I’m not sure of the reason why, other than maybe a sort of camaraderie with the sideburns, but during the pandemic I’ve been listening to a great deal of Neil Young. And there’s a lot to listen to. According to his discography, he has put out 40 studio albums and 8 live ones. So it’s no surprise that today’s FR is a 2015 book by Neil, Special Deluxe: A Memoir of Life & Cars. Originally titled Cars & Dogs, as Neil also recants the dogs he’s had over the years, and their interaction with his massive car collection (special deluxe = Plymouth Special Deluxe). This book is more of a surface scratcher, or overview of his time with Buffalo Springfield, Crazy Horse, CSNY, and his interpersonal relationships. I say surface scratcher because it has an overview of those bands and musicians, without all the nasty bits. NOTE: HBO watchers will catch the reference to the nasty bits from the recently flopped series Vinyl. Cancelled after 1 season, it had potential. It could have been a contender. It could have been somebody. Personally, the period costumes were outstanding, acting top notch, the story so-so, and overall didn’t live up to expectations (especially compared to its massive budget). But damn it was fun to watch, and to dream of incorporating the décor (shag carpets, bell bottom sansabelt slacks, Thorens turntables, reel to reel players, and Galliano cocktails) into the modern home.
Anyway, if you have an interest in Neil’s life, and if you like cars, this book is certainly an easy read. It doesn’t come across as bragging as many musician biographies do. Just Neil detailing his life, music, and relationships. He does cover his childhood, which was humble and interesting, switching from a summer in Florida then back to Canada, and his parents’ divorce. If you are looking for any of Neil to listen to, I highly recommend Live at Massey Hall, but you can’t go wrong with many of the others. If you don’t have a Hi-Fi, grab a console stereo from a garage sale and crank it up. If you have a Thorens turntable, sell it to me. Many of the cars owned by Neil were mid 1940’s vintage, including a hearse called Mortimer Hearseburg, or “Mort”.
Young, Neil. Special Deluxe: A Memoir of Life and Cars. Penguin Group. 2015.
