The guitarist who reminds Neil Young of Stephen Stills: “He is such a craftsman”
Across his career, Neil Young has asserted himself as not only one of the greatest songwriters of all time but one of the most influential guitarists too, who, like Jimi Hendrix, pushed the instrument into new, more artistically viable areas than it simply being a tool for virtuosos. He instilled expressionist energy into the six-string, and without him, there would be no Sonic Youth, Nirvana or Oasis, demonstrating just how far-reaching his influence is.
Honourably dubbed ‘The Godfather of Grunge’, Young’s guitar playing established the blueprint for the expansive realm of alternative rock. Piercing, emotional and grittier than anything listeners had heard at the time, with a sharp, dissonant edge that gave even Hendrix a run for his money, his work on 1969’s Everbody Knows This Is Nowhere set the scene for the mass of groups that would emerge a decade later and beyond, continuing to push the guitar and sustain its cultural relevance.
As Young is an expert player and rose in the age of the guitar hero, he is more well-versed in what makes a genius player than most. In his time, he has discussed the works of many others, from bandmates such as the late Danny Whitten to those who inspired him, such as Scottish folk hero Bert Jansch and outlined what makes a guitarist truly great.
Given his status, Young has also converged with a host of greats from his generation, including English blues rock maestro Eric Clapton, whose expressive style is somewhat stylistically related to that of his own, regardless of the discrepancies in technical approach. Famously, the two even played together as part of an all-star show celebrating the 30th anniversary of Bob Dylan’s debut album in 1992. This included a resounding version of ‘My Back Pages’, featuring George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roger McGuinn and Dylan himself.
A few years later, in 1996, when speaking to Canada’s MuchMusic, Young reflected on Clapton’s brilliance and maintained that his playing reminds him of his old Buffalo Springfield bandmate and lifelong friend, Stephen Stills. Notably, Stills is a master guitarist who doesn’t get the full scope of plaudits he deserves. He was not only the driving force behind the short-lived Californian group but also a big part of CSN and CSNY, playing numerous instruments on the trio’s debut.
Young said of Clapton: “I love the way Eric plays, we played a couple of tunes right at that show that I really got off playing with him. He reminded me of playing with Stills in Buffalo Springfield because he is such a craftsman, such an artist the way he played, and he’s so good and there wasn’t anything he’d go for that he wouldn’t get you know, and that’s that’s fun to play with.”
The conversation then sped on past Clapton’s brilliant work and delved into the famously complex relationship between Young and Stills. Queried on whether he believes that creative friction is necessary to make great art, Young maintained that there will always be friction between him and his Texan counterpart because they are like brothers. They might surprise each other with their actions occasionally, but before all else, they are close friends and have been through things far more significant moments than simply writing music together.