Long May You Run: Neil Young Turns 75
This ain’t the story of Johnny Rotten.
This is a birthday greeting to Neil Young, the iconoclastic and prolific songwriter, singer and guitarist who is yet to determine whether it’s better to burn out or to fade away.
But my, my, hey, hey, time does, indeed, fade away and Young, born Nov. 12, 1945, turns 75 today.
A recalcitrant but essential bandmate since his Buffalo Springfield days, Young seems to be always on the way home and never arriving. Instead, he just keeps on rockin’ in the free world and occasionally fuckin’ up in ragged glory.
Springfield. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. The Stills-Young Band. Crazy Horse. The Stray Gators. The Shocking Pinks. The Blue Notes. The International Harvesters. Promise of the Real. Neil Young’s been a member of all of them and has never belonged to any of them.
Despite his protestations to the contrary, he is not a child.
He’s a northern man, Canadian by birth and American by recent citizenship, which gives him the right to be a re•ac•tor - to mount his high crazy horse and howl le noise at the harvest moon about living with war and other injustices.
He’s now also an old man, taking a look at his life with an ongoing series of archival releases while continuing to put out new - but uneven - music at a staggering clip.
At least he’s not on the beach doing nothing.
This note’s for you, Neil. Long may you run.
11/12/20
