SXSW 2006 Keynote - Neil YoungNeil Young didn't come to play but instead to talk about his new film with Jonathon Demme and work of creating musicBy Kate Pasieka
"More than anything I am a reflection of what I see. I don’t know how to talk about my relation with writing music, I just can’t seem to stop," said Young. "Now and then there are breaks and then it’s like a dam bursts, whereas before I wrote all the time. I don’t know where it comes from…some stream of consciousness. I just know that I can’t analyze it, I can’t think about it too much." When asked if he gets any physical signs that lead him to writing, Young noted, "You can trick the songs into Interestingly, Young said he relates to what Bob Dylan said about writing 'Times Are a Changin’ with this quote – "You can’t be who you were – be now – sometimes it’s confusing." When Young first mounted the live musical theatre production Greendale in West Palm Beach, Florida, he revelled in dealing with the public’s mixed reactions. "People thought it was unprofessional and that’s what I was going for. The whole thing was so new. It felt good because the crowd actually stood up and cheered for 10 minutes at the end of the show. I was so validated, I could come back out and do stuff like Cortez the Killer," said Young. "When you’re terrified doing something new – it’s great, it’s good to be scared. I read USA Today saying people felt ripped off when they saw the Greendale because I didn’t do particular songs – and I knew then I was on the right track! I knew I was doing the right thing. We’re all barometers for each other." In Meeting Crazy Horse was a pivotal moment and one that Young credits for his change in musical direction at the time. "I didn’t really get the rock ‘n roll thing until I heard Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Reid. Then I met the guys in Crazy Horse and something happened." Always resolute in his convictions, he confirmed his struggles with commitment – of all kinds. "With writing, you can’t have commitments. Commitments are one of the worst things for making music," said Young. "You cannot let yourself get distracted – no matter – you’re responsible to your muse. Forget what you’re doing. Isolate yourself." SXSW - Neil Young talks SXSW - Day One Pt1 SXSW - Day One Pt2 SXSW Day Two SXSW Day Three SXSW Day Four SXSW - Beastie Boys get silly |