Neil Young sings IMAGINE at Hollywood show for victims

Fox News | 9-21-01 | None

[OKSooner]

This morning on Fox News, they ended a segment with a clip of Neil Young, in his old cowboy hat, singing IMAGINE. This was at last nite's show in Hollywood to presumably benefit the families of the victims of the act of war in New York.

[Long Cut]

Rock, I'm sure your heart's in the right place but you have to admit, this song and who sung it were totally out of place. Let's face it, lots of our favorite artists, while able to write music, did spend quite a lot of time doped up and slithering around with lefties and PP's. I used to think "Stairway to Heaven" was High Art, but later I realized that whenever Plant was asked about it , he gave a different answer. The reality was, it was written by a stoned 22-year-old Tolkien fan. It's still a fun listen, but attaching deep meaning to it is a waste of time.

[itwasntme]

I wish these Hollywood stars would just
SHUT THE HELL UP
And Write A Check
But, You sure can't beat the publicity...thank god their agents were able to book them!!

Oh I see their time is what they donated...thats worth a lot!!!

[Howlin]

Humming along.......LOL.

[Paul Atreides]

I know the feeling.

[humblegunner]

Neil Young is a liberal freak.. Lynard Skynard
said it best...
"A Southern Man don't need him around, anyhow"
FReegards..

[Long Cut]

By the way , how old are you? No offense meant, just want an idea of your outlook.

[Howlin]

"Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world

I am no one world tinfoiler, but there it is in black and white. I don't want to SHARE with the whole world.

[rocker68]

Good point. I agree with that.

[rocker68]

I'm 33 years young.

[JohnPaulJones]

T-SHIRTS</a href>

[Paul Atreides]

You are preaching to the choir....I'm from Alabama.

[eternity]

Watching that show last night was like watching something out of Dante. All that fire on stage was like it was being broadcast directly from Hell itself. Reminded me of an episode of The Simpsons where Homer is sent down and meets the devil.

[rocker68]

Well let's just see what happens. I'm glad that they did donate their time to make the fundraising last night possible. The victims could use all the assistance they can get. That is my main concern at this time along with the well being of our armed forces.

[SteveH]

I did not see it mentioned elsewhere here so I will say it. Neil Young is or at least was a Republican, at a time when it was almost unheard of for a rock star to be a Republican. I would guess this would have been in the early '80s when I heard it, plus or minus. From his songs, and in consideration of the times in which he wrote them, I sense that Young is a contrarian. I would define contrarian in this sense as someone who takes pleasure in looking at the other side of an issue and exploiting it for intellectual or visceral or emotional impact.

As for singing the song, "Imagine", I have no illusions that people here have not nailed Lennon for what he was: an espouser of communist ideology through his later works, including the song. However, that is not the only value of a song. I think most people would probably home in on the overall theme of peace and miss the specific references to communism. I miss most of the lyrics most of the time to most popular songs, and only came across the communist slant of "Imagine" through FR.

So why did Young sing "Imagine" even though he is conservative? Here is a hypothesis- I just think he is deliberately going outside his own envelope musically.I think Young is slumming and if anyone follows his politics closely, it is just another way of saying **** you if you thought you could predict me. Can't imagine Young onstage without hunched over a guitar? Well, there he was on keyboards- multiple sets. That would be typical for someone with a rebel bent like Young. This is not to idolize him or even to excuse his choice of songs but to give some background. He probably stood out like a sore thumb backstage, with all the antsy pantsy New York polyester liberals running around (I think he has a ranch on the SF Bay peninsula). Give a guy a break once in a while. If nothing else, Young takes what he was born with and made it go a long, long way. And I'd bet in person he would come across as authentic, someone you could hang out with and even observe making an occasional mistake or two, and then laughing it off.

Who knows, he could be reading this right now and laughing his *** off at everyone in FR who thinks he's gone commie.

Think about it.

Just my $0.02.

[itwasntme]

I did enjoy seeing muhammed ali, say "If I was able... I would do something about this."

LOL...I believe he did have his chance..that was called Vietnam and he decided to run!

[kiwiexpat]

The lyrics of Imagine can be taken in a number of ways, including an as ode to communism, if your the type who fears Reds under the bed. Personally, I think that Neil Young is a great, and is one of the few from the sixties who has remains vital and relevant. He leaves most of his contemporaries for dead. Personally, I didn't like the choice of song, and would have prefered that he did "Rocking in the Free World" with that great line "Don't feel like Satan, but I am to them, so I try to forget it anyway I can." Seems appropriate with these fanatics viewing the US as the Great Satan. By the way, Neil came out in support Reagan during the 1980s and says that he's a greater capitalist than his fans would ever think. Go figure.

[Long Cut]

What a coink-e-dinc. So am I. Remember how we used to listen to this stuff in our teens? Usually after consuming some cheap beer or whiskey? Does it still seem so "heavy", man?

[FReethesheeples]

Neil YOung has a "tin ear" politically, morally, and musically.

Rmemeber how Lynnard Skynnard put him down in the "Sweet Home Alabama" song:

Something like "we don't need Neil Young..."

[FReethesheeples]

Neil YOung has a "tin ear" politically, morally, and musically.

Rmemeber how Lynnard Skynnard put him down in the "Sweet Home Alabama" song:

Something like "we don't need Neil Young..."

[FReethesheeples]

Neil YOung has a "tin ear" politically, morally, and musically.

Rmemeber how Lynnard Skynnard put him down in the "Sweet Home Alabama" song:

Something like "we don't need Neil Young..."