Title: Shakey: Neil Young's Biography
Author: Jimmy McDonough
Year: 2003
Most rock biographies are plagued by the same problem: they don’t talk to the right people. It’s easy to ask former band members or parents, but often, the best stories to get are found in the most unexpected places. Ex-girlfriends, family acquaintances and assorted roadies can often have tremendous insight into the inner workings of famous artists. In many ways, this is why Jimmy McDonough’s Neil Young biography, Shakey (the name comes from Young’s childhood nickname), is such an astonishing success. He literally interviews everybody. No figure is too insignificant to not warrant at least a short interview. The depth of information in this book is staggering. McDonough spent over a decade compiling this biography, exhaustively tracking down anybody he felt was even remotely important in the story of Neil Young. I can only imagine the hours of work that went into this book. But it pays off. McDonough has created one of the most thorough and engaging rock biographies I’ve ever read.
The book gains strength from its combination of self-admitted adoration for Young and an open desire to show him as a real human being, complete with flaws. This second part is where the book really shines, since it exposes Young’s numerous neuroses and mental quirks without villanizing him. There’s no doubt that Young is a strange guy. Any artist who switches back and forth between gentle, country tunes and ragged, crunchy rock must be a bit unpredictable. McDonough delves into this issue, along with various others that have led people to complain about Young over the years. The final picture you’re left with is that of a man driven obsessively by his interests, who’s very difficult to work with but whose talent is both undeniable and irrepressible.
The real coup of the book, however, is the lengthy interviews McDonough finagled with Young himself. The book switches back and forth between standard biography writing, with interviews and insights from other people and lengthy quotes from Young, explaining and clarifying his own position on what others are saying about him. The result is a remarkably fair and balanced (eat your heart out, Fox News) portrait of Neil, where you can decide which version of the story you want to believe: his own or that of the other people in his life. Too often, biographies aim to reveal an artist despite what he himself might have to say about the matter. Shakey avoids that completely. Young truly gets a say here.
The book gains strength from its combination of self-admitted adoration for Young and an open desire to show him as a real human being, complete with flaws. This second part is where the book really shines, since it exposes Young’s numerous neuroses and mental quirks without villanizing him. There’s no doubt that Young is a strange guy. Any artist who switches back and forth between gentle, country tunes and ragged, crunchy rock must be a bit unpredictable. McDonough delves into this issue, along with various others that have led people to complain about Young over the years. The final picture you’re left with is that of a man driven obsessively by his interests, who’s very difficult to work with but whose talent is both undeniable and irrepressible.
The real coup of the book, however, is the lengthy interviews McDonough finagled with Young himself. The book switches back and forth between standard biography writing, with interviews and insights from other people and lengthy quotes from Young, explaining and clarifying his own position on what others are saying about him. The result is a remarkably fair and balanced (eat your heart out, Fox News) portrait of Neil, where you can decide which version of the story you want to believe: his own or that of the other people in his life. Too often, biographies aim to reveal an artist despite what he himself might have to say about the matter. Shakey avoids that completely. Young truly gets a say here.
I didn’t expect Neil Young’s story to be this fascinating. He’s always been an artist I’ve enjoyed, but after reading this book, I have such a greater appreciation for the emotion and craft of his work. Shakey captures the details of what each album meant emotionally to Young, especially his tortured, mournful mid-70s trilogy of Time Fades Away, On The Beach, and Tonight’s The Night. This dark time, which was marked by the deaths of many close to Young, is treated particularly well by McDonough. Even Young’s 80s output, often considered the worst of his career, is given a fair and thoughtful appraisal. Having Young’s voice there to defend himself and explain what he was thinking does wonders. In the end, the reader feels they understand at least some level of this tremendously complicated man. McDonough has crafted a wonderful, exhaustively researched read, worthy of an artist as great as Neil Young.
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