Neil Young Hits The Nail On The Head

circles down

A comment Neil made in a recent article on CNN.com offers a pretty good argument in the debate of what a singer should and shouldn't say from the stage. Ed is a big part of this debate and I like what Neil says here.....

"Just because I'm famous doesn't mean that I work for the audience," he said. "I'm not obligated to do anything. I'm an artist. I will do what I want to do. Whatever the consequences ... I certainly hope that it's a civilized reaction."

When you hear someone with the stature of Neil saying something bold like this it doesn't come off as arrogant or egotistical. Other's might be reluctant to play the "I'm an artist" card because it can be taken the wrong way, so I'm glad he said it.

Here's the whole article:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/29/music.neilyoung.ap/index.html

release30

Sweet article..thx....

augustwest

"Let's Impeach The President"

Let's impeach the President for lying
And misleading our country into war
Abusing all the power that we gave him
And shipping all our money out the door

Who's the man who hired all the criminals
The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors
They bend the facts to fit with their new stories
Of why we have to send our men to war

Let's impeach the President for spying
On citizens inside their own homes
Breaking every law in the country
By tapping our computers and telephones

What if Al Qaeda blew up the levees
Would New Orleans have been safer that way
Sheltered by our government's protection
Or was someone just not home that day?

Flip - Flop
Flip - Flop
Flip - Flop
Flip - Flop

Let's impeach the president for hijacking
Our religion and using it to get elected
Dividing our country into colors
And still leaving black people neglected

Thank god he's cracking down on steroids
Since he sold his old baseball team
There's lots of people looking at big trouble
But of course our president is clean.

Thank God

4Powers20

I heard a story that at a Neil Young show, Neil was over an hour into his show, and hadnt played anything even close to a "hit". Someone from the first couple rows yelled "Hey Neil, how about one for us" Neil got pissed.

Back on subject....Actually Neil you are working for the audience when you are on stage. Everyone their has paid money to hear you play your songs. if you want to go out and stage and give speeches, let people know that before they pay their hard earned for a ticket to your show.

gozzo5058

Thanks for posting. It was certainly an interesting read.

augustwest

4Powers20 wrote:

I heard a story that at a Neil Young show, Neil was over an hour into his show, and hadnt played anything even close to a "hit". Someone from the first couple rows yelled "Hey Neil, how about one for us" Neil got pissed.

Back on subject....Actually Neil you are working for the audience when you are on stage. Everyone their has paid money to hear you play your songs. if you want to go out and stage and give speeches, let people know that before they pay their hard earned for a ticket to your show.

I bet that was the Greendale tour that you mention and if you own Live At Massey Hall he also plays a ton of new songs to that audience, who are expecting the hits/classics. I trust Neil and like him enough to accept that.
Personally, the best part of live shows is the songs that are new or I don't know or have never heard before.

So ya he's working for the audience but imo he's also working for the people who don't want to hear the expected...which would be me!

The_Fixer

A Toast to uncle Neil !

intodeep

sweetlewmtl wrote:

A Toast to uncle Neil !

did you capatolize Toast on purpose hoping he would release the album rumored to be coming out called Toast?

If so hell yah neil give us a Toast too

I was at a show in atlanta that he did for greedale and the crowd was snobby and horrible. It seemed like they wanted to hear all the hits i was so excited to hear the new stuff.

If you don't know by now what neil is about and that he plays what he wants to play then you are not a neil fan. you go once and never go again and i have a shot at gettinga better seat next time.

Neil is gonna play music for a stadium filled with fans or in his backyard for no money. At this point i don't think he cares he plays music for himself and that is why he has been succesful for so long. As soon as you start doing things for others wants or needs it cheapens the experience.

circles down

4Powers20 wrote:

Actually Neil you are working for the audience when you are on stage. Everyone their has paid money to hear you play your songs. if you want to go out and stage and give speeches, let people know that before they pay their hard earned for a ticket to your show.

I understand your point but disagree. I too want to hear certain stuff when I go see a band, but unless otherwise advertised they are under no obligation to play the hits, or do anything in particular for me since I paid. The only obligation they have is to perform their craft. They are not contractors for hire that perform a service, they are, in fact, artists and will perform their art. This can obviously be abused (like Rage Against The Machine taking the stage naked and standing there for 15 mintues with duct tape over their mouths, leaving without ever playing, for example), but Neil is an old man with an assload of material, he can play what he wants.

Shawn Smith Collective

4Powers20 wrote:

Back on subject....Actually Neil you are working for the audience when you are on stage. Everyone their has paid money to hear you play your songs. if you want to go out and stage and give speeches, let people know that before they pay their hard earned for a ticket to your show.

circles down wrote:

I understand your point but disagree. I too want to hear certain stuff when I go see a band, but unless otherwise advertised they are under no obligation to play the hits, or do anything in particular for me since I paid. The only obligation they have is to perform their craft. They are not contractors for hire that perform a service, they are, in fact, artists and will perform their art.

I agree with Circles on this one. Powers, not only is it within an atist's right to discuss politics or whatever other events they want to, but it's basically an accepted (and sometimes expected) thing that they do. Namely, when the artist is publicly involved in a cause and many of that artist's songs have to do with the cause (i.e. Neil Young's politics and protests).

The term "educated consumer" applies to everything...if you just buy something based on your own assumptions and it's not what you assumed it'd be, that's YOUR fault. So if someone buys a Neil Young ticket and assumes it'll just be him playing his hits, or just his songs with no political discussion, well that sucks for the person, but it's certainly not Neil Young's issue.

Moreover, Neil Young's obligation is to the concert promoter. If the promoter wants a "hits only" show, or no political discussion, it has to be in a contract and Neil Young would have to either agree and comply with it or turn down the show. Fans buying tickets are essentially customers of the promoter.

Gonzo1977

Neil often hits the nail on the head

LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun

buyer beware

Cosmo

4Powers20 wrote:

Back on subject....Actually Neil you are working for the audience when you are on stage. Everyone their has paid money to hear you play your songs. if you want to go out and stage and give speeches, let people know that before they pay their hard earned for a ticket to your show.

...
So... because i buy the records and concert tickets.. i'm their boss???
Doesn't that mean that when i bought my tires... I can go back to the Goodyear Tire Store and fire the salesman?

Midden

I would say that there is another side to this as well. Recently I saw a repeat of the 60 Minutes interview with Springstein and they asked band members whether they hated Born to Run yet. Playing any song like that consistently hundreds or thousands of times must be close to impossible and still get any feeling behind it. I love some of those versions of Black (particularly Banaroya because of the audience singing) but it must be tough to still get that angst behind it like it was 1991 still. In order for the "artist" to keep the emotion and feeling in the song, they do need to get the variation that allows them to keep their brains and hearts in it. Getting riled up over political issues (plus a few swigs from the bottle of wine) could be what you need to get your emotions behind your song. If not, sooner or later you are just going to be a robot out there lip-synching to a greatest hist album trying to match up every moan and scream to what it was a generation ago.

norm

4Powers20 wrote:

Back on subject....Actually Neil you are working for the audience when you are on stage. Everyone their has paid money to hear you play your songs. if you want to go out and stage and give speeches, let people know that before they pay their hard earned for a ticket to your show.

actually, you paid to see him perform live....what he performs is up to him

restlesssoul

sweetlewmtl wrote:

A Toast to uncle Neil !

*cling*