We were gonna wait a few days to discuss this, but Neil’s anti-Bush concept album is causing such a blogosphere stir, we might as well start the comments now. Sorry, no leaked MP3s — we’ve searched the Internet far and wide, but Young’s camp is doing a fine a job of keeping his controversial songs under wraps.
Unless you’ve been living under an indie rock, you know that this Friday the country-rock icon who gave us “Ohio” will stream Living With War (recorded in three days!) at neilyoung.com. (Just when we gave away his CD catalog too! Thanks, Mr. Prolific.)
The site’s been rolling out lyrics from the album daily, but looks like we’ll have to wait until Scott Stereogum’s birthday to hear the whole thing.
There’s an official blog for the album, livingwithwar.blogspot.com, with the tagline:
“…this is about exchanging ideas… it’s about getting a message out. It’s about empowering people by giving them a voice. I know not everyone believes what I say is what they think. But like I said before.. ya know.. red and blue is not black and white. We’re all together. It’s a record about unification.” -Neil Young (4/18/06)
And you can also watch a semi-enlightening video over a YouTube in which Young speaks with CNN. (Click image to watch.)
I can’t believe the reporter played the “is this a publicity stunt to sell more records” card. Worth watching though, at least to get you pumped for the release.
NEIL YOUNG: “We have to be cognizant of the fact that we can make mistakes. That’s part of freedom. We don’t have to believe in what our President believes to be patriotic.”
I can’t help but compare to what Britney Spears told CNN a few years ago.
BRITNEY SPEARS: “Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision he makes and should just support that, you know, and be faithful in what happens.”
So, someone get Mrs. K-Fed a copy, OK? And if you do get an advance, send our way!
Maybe it’ll have a cameo from Kanye! Or Chris Rock.
[And the Living With War cover makes a better desktop wallpaper than the KRS comp one I recommended the other day.]
 |
 |
Neil Young: day late and a dollar short, and looking to jump on the bandwagon. I have always found him grating, so it’s no surprise that I’m not feelin’ this project as being sincere.
“You have this song called ‘Let’s Impeach The President.’ What’s this song about?”
Just a correction: Neil Young’s website isn’t offering the album as a free download on Friday, but rather it’ll be streaming for free on Friday. It’ll be sold online as a digital download I believe on May 2nd and then sold in physical stores shortly thereafter.
I’m excited to hear what Neil’s cooked up.
Two words: “Let’s Roll.”
Uggh!
Dude’s never going to write another “Ohio,” but, belated as it is, I applaud him for starting a dialogue.
I like Young’s music and all (well… up to around Sleeps With Angels), but do you think he feels a little stupid sometimes, having supported two presidents whom he eventually ended up hating (Reagan and now Bush)? It’s like his response time has been dulled by the drugs. He also seems to linger under the misconception that he’s the first major rock artist to put out a bang-you-over-the-head-unsubtle anti-Bush concept album. Green Day got there first. For better or worse.
may 2nd, pearl jam has started the dialogue
What’s the deal with linking to youtube videos rather than embedding the player on your blog? Is it so you can drive up the click numbers for the “blogs linking to this video” thats on the video’s youtube page? Just wondering, cause I might start doing that too…
> What’s the deal with linking to youtube
> videos rather than embedding the player
> on your blog?
Blog loads really slow if you have to many vids embedded.
What kills me about these extreme leftist “let’s impeach the president” rowdies, is that if their little plan actually works, who ends up as president?
DICK FUCKING CHENEY!!!!!!
“Oh shit, we didn’t see that one coming”
Neil Young fucked his brain over on way too many drugs, Lets send his ass to France, they need his shithead Ideas.
HOLY POOP-TARD!!!
What a bunch of brain-washed pussies we have here reading the stereogum…
Neil Young is a bad ass.
You (and by ‘you’ i mean Neil-hater/Bush Supporter) are a loser who is gradually losing your freedoms as a result of of your glazed over excuse for patriotism.
FUCK all you chest-thumping spawn of catatonic exuses for Americans. You should all be banished to an island made of Blue charades and Red, White LIES.
peace!
Purchase, I think you are missing the main point; Neil Young sucks ass.
It doesn’t matter what the President has done. Neil Young is a talentless hack.
It doesn’t matter if some people support neo-conservatism. Neil Young is a canuck who should be shot.
It doesn’t matter if the threat of Australian iconography is so dangerous and we all hate Australians so much because they are indeed all horrible people and the spawn of prisoners; Neil Young has never ever written anything worth listening too.
never.
At least Bush has that nifty undergraduate thesis he wrote. That’s pretty damn cool
villalobos, you are gay.. .and not in a homosexual way.. in a much worse way.
Neil Young’s talent owns both you and your bush.
Neil Young is a Canuck who should be shot???
I think Dick Cheney is posting as villalobos.
Believe it or not, Neil’s brain doesn’t allow him to “fry” his brain. He used to have epileptic fits falling off stage in Buffalo Springfield, doctor told him he probably wouldn’t return from a drug-induced “trip”.
hmm, so apparently Neil Young has done drugs? Is this new information?
To say something as ridiculous and unintelligible as “Neil Young has never ever written anything worth listening too” and then contrast it with the degree Bush bought at Yale seems very irrelivant. First of all, how can you read about and listen to indie music without enjoying or at least respecting its influences? Secondly, to discredit someone’s accomplishments simply because they didn’t earn a college degree or write a thesis is beyond narrow-minded.
Grow up.
Yeah, Fred, I feel your pain. And if we could impeach Bush *and* Cheney, we’d get freakin’ Condi.
Not much of a plan, really, is it?
Tell that JACKASS Neil Young to go back to Canada where he was born if he don’t like it here.
what happened to freedom of speech? he can say whatever he wants.
Gilu – Yes, he has freedom of speech you moron, he said it didn’t he? His opponenents also have freedom of speech. I don’t think Brendawg was telling him not to speak, but to be respectful and make a quality argument with some substance instead of spewing whatever came to mind.
Pack Jine – I don’t think Jack Pine’s comment was meant to point out the fact that Neil Young used drugs. Read it again.
Purchase – While I agree with you on the fact that Neil Young is great, I don’t appreciate your lack of sensitivity towards homosexuals and the mentally handicapped.
Rocky & Fred – Yes, impeaching Bush would mean we still have Cheney, but it would mean much more symbolically. His supporters pride themselves on religious piety, so proving that he is a lying bigot would do a lot of damage. Look at the shift this country took after Clinton’s impeachment hearings.
That chick who interviewed him should stick to covering dog shows or something.
Funny Neil ancedote from Levon Helm’s book…
apparently in The Last Waltz they had to digitally edit out a “good-sized rock of cocaine” that was logged in Neil’s nose during his performance of Helpless.
Just a correction to some earlier posts, the 1st amendment doesnt guarantee all speech. You can’t just say 1st amendment and leave it at that. The federal government can curtail speech if they have a governmental interest.
Get it right fuck heads!!
Russ – don’t fuzz up my words.
I have nothing against homosexual retards.
I just hate it when people like our ‘friend’ back there give them a bad name by deciding to regurgitate whatever their parents and/or the news told them to say about neil young/the war/bush/ice cream.
peace!
Brendawg- You ask a question that I’ve struggled with for a long time: Is it possible to like rock/indie music and not be in-line with its influences, particularly its political roots? I’d appreciate if I would not be attacked for this, but I’m right-of-center, and I have a huge problem with lefty politics in the music I listen to. Is it hypocritical to like indie music and be conservative? Is there room for thoughtful people to disagree here?
“Is it hypocritical to like indie music and be conservative”
Yes, yes it is.
Actually it’s the fault of liberal indie musicians for making music that could possibly be enjoyed by conservatives, much like directors who make anti-war films that war hawks can enjoy (such as Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, and The Thin Red Line.) The only true anti-war film in my opinion is Jean-Luc Godard’s Les Carabiniers as it can not be enjoyed on any level as an action/war film.
The best thing about every new Neil Young album is that they can never be as bad as Re-ac-tor and Trans.
I absolutely love Neil. I own more albums by him than any other artist, BUT…I really can’t blame the reporter for thinking this might be a publicity stunt. As another poster mentioned: “Let’s Roll” a song that actually quotes Bush in a positive manner came out only 5 years ago! The guy also supported the Patriot Act up until recently. Yes, “Ohio” was a memorable response to the Kent State riots, but that’s pretty much the only political oriented song he’s ever done that was any good. “Southern Man” and “Alabama” were embarassing portrayals of the South from a man who later admitted he’d never spent much time there. There’s nothing wrong with Neil sharing his opinion and it won’t make me love him any less, but people need to know where he’s coming from…the guy isn’t exactly Bob Dylan when it comes to political songs; his lyrics have little or no tact, as you can see from the Rolling Stone article, though it probably doesn’t help how quickly he wrote the thing. I’m also pretty sure RS has never given Neil anything less than 5 stars since he’s entered the realm of “classic rock god.”
Matt -
I don’t believe it’s impossible to enjoy indie music and still remain a political conservative, it’s just a little bit harder if you don’t agree with the message and it may seem hypocritical on the exterior. I often face the same dilemma while listening to much of the rap music I enjoy. In no way do I support the glorification of violence, greediness, or womanizing, but I enjoy the music and the feeling it gives me. I actually think it’s pretty refreshing for a conservative to enjoy liberal lyric-ed indie music and to acknowledge the political differences and be open-minded enough not to boycott it or something over the top like that.
“Is it hypocritical to like indie music and be conservative”
Yes, yes it is.
Actually it’s the fault of liberal indie musicians for making music that could possibly be enjoyed by conservatives…
—————–
Now I DEFINITELY just threw up in my mouth.
Nothing like liberal open-mindedness!
Dudesky, conservatives don’t have a monopoly on hypocrisy, not by a long shot.
You don’t have to agree with any “message” or “views” in a work of art (in whatever form) to enjoy it on some levels.
Yeah, I’m not sure Margo really made a case there.
Anyway, I just remember reading in like “Our Band Could Be Your Life” how much anti-Reagan sentiment seemed to be on the minds of the bands it profiled. I’m not old enough to really have formed an informed opinion of Reagan-era America, but there seem to be a lot of parallels to Bush-era America, at least in the minds of lefty indie musicians.
I guess I’m just not sure why someone like myself, who generally enjoys Neil Young’s music, would even consider buying (or even downloading) an album like this. Put aside the “you should expand your stupid closed-conservative mind arguments,” because I labor quite hard to get all opinions. I have to assume that there’s more like me out there. So why would any artist, especially older artists that still do political shit (e.g. Sonic Youth) if it’s going to alienate at least part of their audience? I mean, I fuckin love Super Furry Animals, but “Phantom Power” was so overtly political that I can barely listen to it without fuming. I don’t know, man. Just seems like preaching to the choir to me.
You people are fucking nuts.
Cool Album
A great recording! Heard it for the first time yesterday – and felt clean from being washed with the sound of truth! The rock was pure and rippe through the B.S emanating from the White House and Dick and Condi and Fox News like a cleansing fire!
Neil isn’t a rep of the left – he’s been for Regan and Bush the father. He’s pressed for libertarian positions, too. Truth comes in different packages. So does lies. I remember when the Republican party stood for something Now they’re packaging the lies that have become the standard fare dished up in neo-con, fundamentalist, religious right containers. The smell of this war waged by oil guys building profits and breaking our country – that smell of dishonesty and corruption is what needs to go, not a Canadian Singer who comes fresh on the scene like the Prophet Amos from outside the establishment – to sing something that sounds so much more like God’s major directive to “love God and love your neighbor as you love yourself!” than any of that hateful, exclusive crap being peddled by tv evangelists and their whitehouse lackeys. It’s time for the clean fresh wind of God to blow away the stench of the fundamentalist lies.
Impeach? Yes!
instead of little bj under a desk – this time our country got sold up the river for a few pieces of silver. And the kids are getting crucified for the old poops – Cheney, Bush and their pals – who did nothing in the military. And, Please!, don’t speak of Bush’s Yale experience. We call that “degree” welfare for the mentally incompetent children of rich alums who actually earned the degrees. George-the-son couldn’t pass the “no child left behind” Junior High national tests. It’s time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neil Young has always been an entertainer, probably since a ‘young’ boy. I think it’s his job to get the audience of america involved. I like what he’s doing. He re-routed his support away from republicans to be heard but also make a point. That point is sometimes you can be wrong, but are confident enough to accept and move on? I think it’s important here to ask where the country would be if a democrat (Al Gore) was in office. I mean where would the country be if he really was? Would we be better off with a President that was more environmentally concerned than one who is attempting to solidify our energy sources? How about John Kerry? Better or worse? I wonder if regardless of who became President back in 2000 or 2004 would our country still be in some kind of crisis? I mean is it impossible to believe a democrat might have just as easily brought us to same place? Of course not, Democrats are historically more dubious than Republicans. The trick is to understand that there will always be ‘problems’ in the world, some pseudo and others not. How an administration deals with the ‘problems’ is another thing. Soooooo, -Mr. George Bush-, what are the ~real~ problems of the world today?, and what have you done about them? Tough questions, but not impossible. Despite my dislike of all politics, I feel like I need to comment on how this administration has either focused on the wrong issues, or is in fact aware but assumes that the people can’t handle them and instead distracts our attention from the real issues/questions. The issues on the table are not religion, gay rights, intelligent design, endangered species, or climate change. These are important, but not what’s most vital to the future of humanity. I feel that everything can be consolidated into one question:
? What’s good for tomorrow ?
(:?D
Three phrases should be among the most common in our daily usage. They are: Thank you, I am grateful and I appreciate.
I found a post attributed to me which I did not write…or post. Please remove the following:
“Is it hypocritical to like indie music and be conservative”
Yes, yes it is.
Actually it’s the fault of liberal indie musicians for making music that could possibly be enjoyed by conservatives, much like directors who make anti-war films that war hawks can enjoy (such as Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, and The Thin Red Line.) The only true anti-war film in my opinion is Jean-Luc Godard’s Les Carabiniers as it can not be enjoyed on any level as an action/war film.
The best thing about every new Neil Young album is that they can never be as bad as Re-ac-tor and Trans.
Posted by: Margo Guryan at April 26, 2006 11:52 AM
Thank You.
remove@sa-art.net
remove@sa-art.net
remove@sa-art.net
I didn’t post that comment. I have no idea who’s using my name.
Margo Guryan
It’s interesting how appropriate was this title last year.
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. I mostly agree with you most of the point I have subscribed the feed and looking forward for the followup subscriptions