The Day I Met Neil Young
Photo by Harold Lepidus | Examiner.com
(Click photo to enlarge)
There were lots of great stories coming out of Neil Young's birthday a week or so ago.
Here's one we're just catching on -- The day I met Neil Young | Examiner.com by Harold Lepidus after a show with Crazy Horse at Great Woods in 1996:
Young appeared with a towel around his neck and a Geronimo T-shirt, looking like he had just gone twelve rounds with Muhammed Ali. His handler announced Young was sick, and would only sign one item per person. I was hoping to get an autograph for the person for whom the original ticket was intended, but this now appeared to be unlikely.Check the rest of Harold's story The day I met Neil Young | Examiner.com.
Thanks Harold!
Labels: neil young
by thrasher@PermaLink: 11/25/2013 07:13:00 AM
7 comments
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7 Comments:
Correct link:
http://www.examiner.com/article/the-day-i-met-neil-young-1
Damn, I'd love to meet the man. Neil's music, career and creative practices/beliefs have meant so much to me for so long, just the one opportunity to meet him would be very meaningful. I'm sure I am preaching the choir here through, right? I could've put a kid through college with the amount of money I've spent over the years on CDs, records, concert tickets, books, DVDs, Blu-Rays, box sets, etc. etc. and I'd gladly do it again (and I'm sure I will... actually, I hope to!). What bugs me though, is that if you have the right connections in the right business, doesn't matter if you've never even heard a whole album by the man, you can meet him, get an autograph (then probably turn around and sell it on ebay for big bucks) and have a story to tell. Meanwhile the real fans barely have a shot. The ones who own everything, know every song and could probably sing every word at a second's notice, the ones that have seen him live 10-15-20-30 times and more... The ones to which it would mean so much just for a minute be able shake the dude's hand and say "thank you". Hell, screw the autograph and photo. Just to say thank you for the music, for giving your life for the music for the muse... just so us common folk can have a bit of enjoyment, escape, etc. To say Thank you for making me FEEL so much! I've never, ever been one who has cared about meeting famous musicians/celebrities but Neil is the one exception. Just for that moment... Jesus. Could I really rationalize this? Not really. I guess it's something about Neil's work that genuinely speaks directly to my soul, that makes me just want to share a moment with him, a few words and say "thank you". I understand Neil owes me nothing and being a big fan and spending money on his work and related things doesn't come with the right to meet the guy. Certainly meeting him isn't a requirement in order to respect the man and love his work. Neil Young isn't looking for me. I know this. It's just something I day-dream about... how cool it would be to meet Neil Young.
I was at this Great Woods show (well, one of them, I went to the second night). I was 16 and it was my very first Neil show. I thought Neil and the Horse were very low key (well, low key for the Horse that is) that night. Now I know he wasn't feeling too well, it makes sense. Neil only said two non-singing words to the audience that night I think... "Crazy Horse" (he may have said a Thank you...not even too sure of that) but it was the greatest show ever to me, until I saw him the next time, a few months later at The Meadows in Hartford, with the lawn closed off. That show was MAGIC! FRANTIC! TOTAL MADNESS! (he even did, "Out Of My Mind"). I left that night totally convinced I just witnessed a complete crazy man in concert. A brilliantly twisted mad-scientist. He wielded sound and electricity like a wizard, painting huge landscape murals onto the air. You could almost see the mountains and long stretching roads. It was life changing! I've since seen Neil every time he's come around, Solo, CSNY, The Horse, Friends and Relatives, The Electric Band, etc. and I'll be seeing him at Carnegie Hall as well. Can't wait!
Anyway, it is unlikely I will ever get the chance to meet the man, who knows? Either way, I will never, ever regret following Neil's career through every phase, buying every album multiple times on different formats and going to all the shows. Neil has already repaid me x100 with his art and commitment to following the music, the muse and keeping it real. I am into many different artists and genres of music and Neil's music and career has always been the most rewarding. He will always be top of the heap for me. In fact, I have a wall of vinyl records and my Neil collection is kept on the top shelf, to the right... so he is always within reach.
Hi SH,
Nice to hear from you. It's been awhile.
We hear what you're saying here and your thoughts probably are representative of many fans.
We'll just mention that we've known the author of this article for a long time and he's definitely a big music fan and covers Bob Dylan even more intensively than we cover Neil.
Love your passion for Neil and always enjoy your comments.
Don't ever change. Drop by again soon!
thrasher
yeah, totally agree with everything in prior post. I got my chance in Detroit on the 92' solo tour. we bought gold circle tickets which not only put us 3rd row center but got us into a pre- show gathering of friends of the bridge school with neil and pegi. pegi gave a little speech we watched an amazing video about the school then a autograph session with neil with the stipulation that he would only autograph the pic they gave you in a gift bag of the school.as the previous post stated the autograph meant little it was meeting neil. I thanked him for the music and told him that razor love was really beautiful that night he shook my hand and held it an extra moment and looked me right in the eye and said thank you and you could tell he meant it and that was my moment with neil never forget it or trade it for anything in the world.Iv'e had the good fortune to meet Dylan as well on his religious tour which I still feel was one of his best played it with so much conviction!! and to hang out with the band after a show in Syracuse park and actually sat and talked to levon helm for half an hour and he treated me like we'd been life long friends no airs about him just a good ol boy smoking some of new yorks finest that I had. It's nice to meet your heroes and find them so down to earth and have them appreciate that you are the people that gave them their living.
I have a funny story but Ive already told it, probably more than once. It was after a Bluenotes in SJ.
I have only been listening to NY since 1978 when I was like 12 and only ever seen him live 4 times. The closest I came to meeting him was Clearwater FLA on his "I SAID SOLO... THEY SAID ACOUSTIC" Tour leg one... A bunch of us rushed to the back of Ruth Eckerd Hall hoping for a smile or a handshake (I can understand why guitarists do NOT like to shake hands), but nothin' happened... Except being able to see Neil at the wheel of the original pre-burnt LincVolt driving as silent as a UFO with L.A. Johnson and three other passengers gliding away into the Tampa Bay night with a smile and a wave!
-- Eric in sunny FLA
Hey Thrasher, thanks so much. I'm always around, just haven't commented too much, usually for fear of repeating myself too often. I always enjoy your posts through.
I didn't mean to imply that I suspect the author of this piece isn't a "true fan", or anything like that. I really enjoyed reading it actually. Hearing other's accounts of meeting Neil makes me wonder what it'd be like.
I'd always wondered what the story was with Neil and the Horse that night at Great Woods and now I know. Cool story.
Thanks again Thrasher!
Keep up the good work.
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