Just Keep On Rockin' in the Free World and the New Year!

"Rockin' in the Free World"
Pearl Jam with Neil Young - Toronto 2011
2012 was a momentous year for Neil Young fans around the world.

And while we blogged for peace and justice, we seemed to have hit a bad chord, but we'll still try to blog about love and war.

freedom. not just another word.

happy new year.

peace

More on finding the cost of freedom.

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2012 Neil Young Year in Review: Year of the Horse, Chapter 12

Crazy Horse Reunites and
37 minute "Horse Back" Video Electrifies Fans
Crazy Horse 2012 - Los Angeles, CA
Billy Talbot, Frank Sampedro, Neil Young & Ralph Molina

Paul McCartney Honored at Musicares by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, others
Joni Mitchell and Neil Young
2012 Grammy Event - Los Angeles, CA - Feb 11, 2012

Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
The Americana-ness of Neil Young & Crazy Horse's Americana
Shepard Fairey and Neil Young: The 'Americana' Collaboration
EARLY REACTION: "Psychedelic Pill" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

"Ramada Inn" - A devastatingly, emotionally powerful jam
Donald "Duck" Dunn: 1941 – 2012
Neil Young with Booker T & The MG's
Finsbury Park, London - 1993

Neil Young Tweets on Twitter

.@bpclementi my family supports me #askneil

— Neil Young (@neilyoung) October 24, 2012

Pegi Young & The Survivors w/ Special Guest
Farm Aid 2012 Concert - Hershey, PA

"Don't Let It Bring You Down"
Axl Rose (Guns N Roses) and Neil Young
Bridge School Benefit Concert - Oct. 21, 2012
"You can't worry about what people think. I never do. I never did really."
Uncut Magazine Cover of Neil Young - August 2012, by Jaan Uhelski
Neil Young
Frame from film A Day At The Gallery
(Click photo to enlarge)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being A Neil Young Fan
Patti Smith & Neil Young
Patti Smith Interviews Neil Young at BookExpo America in New York City

Neil Young & The Kitchenettes
Neil Young Journeys - A Film by Jonathan Demme
Musician Neil Young and Director Jonathan Demme
Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Red Rocks, CO - 08.05.12
Major New York Times Interview with Neil Young
'Waging Heavy Peace' by Neil Young
Heavy Review of "Waging Heavy Peace" Book by Neil Young

"Like A Hurricane"
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Farm Aid 2012 Concert - 9/22/12
Photo by Steve Babineau @sportsactionimages.com

Neil Young on “David Letterman”: 'Pono' is Hawaiian for 'righteous'
Astronaut Neil Young dead @ 82 (Not)
Relax Everyone ... Neil Young is NOT dead

Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Austin City Limits Festival - 10/13/12

Rockin' In The Free World
Neil Young & Crazy Horse w/ Dave Grohl
Central Park, New York City, 9/29/12

On The Rail: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Concerts - Philadelphia, PA & Fairfax, VA

Thoughts & Memories on Alchemy Tour: Neil Young & Crazy Horse 2012

Philadelphia, 11/29/12

Hurricane Sandy Benefit Concert, Atlantic City, 12/6/12

Neil Young (Author & Inventor) and Jon Stewart

"I don't know how it happens, but when I'm singing and playing with Crazy Horse, I'm a different guy. I write a different thing, I see things differently, I see deeper pictures, I'm able to write and express myself much deeper in a certain way that I can't do with anybody else."

The Daily Show - Nov 28, 2012

World Tour of Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2013 Europe Tour Dates
2013 Australia/New Zealand Tour Dates
Neil Young FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Iconic and Mercurial Rocker
by Glen Boyd with Foreword by Thrasher's Wheat


Thrasher's Wheat Radio Debuts
Tune in on WBKM.org, Saturdays @ 9P EST

The Philly rustie rail crew "With a big red beacon, and a flag, and a man on the rail..."

Arkansas Girls (HEART) Crazy Horse: A Roadtrip Tale

THANK YOU THRASHERS!
N Y Times
June 2, 2012
A Message from Neil Young
From Neil Young's Official News page N Y Times comes a message from Neil himself to his fans:

THANK YOU THRASHERS!
June 2, 2012

Thanks for your spirited reaction to "A day at the Gallery." I must tell you that we had a good time doing that piece. It was born totally out of fear. We are so scared that Crazy Horse is not good enough to promote our new album conventionally on late night TV. Imagine the disaster that could have occurred there and the damage to our reputation that could have ensued.

What if we had begun one of our songs and gotten hung up on the intro and they had to cut away to a commercial before we got to the first verse?

Thankfully, you loyal fans have been able to understand and sympathize with us.

NY

Neil Young & Pegi Young
Paul McCartney Honored at Musicares
In comparison to the year 2011 -- which was "A Treasure" -- 2012 was yet another triumphant year for Neil Young and his associates.

The man's productivity, resilience and sheer drive continues to be both amazing and inspiring.

While 2011 saw spectacular achievements and recognition for Neil, including his 1st Grammy Win (for music!), Humanitarian honors Canada's 2011 JUNO Awards, and a brief reunion tour with Buffalo Springfield, 2012 in some respects produced even more amazing highlights as noted above.

Once again, we ponder that age old question: Is Neil burning out or fading away? We argue that he is neither. Neil Young is the quintessential survivor.

So we celebrate the music, achievements and all the good folks at Shakey Pictures. Onwards to 2013!

As for us? We're excited about evolving our new collaboration Thrasher's Wheat Radio with WBKM.org. So we'll see you in 2013.

peace & love,
thrasher & thrashette
ps - For all of you who help us wage heavy wheat and made contributions of support recently, thank you notes have been going out and we hope to get them all completed by the end of the year. Apologies on delay and we truly appreciate your support.

It means that much to us, to mean that much to you.

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Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of 2012: #10 - Neil Young and Crazy Horse, 'Psychedelic Pill'

"Psychedelic Pill"
by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
(Click photo to enlarge)
Neil Young and Crazy Horse's 'Psychedelic Pill' #10 is on Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of 2012:

Appearing alongside his memoir and the history-lesson covers set Americana, this is as inspiringly strange as anything he's done. It opens with the 27-minute "Driftin' Back," a free-associating timeline that morphs from co ffeehouse folk to charred Crazy Horse jam. Feedback and flashbacks, sentimental and not, flow between inspired moments of old-coot humor ("Gonna get me a hip-hop haircut!"), all peaking with the 16-minute "Walk Like a Giant," a doo-wop noise-metal Sixties lament that goes out stomping. Like a giant, indeed.

Also, Rolling Stone has ranked "Ramada Inn" as 5th best song of 2012.

More reviews and reactions on "Psychedelic Pill" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

And speaking of sonic pleasures, also on Rolling Stone Neil Young's Pono Plans Take Shape With New Trademarks By Patrick Flanary:

The latest trademark applications, filed this month, refer to "cases for audio tuners, audio receivers, amplifiers, tape players, compact disc players, MP3 controllers/players, audio mixers, audio speakers in the nature of music studio monitors, microphones, audio speakers, compact discs, audio tapes, portable computers, antennas, phonographic record players, audio recording equipment," according to documents on file with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

One small step closer to Archives Vol. 2?! We shall see...

Check out Pono Music - high-quality music initiative from Neil Young.

ps - if you're interested in road testing an early PONO prototype here's a 1961 Lincoln Continental up for auction on eBay Motors.

Some avid car collector has put less than 2,000 on the odometer and has kept it garaged with the rest of his collection. Master mechanic Bruce Ferrario has tuned up the engine, performed all needed maintenance and brought the overall performance and functionality up to Mr Young’s specifications.

Makes a nice stocking stuffer. :)

Happy Holidays!

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Unraveling Neil Young - Popcast: NYTimes.com

Neil Young
Vancouver - Sept. 2012
(Click photo to enlarge)
From Popcast | NYTimes.com, an interesting discussion on Neil Young's recent career moves.

This is not your standard rock journalists shooting the breeze, but some rather heavy analysis of what Young has delivered in 2012. David Carr, Jon Pareles and Ben Ratliff talk about his live sound, his new album with Crazy Horse (“Psychedelic Pill”) his book, his sobriety, his paradoxical embrace of precision and mystery and his model-train barn.

You may recall, David Carr did a major profile in the New York Times Magazine earlier this Fall which made quite a few headlines.

Listen above, or download the MP3 here.

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If You Text During a Neil Young Concert, This Could Happen To You

Neil Young Mocking Audience Texters
Bridgeport, CT - 12/4/12
Photo by Dave S. | Facebook
(Click photo to enlarge)
There was an interesting moment during the Neil Young and Crazy Horse concert in Bridgeport, CT earlier this month.

Apparently some folks near the stage were texting during the concert and Neil took a few moments to come over and mock them. Here's how Dave S. on Facebook recalls the incident during the song "F*!#in' Up":

Here is the deal.

We were standing stage right at the front of the stage. The 2 women were texting on their iphones for a bunch of the show, one was doing it much more than the other. I was wearing my Hartford Whaler jersey and at one point I got the odd feeling that Neil was looking at the jersey so I held it up for him to see, he smiled and rolled his eyes and laughed, then he smirked and shrugged his head.

I was confused and also kinda thinking I may be halucinating this whole thing due to the atonal feedback that was coming out of the amps but, I was not. He continues to give me a look and then I realize the women in front of me and on the side are both texting with their heads down in their phones. He was annoyed.

Neil now drops what he is doing and walks towards her and just starts mocking her pretending to text and move images on his invisible smart phone. The mocking went on for seriously about a minute. Enough time for me to turn to my pal Chad and say he is messing with her, Chad agreed and said wholy $$$%%. I then took a few pics while this is going on.

I then leaned over to the women and said, Neil is talking to you. She ignored me and kept texting with her head down, 10 seconds later I said, "HEY, look up, Neil is talking to you", she looked at him and he had this amazing fierce look while he still mocked her. He had both evil eyes right on her pupils and it was as the song was saying completely "Fuc*ed Up".

She then realized what was happening, got pissed and mouthed to him "your a Fu%ken As$hole". He did not respond but then walked over to the other guys and riffed vocally on the whole thing for about the next 7 minutes of the song. The woman kept turning to her friend saying, I called him a etc etc etc. Well, the song finally ends and Neil slyly grabs a big old glass bottle of fancy Voss water off the drum riser, walks in our direction and with quite the angry face (like that Johnny Cash face in that famous picture where he is flipping the bird) throws a big old fat stream of water right at her.

He actually hit a few friends of mine but did get some on his target. She turned to her friend and again said, "what a fu#ken As$hole" and they stormed outta there.

Neil looked over and was looking for his new pals, our eyes met again, I waved my thumb to say they had cleared out, he smiled. Yup, that happened. Here is a pic of the women texting while Neil was mocking her.

So there you have it. See for yourself below. starts at 04:35


Neil Young and Crazy Horse perform Fuckin Up at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT on December 4, 2012

When Neil Young is playing, you shut the f* up (and don't text)!!!

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A Father, A Son, and A Project

Anders and his Neil Pinewood Derby Entry
(Click photo to enlarge)Over the past few days -- we and many, many others -- ponder how did we get to this sea of madness?

And where do we go from here?

Well, we certainly don't have any better answers than others or all the "talking head experts" who are so consistently so wrong, about so much, so often.

Which brings us to this touching note (via The Guitar Refinishing and Restoration Forum :: This year's Pinewood Derby Car...), we received awhile back and felt like sharing.

From a father who proudly helped his son, a Boy Scout, complete a Neil-themed pinewood derby car. Anders ( age 11) is with a Cub Scout in Minnesota and is a big Neil Young fan and guitar player. He's also a big fan of Neil's Old Black guitar since he was 5 when he played harmonica for his dad's band on a cover version of "Flags of Freedom" at a benefit gig in Minnesota.

Anders' Pinewood Derby car was pretty slow in competition but he won a trophy in the best Not-a-Car category. As the Father said, "My son continues to Keep Rocking in the Free World."

To which we say, love and only love.

Thanks Ray "Old Black"!

Best of luck.

ps - yes, we've hugged the ones we love today.

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FULL VIDEO: Inventing David Geffen | American Masters | PBS

 

 

Update January 2021: See Neil Young's Uncut, Never-Before-Seen Interview | 'Inventing David Geffen' | PBS American Masters Archive

Here is the full PBS | American Masters documentary film "Inventing David Geffen which was recently broadcast.  

American Masters: Inventing David Geffen is "an unflinching portrait of Geffen, who narrates his unorthodox rise from working class Brooklyn boy to billionaire entertainment power broker in extensive interviews."

Interviewees include Neil Young. Elliot Roberts. Gary Burden. 

As you may recall, David Geffen in the 1980's filed a $3 million lawsuit against Neil Young for violating his contract by recording ‘unrepresentative’ albums. In other words, Neil Young wasn’t making Neil Young music."The truth is I fought with him because I wanted him to do better work,'' Mr. Geffen explained afterward. ''I was taking too much of a fatherly role in his life.'' Only David Geffen could describe a lawsuit against one of his trophy clients as an excess of paternalism. Described by friends, peers and adversaries as “passionate,” “neurotic” and “giftedly non-diplomatic", Geffen has been a highly polarizing figure in the Entertainment industry. 

From Documentary Press Tour:

Geffen, who is on tape suggesting "ego" isn't a "pejorative" term in his mind, insists he never saw himself as the smartest person in the room at any point during his career, revealing that he did poorly in school -- “I thought I was dumb,” he said -- and was fired from a number of early jobs coming out of high school. In fact, he said the only reason he had the confidence to go after a gig as a William Morris agent is because he believed it rewarded a different skill set, and one that he had: the ability to “bullshit on the phone.” (Other Geffen facts: He’s never carried a cell phone, has never texted anyone and doesn’t own an ATM card.)

Geffen’s far-reaching influence — as agent and manager, record industry mogul, Hollywood and Broadway producer, and billionaire philanthropist — has helped shape American popular culture for the past four decades. 

Watch Inventing David Geffen on PBS. See more from American Masters.

More on How Neil Young Became the First Artist to Get Sued for Not Being Himself.

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Tour Planning Tool: EURO-AUS-NZ 2013 Neil Young and Crazy Horse Tour

View Neil Young & Crazy Horse in a larger map2013 Europe Tour Map
Dates continue to pop up for the Europe 2013 Neil Young and Crazy Horse Tour.

Confirmed thus far:

02.06. Berlin, Waldbühne
(Germany)
03.06. Hamburg, O2 World (Germany)
05.06. Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome (Netherlands)
06.06. Paris, Palais Omnisports Bercy (France)
08.06. Brussel, Vorst Nationaal (Belgium),
10.06. Newcastle, Metro Arena
(England)
11.06. Birmingham, NEC
(England)
13.06. Glasgow, SECC
(Scotland)
15.06. Dublin, RDS (Ireland)
17.06. London, O2
(England)
11.07. Luxemburg, Esch Alzette (Luxemburg)
12.07. Koln, Lanxess Arena (Germany)
18-19-20-21.07. Vieilles Charrues Festival, Carhaix (France)
22.07. Stuttgart, Schleyerhalle (Germany)
25.07. Lucca, Lucca Summer Festival (Italy)
26.07. Rome, Rock in Roma (Italy)

The interactive map created in collaboration with www.rusted-moon.com, click on markers for more information about venues, dates, Rustie sightseeing, Rustie hotels...

Don't Be Denied!!!

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Alchemy Tour Program 2012: Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Alchemy Tour Program 2012: Neil Young & Crazy Horse
(Click photo to enlarge)A look at the Alchemy Tour Program 2012: Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

Thanks Tony for the images!

More on Neil Young & Crazy Horse 2012 Concert Tour reviews, photos, videos, & news.

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Broken Arrow Magazine: November 2012 - Win a Free Copy

Neil Young - Bridge School Benefit Concert 2012
Photo by Paul Docker
The latest issue of Broken Arrow Magazine, published by the Neil Young Appreciation Society recently hit the streets and we're now finishing up reading the issue. As always a nice read -- especially as we look back while looking ahead.

And -- thanks to the generous support of NYAS and editor Scott Sandie -- we're pleased to be able to offer a free copy of the latest issue of Broken Arrow Magazine to a Thrasher's Wheat reader. Details follow below.

The latest issue of Broken Arrow Magazine – number 128 – is now out with another interesting mixture of articles and photographs. This issue concentrates on the release of Psychedelic Pill and the subsequent Alchemy tour that supported it, as well reviewing Neil’s recently released autobiography Waging Heavy Peace. Some detailed and highly entertaining ‘Road Reports’ are accompanied by a series of excellent photos. The cover photos are worthy of special mention, featuring three excellent studies of Neil Young on stage. As well as all the usual suspects – A Postcard From Brighton, Spotted!, Letters To the Editor and Last Dance – there is Part 1 of ‘Errors & Omissions Excepted’ – a major analysis of lyric variations in Neil Young songs released up until 1996. There is also a look back at this year’s Bridge School Benefit weekend and an article on The Reprise Story. Also, tour reviews including tour opener in Albuquerque by Mike "Expecting To Fly" Cordova.

For more information and subscription information visit the Neil Young Appreciation Society or directly contact NYAS editor Scott Sandie at surfer-joe@nyas.org.uk

Don't be denied!

Thanks Scott and everyone who is supporting the NYAS & BA!

Thrasher - NYAS#2476


More on back issues of Broken Arrow magazine.

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HOW TO WIN A COPY OF LATEST ISSUE OF BROKEN ARROW MAGAZINE

One lucky Thrasher's Wheat supporter will win a free copy of the latest Broken Arrow Magazine. We truly appreciate being able to what we do here at TW, and we love being able to give something back in return.

To enter the contest, follow these steps:

#1) Subscribe (or be already subscribed) to one of our blogfeed channels either via Facebook (LIKE us), Twitter (FOLLOW us) and/or subscribe to our email list.

2) Then just email us (thrasher@thrasherswheat.org) with your name, postal mailing address, and which blogfeed channel you signed up for (Facebook, Twitter, email list options noted above in Step #1). *Be sure to identify your complete Facebook ID, Twitter handle, or email address.*

Entries must be emailed with SUBJECT line: Contest - Broken Arrow Magazine: Nov 2012

Include name, postal mailing address with *country*.

Deadline: Dec 30, 2012

We'll then randomly select Thrasher's Wheat readers as winners.

Don't Be Denied!

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"Walk Like A Giant": It's Just So Huge

"Walk Like A Giant"
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Philadelphia, 11/29/12
Photos by thrasher
(Click photos to enlarge)
Without a doubt, "Walk Like A Giant" was one of the highlights of Neil Young & Crazy Horse's 2012 Alchemy tour.

Video camera inside Neil's Amp
Photo by Falko | Flickr )
From Music review: Neil Young goes his own way - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com by Chad Berndtson:

“Walk Like a Giant,” the fourth song of the night, sprawled into a fuzzed-out guitar jam that simmered past 20 minutes, and included a lengthy, psychedelic outro complete with elongated chord bursts and guttural sounds that rang out like dinosaur roars in the arena.

From Neil Young in Winnipeg: Long May He Run | The Local Current Blog by Jim McGuinn:

The centerpiece of the show was the extended version of “Walk Like a Giant” from Psychedelic Pill. An untethered and transcendent Crazy Horse rode the song for over 20 minutes, with a musical quote from “Hey Hey, My My” and nearly 10 minutes of "playing the feedback" while simulating dinosaurs stomping across the plain.

From T-MAK World | Toronto's Site for Music, Movies and Culture

My personal highlight of the night was the next song - Walk Like a Giant. Some might describe it as self-indulgent, monolithic, or dinosaur rock - and they would be right. This song captures everything that made the 70's the best era for stadium rock - thunderous drums and bass setting the foundation for screeching electric guitars for over 25 minutes.

Not a typo.

Most of the song the 2 guitarists and the bassist (Talbot, Sampredro and Young) would jam in a small circle facing each other. Pearl Jam fans will immediately visualize my description because PJ also loves to jam in that format - certainly a tribute to their idol Uncle Neil. Although the band had this massive stage the vast majority of the night was spent with all four of them within a few feet of each other right in front of the drum kit. After about 16 minutes as the song appears to be over we are treated to a 9 minute coda (or outro to the song). As if teasing the audience when you thought it was over, the guitars would pick up again and continue the "finale". Young even sticks his hand in one of the massive amp prop boxes causing distortion. At this point we were four songs in the concert and 55 minutes into the night!

"Walk Like A Giant" is just huge. Too big for words. See for yourself.

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