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A review by tjr
Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream by Neil Young
3.0
To paraphrase my Dad, "I don't think Neil Young is that good of a writer."
Imagine: my Dad and I were at hunt camp, in the Fall of 2012. Young's autobiography had just come out not long before, and as a long-time fan, I bought the book the day it came out. I was mid-way through the book by the time hunting season came around, and so Waging Heavy Peace was the book I brought with me to camp, to read when I had moments to spare.
After dinner one evening, my Dad picked up the book and started thumbing through, probably reading for about an hour or so, at which point he summed up his sentiment that kicked off this post: Neil wasn't that great at writing prose.
I could not disagree.
I suspect it may have something to do with Neil being, first and foremost, a terrific songwriter and musician. His talent lies in painting pictures with words that listeners may glimpse when delivered according to the rhythm of music. Strip away the song, the timbre and beat, and Neil's prose loses a lot of the magic that makes his music so great.
If you are a fan of Young, you will no doubt enjoy reading his own interpretation of the past; your interpretation of the book will no doubt be skewed more favourably. If you're not a fan, this book may be a more challenging read. A professional editor would have helped tremendously.
Imagine: my Dad and I were at hunt camp, in the Fall of 2012. Young's autobiography had just come out not long before, and as a long-time fan, I bought the book the day it came out. I was mid-way through the book by the time hunting season came around, and so Waging Heavy Peace was the book I brought with me to camp, to read when I had moments to spare.
After dinner one evening, my Dad picked up the book and started thumbing through, probably reading for about an hour or so, at which point he summed up his sentiment that kicked off this post: Neil wasn't that great at writing prose.
I could not disagree.
I suspect it may have something to do with Neil being, first and foremost, a terrific songwriter and musician. His talent lies in painting pictures with words that listeners may glimpse when delivered according to the rhythm of music. Strip away the song, the timbre and beat, and Neil's prose loses a lot of the magic that makes his music so great.
If you are a fan of Young, you will no doubt enjoy reading his own interpretation of the past; your interpretation of the book will no doubt be skewed more favourably. If you're not a fan, this book may be a more challenging read. A professional editor would have helped tremendously.