Dave Grohl: Why Neil Young is "My Hero"

Obviously, we have lots of reasons to admire Neil Young.

But as with most things, others are able to express this admiration much better than we ever possibly could. Like The Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl.

During the 2011 Bridge School Benefit concert, Dave Grohl's made some very poignant introductory comments before launching into "My Hero".

Grohl's comments nicely summarize what the Bridge School and Neil & Pegi's work means to us all.

More videos, reviews at Bridge School Benefit Concert 2011 - Reports.

Also, see more on Dave Grohl & Neil Young.

Thanks Dave.

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Comment of the Moment: "She's Always Dancing" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse

"She's Always Dancing" music video screenshot
by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
The Comment of the Moment is from VIDEO FLASHBACK: "She's Always Dancing" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse by ahpost:

Thrasher,

Thanks for revisiting the SAD video. I must have missed the 11/16 spat on this blog [ed - see here and there], and reading it now, I'm more than a little surprised, not that there is some criticism, but that the "reviews" of the song and video come off like something out of my local high school weekly newspaper.

Both I and my wife loved the video, and have watched it and discussed it many many times.

By the way, we are both progressive activists, which matters not one bit except that politics seems to be a big issue with the bloggers on 11/16 [ed - see here]. Neil by using movie clips from a bygone era suggests that women - and perhaps the women in his life, the most important people to him by far - love to dance. He suggests that this is timeless. Neil both admires this and is mystified by this in women:

She wants to live without ties to bind her down
She wants to dance with her body left at ground
She wants to spin, and she lives in her own world
She wants to dream like she was a little girl

Dancing for women is a pure expression of freedom, of living in a dream.

The men in the video, for the most part, come across as sleazy, pathetic, slightly stupid, and even cruel. Yet the women won't let that inhibit their love of dancing. Do they want to be watched?

In many cases yes, but that's hardly their main impetus for loving to dance, for expressing themselves in a way that men, or at least Neil, can barely begin to grasp. The first man seen may love dancing, and dances beautifully, but he turns it into dehumanizing judgement, something that the women depicted would never consider. The next segment at the drive-in, the women in spite of the foul men in their cars and stiff suits, choose just to enjoy themselves and be happy and carefree, without a thought that the situation is beyond creepy.

When Neil almost cries "She loves to burn", he does so with a longing for the kind of passion that men can only consider a mystery, like that of the later dancers in the vid. Neil's most recent writing, from No Hidden Path to the final verse of Hitchhiker to Ramada Inn, is more and more about his respect and adoration for women, particularly the women in his life; wife, daughter, sister, perhaps - that he feels have saved him. Maybe he puts women up on too high a pedestal, maybe that can seem unhealthy to some. But who can argue that the peace in Neil's life that women have brought to him has produced a level of creativity that is extraordinary for a rocker in is late sixties.

"When you dance, I can really love"

Thanks ahpost! Great comment and appreciated.

Absolutely agree... "When you dance, I can really love".

Watch YouTube video "She's Always Dancing" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

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VIDEO FLASHBACK: "She's Always Dancing" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Last year during the rush of excitement during "Rock-tober 2012" -- when we had Neil Young albums, books and concerts coming fast furious -- the official video dropped for song "She's Always Dancing" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse from their new album, "Psychedelic Pill".

There were a few scattered reactions here and there, but otherwise it made about as much of a splash as say -- Neil Young covering "Born In The USA".

So what do you think of this video?

We'll just say that given that the video in question uses stock footage from another time and place, we're not sure how much we can project into today's context.

Times change, things remain the same...

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Neil Young: "Born In Ontario" or "Born In The USA"

Maybe it's just us who found Neil Young covering "Born In The USA" at the Bruce Springsteen 2013 MusiCares Tribute to be quite perfectly amusing.

Afterall, when we ran a poll on what song would Neil cover, virtually no one saw this coming.

As we mused this past weekend on Thrasher's Wheat Radio, the "Born In The USA" irony when completely unremarked -- even up in Canada where we thought someone would've gotten all righteous.

Is it too far a stretch to suggest a connection between Neil Young's iconic -- and misunderstood -- "Rockin' in the Free World" and Bruce Springsteen's iconic -- and misunderstood "Born In The USA"?

So what was the deal with those "The Signing Cheerleaders"?

Afterall, just last year Neil Young & Crazy Horse released a song "Born In Ontario" on the album "Psychedelic Pill".



More coverage on Bruce Springsteen 2013 MusiCares Tribute: Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover "Born In The USA"!?!.

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San Jose Sharks billboard: "Keep on Rockin' in the Teal World"

Keep on Rockin' in the Teal World
San Jose Sharks billboard on California freeway
via Twitter / bbison724
(Click photo to enlarge)
So the question is...does the hockey team San Jose Sharks have to pay Neil Young royalties, or just comp his season tickets?

A "Keep on Rockin' in the Teal World" San Jose Sharks billboard out on the California freeway spotted out on Twitter / bbison724.

Actually, Neil Young is a big hockey fan. Afterall, being born in the USA and all that.

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Graham Nash At A Yoga Class?

Neil Young, Stephen Stills & David Crosby
via RustedTelevision | Facebook
Say whatever you will about Facebook, it can be amusing and delightful -- at times.

So here's something amusing and delightful -- Neil Young, Stephen Stills & David Crosby out riding their motorcycles. Which prompts the question: So where was Graham Nash? At a Yoga Class?

Well, wherever Graham is, guys, please wear a helmet while out on the Peaceful Valley Boulevard.

(Thanks RustedTelevision!)

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