Biography neil shakey youngs

In each chapter, the author goes into detail about various events in Neil Young's professional and personal life Yet just when you think the story can't get any more compelling than it already is What's also great, is that Jimmy McDonough is a true fan of Young's music I was sad finishing the book. Who knew? I mean I've never been a big Neil Young fan in the past.

I had one or two of his records when I was a teenager, I think. Being a concert whore in my younger years Plus I saw him perform at the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary show in What changed? I'd been trying to change my reading habits for years. I've read over 30 of these books Despite this, I love these books so much My rule is So, with that in mind The book, by Sam Inglis, was just okay Nonetheless, the book got me thinking about Neil Young I now have close to 20 Neil Young albums, and counting.

So in essence Who knew reading could be so much fun! Brian Bess. Neil Young deserves a better biography than this massive piece of shit. The obnoxious author insists on inserting himself and his less than insightful critical assessments into every step of Neil Young's life. The man possess not one ounce of objectivity. While I have a lot of respect for Neil Young and love many of his earlier songs which constitute much of what I have heard of him , I have never been a fanatic.

This lack of fanaticism has limited my degree of fascination with his musical journey and I must admit that the book would be more compelling if I were a devotee. However, I suspect that even if I were one of the major Neil Young fans on the planet, I would be disappointed in this book. It contains some interesting biographical information and it illuminated my lack of knowledge of most things Young.

That, coupled with my stubborn insistence not to give up on any book once I get past the half-way point, is the primary reason I plowed through to the end. The book possesses a journeyman prose style and a Gonzo-like "Aren't I hip? I recommend the book only for those who really want to know the essential facts of Neil Young's life although, to be honest, one could save time and suffer negligible lack of insight into what makes Young tick, by consulting a Wikipedia article.

Sometimes when I write GoodReads book review, I jot some paragraphs of random reflections down and then try to edit it into a cohesive statement. Mainly because I think the chaos of my reflections perfectly reflect the jumble of this book. As you will see from my last paragraph, hopefully my messy review will add up to something, just like this book somehow did.

So here we go… It is so hard to review this book. As with many books - I got a ton out of it - so although i can list a million flaws, I am glad I read the book. Neil Young is a complex figure. One can figure that out just by listening to his music over the years. Impeccably crafted while often revelling in its spontaneity and often sloppy performance.

This is what Neil Young has always been selling. Art at its most honest. Bare and raw emotionally but simultaneously cryptic and deep. And I fear this was not deliberate. Shakey is an authorized biography. Neil Young, always a controlling figure musically, read drafts and undoubtedly insisted on edits. At the same time, one of the more effective techniques in the book is that many critical anecdotes from other people are appended by a long commentary from Neil Young, either elaborating on the story or clarifying the details.

Biography neil shakey youngs

Stretches of oral history, musical criticism really could do without most of this , … Documentary in written form. Stories that go nowhere. Characters that pop in and pop out without a proper introduction, or in reverse, excessive introduction without a pay-off. And critical scenes that never get told or questions posed without answers.

The book gets messier and less focused and satisfying as it goes along. After pages, I was in love with this book - by , I was praying it would end, it was so tedious. If the author wrote it in order, he clearly was losing his passion for the subject - and even shows a certain irritation that he has to keep writing. Wallowing in messy. Yet when I put it down, I feel that the mission was accomplished.

I have a deep understanding of an extremely complex mind - an accomplishment that in retrospect should have been impossible, but is actually achieved. John Bastin. I started reading this book; I found a lot of interesting material here as I read about the life of Neil Young. Unfortunately, despite the good material, this book just goes on and on and on, with the meanderings of an obvious fanboy who really needs the services of a good editor.

The book would probably be really interesting at about half its length, but even though reading a biography implies that you're looking for information about the subject, this one really goes into the stage of TMI to the point of becoming tiring and not enjoyable. Chris Molnar. Author 3 books followers. Paul Wilner. Ok, I'll give it four stars, since the whole star system is ridiculous.

That said, this isn't really a book - not in the sense that Greil Marcus makes sense of rock and roll, and relates it to a larger culture - and it isn't a great standard rock bio Ratso Sloman's "On Road with Bob Dylan,''about Dylan's infamous Rolling Thunder tour is more entertaining, if idolatrous. It's a bunch of pasted together pages, including sometimes interesting interviews with Neil, his longtime producer David Briggs, and others - along with disquisitions, arguments with Neil by the author about whether he's selling out Young handles them with uncharacteristic humor and aplomb and side interviews with random Neil Young fans.

Also: disquisitions about long-forgotten minor works in the ouevre and the merits of different live performances and back up groups. It's uneven, something I guess can also be said about Young's extensive discography, but unlike the best of Neil's work, it doesn't really amount to anything transcendent, or inspiring. And, just to keep the Good Reads tradition of snarkery, which I usually try to eschew, alive, I really could have done without the whole segment of the author hanging out in the barn where Neil keeps his Lionel trains.

Having said all that I finished it, and enjoyed it in spots. A case study in getting too close to the subject, and getting lost in the material, but Dawn Lennon. Author 1 book 36 followers. Suffice it to say, Neil Young is a complex and complicated artist. His body of musical work is varied and extensive, ground-breaking in some cases, and disappointing in others.

His fan following is broad and his peer regard significant. This book,however, allows the reader to meet him, overhear what others have said about him, and track the path of his career. What is unique here is the juxtaposition of the author's description of events with direct quotes about those same events from Young. Although reluctant and even resistant to having his biography written, he still spent hours and hours being taped in one-on-one interviews in all kinds of places with the author.

The reader is let in on what Young intends in his often enigmatic song-writing he just wants to convey a feeling, not tell a story. We learn about his incredible shyness coupled with an overtly fierce defense of his music and inflexibility about recording. We come to understand the physical, emotional, and attitudinal aspects of Young as well as his relationships, good and bad, with family, band members, and friends.

This book is packed with insights into Young's music and his way. If you have any interest in the full circle of impacts on an artist and his music, this book is for you. Nicholas Branigan. Gave up on page I only persevered that far because I'm a Neil Young fan. Love the music. The book doesn't describe him as a very likeable character, which from all the interviews and such I've read over the years on Young, collectively paints a better and more accurate overview of the man's character as an artist and a person.

A book of this length, pages, had to give some interesting details, if one wants to wade through it. Being a huge fan of Neil Young, someday I am going to return to this book. This is an enjoyable biography of a true musical master and one not necessarily required for just fans. Though, a fan's appreciation of Young will increase after reading this biography.

The book details everything from Young's incredible hearing to his infuriating behavior toward his fellow musicians. Brandon Suquet. Lots of great stuff here. Especially early on. Takes a turn for the worse once the Author meets Neil in real life and decides that that portion of the book needs to be filled with his personal opinions on Neil.

Laura Mckellar. I didn't finish. I've decided, for now,he's better left a mystery. Okay so that was a lot for me. This book in conjunction to Neil Young in general has completely enveloped my entire life this year It feels like basically the most important read of my entire life despite me having extremely mixed views on this book.

To be honest my biggest problems are with the author's opinions that I don't agree with, like his obvious beef with CSN I read a few reviews before reading that talked about even after almost pages about him Neil is still an extremely elusive figure and they were right. I am unhealthily obsessed with the man and constantly trying to understand everything I can about his mind and thought process and anything about him as a person I can from reading about him and watching stuff about him but it's pretty impossible to understand him I mean the people closest to him don't even understand him so why would I?

Anyways I would only recommend this book if you're fixated on this man to a deranged level like me. Mark Leta. Maybe the best music biography or autobiography I've read - or at least tied with Keith Richard's Life. The style is fun, with the author cutting in interviews with Neil and others, as he moves through chronologically. Neil's 70's "high" period is full of tons of detail, and his body of work albums and shows is well-scrutinized by McDonough - a real fan of when Neil is playing out on the edge.

He's not afraid to call out Neil when he's just phoning it in or the work isn't working, sometimes to his face in interviews. Andy Vanderford. Tim Weemhoff. Ik zou mezelf geen Neil Young-fan noemen. En toch vind ik veel van zijn muziek goed tot zeer goed. Of althans, het werk tot eind jaren Daarna haak ik steeds vaker af. Daarna kwamen cultplaten als On the Beach en Tonight's the Night.

Groeibriljanten die verder de diepte ingaan. Toch niet eerder eraan toegekomen om het standaardwerk over hem te lezen: Shakey. Producer Jan S vertelde onlangs tijdens de plaatopnamen van broer Joosts band Tupperwr3 zo onder de indruk van het boek te zijn. Een rijk en diepgravend levensverhaal van Jimmy McDonough die hem de gehele jaren 90 soms tegen en wil en dank gevolgd heeft.

Was bepaald geen sinecure om in de buurt van Young te komen, de eigengereide loner. Toch volgehouden en eigenlijk door gewoon te zijn blijven hangen en altijd en overal aanwezig te zijn heeft hij dit werk weten te schrijven. Het begint bij het begin, de jeugd in Canada. Alle bands komen langs, van schoolband The Squires, Buffalo Springfield samen met o.

Stephen Stills, CSNY, solo, met en zonder Crazy Horse, tot aan eind jaren 90, een periode waarin het op dat moment weer even bergafwaarts gaat. Het laat zeker ook de schaduwzijden zien en de mindere kanten van Neils persoonlijkheid. Hoe ontzettend moeilijk hij was voor de naasten in zijn omgeving. Altijd maar zijn eigen zin willen doordrukken ten koste van alles.

Het perfectionistische. Tot in het extreme aan toe; als je niet de ideale modeltrein voor je zieke zoon kunt vinden, waarom niet zelf een bedrijf oprichten en je eigen treinen ontwikkelen en vervolmaken? Aan de andere kant is hij ook heel loyaal, eerlijk en recht door zee. Trouw naar vrienden. Er is geen ruimte voor bullshit. Hij komt het liefst zo snel mogelijk tot de kern van de zaak.

Iets wat je ook absoluut terugziet in alle opnameprocessen door de decennia heen. Zoals Clint Eastwood: not to fuck with. Een zeer dominante vrouw en continu op de achtergrond aanwezig. Een andere belangrijke leidraad is Neils zwakke fysieke gesteldheid o. Je moet oppassen met je woorden. Begeleidingsband Crazy Horse in al zijn facetten komt uitgebreid aan bod.

Ze zijn voor Young wat The Band was voor Dylan. Ze brengen een bepaald soort losheid qua spelen en opnemen. Frivool, spontaan en toch groovend en soulful. Beide bands wisten de meesters tot grote hoogten te drijven. Hoewel Crazy Horse het bij Young weliswaar een stuk langer zou volhouden. Het is altijd een haat-liefdeverhouding geweest tussen Young en band.

Toch zijn ze een constante gebleken. Af en aan verschijnen er platen na vele uitstapjes tussendoor van de immer veranderende en grillige Young. Het is een diepgravend werk. Biograaf McDonough heeft zichzelf bijna tien jaar obsessief vastgebeten in het leven van Neil. Hij kent na afloop Neil beter dan hijzelf in sommige opzichten. Of waarom hij bijvoorbeeld bepaalde nummers heeft geschreven.

En nog steeds blijft Neil voor hem het onopgeloste mysterie, het enigma, zoals dat bij Dylan ook het geval is. Telkens als je denkt hem door te hebben, word je weer verrast. Als een ui: als je er een laag afpelt, komt er een nieuwe tevoorschijn. Het voert te ver om het hele levensverhaal in een paar zinnen samen te vatten, maar het is een machtig boek, geschreven met veel vaart, humor, eindeloos veel mooie verhalen en bovenal een indringend levensverhaal.

Daarnaast schetst het en passant een fraai beeld van de roerige periode eind jaren zestig, begin jaren zeventig, met name in de eerste paar honderd bladzijden. Los Angeles en San Francisco waren het middelpunt van de psychedelische en even later de singer-songwriter-scene. Alle belangwekkende namen uit die regio komen voorbij. Hieronder verdere details voor latere naslag.

Het mooiste, meest onbezorgde deel van de kindertijd is in Omemee, op het platteland van Ontario. Vader Scott is journalist en schrijver. Neil krijgt nooit de erkenning waarnaar hij op zoek is. Met moeder Rassy is het twee handen op een buik. Uploaded by Tracey Gutierres on June 26, Hamburger icon An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon.

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