Shakey: Neil Young's Biography

by JimmyMcDonough (Author)

• New

  paperback
  

  $18.27

  Neil Young is one of rock and roll's most important, influential and enigmatic figures, an intensely reticent artist who has granted no writer access to his inner sanctum - until now. Shakey is the whole story of Young's incredible life and career: from his childhood in Canada to the founding of folk-rock pioneers Buffalo Springfield; the bleary conglomeration of Crazy Horse and the monstrous success of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; to the depths of the Tonight's the Night depravity and the Geffen years; and Young's unprecedented nineties 'comeback'. Shakey (the title refers to one of Young's many aliases) is also the compelling human story of a lonely kid for whom music was the only outlet, a driven yet tortured figure who controlled his epilepsy via 'mind over matter', an oddly passionate model train mogul who, inspired by his own son's struggle with cerebral palsy, became a major activist in the quest to help those with the condition. This long-awaited, unprecedented story of a rock 'n' roll legend is uniquely told through the interwoven voices of McDonough - biographer, critic, historian, obsessive fan - and the ever-cantankerous (but slyly funny) Young himself.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2002

  $4.22

  Neil Young is one of rock 'n' roll's most important, influential and enigmatic figures; an intensely reticent artist who has granted no writer access to his inner sanctum - until now. In this biography, McDonough tells the whole story of Young's life and career. Starting with his Canadian childhood, it covers the founding of folk-rock pioneers Buffalo Springfield, the bleary conglomeration of Crazy Horse and the simultaneous monstrous success of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, trawls through the depths of the Tonight's the Night depravity and the strange changes of the Geffen years, to Young's unprecedented 90s comeback with Ragged Glory and Harvest Moon . No detail is spared - not the sex, drugs, relationships, breakups, births and deaths, nor the variety of chameleon-like transformations that have enabled Young to remain one of the most revered musical forces of our time. Shakey (the title refers to one of Young's many aliases) is not only a detailed chronicle of the rock era, it is also the compelling human story of a lonely kid for whom music was the only outlet; a driven yet tortured figure who learned to control his epilepsy via mind over matter , an oddly passionate model train mogul who, inspired by his own struggle, became active in the quest to help those with cerebral palsy. This work is based on dialogue with hundreds of Young's associates as well as extensive exclusive interviews with Young himself, who puts his biographer through some unforgettable paces while answering the question: Is it better to burn out than to fade away?