 Original hardcover | |
| Author | Neil Young |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Autobiography |
| Publisher | Blue Rider Press |
Publication date | 2012 |
| Pages | 502 p. |
| ISBN | 9780399159466 |
| OCLC | 798809870 |
| 782.42166092 | |
| LC Class | 2012026138 |
Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream is the first autobiography by the rock musician Neil Young, published in 2012. Featuring a non-linear narrative, the book covers aspects of his career, family life, hobbies, and non-musical pursuits. It was generally well-received among critics.
The book is Young's first autobiography and was written in 2011. [1] According to Jimmy McDonough in the 2002 biography Shakey, Young had previously stated he would not write about himself. [2] He explains his reasons for writing the book in a chapter called "Why This Book Exists". The 66-year-old musician states that the book is meant to make money to allow him a recuperation period away from touring and music-making. [3] Young, who suffered a brain aneurysm in 2005, mentions the possibility of dementia in his father's health history as providing an additional impetus for writing his memoirs. [3] The musician stopped drinking and smoking marijuana during the writing period. [4] Young declined a ghostwriter from his publisher – writing is a family trade: father Scott Young was a sports columnist and prolific writer. [4]
One focus of the work is Young's family. He discusses his two wives, including then-current wife Pegi and first wife Susan Acevedo as well as his relationship with Carrie Snodgress. He also talks about his children, including sons Ben and Zeke, who suffer from cerebral palsy. [2] [4] Young's home, the northern California ranch called Broken Arrow, features in the book. [3]
Young's hobbies are discussed at length. He relates his love of model train building and his involvement with Lionel, LLC, a model train company, where he is a board member. [5] He talks about his interest in carpentry, and his forays into filmmaking. [5] Vehicles are another love, including his 1953 Buick Skylark and the electric-converted Lincoln Continental, known as LincVolt (Young is a proponent of electric vehicles and designed the LincVolt himself). [4] Yet another obsession is his PureSound audio system (now known as Pono), which aims to replace iPod as the dominant digital music format. [4]
In terms of his career, the book covers his early years as a performer in Canada, including his time with the Squires in Winnipeg, Manitoba. [5] Young's California days, his work in the 1980s with his charity the Bridge School Benefit, and the health problems of the 2000s also feature in the book. [5]
The book was generally received well, although with the caveat that it is more enjoyable for fans than for those unfamiliar with the artist. [1] [5] The Guardian said the style was "distinctly unplugged", and the direction "unpredictable". [4] The New York Times made comparisons to novelist Stephen King in terms of writing style, commented that the author "seems completely free of guile", and approved of the affirmative, positive tone of Young's recollections. [3] Several reviewers made comparisons to Bob Dylan's autobiographical Chronicles: Volume One . [5] The New Orleans Times-Picayune called it "a satisfying read for the true fan." [5] The Los Angeles Times described it as "sprawling, improvisational", "a stream-of-consciousness-meditation", and calls it less a memoir than a self-portrait. [6] Canada's National Post called it a "disarming, beguiling autobiography". [1]
Neil Percival Young is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and filmmaker. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and others. Since the beginning of his solo career with his backing band Crazy Horse, he has released many critically acclaimed and important albums, such as Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Gold Rush, Harvest, On the Beach and Rust Never Sleeps. He was a part-time member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
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LincVolt is a 1959 Lincoln Continental, owned by musician Neil Young, that was converted into a more fuel-efficient, hybrid demonstrator vehicle.
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Psychedelic Pill is the 32nd studio album by Canadian / American musician Neil Young, released on October 30, 2012. It is the second collaboration between Young and Crazy Horse released in 2012 and their first original work together since the Greendale album and tour in 2003 and 2004. The album was streamed on Young's website on October 24, 2012, and leaked onto the Internet the same day.
Pono was a portable digital media player and music download service for high-resolution audio. It was developed by musician Neil Young and his company PonoMusic, which raised money for development and initial production through a crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter. Production and shipments to backers started in October 2014, and shipments to the general public began in the first quarter of 2015.
Who I Am is a memoir by rock guitarist and composer Pete Townshend of the Who. It was published by HarperCollins in October 2012 in both book and e-book format, plus an unabridged 15-CD audiobook read by Townshend. The book chronicles Townshend's upbringing in London, the formation and evolution of the Who, and his struggles with rock stardom and drugs and alcohol. The title is a play on words, referring to the Who's hit single, "Who Are You" as well as the album of the same name.
Neil McCormick is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster. He has been Chief Music Critic for The Daily Telegraph since 1996, and presented a music interview show for Vintage TV in the UK, Neil McCormick's Needle Time. McCormick is a close associate of rock group U2.
Autobiography is a book by the British singer-songwriter Morrissey, published in October 2013.
I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir is the second autobiographical memoir of American musician Brian Wilson, written by journalist Ben Greenman through several months of interviews with Wilson. It was intended to supplant Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story, Wilson's disowned autobiography from 1991. I Am Brian Wilson was published by Da Capo Press on October 11, 2016, one month after the release of Mike Love's autobiography: Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy.
Me is the autobiography of the English singer, pianist and composer Elton John. It was released on 15 October 2019 by Macmillan Publishers. It was ghostwritten by journalist Alexis Petridis, who worked on the book with John for three and a half years.
The Meaning of Mariah Carey is a memoir by Mariah Carey, released on September 29, 2020. It was written with Michaela Angela Davis, and was published by Andy Cohen Books, an imprint of Henry Holt, as well as in an audiobook format read by Carey herself on Audible. The book navigates the complex racial, social, cultural and familial tensions associated with Carey's upbringing as a biracial woman in Long Island, New York. This is framed alongside first-hand descriptions of the singer's personal and professional triumphs and struggles, and is interspersed with fragments of Carey's songwriting output.
The Neil Young & Crazy Horse 1969 and 1970 tours were concert tours by Canadian musician Neil Young and his band Crazy Horse. It was in support of his, 1969 album, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. It featured many songs from the upcoming album After The Gold Rush.
