Book description
Waging Heavy Peace
is the remarkable memoir of rock icon Neil Young
Neil Young is a singular figure in the history of rock and pop
culture in the last four decades, inducted not once but twice into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Reflective, insightful and disarmingly honest, Waging Heavy
Peace is his long-awaited memoir. From his youth in Canada to his
crazy journey out to California, through Buffalo Springfield and
Crosby, Stills & Nash, to his massively successful solo career and
his re-emergence as the patron saint of grunge on to his role today as
one of the last uncompromised and uncompromising survivors of rock 'n'
roll - this is Neil's story told in his own words.
Young presents a kaleidoscopic view of personal life and musical
creativity; it's a journey that spans the snows of Ontario to the
LSD-laden boulevards of 1966 Los Angeles to the contemplative paradise
of Hawaii today. Along the way he writes about the music, the victims,
the girls and the drugs; about his happy family life but also about
the health problems he and his children have experienced; about
guitars, cars and sound systems; about Canada and California and
Hawaii. Candid, witty and revealing, this book takes its place beside
the classic memoirs of Bob Dylan and Keith Richards.
'Wryly funny, deeply moving, painfully honest' Guardian
'He's talking to you, not at you, unravelling himself as well, and
you don't want it to end . . . You see rock and roll history from the
inside out, and in the present tense' Independent
'Young appears bounteous and joyful, a genuinely happy hippy . . .
Unusually for a rock memoir, this one is almost completely angst-free'
Sunday Times
'Dryly hilarious . . . poignant . . . Waging Heavy Peace
shows that Young is still in full possession of that stubborn,
brilliant, one-of-a-kind instrument' Rolling Stone
'A real treat . . . he writes openly and movingly abut the key
figures in his life...you feel you know Young better for reading it' Metro
Neil Young was born in Toronto in 1945, and later went to live
with his mother in Winnipeg after his parents split up. He moved to
California in 1966 where he co-founded Buffalo Springfield before
joining the hugely successful Crosby, Stills & Nash, and then
embarking on a stellar solo career. He has been inducted not once but
twice into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which describes him as 'one
of rock 'n' roll's greatest songwriters and performers'.
Young is an outspoken advocate of environmental issues and the
welfare of small farmers - he co-founded Farm Aid in 1986. He is also
active in educatonal projects for disabled children, and co-founded
The Bridge School which assists children with physical impairments and
communication needs.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his
generation, Neil Young continues to live on his ranch in northern
California and in Hawaii.
