336 “I can’t do songs …” NY to Bud Scoppa, Creem, 11/75.
338 “… the spirit of Topanga …” NY to Cameron Crowe, Rolling Stone, 8/14/75.
339 “about three times in history …” NY to Hultkrans/Morgan, Mondo 2000, Summer, 1992.
339 Dolly Parton changing lyrics to “After the Gold Rush,” Country Music interview, date unknown, mid-90s vintage.
344 “were stoned and sang flat …” Joshua White to Robert Greenfield and Bill Graham. Bill Graham Presents: My Life Inside Rock and Out, Doubleday, 1992.
347 $340,000 cash: Scott Young, Neil and Me.
347 September 1970 move-in date: author interview with Joel Bernstein.
The 1:38 Crazy Horse version of “Birds”—in this author’s opinion, far superior to the solo piano version released on After the Gold Rush—was accidently released as the B-side of “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” Reprise 45 0746. There also exists an odd mix of “I Believe in You” with sleigh bells added—according to Young, a tip of the hat to the Phil Spector/ Jack Nitzsche records.
The picture of Neil Young that Graham Nash refers to (in regard to Susan Acevedo) is on the cover of this book.
cut to the lizards
Author interviews: NY, Carrie Snodgress, Astrid Young, Frank “Poncho” Sampedro, Joe Lala, Kenny Buttrey, Elliot Mazer, Guillermo Giachetti, Johanna Putnoy, Morris Shepard, John Nowland, James McCracken, David Briggs, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Tim Drummond, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Jack Nitzsche, Jack Nitzsche Jr., Ben Keith, Elliot Roberts, Sandy Mazzeo, Larry Johnson, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Joel Bernstein, Zeke Young, Jeannie Field, Richard Meltzer, Ken Viola, Mac Holbert, other sources.
354 “It was intermission …” NY to Bud Scoppa, Creem, 11/75.
361 “I feel more free …” NY interviewed by Elliot Roberts, Wim Van Der Linden film, 2/70.
363 “I swear to God …” NY onstage at the Rainbow Theater, 11/5/73.
369 “The image in my mind …” NY to Ralph Emery, Nashville Now, 9/20/84.
373 “I used to hate it …” Bob Dylan to Scott Cohen, Spin, 12/85. 376 “I can’t say what …” Henry Armetta article, 10/3/73, unknown publication.
376 Wallace Berman Journey Through the Past anecdote: author interview with Russ Tamblyn.
378 “They chickened out …” NY to Cameron Crowe, Rolling Stone, 1975. 378 “To be charitable …” Henry Armetta, 10/3/73, unknown publisher. 383 “The birth of my …” NY to Kristine McKenna, LA Style, 3/92.
world on a string
Author interviews: NY, Don Paris, Bruce Botnick, Russ Titleman, Nils Lofgren, Marie Janisse, George Whitsell, Terry Sachen, Ben Rocco, Kenny Buttrey, Tim Drummond, Ben Keith, Larry Lear, Brenda Decker, Jeannie Field, Linda Ronstadt, Elliot Mazer, Denny Purcell, David Briggs, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Danny Hutton, Guillermo Giachetti, Ken Berry, Debbie Donovan, Richard O’Connell, Johnny Barbata, Ken Berry, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Carrie Snodgress, Elliot Roberts, Ken Viola, Joel Bernstein, Jack Nitzsche, other sources.
388 Details of Danny Whitten’s death are from his death certificate.
389 “I loved Danny …” NY to Cameron Crowe, Rolling Stone, 2/8/75.
391 “My least favorite record …” NY to Dave Ferrin, British radio interview, Radio-2 FM, 6/5/87.
392 Gram Parsons anecdote: author interview with Jack Nitzsche.
398 “Get up Cleveland” NY rant, 2/13/73 live tape, NY Archives.
399 “gettin’ together for a war dance …” NY to B. Mitchell Reid, KLOS radio interview, 9/73.
400 “Show number fifty-eight,” audience tape, The Bottom Line, NYC, 5/16/74.
400 “I can’t fuckin’ sing …” audience tape, Oakland Coliseum, 3/31/73.
400 “It was a terrible …” NY to Ray Coleman, Melody Maker, 8/25/73.
401 “Those huge concerts …” NY to B. Mitchell Reid, KLOS radio interview, 9/73.
405 Details of Bruce Berry’s death are from his death certificate.
group art
Author interviews: NY, “The Doctor,” Mark Andes, Ben Keith, Ken Berry, Nils Lofgren, Tim Foster, Mike Thomas, Dave Sigler, Murray McLauchlan, Elliot Roberts, Constant Meijers, Art Linson, Andy Bloch, David Briggs, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Joel Bernstein, Willie B. Hinds, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Sandy Mazzeo, Leslie Morris, Art Linson, Richard Meltzer, Bobby Charles, Gary Burden, Scott Young, Rassy Young, other sources.
408 Topanga Community House anecdote: Ron Denend, Mark Andes, Danny Tucker.
409 “The sixties are definitely …” NY to B. Mitchell Reid, KLOS radio interview, 9/73.
410 “I hated Woodstock …” Iggy Pop to Perry Farrell, Raygun #35.
410 “I wouldn’t even stay …” Stephen Stills to Cameron Crowe, Creem, 9/74.
412 Studio banter via Tonight’s the Night two-track masters, NY Archives.
412 “What we were doing …” NY to Bud Scoppa, Creem, 11/75.
414 Mel Brooks anecdote: author interview with Art Linson.
417 “Every night was …” Bob Dylan to Kurt Loder, Rolling Stone, 12/87.
417–426 All performance banter from audience tapes of gigs. The author would like to thank all those who taped the live shows from this tour— they know who they are!
421 “They think, ‘We’re gonna have an evening …” NY to Cameron Crowe, Rolling Stone, 2/8/79.
425 “Banal …” Judith Sims, Rolling Stone, 10/25/73.
425 “Tedious …” Jeff Ward, Melody Maker, 11/17/73, fan comment same.
425 Constant Meijers commentary from Tonight’s the Night insert, Mark Lyons translation, Broken Arrow.
425 “It seemed a good idea …” NY to The Tiger, 3/23/76. 429–430 Tonight’s the Night musical treatment—NY Archives.
433 “If you’re gonna …” NY to Cameron Crowe, Rolling Stone, 8/14/75.
433 “Art is supposed to …” Bob Dylan to Ron Rosenbaum, Playboy, 1/78.
434 Scott Young on Tonight’s the Night, Young, Neil and Me.
There was (believe it or not) some dissension over the exact pair of Polaroid Cool-Ray shades worn by Young during the Tonight’s the Night days. I located a pair that are 420s—and when Young saw them, he confirmed they were indeed the Tonight’s the Night glasses. In subsequent correspondence, Young says they were 720s. I found no evidence of Polaroid Cool-Ray 720s. And neither Joel Bernstein nor I have seen a copy of Tonight’s the Night with a package of glitter inside.
shit, mary, I can’t dance
Author interviews: NY, J. J. Cale, Rusty Kershaw, Julie Kershaw, Craig Hayes, Ben Keith, Al Schmidt, Mark Harmon, Mac Holbert, Johnny Talbot, David Briggs, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Frank “Poncho” Sampedro, Elliot Roberts, Joel Bernstein, Carrie Snodgress, Zeke Young, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Tim Drummond, Joe Lala, Sandy Mazzeo, Leslie Morris, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, George Whitsell, Willie B. Hinds, Gary Burden, Ken Viola, Mac Holbert, Elliot Mazer, Joe McKenna, Jack Nitzsche, Jack Nitzsche Jr., Larry Johnson, Joni Mitchell, David Cline, Bob Hurwitz, Russ Kunkel, other sources.
444 “Sentences are strewn around …” Kit Rachlis, “Decade,” Stranded: Rock and Roll for a Desert Island, Greil Marcus, ed., Knopf, 1979.
444 “Probably one of …” NY to Cameron Crowe, Rolling Stone 8/14/75.
452 “We did one for the art …” Stephen Stills to Cameron Crowe, Creem, 9/74.
454 “I’ve been the most obnoxious …” Stephen Stills to Cameron Crowe, Creem, 9/74.
455 Glenn Frey remark concerning Art, the Dog (RIP) is a paraphrase via Joel Bernstein, who insists it is an accurate recollection of a blurb in Rolling Stone’s Random Notes column. Apologies for any error.
462 “Vacancy” notes from Young’s ’74 tour book, NY Archives.
469 “It was a little too personal …” NY to Cameron Crowe, Rolling Stone, 8/14/75.
471 Nitzsche/Snodgress case: court records, Los Angeles Times 10/23/79, Rolling Stone Random Notes 11/15/79.
harpoon dodger
Author interviews: NY, Richard “Bonz
o” Agron, Danny Doyle, Kevyn Lauritzen, Niko Bolas, Kim Gordon, Laurie Talbot, Connie Moskos, Link Wray, Johnnie Talbot, Guillermo Giachetti, Tom Dowd, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Joel Bernstein, Linda Ronstadt, Nicolette Larson, Ken Viola, Ben Keith, Tim Drummond, Denny Purcell, Bobby Notkoff, Bobby Charles, Tessa “Moosa” Gillette, Kirby Johnson, Steve Antoine, Terry Yorio, Taylor Phelps, Jim Russell, Roger Katz, David Briggs, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Frank “Poncho” Sampedro, Elliot Roberts, Carrie Snodgress, David Cline, Sandy Mazzeo, Richard Meltzer, other sources.
491 Young’s “Cortez” rap, audience tape, Manassas, Virginia, 8/13/96.
495 For another Del Shannon echo in Young’s music, listen to the opening of his 1962 single “The Swiss Maid.” Then play Young’s 1969 track “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.”
505 Bill Graham/The Last Waltz anecdote: confidential source.
510 “Will to Love was written …” NY to Bill Flanagan, Musician, 11/85.
510 “This session was …” NY to author, 2000 letter.
511 “Then this guy …” Barbara Orbison to Pete Doggett, Record Collector, date unknown, mid-nineties vintage.
513 “I just play my part …” NY to Dan Coryo, Good Times, 7/21/77.
514 “It served to establish …” John Rockwell, The New York Times, 11/17/89.
In addition to Martin Scorsese’s American Boy, there is a relatively new contender for best use of Neil Young’s music in a film: “Safeway Cart” in Clair Denis’s 1999 French film, Beau Travail.
a bigger flash in the sky
Author interviews: NY, Mark Mothersbaugh, David Myers, Gerald V. Casale, Geraldine Baron, David Briggs, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Frank “Poncho” Sampedro, Elliot Roberts, Joel Bernstein, Russ Tamblyn, Dennis Hopper, Paul Williamson, Jeannie Field, Bob Sterne, Lincoln Briggs, Graham Nash, Randy Newman, Ahmet Ertegun, James Taylor, Townes Van Zandt, Richard Meltzer, Dean Stockwell, Larry Johnson, other sources.
522 “I always change …” NY, Italy press conference, 1982.
523 “Punk rock …” NY to unknown, Domino interview, 1987.
524 Cobain on Devo: Kevin Allman, Advocate interview, 2/92.
528 “This movie was made up …” NY TV interview, Nightflight, 1983.
531 “It caught my ear …” NY to Mary Turner, 1979 Warner Bros. Music Show radio interview.
532 “I like it if people …” NY to Mary Turner, 1979 Warner Bros. Music Show radio interview.
533 “People want a star …” NY to Mary Turner, 1979 Warner Bros. Music Show radio interview.
534 “I hate it …” John Lennon to David Sheff, The Playboy Interviews with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Playboy Press, 1981.
535 “It all started …” NY to Mary Turner, 1979 Warner Bros. Music Show radio interview.
537 “After Rust, no one ever asked …” NY to Cameron Crowe, Musician, 11/82.
539 “When he plays the guitar solo at the end of ‘Southern Man’…” Geoff Nicholsohn, Big Noises: Rock Guitar in the 1990s, Quartet Books, 1991.
543 “That whole era …” NY to Karen Schoemer, The New York Times, 11/25/92.
For those who would like to know more about the amazing J. J. Cale, the author highly recommends any of the following albums: Troubadour, Naturally, Really, Okie, 5, Travel Log, Number 10.
a voice no one could recognize
Author interviews: NY, Zeke Young, John Nowland, Elton John, David Cline, Nils Lofgren, Tim Foster, Joe Lala, Larry Johnson, Elliot Mazer, Tim Drummond, Ben Keith, Jeannie Field, Russ Tamblyn, Dennis Hopper, Paul Williamson, Roger Katz, Bobby Charles, Joel Bernstein, Scott Young, Bob Young, Charlotte Stewart, Harry Sitam, Sal Trentino, Newell Alexander, Anthony Crawford, Eddie Rosenblatt, Karl Himmel, Spooner Oldham, Inez Drummond, Tim Pope, Harrison Calloway, Rufus Thibodeaux, Hargus “Pig” Robbins, Gene Eichelberger, David Briggs, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Frank “Poncho” Sampedro, Elliot Roberts, other sources.
545 “My life with my children …” and various other NY quotes in this chapter, Meadow Dusk and The Velvet Cage appeared in somewhat different form in “Too Far Gone: Fucking Up with Neil Young,” The Village Voice Rock and Roll Quarterly, by Jimmy McDonough.
549 “I felt that way …” NY to Bill Flanagan, Musician, 11/85.
550 “it was too much of a trip …” Rockline radio interview, 11/23/81.
550 “It’s very repetitive …” Rockline radio interview, 11/23/81.
551 “I like to keep my music …” NY to local paper, 1983. This obscure interview, the only contemporary one where Young discusses the situation with his children, was in the NY Archives but couldn’t be located by press time.
553 “I think human emotion …” French TV interview, 1982.
554 “David has worked with Neil …” Elliot Roberts to Paul Makos, 5/22/82 Broken Arrow interview.
555 “I really wanted to put together …” NY to Cameron Crowe, Musician, 1982.
557 “My biggest problem …” NY to Stuart Matranga, Rockbill, 9/85.
562 “It’s the guy who plays …” NY to David Gans, The Record, 10/82.
563 “I was booed in Germany …” NY to Allan Jones, Melody Maker, 11/7/92.
567 “Digital is a huge rip-off …” NY, editorial in Guitar Player, 5/92.
573 “worst-sounding CD in the …” remembered quote from Joel Bernstein, magazine unknown.
575 “Movies today …” NY to Jonathan Taylor, Daily News, 6/12/83.
577 “Young’s Nuke Film a Bomb,” Daily News, 6/12/83.
582 “To get sued …” NY to Bill Flanagan, Musician, 11/85.
585 “The more they tried to stop …” NY to James Henke, Rolling Stone, 6/2/88.
586 “In my book, he’s pretty …” Bob Dylan on The Big Six-O, TV birthday tribute to Nelson, taped 4/28/93.
586 “get off more on hearing …” NY to Jim Sullivan, Music and Sound Output, approximately 1985.
587 “lifestyles are a little …” NY to Ralph Emery, Nashville Now TV show, 9/20/84.
587 “I feel very strongly …” NY to Holly Gleason, exact date/place unknown at press time, approximately 1985.
588 “You go to a supermarket …” NY to Adam Sweeting, Melody Maker, 9/85.
588 “Young looked like the rock star …” and NY Reagan quotes from NY interview by Jason DeParle, Times Picayune, 10/8/84.
589 “Reagan’s been good …” Iggy Pop to Donny Sutherland, Sounds Unlimited, Australian TV show, 80s interview.
589 “I hate Neil Young’s guts …” Dave Marsh to Justin Mitchell, Rocky Mountain News, 5/29/81.
589 Marsh radio interview with NY—6/20/95.
592 “back off or I’m going to play country …” NY to Tom Hibbert, Q, 6/88.
593 Geffen dismissal date—court documents.
594 “My good music comes …” NY to Entertainment Tonight TV show, 5/25/85, also article by Rose Clayton, Mix, vol. 9, #8.
597 “The only thing wrong …” NY court appearance March 31, 1985. Farm Aid Open Letter, Neil Young, 1985.
602 “One morning I woke up …” NY to James Henke, Rolling Stone, 6/2/88.
meadow dusk
Author interviews: NY, Danny Kortchmar, Steve Jordan, Anthony Aquilato, Bryan Bell, Chad Cromwell, Rick Rosas, Julien Temple, Larry Cragg, Dave McFarlin, Sandy Mazzeo, David Briggs, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Frank “Poncho” Sampedro, Niko Bolas, Rick Rosas, Astrid Young, Elliot Roberts, Joel Bernstein, Graham Nash, David Crosby, other sources.
608 “I think I’ve just had an uncanny …” NY to Nick Kent, The Dark Stuff.
608 “It didn’t look as if they had a chance …” NY on Rockline radio show, 8/18/86.
608 “It’s a piece of crap …” NY to Dave Ferrin, 6/5/87 British radio interview, Radio-2 FM.
608 “It’s all Pegi …” NY to Tim Roth, VH-1 TV interview, 1992.
610 “missed his calling …” NY on MuchMusic TV interview, 1986.
614 “I had just smoked …” NY to James Henke, Rolling Stone, 6/2/88.
617 “A Dud fo
r You,” Jim Marshall, Village Voice, 1988.
617 “People write in magazines …” NY to Tom Hibbert, Q, 6/88.
618 “For months I heard …” NY to Mark Rowland, Musician, 6/88.
619 “I still can’t believe …” NY to Nick Kent, The Dark Stuff.
619 NY comments to MTV: MTV News interview, 8/21/88.
623 “Neil Young from the sixties …” NY to David Gans, The Record, 10/82.
623 “John Lennon.” Crosby quote, Washington Post article quoted in Long Time Gone, by Crosby and Gottlieb.
625 “Crosby, Stills and Nash are fat old farts …” David Geffen to Fredric Dannen, Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business, Random House, 1990.
633 “Loss of innocence …” Jon Pareles, The New York Times, 9/7/89.
634 “such a cliché …” MuchMusic TV interview, date unknown, 80s/90s vintage.
634 “I have so many opinions …” NY, MuchMusic TV interview, date unknown, 80s/90s vintage.
634 “What about a song …” Dean Kuipers and NY, Raygun, 8/95.
635 “I just wanted to make …” NY to Rolling Stone, Random Notes, 10/5/89.
641 “I just came out of it …” NY to Karen Schoemer, The New York Times, 11/25/92.
the velvet cage
Author interviews: NY, John Hanlon, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, David Briggs, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, Frank “Poncho” Sampedro, Tim Drummond, Kenny Buttrey, Joe McKenna, Elliot Roberts, Astrid Young, Larry Johnson, Jack Nitzsche, Spooner Oldham, other sources.
644 “It’s a condensed version …” NY to James Henke, Rolling Stone, 10/4/90.
646 “When you’re forty-two …” Billy Talbot to unknown, BAM, 10/19/90.
648 “I guess Neil Young is the king …” Kurt Loder, Rolling Stone, 9/20/90.
649 “My generation …” Paul Schrader, Knight Ridder news service,1/5/95.
649 “I think my whole generation’s …” Beck to Mark Kemp, Rolling Stone, 4/17/97.
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