As a lifelong fan of Neil Young, I have to say that I never expected to see him write his autobiography. Young has never been one to talk about himself, so the odds of him writing such a book seemed remote at best. Although he does not mention it, one has to wonder if Keith Richards’ excellent Life influenced his decision to finally do it. Whatever the reason, in his sprawling 502-page Waging Heavy Peace, Young opens up like never before.
In some ways, the book has a lot in common with his music. He has pursued a number of stylistic directions over the years, be it acoustic, electric, or even the electronics of Trans. No matter what the records sound like though, they are all unequivocally his. The same holds true for the book. The many directions his life has taken are discussed, as are other interests such as cars, trains, and his devotion to improving the sound quality of online music. Young is genuinely appalled by MP3s, and a major goal of his is to upgrade it and the other online delivery formats.
In addressing the various subjects in the book, Young juggles a number of narratives. There is the basic story of the young Canadian rocker who comes to America seeking his fame and fortune. Then he will take a side-trip to talk about how wonderful life in Topanga Canyon was in the early ‘70s, and on into the meeting of his first wife, and later buying the ranch he named Broken Arrow.
It seems very much like Young just sat down and wrote as the muse struck. Unlike Richards’ Life, Young’s look back is not chronological. It seems to be more of a stream of consciousness way of writing, and this structure sets it apart. Young goes for the moments, with vivid descriptions of situations like the fevered state he was in when he wrote “Cowgirl in the Sand,” “Down by the River,” and “Cinnamon Girl.” Sprinkled in between are remembrances of favorite cars, his model trains, and his work in improving sound quality.
With 502 pages to work with, it seems like he gets it all in there. But it is somewhat hard to follow if one is just looking for the “straight” story of his life. But this is Neil Young after all. Over the years, he has been asked many times about what his “real” musical style is. More than just about any major artist I can think of, he has made records in an incredibly diverse array of modes. When asked about this, he has always responded with words to the effect of it all being one, that every song he has ever written is part of the larger whole.
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