Obviously, -- at least so we would like to think -- everyone votes their "Conscience", as Neil Young urged in 2020.
That is voting their conscience for "Freedom" and voting against "Tyranny".
Or, maybe not ... a terrifying realization. Or, even worse -- those who think they are voting for "Freedom" but -- in reality - they're mistakenly actually voting for "Tyranny". Quite a state of affairs, eh?
As usual, Neil Young has quite a bit to say about Presidents and politics.
Who's Going To Stand Up and Save The Earth?
Neil Young
2014-07-12, Hyde Park, London, England
Photo Paolo Brillo |Facebook
Many of us were introduced to Mr. Young back in 1970 with the song "Ohio" and the lyrics:
"Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio."
CSNY's "Ohio" single with the United States Bill of Rights
Highlights the right to peacefully assemble
And Mr Young has not slowed down on the subject of Presidential politics since 1970.
In the 1980's, there were the infamous "Reagan interviews" where -- depending on one's perspective -- either Neil Young was a Ronald Reagan supporter, detractor or undetermined.
From Boston Globe's 1990 Neil Young interview:
Young's been in hot water with certain elements of the press for what's been perceived as his support of Ronald Reagan. Imagine, Neil Young -- the man who wrote that wonderful antiwar, anti-Nixon anthem "Ohio," a longterm environmentalist and activist . . . supporting the most right-wing of presidents.
The neo-Reaganite tag affixed to him during the mid-'80s, Young insists -- quite vehemently -- was taken out of context, blown out of proportion. ''The Reagan-supporting era," sighs Young. "I don't think there is one president that's come down the line that hasn't done something good somewhere." Young says a "sleazeball journalist" nailed Reagan and then forced Young to his defense.
"Some people put down all presidents no matter what," says Young, "like once you get to be president you're a . . . idiot. So if you say anything good about any of them, they think you're supporting everything they do."
Freedom (1989) by Neil Young -
"The rock and roll coda of the Cold War"
In the late 1980's, Neil Young penned the song "Rockin' In The Free World" lyrics:
- "We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand"
The lyrics are a direct reference to President George Bush's (#41)
campaign pledge to create a compassionate citizenry volunteering to help
cope with society's ills. The "thousand points of light" symbolize the
American citizen's spirit and a shining example of giving selflessly to
care for one another's neighbor and brother. Along with "a kinder,
gentler hand", Bush believed that each American could contribute to
helping make the United States -- and the world -- a better place to
live and work.
Jump to 2006 and "Living with War" and Neil Young's song "Let's Impeach The President".
In 2008, the song "Lookin' for a Leader" with lyrics:
"And maybe it's a woman
Or a black man after all"
Referencing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the official music video was prefaced by: "Every American President has left an impact on his country and the World. This musical history lesson from Neil Young takes a look at the past, present and future of US leadership."
Hillary Clinton & Barack Obama
After all, we're still lookin' for a leader.
Which brings us to 2016 and Donald Trump & Neil Young...
Donald Trump & Neil Young - 2014
And so began our long running coverage of these two men and their apparent love/hate relationship.
Neil Young's Open Letter To President Trump
‘The Visitor’
by Neil Young + Promise of the Real
In 2017, Neil Young announced his latest new album titled ‘The Visitor’ -- and sharing the 1st preview track of the song “Already Great”. The song “Already Great” is the response to those complaining about America and the need for it to be "great again".
Also, see:
- Neil Young: "I don't hate Trump. I do hate that he is President
- Neil Young to Donald Trump: This note is NOT for you!
- Full Statement by Neil Young on Donald Trump's Use of Song "Rockin in the Free World"
- Neil Young Weighs In On US Presidential Election
- "Fuck You, Donald Trump" Says Neil Young Onstage; Posts Video Clip to His Facebook Page
- "Got A Man of The People Says Keep Hope Alive": Neil Young’s "Rockin' In The Free World"
- Bernie Sanders Campaign Video of Neil Young’s Song "Rockin’ In The Free World"
- INTERVIEW: For Neil Young, the Trump Era Feels a Lot Like the '60s | Mother Jones
- Neil Young Discusses His New Album, Trump, Future of Pono | Rolling Stone
- Neil Young Discusses Donald Trump + Donald Trump Discusses Neil Young
- "Rockin' In The Free World" Lyrics Analysis
In 2020, Neil Young was still "Lookin' for a Leader", because "The Times" were a changin'.
In October 2024, Neil Young endorsed VP Kamala Harris for President, per a statement on Neil Young Archives. Young wrote: "Cast your vote for a beautiful future for your family."
So. From the "tin soldiers and Nixon" in 1970 to "loving" the current Vice President in 2024, Neil has covered the spectrum -- both as a Canadian and a U.S. citizen.
Not that music can change the world or anything like that afterall.
Because one person's perspective on freedom of speech is another's right to dissent.
Sigh. We have all been here before. Sometimes you have to lose to know how to win ... maybe.
Lastly, we bring to you one of the most viral posts in Thrasher's Wheat history: George & John, Donald & Neil + Bob: Sooner or Later, It All Gets REAL ... As in Now.
GEORGE Magazine - 1997; U.S. Citizen Neil Young - 2020
This one has it all rolled into one ... if you dare. Why? Because the future proves the past.
Alchemy ... Past, Present, Future. We're all on a journey through the past while time fades away.
More on politics and music and The Politics of Music or the Music of Politics?
Regardless of the results of the 5th of November, remember empathy and try to focus on our common humanity rather than our often trivial differences. And remember peace, of course.
To be honest and transparent here, we're no longer just "Lookin' For A Leader", mainly because "We're The Ones We've Been Waiting For".
We've Been Waiting For"
#WT1sWBW4"
Back in 2020, what Neil should have really said (or meant) instead of "Vote Your Conscience" was "Vote Your Consciousness." "There's more to the picture
ReplyDeleteThan meets the eye"
#BigShift
Maybe the man known to us as RFK Jr will share some insight at some point, given his unique place in the nexus of our current reality for the last 70 years. If he ever gets to work with Musk things could get interesting.
ReplyDeleteLet's just hope there will be no Magic Bullet (Dallas) this time, and no kid with his daddy's rifle in his hand feeling reassurin' (Butler, PA) ...
May a higher power shelter us from the powder and the finger & cover us with the thought that pulled the trigger.
Without any doubt the Pseudo-Martian is not a born American and therefore disqualified. The other clown mentioned above is an anti-vaxxer and political maverick who threw his support behind the major clown, con-man and habitual liar when his own campaign did not take off. This kind of dreamteam is a fantasy out of a 50's comic book. Who are you kidding?
ReplyDeleteI wish Neil Young was doing as many gigs as Trump does rallies at the same age, Neil knows exactly how to rock the free world, he should take inspiration if he cares to get his message out rather than make yet another lazy celebrity endorsement online. One that gets automatically picked up by the media echo chambers which favor the same candidate.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Neil's, rages about the billionaires while he is not short of $200+ million himself, can anyone tell me the difference? Meanwhile, he was pro-Reagan on the way up. Let ordinary folk struggling to pay groceries decide this one. May the best woman or man win!
RFKjr is a bad person. His anti-vax nonsense is infecting many people who are too dull to figure it out. He has not shown insight into anything. And his eccentricity is nothing focused or importantly original. Dumping a dead black bear into Central Park is a demonstration of juvenile needs.
ReplyDeleteDisillusioned words like bullets bark: sometimes even the people of the United States must have to stand naked.
ReplyDeleteDionys, Hopefully I'm not missing the point but will add: nakedness is not always a bad thing. Sometimes it's necessary, allowing humans to see ourselves as we are and, perhaps, can even leading to some recovery of innocence or humbleness. As in the Emperor's New Clothes, the problem isn't nakedness in itself but lack of self-awareness.
ReplyDeleteFor my self: it may sound desperate or even silly, but I take solace from poetry. From Gerard Manley Hopkins, The Windhover:
"I caught this morning morning's minion, king-
dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird, – the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!"
Or as Neil puts it:
"See the bluebird fly, easy as a dream, dipping and bobbing in the wind. Could she be the one I saw so long ago? Could she be the one to take me home?"
My twisted Dylanesque intended to express exactly what you spelled out. The majority of the American people humiliated itself to a degree that shows a complete lack of self-awareness, and of course a fair share of this majority will claim both: innocence and humbleness.
ReplyDeleteAmericana has clearly spoken , Boo Hoo to the Earth wearing t-shirt privileged dope smokin hippies that have polluted more than the deer I harvested today . Sweet cumupins lads ! `` Drill bay Drill ``. OH Canada EH ...we look forward ta selling our clean Natural Gas to the highest bidder ... while China , Russia , India and Germany burn coal .
ReplyDeleteMr Earth .... Neil Young may want to reconsider his trashing of Canadian fuel production .
A curious side note ... Americana Neil Young has cancelled his last two booked shows in Ottawa ( Born in Ontario ) Canada .... we don't sell hippie corn diesel up here EH !
Meanwhile, in the real news...:
ReplyDelete"CERN Council selects Mark Thomson as next Director-General, starting in 2026"
"...Notably, [Professor Thomson] served as co-spokesperson for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), a collaborative project led by Fermilab, which CERN supports through its neutrino platform and the construction of large cryostats to be installed deep underground in South Dakota..."
https://home.cern/news/press-release/cern/cern-council-selects-mark-thomson-next-director-general-starting-2026
As superstorms cause unprecedented flooding the Oafish Electorate puts a man in the white house who calls Global Warming a “Chinese Hoax.” Trump possesses every known character defect of man. He will be the chosen one to fiddle while “Rome burns.” Idiocracy & Oligarchy. The demise of the US begins with the fireworks of an inauguration. We will be able to watch the Empire Crumble before our eyes. You who voted for him will have blood on your hands. Your Brother Alan in Seattle
ReplyDeleteJust a small note: gloating and mockery are poor form from anyone, at any time. If you win, win with grace. When you lose, lose with dignity. No one is immune to speaking harsh words, but I hope mine never come from a place of spite.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I likened president-elect Trump to Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars. I realize that could sound like a cheap, gratuitous insult, but my actual point is how crime lords and gangsters come to power. Corruption and over-indulgence often go hand-in-hand. A movie director chose to personify these qualities in the character of an enormous slug.
I’m extremely saddened by the results of this election, and my heart goes out to those who will suffer first. The only logical thing I’ve learned from this election is that Democracy was much easier to lose than I had imagined. Those of us who still believe in the Constitution will look forward and find a way through this together. But for now we are simply known as the enemy within.
ReplyDeletePeace to all 🙏
I think I could live with a president telling lies- I mean they all do-nothing new in this. But Trump's lies are a total reversal of reality and people believe them. I could say to my friend, "yes, I saw your dog today" when in fact I did not and I can do this without reversing reality. I have "old friends" which I am monitoring on Facebook ( I am afraid they are no longer my friends) and they are saying things that contradict some very basic facts (which we need to KNOW). Just go through the lies. They reverse the most basic truths about American culture and society. For instance, immigrants are to blame for a lack of housing options. Or, there is no such thing as global warming, or there was serial election fraud in 2020. I am waiting for Trump to argue that the laws of nature no longer hold and some of his followers will try to test gravity. There is now a very long way to fall.
ReplyDelete@ All - thank you very much -- sincerely --for the contributions here.
ReplyDeleteSpecifically, abiding by our wishes to remain centered, focused and calm. Again, remember empathy and try to focus on our common humanity rather than our often trivial differences. And remember peace, of course.
@ViP - disCERNment is ALLways the kEy. The lock is another maTTer.
Abner, the topsy-turvy-ness and reversal of reality is what I’ve been trying to highlight by referring to Carnival traditions, grotesquery, etc. But that’s a fairly abstruse social and literary reference point, not necessarily common knowledge. A good starting place, for those interested, would be to read about the Roman Saturnalia, Feast of Fools, etc.
ReplyDeleteBack in the real world, billionaires underwrite social media echo chambers. A tireless, well-funded broadcasting machine is helping to embed skewed perspectives, playing on basic human tendencies to react and conform. This includes corporate and “independent” media. Peer pressure and podcasters bring fringe ideas to the center of attention. That would be fine—helpful, even—if people could deal with these ideas in balanced, sensible way. But the ideas are too often introduced by opportunists who wait until people are at their most fearful, angry, and desperate. Then the opportunists work to further their own agenda by promising pie in the sky—if only we go along with their final solutions.
As for myself, it’s been a challenging week. But I am feeling a little stronger each day. For daily health, I recommend music, poetry, and getting outdoors.
Given all that happened before and during this election process that was so unusual we are still a long way from inauguration day. The last inauguration day on January 20, 2021 happened twenty minutes early so we had two presidents for a bit until noon arrived. To have the official candidate not get a single primary vote in 2024 and very few at the start of the 2020 primary was a little weird to say the least. How was that the will of the people in a democracy?
ReplyDeleteMy take away from all this was that people weren't voting for a candidate but were voting against one for the past three presidential elections (imho but ymmv).
Seeing so much hatred in the last few days one must remember that that is like an internal poison to the health of the individual with all that hate. It festers within and I'd encourage everyone to even for just a minute take your shoes and socks off to walk on the earth in nature.
Love earth, indeed, and she will calm things down for you with her energy and the 7.83 Hz frequency. Might even put a smile on your face instead of a frown.
I certainly do like the RFK, Jr. plan to turn the dead dirt factory farms have created by turning it into living soil. Did you know the nitrogen that factory farms put into the earth produce way more green house gases than carbon? Some have said it is 300x worse but who knows? If simple bio char was used for fertilizer it would capture carbon, keep moisture in the living soil and fertilize the living soil for thousands of years. It takes about a year to have bio char start a renewal cycle but it is amazing stuff on a fundamental level used by the Native Americans for the last 14,000 years, at least.
Will Farm Aid embrace what RFK, Jr. is going to try to do with the living soil as major corporations will try to side line him in every way possible? If you are reading headlines about RFK, Jr. just read the footnotes of what he himself is saying and not what he is actually saying since that might trigger you.
It will be a game changer if you read the footnotes in so many ways in the same way if you read about the history of Ivermectin instead of the propaganda that it is only a medicine for a horse. Maybe search "President Jimmy Carter + River Blindness" or "How do you treat river blindness?" for a start. Four billion tabs of Ivermectin for humans has resulted in what, a few thousand issues, and is now being considered as a cure for cancer (for humans and maybe horses too). While you are at it look up the "hateful eight" seed oils and then look at the ingredients of what you are eating (remember Neil's press conference talk last year not specifically about seed oils but ingredients that you can't pronounce but are eating daily?).
Jim, many people are aware of Ivermectin. It is an anti-parasitic. The form of the drug used for horses is different from the sort used for human parasites. There is absolutely NO credible evidence that this medicine has any efficacy for COVID. In fact, there is no reason why an anti-parasitic would be efficacious for the treatment of an RNA virus (COVID).
ReplyDeleteKeep on drilling in the Free World ... for clean Natural Gas ..while Americana still burns coal .... still burning dirty oil from Tyrants in the Middle East and South America .... with regard to your real fuel consumption and that Hippie ... Peace n Love ... Neil Young .... He has polluted this only Earth far greater than a hundred thousand of like me ... that live off the land , own one Truck , heat one dwelling ..... The hypocrisy and arrogance of the all knowing Mr . Earth .... the pendulum has been pushed back Strong .
ReplyDeleteYou deserve another Trump President .
Long Live our Gracious King
Dear Fort Mac, go eat a tube of Ivermectin and I promise everything will be ok.
ReplyDeleteWell, the USA has survived 46 Presidents so far. I anticipate the USA being undefeated after 47 as well. Don't let it bring you down, it's only castles burning, find someone who's turning, and you will come around!
ReplyDelete