Neil Young's Album of the Week: Hawks & Doves | NYA

"Hawks & Doves" by Neil Young
Album of the Week | NYA

The Neil Young Archives Album of the Week is "Hawks & Doves", released 10-29-1980.

Neil Young comments that "Hawks & Doves" reveals him as "A redneck and a hippie, all rolled into one album." Once again, Neil succinctly nails himself yet again. He goes on to reveal one of his more obvious -- but profound -- observations:

"Hawks & Doves" - Album of the Week | NYA

While stating the obvious about writing in the 3rd person and being understood as autobiographical, Neil Young has always struggled with the artists and audiences perceptions and misconceptions.

In an interview in 1980, Neil Young made comments that were considered supportive of Ronald Reagan, the conservative Republican president of the U.S. (See interview on Neil Young and Ronald Reagan). The remarks, in conjunction with the politically ambiguous "Hawks & Doves", made Neil Young appear to seem conservative which was an anathema to his liberal, anti-war fan base.

From MTV "FAMOUS LAST WORDS" INTERVIEW IN 1990:

MTV's KURT LODER: At one point when you were sort of in a country mode, you were sort of making noises about Ronald Reagan was a good guy...you sort of come around from that position too?

NEIL: I never made, you know, I was never a Reagan supporter in a total blanket sense.

I was one of those who felt that some ideas he had were good ideas. He had one point that he was stressing in the first six months of his job that he thought the people in the communities and neighborhoods should pull together and try to do things on their own more than depending on government to do it for them. And I thought that was a hell of an idea and here's this old guy and he's kind of got this image, of this fatherly image, telling all these people in their neighborhoods to pull together and get your own daycare centers happening, and get this and that happening.

I thought that was a cool thing, I thought it was a good thing.

So then I'm on my bus, someplace in some hell hole somewhere, playing some show and the good part of it is when I'm on stage and the bad part of it is the rest of it. And these two dorks come on my bus, I don't know how it happened, I swear to God, two jerks from some press service come on my bus and start asking me these questions and I was just kind of burnt.

And these guys started putting down Reagan left and right and everything and I looked at the guy and I said "You're an asshole, you know, you don't know what the hell you are talking about cause you probably put down every damn president, you know, that ever lived. You're a president basher, that's all you do is if they win, they lose."

So I said the guy's got some good ideas, I stand behind the way he feels about this and that, and I told him...I said, I think you're full of shit for dismissing a person completely in every idea he has because he happens to be president and he makes some really stupid moves on one level, that I would never think of making. That doesn't mean that the guy didn't have some good ideas somewhere along the line maybe yesterday about something else.

So with the press, it's so hard, even though print is in black and white, it's so hard for them to make it clear what's really happening.

So here I am - Reagan supporter! [Neil throws up hands in mock humor sort of way while shrugging and shaking his head in disbelief.]

An Original R@D "Live Music Is Better" Bumpersticker
Also, see more on the question of whether Neil Young is proud to be a union man?

After all, isn't all about the "Ordinary People"?

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