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Neil Young

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Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream Kindle Edition

by Neil Young (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 1,805 ratings

Editors' pick Best Biographies & Memoirs

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The perfect gift for music lovers and Neil Young fans, telling the story behind Neil Young's legendary career and his iconic, beloved songs.

“I think I will have to use my time wisely and keep my thoughts straight if I am to succeed and deliver the cargo I so carefully have carried thus far to the outer reaches.”—Neil Young, from Waging Heavy Peace

Legendary singer and songwriter Neil Young’s storied career has spanned over forty years and yielded some of the modern era’s most enduring music. Now for the first time ever, Young reflects upon his life—from his Canadian childhood, to his part in the sixties rock explosion with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, through his later career with Crazy Horse and numerous private challenges. An instant classic, Waging Heavy Peace is as uncompromising and unforgettable as the man himself.

About the Author

Neil Young’s music and songwriting—which span forty years and thirty-four studio albums of rock and roll, folk, and country, with shadings of blues, techno, and other styles—are among the most enduring and popular in modern times. From his early days with Buffalo Springfield through his solo career and collaborations with Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crazy Horse, and dozens of other notable musicians and groups, Young is acclaimed for both his musical talents and his artistic integrity. With a major hit in every decade since the sixties, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (as a solo artist in 1995 and as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997). A well-known political activist, environmentalist, and philanthropist, Young has been involved in several causes, notably cofounding Farm Aid and The Bridge School, which assists children with physical impairments and communication needs. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In his lively, rollicking, high-spirited, and reflective memoir, Young, the hugely influential Canadian singer-songwriter invites readers to sit down on his porch for comfortable conversations about his guitars, his bands, his cars, his inventions, his trains (he owns a small share in Lionel), and his family. Musically, he ruminates, he may or may not have peaked because "other things continue to grow and develop long afterward, enriching and growing the spirit and the soul." Young openly shares intimate moments of life with his sons, Zeke and Ben, who suffer from cerebral palsy, and his artist daughter, Amber, devoting entire chapters to the ways they have changed his life, as well as to his beloved wife, Pegi, and their life together. Like one of his long, inventive jams, Young weaves crystalline lyrics and notes about friends Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, and Bruce Springsteen, former band mates Stephen Stills, and the late great pedal steel player Ben Keith of the Stray Gators, with reflections on the enduring beauty of nature, and the lasting power and influence of music. (Oct.) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Elliptical and personal…Waging Heavy Peace eschews chronology and skips the score-settling and titillation of other rocker biographies. Still, Young shows a little leg and has some laughs…. As the book progresses, the operatics of the rock life give way to signal family events, deconstructions of his musical partnerships and musings on the natural world. It is less a chronicle than a journal of self-appraisal.” –David Carr, The New York Times

“Waging Heavy Peace finally is Neil Young on Neil Young. Inasmuch as this memoir compares to anything, it's Dylan on Dylan in Chronicles Volume 1, and at the risk of offending, one must read it as perhaps one might the Bible: Young's reality is plastic, his prose prophetic; and myth, metaphor and madness meander through his musings….It is a beautiful book, and the sturdy stock gives it a substantial heft. The prose is conversational, peppered with sentence fragments, more stream-of-consciousness than narrative. This in itself is lovely, as reading this book likely is a close as most of us will get to riding with Young in his bus, shooting the breeze, reminiscing.” –Ted St. Godard, Winnipeg Free Press (Canada)

“Terrific: modest, honest, funny and frequently moving…Waging Heavy Peace takes the form of a diary, a life-in-the-day structure that gives Mr. Young room to maneuver, as he takes us on a wander round his memory palace… In many ways, the closest antecedent to Waging Heavy Peace may be Laurence Sterne's 1760 masterpiece, Tristram Shandy…Elegance itself.” –Wesley Stace, Wall Street Journal

“An inspirational account of tragedy, triumph, and toy trains…If you love Neil Young you will love his autobiography….There is humor in his approach, and a preoccupation with the feeling of things; of sound, and with the world of soul and spirit…. [Young’s] is a hero’s story; a man put through trial after trial who is still fighting at the end with humor, courage, and rage to be the most powerful and genuine artist he can possibly be.” –Suzanne Vega, The Times (London)

“Remarkable…Young has neither burned out nor faded away.” –Bruce Ward, The Ottawa Citizen

“Revealing, even (at times) oddly beautiful, a stream-of-consciousness-meditation on where Young has been, where he thinks he's going and, perhaps most revealing, where he is right now…. It is compelling to see a figure as prominent as Young — arguably one of the five or 10 most influential figures in the history of rock 'n' roll — express himself in such an unfiltered way.” –David Ulin, The Los Angeles Times

“Full of casual asides, unpredictable tangents and open-ended questions as he looks back on his life at age 66....Young appears to be setting down his memories in real time as they occur to him...Dryly hilarious...poignant....Waging Heavy Peace shows that Young is still in full possession of that stubborn, brilliant, one-of-a-kind instrument. He doesn't always go exactly where you want him to, or stay long enough once he gets there, but did anyone really expect anything else?" –Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone (four stars)

“Like an epic jam with Crazy Horse, it's loose and baggy and always in the moment… The strength of Waging Heavy Peace lies in its openness and honesty. When you put Young's book down, you feel you know him.” –Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer

“An honest, insightful, engaging and, dare we say, fun literary rambling. It’s a yarn told by a good buddy in a dark bar over beers and tequilas with great music on the jukebox in the background.” –Bob Ruggiero, The Houston Chronicle

“Surreal….Fittingly, Peace unfolds like a blustery Crazy Horse jam…occasionally hitting on an enrapturing revelation …a contradictory tale…refreshing.” –Entertainment Weekly

"Young has consistently demonstrated the unbridled passion of an artist who understands that self-renewal is the only way to avoid burning out. For this reason, he has remained one of the most significant artists of the rock and roll era." —Eddie Vedder

“Young writes with dry eloquence in a voice that is clearly his own…His narrative voice is like his music—direct, emotional, hopeful, sometimes funny, willfully naïve, and often, quite beautiful… At its core, Waging Heavy Peace is a story about love of the enduring variety.” –Jeff Miers, Buffalo News

“Lively, rollicking, high-spirited, and reflective… Like one of his long, inventive jams, Young weaves crystalline lyrics and notes about friends… with reflections on the enduring beauty of nature, and the lasting power and influence of music.” — Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Straight from the wandering mind and pure heart of Neil Young… Fascinating.” – Portland Oregonian

“A thick, digressive epic…Waging Heavy Peace is like his career in microcosm. Nearly 500 elliptical pages long, the book is beautiful, psychedelic, rootsy, ragged, terse, boring, riveting, sad, funny, nostalgic and forward-looking…. A must-read for Neil fans.” – David Marchese, SPIN

“Outspoken, wildly discursive, and thoroughly mesmerizing.” –Megan O’Grady, Vogue.com

“[Young] makes some of his finest music in this lyrical memoir, massaging our souls by hitting just the right chords with his words.” —BookPage

“Fascinating.” –Evan Schlansky, American Songwriter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Print length

516 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Plume
Publication date

September 25, 2012
Reading age

18 years and up
File size

7892 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007K3E2LI
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Plume; 1st edition (September 25, 2012)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 25, 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 7892 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 516 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #435,914 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #331 in Rock Music (Kindle Store)
- #1,079 in Arts & Photography (Kindle Store)
- #1,524 in Rock Band Biographies

Customer Reviews:
4.2 1,805 ratings

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astrololee

Waging war on non heavy peace lovers!!!

Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2012

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I love this book. Written in the vein of how Neil really thinks and feels about life. Its a journey through "The Past" up to "Nowadays" and is a fascinating read.
If you, the reviewer want literary genius forget it....if you want an account of what has actually taken place in Neil's life chronologically, then also forget that too. However if you want feelings and memories of things that have occurred and how Neil sees these events, in his own mind, then read this compelling autobiography.
Yep it's true, Neil's memory may not be as accurate as the real timing of events but his feelings relayed here are in real time, up to date and true, in thought and words. The reading is compelling, totally absorbing and quite witty to boot. Neil can be so funny, but also, so matter of fact at the same time, so much so, that you can even get a laugh out of his narrations. It's like he's just messaging you back on a phone text or just making an "off the cuff" remark, like you just passed him in the supermarket aisle and asked "How you doing Neil?" and got an answer that you were not totally expecting.
When you have loved and followed this guy for as long as his many lifetime fans have done, in particular all the "Rusties" then most of this book's facts are not surprising, but his thought processes and retelling of the events are!!! The reason why most of us love Neil is because he has not stuck to anyone's expectations of what should be imparted to his loyal following. Neil just does not question what bits of his life should be given out to the general public...and for most of his loyal fans, we all applaud his stance on this. I mean when one gives of themselves to others, then they are subject to ridicule and further questioning, which Neil will naturally not give a hoot about and even when he is pressed for a response, you are likely to get one of his "WTF" comebacks to; I mean this is his life, his memory and HEY if is doesn't exactly line up with your accuracy of what may have occurred, well that's not his problem, only yours...and GOD love the man, I totally agree with him.
The book is told in the fashion of one of his songs, it starts off jumping all over the place, goes nowhere and yet it takes you on a journey of the soul and ends with a crescendo with the listener wanting more....yep it truly does this, and if it doesn't for you, then as Neil himself says, give the book to someone else to read..Hahaha! If you don't and keep reading you are likely to get very disappointed, if you wanted to hear snippets of Neil dishing out the dirt on someone and someone, then you will be wasting time looking for those "Words"!
Personally I loved the book. It was Neil wearing his "Heart on a Sleeve" in regards to things that really matter to Neil and SHOULD matter to the rest of the world in general. Yep Neil has done his utmost to convey to anyone whom may care to listen, about the environment; issues such as fossil fuel and finding alternatives that are relevant to the 21st century. He has done his utmost to improve services for children with severe disabilities, like his son Ben Young. More recently he is on a mission to improve the sound we hear today through computerised technology. PONO may be the best new technologically advancement music needs even if you may not be able to afford it or can't wait long enough for the implementation to become available. In the book he certainly doesn't mind reiterating the fact many times over that "Sound" matters and as one of his fans, I agree wholeheartedly with what he is trying to achieve. The rest of the world will just have to catch up with Neil in his thought processes but for us fans, he is making a stand which we all applaud and hope that his endeavours will be successful. Neil himself realises that he out on a limb monetary wise, however he has his heart and soul into this project and hopes that we ordinary folk may eventually hear music the way it is originally recorded, in all its' glory...and I for one cannot wait for that day to occur! If I could digress here and borrow some of the words to the Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth" and say.."Hey what's that sound, everybody look what's going down"...lol!
In the book Neil relays his passion of things that matter to him, his family, his wife, his love of cars, trains sets and the quality of music. He is passionate and a willing believer that eventually the world may become a better place to live in, with projects like LincVolt (his car conversion from fossil fuel dependency to battery/generated electro power)and cleaner Greenhouse gas emissions, most of us would agree, that he has his work cut out for him but want him to succeed, despite the setbacks and disappointments he has been through.
Neil talks about writing more books "cause that's what aging Rock Stars do to earn money" in order to survive in this cut throat world of technology. Especially, when people can download your songs for nothing, give back nothing to the creator, artist and instigator of such works there has to be another way of procuring some monetary gain and books seem like the next best things!
I think personally, I would rather pay for another vinyl record or CD from Neil, either from himself or whomever he wishes to collaborate with at the time! I don't download from "world wide web" sites and still prefer to buy hard copies and pay for them, hoping that some royalties will eventually go back to the artist....unfortunately not everyone feels as I do!
In closing I would like to say, if you are a Neil Young Fan then you will love this book and love the man, like he is one of your own off spring, warts and all. "Long May You Run" Neil and if you ever give up your day job, keep writing books!

5 people found this helpful

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Gridley

A Journey Through The Past with Ole Neil

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2012

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Neil and I go back a long way. Not that we were pals, you understand, or musician-comrades. Part of the phenomenon of `sixties/`seventies rock and folk music was that these musicians wrote songs that we could not only understand, but ones we could relate to from our own lives. They were visionaries, a step or two ahead of the rest of us - partially because they had already exposed themselves to a broader spectrum of society than that of those of us hunkered down in jobs, marriages, families, or other social structures that limited our life experiences, and partially because they were able to articulate their feelings toward a world that seemed yet to be born from that broader view of modern life. We attached ourselves to these musicians and their art in an emotional manner, trusting that by doing so we could not only understand this strange, new world that seemed to be emerging, but that we could thrive in it by doing so.

I'd be the first to say that these musicians would have had apoplexy at the responsibility inherent in embracing such ties to all of us,and that's why, I think, the best of them kept on changing their bands, their musical styles, the tone and nature of their lyrics. By doing so, they were tacitly saying, "This is me, but if you can relate to bits and pieces of me, then take what you need and leave the rest for someone else." And I think we all realized very soon that the "me" in this was a grander sense of self, a self all or some of us could share as true parts of each of us.

Neil's writing here is very much like a lot of his music: off the cuff, casual (sometimes to the point of being inarticulate), emotional. The trick to "understanding" Neil, Dylan, and so many others, was to absorb a feeling, something non-verbal, that perhaps only music could communicate. Still, toward the end of this book, I began to understand what Neil Young had been up to all those years - not in terms of music, but that of conversation. It took me quite a few pages to understand that this book isn't prose per se; it's a conversation in a Picasso-like, multidimensional way - with all of us who had followed his music through the years, but with those dear, personal friends of his who were now departed, and with those like his son Ben, who through birth defect can't talk or walk.

I want to go on - in detail - and mention how I and my closest friends of that early era related to some of his albums: "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere," "After The Goldrush," his earlier work with the Buffalo Springfield band, and later with Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, and his Rust Never Sleeps tour. Then, as he began to assume senior status in the music world, his mentoring of younger talent. But I won't go into all that.

Neil's still out there, searching, looking for relevance in both music and a world drowning in its own leavings. He uses the book partly to promote a new sound system that captures the fuller aural spectrum of sound that musicians hear, a palate once available on vinyl, but not in the current digital world. And he's passionate about alternative energy to drive vehicles, something he experiments with himself.

This isn't a memoir, as you would expect one to be written. Neil doesn't talk down to anyone. He's simply an everyman with a voice larger than most, and he hasn't let that go to write this book.

16 of 20 stars.

6 people found this helpful

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Tony Hayton

Enigmatic, Eclectic, Eccentric and a Survivor

Reviewed in Canada on August 29, 2021

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Gave as a gift to 2 Neil Young fans. Makes a great gift.
More on their takes later.
So far positive.

One person found this helpful

DF

Arrived early

Reviewed in Australia on February 27, 2021

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Well packaged in new condition as advertised. Neil Young tells it how he sees it. Sometimes self-critical, sometimes glossing over the more extraordinary turn arounds (like leaving Stephen Stills mid-tour) or CSN +/-Y in the recording studio. But still, its a must have from NY himself.

One person found this helpful

Daniel

Five Stars

Reviewed in India on November 11, 2015

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Brilliant book by a brilliant guy

Paolo Giorgi

When a book speaks

Reviewed in Italy on January 10, 2014

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Reading Neil's words instead of listening to them has been an extraordinary experience. His book is like a long long LP with right pauses and highs and lows related to his caleidoscope life and love for human beings as well as for music. The result is the image of a man who has never been afraid of anything and that has always been coherent with himself. An inspiring book for those who are searching good reasons to live.

FPS666

Imprescindible para fans de Neil Young

Reviewed in Spain on March 14, 2013

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Está claro que no es el libro mejor escrito de la historia; Neil Young salta de un tema a otro en los diferentes capítulos según le van viniendo los recuerdos, pero creo que ese es parte del encanto del libro, frente a las biografías co-escritas con algún "especialista" en biografías. Antes me había leído Shakey de Jimmy McDonough y me pareció un coñazo, mucho más detallado quizás, pero bastante infumable.
Las anécdotas y experiencias que cuenta de todas sus épocas (infancia, inicios en Cánada, Buffalo Springfield, CSNY y toda su carrera en solitario y con los Crazy Horse) harán las delicias de los fans del artista y ayudan a conocerlo un poco mejor.
El único pero que le encuentro es su obsesión con el nuevo sistema de sonido (Pure Tone o Pono) que pretende desarrollar para sustituir al mp3, porque asegura que éste último tiene muy poca calidad y no permite que los fans de la música disfruten de la música, tal y como los artistas la habían creado. El asunto le debe obsesionar bastante y le dedica un montón de páginas en diversas partes del libro, haciéndose un poco cansino. En cualquier caso, esto no resta para nada interés al libro y estoy seguro que todos los fans del canadiense lo disfrutarán.

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