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Neil Young Nation: A Quest, an Obsession
Neil Young will turn 60 in 2005. Kevin Chong will turn 30. To celebrate these two milestones, Chong sets off on a road trip in search of his boyhood hero. Crisscrossing the continent, he visits Winnipeg, where Young formed his first band; Toronto, where Young was a Yorkville folkie; Los Angeles, where he became a star with Buffalo Springfield; and other noteworthy stops before ending up in Seattle, where he finally sees Neil Young on stage. Along the way he spars with rabid Neil fans, talks to people who knew Young as a kid, and puzzles over Young’s strange, sometimes contradictory pronouncements on such topics as digital music, the environment, AIDS, and Ronald Reagan. More than just an entertaining account of Chong’s journey, Neil Young Nation is a celebration of rock and roll, contrarianism, the allure of the road, being cool, and aging gracefully.
- GenresMusicNonfiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 30, 2010
One of the best pop-centric non-fiction books ever written.
March 19, 2023
I relate to Mr. Chong's fandom. I read this book because of my Neil devotion. Largely enjoyed it, too, even if much of it is just rehashing biographical details I know or thinking through lyrical meaning I've often spent similar brainpower on.
December 18, 2007
Early on in Neil Young Nation, Kevin Chong provides us with our talisman: “Music is better when it's shared, it becomes more real…”
I have a distinct recollections of first experiencing Neil Young: Lakota Sleepaway Camp. 14 years old. The Live Rust version of “Hey, Hey, My, My (Into the Black) playing at rhinoceros-stunning volume.” And on each grinding repetition after the initial riff, 6-8 boys jumped up and down on the bunk's unsteady wood floor, laughing maniacally. After that introduction, stomping there with my friends and bunkmates, there was a marker placed within me for Neil's music.
Neil Young, like Whitman, contains multitudes, and might be one of the few artists, by vestige of the breadth of his work, and his relentless seeking, that exemplifies any place there to be discovered, there to be found by those whose desire for connection with something larger simply must come to the fore. And it is no surprise that people who find there way to Neil seek others; this is exploratory music, music that begs to be passed around, hashed over…shared.
Throughout “Neil Young Nation” there's wonderfully cogent musical analysis. Like Lester Bangs, when Kevin Chong writes about music he loves, it makes you want to go out and listen to it more carefully than you have before. And he does this without ignoring some of Young's less successful ventures, both in music, political opinion and his personal relations. This is not hagiography, though there's a tangible affection that is palpable, for the man and his fans.
Throughout “Neil Young Nation,” Kevin Chong writes lovely descriptions throughout, such as in describing witnessing strangers in a bar: “At the short end of the backwards L-shaped bar, two women holding tight to their middle-thirties sat on their stools.” There's unexpected sweetness that mingles effortlessly with sharp, self-lacerating humor…the tale here is as much about the nature of friendship, what is unspoken yet shared, the integral part of what binds us needing no explanation.
It's also a travelogue much in the mold of Bill Bryson, showing us Yanks the lesser-known places across Canada, integral to Young's history, which Kevin Chong brings effortlessly to life. And in searching for Neil Young, Kevin presents us with a myriad of characters, real people whose lives in some way intersected with Young's, many of whom are worthy of more than supporting roles in someone else's story. But he's done his own work, on his own story; those people's stories remain to be expanded upon. May they communicate the essence of things as well as this author does in this fine work.
I have a distinct recollections of first experiencing Neil Young: Lakota Sleepaway Camp. 14 years old. The Live Rust version of “Hey, Hey, My, My (Into the Black) playing at rhinoceros-stunning volume.” And on each grinding repetition after the initial riff, 6-8 boys jumped up and down on the bunk's unsteady wood floor, laughing maniacally. After that introduction, stomping there with my friends and bunkmates, there was a marker placed within me for Neil's music.
Neil Young, like Whitman, contains multitudes, and might be one of the few artists, by vestige of the breadth of his work, and his relentless seeking, that exemplifies any place there to be discovered, there to be found by those whose desire for connection with something larger simply must come to the fore. And it is no surprise that people who find there way to Neil seek others; this is exploratory music, music that begs to be passed around, hashed over…shared.
Throughout “Neil Young Nation” there's wonderfully cogent musical analysis. Like Lester Bangs, when Kevin Chong writes about music he loves, it makes you want to go out and listen to it more carefully than you have before. And he does this without ignoring some of Young's less successful ventures, both in music, political opinion and his personal relations. This is not hagiography, though there's a tangible affection that is palpable, for the man and his fans.
Throughout “Neil Young Nation,” Kevin Chong writes lovely descriptions throughout, such as in describing witnessing strangers in a bar: “At the short end of the backwards L-shaped bar, two women holding tight to their middle-thirties sat on their stools.” There's unexpected sweetness that mingles effortlessly with sharp, self-lacerating humor…the tale here is as much about the nature of friendship, what is unspoken yet shared, the integral part of what binds us needing no explanation.
It's also a travelogue much in the mold of Bill Bryson, showing us Yanks the lesser-known places across Canada, integral to Young's history, which Kevin Chong brings effortlessly to life. And in searching for Neil Young, Kevin presents us with a myriad of characters, real people whose lives in some way intersected with Young's, many of whom are worthy of more than supporting roles in someone else's story. But he's done his own work, on his own story; those people's stories remain to be expanded upon. May they communicate the essence of things as well as this author does in this fine work.
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April 23, 2014I really dig the concept of the book. It's such a promising premise, but the author seems to go out of his way to hedge any excitement out of his and his friends' road trip.
For example, the way the author makes an effort to consistently remind us that he has no intention of meeting or interviewing Neil, citing his own fear or lack of credentials nearly every time. Have some confidence, man! You can't write a book about how Neil has inspired you, noting how he's not afraid to embarrass himself or fail in his attempts at great music, and then not even try an meet the guy for fear of not being cool enough. Sheesh. I would've much rather read that Kevin tried and failed, or if he made a clear, concise, rip-the-band-aid off argument for not attempting to meet Neil, than have him pander around the topic several times.
Anyway, I've got more -- even some good things -- to say, but I've got to get back to work...
For example, the way the author makes an effort to consistently remind us that he has no intention of meeting or interviewing Neil, citing his own fear or lack of credentials nearly every time. Have some confidence, man! You can't write a book about how Neil has inspired you, noting how he's not afraid to embarrass himself or fail in his attempts at great music, and then not even try an meet the guy for fear of not being cool enough. Sheesh. I would've much rather read that Kevin tried and failed, or if he made a clear, concise, rip-the-band-aid off argument for not attempting to meet Neil, than have him pander around the topic several times.
Anyway, I've got more -- even some good things -- to say, but I've got to get back to work...
July 30, 2007
My friend Kevin wrote this book about his obsession with Neil Young. In the same sense that you can say I've read around Joyce, this book writes around Young: Kevin never actually meets him or even tries to interview him. Instead, he traces the path of his odyssey from Ontario to LA (albeit not in a hearse) and encounters Neil's dad, the Weakerthan's John K. Sampson and various committed Rusties (NY fans) and historical Neil personages on the trip. So far, this is the only book where I get mentioned, although it's as "my friend Robyn, a UCLA film student".
September 30, 2012
Some pages, sections worked, others didn't. The premise was good, traveling a route that Neil Young took from Winnipeg to LA in 1966. The drawback was the amount of reminiscence and storytelling that went nowhere. If I had to read one more time about the author and his friends smoking drugs or the like, I think that I'd have wanted to call the police to turn them in. The stories from the Rusties (NY fans), were fun and the pictures were interesting and fun themselves.
December 8, 2009
Neil Young's music has helped me forge friendships and gotten me through tough times, so I was happy to randomly come across this book at the local library. Through Chong's life experiences, especially the ultimate road trip, he is able to shine a light on both Neil Young's life and the effect his music can have on a wide variety people.
March 16, 2009
If nothing else it made me get out my copy of reactor and give it a long over due listen
January 23, 2010
Perfect book for a Neil fan about to turn 30. Half about Neil Young, half about the writer and his friends tracing Neil's path across canada before the writer's 30th birthday.
October 9, 2012
I read this a few years ago, so I don't remember exactly how good it was, but I do remember thinking that it was quite amusing. Definitely for the Neil faithful.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews