Here is a new video by Micah Nelson of "Everything Is Bullshit".
Per Rollingstone.com, Micah Nelson said that Neil Young persuaded him to write the experimental track, which is being released using "Particle Kid" as an alias.
The title track, "Everything Is Bullshit," was written in that vein. The song's title, he says, was a phrase his girlfriend Alex muttered while they were watching the news. "It made us laugh when I sang it to a melody off the top of my head." He put the idea on hold until he was with his tourmate Neil Young. "I sang that chorus phrase for him, but this time I just kept going adding lyrics and it eventually became this stream of consciousness evolution story loosely inspired by Terence McKenna’s stoned ape theory . . . To me it’s a healing song about facing the reality of how weird and out of control reality is, and finding some humor in there."In other Nelson brothers news, Lukas Nelson discusses touring next year with Neil Young in an interview on MyStatesman.com:
How will you handle touring behind both of these records?(Thanks HtH!)
Lukas Nelson: We’ll do probably a little of both. I go out with my band whenever we can, and we’ll just have to balance that with going out with Dad, too. But we’ll get it all done. We also did a record with Neil Young, a new one that we just finished, and that’s coming out sometime soon, too. And we’re going to go on tour with Neil. So next year is going to be crazy. Neil’s our priority; we’ll wipe out the whole summer for him.
How much has playing in Young’s band helped your music?
Lukas Nelson: It’s a legitimacy that we didn’t have. Once Neil took us out, it wasn’t just, “Oh, well, it’s Willie’s kid, there’s some nepotism involved.” People knew that you’ve got to be at least pretty good in order to go out with Neil Young and be his band.
Did he help in other ways, like making you a better writer and performer?
Lukas Nelson: Absolutely. Any time you’re up onstage with somebody who’s that masterful at what they do, you can’t help but absorb, and learn subtle things that you just take with you to build into an enhanced stage presence.
UPDATE:
"Turn Off The News" by Lukas Nelson
Particle Kid - Everything is Bullshit (Live at Farm Aid 2018)
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ReplyDeleteBrilliant !!!!! Nice job Micah. Simple, direct, no bridge, and insightful lyrics.
Peace.
I was not going to listen to this song but glad I did love it!
ReplyDeletemethinks the Horse has been put out to pasture & then shot.......sigh......
ReplyDeleteThat is a cool song and groove!! I like!
ReplyDeleteLyrics influenced by Neil ?
ReplyDeleteJonathan, I agree.
ReplyDeletePOTR are adequate but no more. Neil's output with them has been adequate and well below his best. But for their connection with Willie Nelson no one would have heard of them and I doubt that Neil would be playing with them.
He probably finds it less challenging to play with POTR and no doubt their youth ( like DH?) makes him feel younger.
It is sad that an artist of such consummate ability and desire to test the limits should be content with this - but then look at Dylan's Triplicate - standard songs sung badly and then think of any of his earlier work.
I fear that the best of Neil is behind us - but then we all get older
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ReplyDelete"I fear that the best of neil is behind us". uh, ya think? that's been pretty obvious for 20 years. of course, thrasher will now attack me for being part of the "4 percent", and start talking about "the muse", but let's be real. neil has been phoning it in (on RECORD, not live) for a long time. if he really cared about his craft he'd work at it, but there's no one to tell him what he's doing is sub par.
ReplyDeleteI made the point in the tom petty thread that tom's songs could arguably be called better. well, i'm making that argument again, after listening to the last record he ever did (mudcrutch 2) last night. tom petty never phoned it in. he always cared about his craft, and it showed. neil could learn a thing or 2 from tom.
if neil wanted to fulfill the "promise of the REAL" he'd ditch the kids and get back on the horse. who knows, maybe that's exactly what's gonna happen.
You did make the point about TP - it's not worth the debate here but I'd take TP last 5 records over Neil's output everyday....now send me to the stocks...
ReplyDelete@ Jonathan, Julie, Joe & Andy - we do see what you're up to here.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI'm not up to anything, except expressing my opinion. I don't rate POTR and think that Neil's best work is with Crazy Horse or solo.
Doesn't sound like they're "up to" anything, they're just paying attention.
ReplyDeleteStill, you're wrong about Tom & Neil. I'll take Neil's realness over Tom's apt studio recordings, right now. Overall.
Tom Petty was waaayyy more of a game-player and top 40 radio darling who rode waves and piggy-backed on deeper artists' vibes to paint/associate himself with than people seem to notice. Dude's always been "saavy" and I've never felt his approach, nor the "expression" of the Heartbreakers to be much more than stock. Go figure.
"You Don't Know How It Feels" is an impression of Harvest-era Neil.
I don't doubt that Tom's professionalism and attention to traditionally-made records is more attractive to an aging, traditional audience.
Also, some of Neil's music in the last 20 yrs has been so bad and uninspired, I get it.
All I did was make a comment expressing my sadness over Crazy Horse being left behind for POTR. Now I'll make another comment : three guitars is too many if Neil Young is in the band. That is also an opinion......
ReplyDeleteThat’s not opinion, that’s fact. Another fact: dudes that play guitar with their teeth don’t belong on stage with Neil Young.
ReplyDeleteHe's still with us. That's the point. Be grateful
ReplyDeleteIt's well-documented here that I too tend to think Crazy Horse is a more exciting band, one more finely-attuned to Neil's strengths. But we must also acknowledge that they are all getting old, and Billy has had health problems in recent years. POTR are going to be more reliable band, even if much of the magic gets left behind with the absence of Poncho, Billy and Ralph.
ReplyDeleteAlso worth noting is that POTR only have one studio album with Neil so far. He's well known for changing direction spontaneously at any time. So the issue is less "will he ever want to play with The Horse again?" and more "will there be another opportunity?".
Hopefully there will still be the time and desire for another Horse collaboration in future. Until then, the recent blu-ray release of Rust Never Sleeps is excellent and well-worth purchasing if you don't already own it. The versions of Powderfinger and Like A Hurricane are jaw-dropping. And we'll see what The Visitor has to say when he arrives.
Scotsman.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to see everyone having a platform to share their opinions here on Thrashers Wheat. I may be in the minority here, but I have found gold in almost all of Neil's output in this century, and respect his adventurest spirit when it comes to his music. He is being true to who he is at this moment, and that has always been the case throughout his career. Perhaps this can be frustrating for some because of expectations from his fan base, but for myself, this is partly why he is such a respected artist. I have never had any expectations on what he may be up to next so therefor each album is an opportunity to hear something unexpected, and this can frustrate those who expect only what they like. The more he confounds and frustrates his fan base is what I love most about Neil Young, and I can't wait to hear what's coming next.
Peace.
Three cheers for Dan Swan. He said it all.
ReplyDelete@ Dan - what Keith B. just said -- word.
ReplyDeleteStoked on 2018 tour.... save up!
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