Your Interesting Neil Young Fact of the Day (Updated)

"The Flood" by Scott Young - 1956

(Neil Young's Dad)

Here is "Your Interesting Neil Young Fact of the Day", which is an update of the original 2012 post.

From the Everything Shakey blog, here's your interesting Neil Young Fact of the Day...

Neil Young’s dad was the Canadian sports-writer and novelist, Scott Young, who wrote 45 books over his life including one about his relationship with his son called Neil And Me. But did you know that his first novel, The Flood, published in 1956, has a character, a young boy named Mac, who was inspired by the then 10-year-old Neil?

The following update is from a comment by Sharry on the original 2012 post:

Scott Young wrote most of "The Flood" during a very unhappy period of his life. 

The family was living in Toronto on the lower floor of a duplex and Scott rented a 3rd floor room in a house downtown where he could go to write every day. Scott had earlier reported on the Great Winnipeg Flood during the spring of 1950, so much of his material comes from his experiences there. (The Flood of 1950 provides the background for the story.) The period 1954-55, when he wrote much of the book, was during the time he was having some extra-marital affairs. The characters of Mac and Don in "The Flood" are based on Neil and his older brother Bob. Scott has admitted that Mac was inspired by Neil and Don was inspired by Bob.

Scott Young used to write about his family a lot in his daily columns in the Globe and Mail. He was also well known for his books (both fiction and non-fiction), short stories in magazines, young adult novels, his sports columns as well as his regular gig as an interviewer on "Hockey Night in Canada." *

Scott Young is also in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and Scott Young Public School in Omemee was named in his honour.

Thanks John & Sharry for the Canadian memories from the Great North Country!

* see Scott Young on "Hockey Night in Canada.

Also, interestingly, the thread then veered over to the song "Old Man" and a "spirited discussion" on whether Neil wrote the song about his Father or his ranch owner Louis Avila.

Some discussions just never sleep ...

More on Neil Young's Father Remembered - Scott Young, 1918 - 2005.

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