Acquiring a Taste for Neil Young

Last year, I designed and taught a new class at the University of Oregon, “Music of the Woodstock Generation.” Preparing for the class gave me a good reason to read Shakey, Jimmy McDonough’s 2003 biography of Young. McDonough’s detailed accounts of Young’s approach to writing and recording music forced me to confront many of my long-held prejudices, not just about his music, but about music in general. Here I present one aspect of those reassessments, in an account of my changing relationship to Neil Young’s music. READ THE ARTICLE here and let me know what you think.