Songfacts Interview with Pegi Young

Pegi & Neil Young
Farm Aid 2009 Concert - St. Louis, Missouri, 10/4/09:

An enlightening interview with Pegi Young on Songfacts by Carl Wiser.

Pegi discusses a range of topics including the losses in 2010, her songwriting craft, and working with her husband.

Songfacts: When you have a couple that both do the same thing, it's always been a very interesting dynamic for me. Because some people can do that. They can run a bed and breakfast together and they're happy as clams. But if I did the same thing as my wife, we would kill each other. So I'm wondering how it is that you can do the same profession and not drive each other crazy.

Pegi Young: Well, that's an interesting question, I guess. We didn't always do the same profession. I mean, for many years I put away music and focused on raising our kids and starting the Bridge School and keeping the home scene going. And then when I started touring with him, I get treated pretty much like any other band member. He certainly doesn't cut me any more slack than anybody else. If he wants to hear something a certain way, he's the clear boss, leader of the band.

When we got together, I was playing and writing. And we would just sit around and play some stuff from time to time just for fun. But it wasn't in front of people. It wasn't professional. It was just sitting around in our living room. It's just never been a problem. He is very clear about what he hears in his music and how he wants it to sound, and I am, too. So when he comes and sits in with us in the studio, he becomes one of the band members.

Complete interview on Songfacts. Thanks Carl!

More on Pegi Young's recent tour with Bert Jansch.