NEIL YOUNG INTERVIEWED BY  JOHNNY WALKER
(PART ONE)

RADIO 1
7tn November 1992

J.W.- lt's been twenty years since the first album that had the word "Harvest" on it, does it seem like twenty years to you'

N.Y.- It seems like a long time. I guess it does seen like twenty years only when I think of what's happened in between, you know when I think of all the thing's that have gone down between then and now I guess that was 1972 that's a long time ago.

J.W.- there are those who have not survived or are still not making relevant music in the 90's that were around in the 60's and 70's how have you managed to do it Neil?, is it staying fit"

N.Y.- well I work out and I don't have a plan and I don't have a list of things I want to do so I mostly go by my instinct and my instinct is what tells me what I want to do next as soon as I start doing something because I want to do it then I realise that this is it I don't have a plan you know when I started making "Harvest Moon" I didn't know I was making "Harvest Moon" I wrote this song and I said " wow" this is nice.

J.W.- which one was this?

N.Y.- " You & Me" I finished it. I started it in 75 and finished it in 1991, so I said "wow" that's a nice one. I like that one I always liked the beginning of it now its nice to hear the end. SO I did that then I wrote several more songs in that time frame of a few days. Then I made a list of who I wanted To play on it so that I could decide when I wanted to have a session, thought about who I wanted to play on it, I had the same guys that were on "Harvest" the same band, that was the first indicator that I was possibly going to make a similar record to "Harvest". So we got together and we sounded real good so I wrote more songs and one of those songs was "Harvest Moon".

J.W.- Where was the recording done?

N.Y.- On my ranch in Redwood city in a little room about the size of this, very quiet little place in the woods

J.W.- It's very different to "Ragged Glory" in that it's a bit quieter it feels sort of more acoustic with steel guitar in there. Is it a different thing for you to do, is it possible to say that this kind of album feels more you or you get more from it than say the "Ragged Glory" style or what?

N.Y.- No its possible for other people to say they get more out of it some people might like one kind of music that I play more than another, but for me it's all just the latest thing that is doing you know it's just what I want to do right now so there's no difference between them. Other than the physical difference of one of them your sitting down playing very quietly listening to the nuances n' details n' little idiosyncrasies of the quietness of the sound and the other one is almost the exact opposite where your being barraged by tone and feedback so they are very different that way but the spirit of them is the same.

J.W.- I mean a lot of people perhaps who have a long history of music are still in a way trading off what they have done several years ago and you've always managed to keep one step ahead and been doing new things and just staying close to the spirit of the music.

N.Y.- I just really try to do what I feel like doing and not ever try to do anything for a reason other than that, and in that way sometimes in busy sometimes I'm not but I do keep changing because people like to change its a natural thing. I mean that's the way I was brought up is to keep changing I went to twelve different schools before I finished in grade 11 or whenever I dropped out and my family moved around all the time, there were always different things happening, so in my life I can roll with that I like to just... with music I don't like to force it you know I don't like to play something I don't want to play. A few times I've gotten involved in things that I've pulled out of because of that, because I thought it was goanna be fun and then it ended up not being fun, then as soon as it starts to get to be a job I'm out I don't want to work, playing is hard enough.

J.W.- What about the opening song on the album "Unknown Legend", just a lovely feeling of freedom about it, was it sort of inspired by someone you know or is it just a story you made up or what?

N.Y.- Well its inspired by some people that I know and some people that I don't know, all kinds of things put together I guess I started it in 82 and finished it in 92 there's a couple of songs on the album that I started a long time ago and finished recently that's one of them and the other one is "You & Me" so those are just pictures, peoples lives. A lot of the common thing is survival, of not losing what it is that you were when you were young, but take it with you, take it with you into your age don't leave it behind

J.W.- There will be many people who listen to "Harvest Moon·' who hadn't heard "Harvest" but for us old timers who had, in way it's almost like a letter to a friend saying well here we are almost twenty years on we've made it or were still here

N.Y.- Right were still here and were making it last, you know were keeping it going its about relationships and longevity and keeping the spark you know you don't have to lose it cause your growing older. I really think that's what its about, our whole generation is at this point where their starting to wonder whether they are to old to feel anymore, you know and its true that you can feel, its all still there if you let it. So I guess that's part of what the records about it seems to be a theme that comes through in a few of the songs.

J.W.- I mean one thing that's been good for you really is to maintain your individual freedom which you wouldn't have had if you'd have been a member of a band

N.Y.- Yeah I've been a member of many bands not one specific band I'm lucky in the friends I have I'm very lucky to have this wealth of musicians to choose from and its growing all the time people that I know that I enjoy making music with. The size of this bunch of people, its expanding and this is goad news. Like playing with Booker T and the MGs last week I realised hey I could probably make a record with these guys, you know if I have the right kind of songs it might happen. Playing with Eric Clapton I never played with him before that show. I thought we played together really well the guitars really blended nicely so maybe something will happen there, you know I'm always looking for something new. I always want to do something new I keep my eye open for it, if that doesn't happen if there's a reason for it and I still have all these people I already know and I
can choose one of them and then that's what its meant to be you know.

J.W.- There's also a whisper following that Dylan concert that you got on very well with Lou Reed, that perhaps there might be something you'd do together in the future there?

N.Y.- Well Lou and I have always kind of had a thing for our music is similar, there's a lot of similarities to our music I've always wanted to play with Lou with two guitars bass and drums me and Lou and a bass player and drummer I think we'd be a pretty funky deal we could probably do something interesting with that and I'd like to do that sometime and I talked to him about it and maybe when the material is there or the situation is right or whatever I wouldn't mind going to New York and trying something. A lot of things happened for me, a lot of things started to germinate, a lot of ideas kind of came together at that show.

J.W.- Its amazing that it took until 1992 for you to meet some people... like other people your peers who've been around equally as long term like Clapton

N.Y.- Yeah well I've met Eric before I mean I've seen him before but we were in the same dressing room got a chance to talk a little then it just so happened the way things worked out we were playing together quite often there's you know... he plays lead guitar and everybody else plays rhythm but I'm not that kind of guitar player I like to support a lead guitar player and play lead myself, and you know interact, and I know how to do that from playing in the Buffalo Springfield and playing with Stills, so it was a real pleasure to play with Eric.

J.W.- The song "From Hank to Hendrix" you were talking about relationships and the longevity and things like that, this story tells you about the longevity of it but also it seems to be heading for the divorce courts, have I read it right ?

N.Y.- That's part of the story there's a whole bunch of things in there like relationships are that way you know, constantly wondering which way things are going to go whether its going to last or whether its going to explode, you know that's part of a romantic relationship, you know a certain amount of turmoil and this and that happening.

J.W.- Everywhere you look the divorce rate seems to be rocketing and you wonder that in a way these individuals involved in this relationship are just feeling they have to go their individual way.

N.Y.- Its a question that's kind of, its nudged... nudge up against the question in that verse of the song but it goes on, the divorce never is mentioned again its just another element of the relationship.

J.W.- Are you likely to be doing a live show playing songs from "Harvest Moon"

N.Y.- Well that depends on what I do next you know, what comes up I'm trying to stay open and I know it would probably be a good thing for me to go out and play with this band and play this music and support the record, but there's always the off chance that I'm going to think of something new, something else might happen and I'm not going to push it because there's no reason to push it so I'm not looking for something new to do I'm just sort of waiting around to feel my own barometer, and see what I should do I don't really know, haven't figured that out yet or just haven't got a clear take on it.