Art Prose & Rhyme Blog

Neil was born on 12. November 1945. He is doubtlessly not only a member of that so-called baby-boomer flower-power hippie generation but perhaps one of its most significant icons and ardent grassroots initiator, perpetuator and till present an undaunted incarnation of the memorable and perhaps historically the most significant ethos of this period in American history. A charming rebel with a cause and someone with whom one can identify without provoking admonishing looks from one’s school teachers or critical peers or professors! In fact a biologist (an ECU professor of biology, Jason Bond) has even named a species of a spider (Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi) after him!^* He is above all known as a song-writer, singer, guitarist and as a member of the band Crosby Stills Young and Nash, a band that according to my view holds a unique position unrivaled from any other band in the socially and politically significant phase of American history, a decade of significant social changes that they have rendered in a kind of hymn Teach your Children and that Bob Dylan immortalized in his song The Times are a’ Changing!

No doubt Americans and more so the Media in USA have retained a kind of folksy collective memory of the times but that must not and in this case certainly does not do full justice to the historical significance of this phenomena. For a historian of the future in fact this aspect may be almost irrelevant. Subject to rather rapidly changing fads and easily discarding one attire for another, like a chameleon changing hues with every little superficial change in the surroundings, this McLuhan media has no time or economical incentive to reflect upon deeper social reformatory changes that such artistic creations may induce, being as it is in present decade predominantly occupied with cash-economy icons and celebrities and their nowadays generally private and only from few fans shared obsessive neurosis, rather than great social transformations that sweep and spill over the National boundaries and cultures, something that did characterize this grass root moment that Neil, a Canadian by the way, was a part and parcel of and on whose basic tenants and visions it seems only a few besides him have ever doubted nor lost sight of. The message of this grassroots movement was amidst others a truly liberal brotherhood of mankind and freedom from patriarchal and imperialistic hegemonies! It was unlike today less occupied with ego display and the show off of private possessions and brands, the blue jeans were a symbol of egalitarian values and ease, comfort and practical functionality in contrast to the costly brand-stamped peacock feathers of the Yuppies of today. A cyclic fact of history maybe _ reminiscent of roman toga being replaced with King Henry’s or Emperor Akbar’s baroque appendages.

More significant historically, seen from my perspective is the legacy that crossed the Atlantic ocean and induced an empathetic resonance in other countries, especially amongst the receptive academic populations of the geo-politically reformed Nations, who were beginning to question everything inherited from history and even the norms of the current dominant systems. Lyndon B. Johnson and Nixon had played well into the hands of these hard headed questioning young rebellious generation _ more liberal than the politically and socially organized liberals of USA or for that matter England and unfortunately at certain times and certain places, although well acquainted with Gandhi not completely reluctant to take recourse to violence. A social inner transformation found its political voice in anti-war slogans. Vietnam became a symbol of something that rallied people around the globe. Protests from Students in Europe and England were the making the headlines in the media. In countries like Germany it would influence the initial stirrings in certain educated young people, that would ultimately lead to their cohesion in an political organ, the green party, whose one CEO Oscar Fischer rose to become the foreign Minister of Germany albeit not without alienating many grassroots members of his party. Live concerts with Peace as the primary universal message were becoming more and more popular. Long hair seemed to usher in a more feminine touch to most of these predominantly patriarchal societies. It was a grassroots protest, almost spontaneous even as the industry would later fully gulp this phenomenal uprising and make it mainstream by incorporating it within a lucrative financial system. Now some old hippies started buying castles and mansions instead of living in communes as they metamorphosed from song writers to industry mega-dollar-stars freaking in five star hotels. True some bands like the Grateful Dead never changed or turned disloyal to their fans or to their tenants and message but sure most of them were easy meat, and all of them today are basically only an extension of that specific branch of commerce, dedicated to increase in wealth for a few. Many Americans were not aware of the floods of social change they were ushering in other societies. History will perhaps view this phenomenon, probably never to be repeated from a different perspective, than the one from which the Americans viewed it then or still do. Woodstock was certainly aka Saturnalia but somehow also a semi Christian-Pagan gathering, somewhat similar to what happened in Rome during the first grassroots propagation of Christianity, whose members however were prosecuted at first and really did not have big festivals to celebrate their social communions nor did they have so successful poets and songwriters spreading the message.

Crosby Stills Young and Nash, themselves probably not so greatly convinced from their specific and destined role here and comparing themselves to other highly established bands of the times, however would become the greatest, profoundest and the most sublime voice of this moment, this decade and this phenomenon. No, not the Beatles, not Joan Baez, not Jimi Hendrix, not the Grateful Dead, not Joni Mitchell, not Paul Simon but sure enough this band. Bob Dylan did not specifically give voice to this phenomena. More versatile and universal, even if imbued with a geopolitical predominantly American ethos, Bob Dylan is consistently occupied with general human issues and times. Not necessarily constrained within this epoch, that he has certainly also given a global voice. He is equally at home in the old testament as he is in the sandy dunes of El Dorado and certainly not a rebel in the usual sense of the term! Yes the real juice of this decade and the spirit of the generation flows through the songs and lyrics and the music of Crosby, Stills, Young and Nash. A band that was in complete resonance with what the Woodstock festival implied. No doubt today any million-dollar Rock-Star or Music Industry Mogul can arrange for a concert with half a million people, but such a almost grass root induced gathering like Woodstock certainly not. Such things are not arranged that way. They evolve in certain context. I doubt also that such a phenomena would occur in Europe or elsewhere in the world or for that matter again in USA.

On his own however Neil represents also just himself, a unique blend of a critical thinker and an empathetic poet. For us a poet is not merely someone who uses a certain specified, from pundits formally canonized techniques, but someone who gives us a glimpse of that still from quantity oriented empirical science ungraspable entity called soul . In that sense Neil is certainly a poet. But I am not writing this blog to disclose the historical significance of the music of the decade he represents nor anything about his good old gems. This blog is meant to express my amazement at Neil’s prodigy and as the title suggests his almost never rusting!

Today I stumbled after clicking through some links somehow at the website of NY Times (Neil Young Times) where I could read his blog about the rather unpleasant YouTube versus Warner episode. As I was scanning the front page of the Times (certainly no misnomer) I was amazed to notice at how many fronts Neil is not only up-to-date but actively contributing to what his happening in his world, our world, the Globe at present _ _ in here and now! It is certainly worth having an exclusive newspaper just for that!

Surprise after surprise! I thought he was gone after his sickness and operation into historical obscurity associated often with stardom. And probably living in the past or some villa with cats and dogs and friends. Not only would I discover that my thinking was completely off the mark but that Neil Young, by all means a young man is more than a savant of the newest latest high-tech technology related to multimedia and fully aware of its potential for his own needs. This meant doing something really for the first time and apparently it a was not any suggestion from any of his geeky fans that got him going. No he seemed to view it with same wide-eyed fascination that you witness on the faces of teenagers! Its Neil own project and the technology involved is, as you would expect, a means toward achieving something concrete for his project rather than as an end in itself.

Quite dedicated as always to what he does, he had embarked on a project that chronicles his music career. Apparently first drafted 15 years ago it began taking shape some two years back. However DVD would not meet the demands he had for this project. So he decided for something else, Java and Blue Ray. This would not only offer enhanced multimedia capabilities but would make it possible to update the content in future and offer the user a visually appealing navigation, where the data is visually sorted and archived in files and drawers, a dream of anyone writing an article about a certain period in the musicians career or for someone looking for some specific content. Moreover it would mean Neil could continue on the project in future, since his legacy is quite huge and probably would always need updating and he is still rocking in the less freer world today and we can certainly look forward to more of his works.

Last year (May 2008) Neil presented his project at Java One with the Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz. Dan Farber has reported on the event, the key note speech from Neil, at CNET.com Neil Young rocks JavaOne. You can watch the key note video at the CNET website. If it had not been for Neil and Jonathan Schwartz; who loves Neil’s Rocking in the free world I might have been inclined to think that perhaps this show is staged and financed by some vendors for Blue Ray gadgets or Sony Play Stations or a promotion for the Sun Java software. But it sure was the old Neil! Casual in jeans as ever and with no iron heart. And his appearance was fully convincing, it was Neil as he is! What came to the fore was no usual media cliché or show-off of geeky stuff and smudgy terminologies borrowed from information highway but a wakeful almost teenager fascination with the project he is immersed in at present besides his other occupations that keep him updated with all that is happening around his world. And obviously he is taking it all in with a thoroughly participatory attitude. And all grasped with mind and heart, the latter inducing him to be critical when required, something that made MTV once cancel a presentation of one of his CD’S. Fully updated with the events, technology and the people around him I was amazed at his abilities. This project with Blue Ray and Java is sure enough high tech multimedia, aka a video game offering a sort of “3D tumbling experience through time” according to Larry Johnson of Shakey Films who is working on the project, especially for some one who once probably considered deep grooved record as the epitome of audio technology of the times. And sure enough he is on his way to fulfill his aim to present his recorded legacy to his fans and critics and later generations with help of the right people no doubt. But he is certainly no outsider gaining a foothold nor apparently lost in the jungle of digital terminologies. This guy seems to feel at home in more than a few dimensions. And equally dedicated to environment he is also involved on project for a fossil fuel car. Some Users at CNET have proclaimed it (this project of Neil) as a sellout, especially after having heard of a certain scheduled appearance of Neil at some local WalMart. Assuming the latter case is true, I would only recommend it. Better get that money and invest it in fossil fuel, rather than just indulge myself in tirades without the means to change anything around. However there are lots of other stories that do not necessarily depict Neil in all that favorable light, especially for having given his career priority over personal relationships, his business acumen and his having indulged somewhat in inspired but amateur stuff. The moral implications of the human acts here are significantly different from the ones that Mahatma Gandhi, who was a reformer set upon himself. A Songwriter is an artist first and a reformer or a voice of times and the disenfranchised and the exploited people of the world later. One can not judge everyone with a uniform set of norms. And a little pragmatism, even opportunism and business acumen amongst the more idealistic artists ought be encouraged.

I think such a phenomenal achievements need to be mentioned, phenomenal in the sense that Neil has after all a poets soul, unfortunately so much missing in most of the Guru’s and geeks and consumers and users of our digital modern world.
The soul that crossed the oceans looking for the heart of gold, lamenting the sacking of mother earth and the fate of the native Indians and is even now no less concerned at the losses that might potentially occur to artist from some specific Labels! As a musician, song writer, film director (pseudo name Bernard Shakey), author, active founder of non-profit school and a bit contradicting but nevertheless consistently humanistic oriented protester of the political heads of the state and the political credo’s of his times, he has had a very busy life. A life moreover enriched with a social work and active participation in social, political, musical and technological transformation taking place in the world through all the past decades ranging from the old Buffalo Springfield era to our own modern times. And he is as active today as he was decade back. And all this at an age, when many of his contemporaries have retreated into shadows of times and the comfort-offering seclusions of the old age. That way Neil has kept his brain and body forever young.

Long may you live Neil!

Mushtaq Bhat

• ^* NY Times >> (Neil Young Times)
• Neil Young rocks JavaOne >>