Neil Young's Statement on Standing Rock and Dakota Access Pipeline
Yesterday, we stood in solidarity with Standing Rock protesters at the Washington Monument.
It was an an emotional and inspiring event which was capped off by a concert by Dave Matthews, Graham Nash and others later in the day at the nearby Constitution Hall.
Now comes word that Neil Young and Daryl Hannah have jointly written a statement on Facebook, requesting that U.S. President Barack Obama intervene in the Standing Rock protest and halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Neil Young and Daryl Hannah write:
"We are calling upon you, President Barack Obama, to step in and end the violence against the peaceful water protectors at Standing Rock immediately.Earlier this month -- on his birthday -- Neil and Daryl went to Standing Rock to demonstrate their solidarity with protesters.
Your growing activism in support of freedom over repression, addressing climate change, swiftly replacing a destructive old industries with safe, regenerative energy, encouraging wholistic thinking in balance with the future of our planet; that activism will strengthen and shed continued light on us all. These worthy goals must be met for the all the world's children and theirs after them. This is our moment for truth.
The surprise president elect was not the winner of the popular vote [and] does not have a mandate for the change of ideals envisioned. Keep in mind, close to over two million more people voted for another candidate," Young wrote without referring to Trump by name. "Nor is the surprise president the leader of the free world. Two hundred of the world's nations believe in science, above the profits of the oil, gas and coal industries, and are committed to working together to protect the future from an unchecked climate crisis.
Unintimidated, stand, speak up and show up. Be counted. Be like our brothers and sisters at Standing Rock. Be there if you can. The progress we have made over two hundred and forty years as a nation, has always come first from the people."
So who's gonna stand up for Standing Rock? Well, we certainly know who has the courage to sing truth to power, now don't we?
Water is LIFE
Dakota Access Pipeline Rally
Washington Monument - November 27, 2016
Photo by thrasher
Labels: neil young, pipeline
by thrasher@PermaLink: 11/28/2016 06:40:00 PM
21 comments
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Joint statement by Daryl & Neil, just FWIW
Why would you deliberately neglect the joint stayement aspect, Thrasher?
DH is a major influence on the elder Neil. A history lesson from the two of them. Neil you used the name of Crazy Horse for 40 + years why now tell us what we already know...trail of tears indeed. Neil should rename himself Man Who Used To Make Great Music.
Of course there is this song from late 70s - not sure he was making a statement about the plight of the native people.
Aurora borealis
The icy sky at night
Paddles cut the water
In a long and hurried flight
From the white man
to the fields of green
And the homeland
we've never seen.
They killed us in our tepee
And they cut our women down
They might have left some babies
Cryin' on the ground
But the firesticks
and the wagons come
And the night falls
on the setting sun.
They massacred the buffalo
Kitty corner from the bank
The taxis run across my feet
And my eyes have turned to blanks
In my little box
at the top of the stairs
With my Indian rug
and a pipe to share.
I wish a was a trapper
I would give thousand pelts
To sleep with Pocahontas
And find out how she felt
In the mornin'
on the fields of green
In the homeland
we've never seen.
And maybe Marlon Brando
Will be there by the fire
We'll sit and talk of Hollywood
And the good things there for hire
And the Astrodome
and the first tepee
Marlon Brando, Pocahontas and me
Marlon Brando, Pocahontas and me
Pocahontas.
Apparently this happened too:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/29/neil-young-cancels-tour-of-australia-and-new-zealand-bluesfest-set-in-doubt
all I know is I haven't purchased any of Neil's new records since PP in 2012......so sad to see him keep going down this road......
Thanks for the correction. Post updated.
As for the tour cancellation, we were a bit uncertain on this. Given a tour was never announced, it's not exactly news to say that it was canceled.
And there seems to be some uncertainty likewise with BluesFest.
As everyone knows, we don't like to make mistakes here at TW. Nothing but wheat as we like to say...
Hi Jonathan - it's been awhile? Maybe the last time you stopped by was 2012?
Well, good to see you and hope you get your wish.
Incidentally, did you attend any local DAPL# rallies this weekend? Do you have any specific "Stand & Be Counted" actions planned in the near future?
Neil Young has really gone off the deep end. My musical idols of late Young and Springsteen(he writes songs about working people-joke- he's an elitist like NY)) have totally separated themselves from being artist to just alt-left extremist. Likewise Thrasher himself has embraced this socialistic ideal. I no longer see this as a music site but more like a Rolling Stone,NYT's,Huffington etc wannabe it just spews out leftist ideologies. Dylan is the only pure artist left. And no I didn't vote for Trump. I refused to vote.
@ timothy - just so that we're clear here, you're saying that "Water is LIFE" is a "leftist" issue, correct?
Any posts incoming about the debacle that is the failed Aus/NZ tour?
Tour dates never announced, a month past the expected date, and now it has been cancelled without much explanation.
Neil was the headliner for the Bluesfest festival, the organisers haven't said anything but it is off the Tour page on Neil's site.
Many disappointed Aussie fans out there today.
@Carter - see our comment above @ 11/29/2016 09:44:00 AM
Regardless of how disgusted you were with the candidates you still should vote, even if you just write in someone like Doc. When you don't vote you give up the right to complain which is why I always vote.
One massively disappointed Aussie fan here. He has his reasons of course, although it would be nice to have some idea of what's going on. Hopefully it'll turn out to be a postponed tour rather than a cancelled one.
Not that Neil or Thrasher need me to come to their defense, but in a good way, they are who we thought they were. Sometimes music dominates, other times social awareness is central, and sometimes the two meld together beautifully.
Recently Neil has been propelled and compelled by various factors that have dominated, informed and driven his musical output. Repetitive, yes; boring, yes; well thought out, no; lyrically sharp, no; musically evocative, no; popular, certainly not!
At his peak, Neil was mysterious, quixotic, captivating, intellectually challenging and musically primitively complex.
Okay, those days are largely gone, but:
we still have our hero delivering dynamite live shows
we still have our hero doing what he wants to do
we still have our hero asking questions & speaking out
we still have our hero pissing us off
we still have our hero
we still have our hero
Keep listening, it's worth it. You can choose from any period beginning in the 60's through today. Keep listening--you'll hear things. You'll hear things you never heard before, even though you've listened hundreds of times before. You'll hear things you didn't believe then, but do now. You'll hear things you didn't want to hear then, but need to now. You'll hear things you loved then, but don't now (and vice versa).
Neil's writing the final chapters of his journey. It's always been about war and peace, and love and hate. It's always been about dreams and nightmares, and hope and despair. It's always been about escape and imprisonment, inside and outside. It's always been real, it's always been about him, it's always been about you, it's always been about me, it's always been about us.
Whether I like what Neil's currently doing or not, it tells me something. It tells me how he's changed and continues to change; It tells me how I've changed and continue to change.
I will listen to Peace Trail when it comes out on December 9th, and I will continue to visit this great community led by Thrasher. Has it been worth it? Yes. Has it changed? Yes. Will I continue to pay attention? Yes.
Take my advice
Don't listen to me
Neil is doing it. Life. He could just sit back chill by the pool. But he is out there putting a light on the subject of great importance . He is a 110%. Bryon blues feastable would have been the perfect fit...I was going to travel form New Zealand to see this show...but glad to have early warning.
Nice clip Neil, and bringing attention to this subject.
Close to a million views, so far.
Maybe Trump will view it. Supposedly he's a fan.
If he did, he might send another nasty 3 AM tweet.
He also owns stock in the pipeline company.
One of his many conflicts of interest.
Bluesfest cancellation is official: https://www.facebook.com/bluesfestbyronbay/photos/a.154558221251307.29655.154546181252511/1448652618508521/?type=3&theater
@ Topanga - great words and worthy of a comment of the moment.
@ Babbo - thanks. sad to hear. just posted update on TW.
@timothy-- I feel you are throwing around the word "elitist" way too loosely. It's in danger of becoming a new snarl word, used to tar and feather one's political opponents and, in the process, completely losing any meaning. The worst part is, this "elitist" rhetoric is just yet another way to build an "us vs. them" construct.If it's not something physically apparent--like ethnicity, gender, sexuality--or any of the other excuses that have been used--like religious doctrine--people will still find some way to put each other in categories and draw lines of demarcation. And that does make me sad.
I know it's been said before, but I will reiterate that Neil, Bruce, and others have always been this way. It puzzles me that anyone would think they were "going off the deep end" now. After the Goldrush, for instance, is a blatantly environmentalist song. And Neil was, for years, strongly associated with CSN, the Three Hippie Kings of left-leaning protest folk. Shortly before voting, I watched a video of Bruce rallying for Clinton in Philadelphia, PA. Bruce delivered a spoken word rap of sorts, backed with his acoustic, which was a drop-dead accurate recreation of the "talking blues" form used by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. The point being, Neil, Bruce, and their confederates represent another generation of a very rich, enduring tradition of politically conscious music. This started long before it was possible for folk singers to get mega-rich doing it; nowadays, it's been pretty heavily commercialized (like seemingly everything) and there's a massive, powerful industry based on old rock stars alone (hello, Desert Trip!). The commercialization has its pros and cons, but that's not the subject here. Neil Young has always maintained he doesn't sing for coke. I'm talking about a certain artistic (and sometimes political) spirit that has been color, for decades, the work of Neil, Bruce, and others. The purity of the music is that the artist doesn't hold back from expressing what he thinks and feels. This is the man who wrote Ohio and Southern Man, and the entire albums Greendale Living with War,right? That's why I must admit I'm a little bemused that anyone should get indignant now. A heart of gold can't be silent when it feels injustice--who would have thought?
@Topanga: That is an excellent post. Personally, from the tracks I've previewed so far from the new album (especially Peace Trail and My Pledge), I am actually hoping we may be in for some fresh songwriting this time around. Storytone genuinely had its moments for me and I look forward to each new work with enthusiasm.
Peace,
A Metamorphic Rocker
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