Neil Young’s New CD

I’ve been a Neil Young fan for about 30 years now, I have about a dozen of his albums and have always thought his blend of folk and rock made him one of the most interesting artists of his time. But I won’t be buying Neil’s new CD. I first heard about the CD on the Drudge Report a few days ago. One of the new songs is called "Impeach The President”.

I was a little surprised. Back in the 80’s, Neil took a lot of flak for publicly stating his support for Ronald Reagan. This was quite a shock at the time from a child of the 60’s who had written songs like Ohio. “Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming, we’re finally on our way” he crooned while describing the Kent State tragedy, Neil had even expressed regret for penning Ohio, remarking that he felt guilty for making money off the four people who died. He even went as far as to recant his Crosby Stills and Nash years by singing in “Hippie Dream”.

But the Wooden Ships
Were just a hippie dream
Capsized in excess
If you know what I mean

"Wooden Ships" was one of CSN’s most popular songs. Neil’s no stranger to controversy, Lynard Skynard’s “Sweet Home Alabama” was a direct response to Neil’s “Southern Man”, a song about Alabama Governor George Wallace.

Southern change going to come at last
Now your crosses are burning fast.

Lynard Skynard defended their home state in “Sweet Home Alabama” by singing;

In Birmingham there was a Governor
We all did what we could do
I know my conscience doesn’t bother me
Does your conscience bother you?
(now tell me true)

Then later in the same song ;

We heard ‘ole Neil sing about us
We heard ‘ole Neil put us down
But Mr. Young can remember
Southern Man don’t need him around anyhow

After 9/11 Neil wrote “Lets Roll” about the passengers of Flight 93, and expressed support for
The Patriot Act. A few years later and Neil is still rockin’ in the free world. But now there is a lot more at stake than 4 college students. America is at war in Iraq and Afghanistan and Neil is going to make money off it. The CD is called “Living With War” and the entire album of 10 songs are protests against President Bush and the war in Iraq. Here’s a lyric sample from Neil’s website;

"I raise my hand in peace
I never bow to the laws of the thought police
I take a holy vow ... to never kill again ...

"In the big hotels ,
in the mosques and the doors of the old museum ...
I take a holy vow ... to never kill again."

So it was ok for the passengers on flight 93 to fight back, but now we’re “taking vows to never kill again“? Can we logically expect the terrorists to do the same? The Patriot Act was sound policy 4 years ago, but now it’s the “thought police”? Long time fans have got to ask. “will the real Neil Young please stand up?.” With over 2000 Americans dead in Iraq and Canadian Neil Young making a profit. That should dwarf the guilt he felt for writing Ohio, eh?