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Words (Between the Lines of Age)

What Other Artists Have to Say About Neil Young

As one of the most influential musical artists of the twentieth century, Neil Young’s work has obviously drawn a broad range of comments from his artistic peers, particularly in the rock-’n’-roll community.

These range from the artists he has played with (CSN&Y, Buffalo Springfield, etc.) to those he shares an iconic connection with as a legend (Dylan, McCartney, Joni Mitchell, etc.).

Of course, there are also those younger-generation musicians—particularly in the punk and alternative-rock arenas—upon whom Neil Young has had a profound influence (Radiohead, Wilco, Pearl Jam, the Jayhawks, Sonic Youth, and even Metallica, being not the least of them).

And the list goes on.

Obviously, not all of these great quotes could be reproduced here. But what follows is a short collection of some of our favorite quotes by his peers in the rock-’n’-roll community describing their feelings about the ultimately enduring enigma that is Neil Young.

Most are complimentary, although we simply couldn’t resist injecting a few of the more humorous ones as well (see Glenn Frey’s analogy between art and a dog on Neil Young’s porch, below). We also got a chuckle from Bob Dylan’s simple two-word response upon hearing that Young was doing a rockabilly album (“That figures”). That one remains our personal favorite, so we’ll get it out of the way right here.

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of these—some of our favorite comments from Neil Young’s peers regarding his continuing influence. At this point, it is also prudent that we acknowledge (once again) the Internet site Thrasher’s Wheat as an invaluable resource in pulling this collection together.

“He’s taught us a lot as a band about dignity and commitment and playing in the moment and when I hear, you know, the speeches and inducting Janis Joplin and Frank Zappa, I get, uh, I’m just really glad he’s still here. And I think I’m gonna have to say that I don’t know if there’s been another artist that has been inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame to commemorate a career that is still as vital as he is today. Some of his best songs were on his last record.”

—Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) 1995 Speech Inducting Neil Young into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

“Art is just a dog on Neil Young’s porch.”

—Glenn Frey (the Eagles) Rolling Stone interview

“I always liked Neil Young, but it bothered me every time I listened to ‘Heart of Gold.’ I think it was up at number one for a long time, and I’d say, ‘Shit, that’s me. If it sounds like me, it should as well be me.’ I used to hate it when it came on the radio.”

—Bob Dylan Uncut magazine interview

“I saw Neil Young live a few years ago (for €105) playing a solo acoustic gig and it was amazing, he just rolled along swallowing up drunk clapping hecklers and ignoring Bono who sat over there and tapping his feet and bobbing his neck and explaining the songs and Greendale and Grandpa and then he played this song (‘After the Gold Rush’) but he changed the lyrics to ‘Look at Mother Nature on the run/in the twenty-first century’ and still wow.”

—Thom Yorke (Radiohead) Thrasher’s Wheat/Neil Young News

“He’s right up there in terms of a constant in my musical life as an influence and as a mentor. He’s kind of just a force of nature. And I take him for granted sometimes like I take the sun for granted … I’m really happy the sun comes up every day and I’m happy Neil Young keeps making records.”

—Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) The Canadian Press on Neil Young being honored as 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year

“I’ve seen a lot of people win Grammys that have gone on to really disappoint after that and then I have seen a lot of people that have not won any Grammys, and I guess Neil’s a perfect example, who continue to have honesty and integrity and strive to connect with the world in a totally unique way, and I am excited that they are finally honoring him tonight then.”

—Josh Groban AP Wire story on Neil Young being named 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year

“He seemed to marry folk music and country music and for me, where I was from in Missouri, it really sort of set me on course as far as a songwriter goes, and he also managed to interject really socially, politically, moving lyrics into rock songs and he still is for me the template that I hold up and hope to eventually accomplish the things that he’s done.”

—Sheryl Crow AP Wire story on Neil Young being named 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year

“He’s a huge influence on me. His music is heartfelt. He’s always exploring and pushing the envelope.”

—Booker T. Jones (Booker T. and the MGs) Vancouver Sun

“His songwriting is the stuff. You hear his music and you know that’s the stuff.”

—James Taylor Vancouver Sun

“Neil Young’s singular use of language is what amazes me. It really raises the bar. Nobody but Neil would say, ‘When you dance, I can really love.’ He’s got this powerful way of carving language in very simple blocks of meaning that go right to the core of you.”

—Jackson Browne Vancouver Sun

“Playing with Neil is very intense, and very exciting. He leans forward into what’s possible, all the time. He’s powerful. He’s got a lot of juice.”

—David Crosby UK magazine Record Collector (September 2001)

“There’s a rare contradiction in Neil Young’s work. He works so hard as a songwriter, and he’s written a phenomenal number of perfect songs. And, at the same time, he doesn’t give a fuck. That comes from caring about essence. There can be things out of tune and all wild-sounding and not recorded meticulously. And he doesn’t care. He’s made whole albums that aren’t great, and instead of going back to a formula that he knows works, he would rather represent where he is at the time. That’s what’s so awesome: watching his career wax and wane according to the truth of his character at the moment. It’s never phony. It’s always real. The truth is not always perfect.”

—Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) Rolling Stone article “The Immortals: 50 Greatest Artists of All Time”

“There’s youthful redemption in everything he does, a joyfulness about being an independent thinker in America.”

—David Bowie Thrasher’s Wheat/Powell’s Books

“It’s not about chops (technique) with Neil, even though he’s a great guitar player. The guy just inhabits the damn music. It doesn’t matter if he looks like Ebenezer Scrooge, the truth is he still kicks arse. When some 12-year-old kid sees that, he’s going to remember and one day he’s going to play like Neil Young, not like some wuss.”

—Bonnie Raitt The Australian

“Neil’s a great musician, he’s very eccentric, eclectic and has a beautiful, haunting voice. But you know what? All of those things are a distant second to being an amazing, amazing songwriter. The same thing could be said about Bruce Springsteen. When you combine the words with the melody and the music, it’s a power that everything emanates from. They happen to be amazing singers and musicians, but if they weren’t, they couldn’t ruin those songs. They would still be part of our emotional landscape and be just as powerful. You can’t hurt songs that good.”

—Nils Lofgren Thrasher’s Wheat/Shine Silently

“Here’s an artist that is one of the great voices, both literally and figuratively, of rock ’n’ roll, of American music, of world music, who has never stopped, as he says, following the muse. Everything goes into the music. And he gets an idea and he trusts that idea and he follows it. And he has had the success and made the money to be able to do it, but everything has gone back into the well.”

—Emmylou Harris Blogcritics magazine

“Most people did their best work when they were younger. Neil Young is as good as he ever was, which is quite an accomplishment … It seems like there’s no tricks to him. I don’t know if you could name anybody better who came out of rock and roll.”

—Randy Newman Powell’s Books

“Pegi and Neil are amazing people, and I’m honored to be presenting this award, and I just wanna say how important [Neil’s] music is and the world that he’s created. It’s made a big impact on myself and a lot of people I know.”

—Beck MTV News on an award he presented to Neil and Pegi Young for their charitable work on causes like Farm Aid and the Bridge School at Rock the Vote’s Sixth Annual Patrick Lippert Awards

“What’s cool about Neil is that he never hesitates to try whatever it takes to get his point across musically. Whether it’s just him on acoustic guitar, him solo on the piano, or with Crazy Horse, it seems that he will find the best way to play the song, whether its grungy or doo-wop … he always finds the best way to serve his music.”

—Kirk Hammett (Metallica) Mojo magazine article, February 2011 “The 50 Greatest Neil Young Songs”