Orwell (and Grandpa) Was Right
What's So Funny About 
