For the (Movie) Turnstiles…

…check out Rolling Stone's and MTV's (and friend of Reason's) Kurt Loder's review of the new Neil Young concert film, Heart of Gold, which makes me want to see the flick:

The performances so beautifully captured in this movie are a glowing embodiment of American vernacular music -- strains of country, folk and rock twine through the proceedings as if no borders of style or fashion had ever forced them apart. You come away from the picture feeling as if you'd learned something new about the wonder of music, and maybe the human spirit, too.

Whole thing here. And yes, all Shakey fans are wondering--or already kind of know--what Carrie Snodgress and Jack Nitzche would have said.

Loder's excellent reviews appear every Friday here.

Comments

[Alan Vanneman]

Neil who? Somehow, I'd prefer to relax with a Mozart quintet and a decent pinot noir. In fact, I'd rather crack a forty and lie face down in the gutter than sit through the glowing embodiment of anything. But that's just me.

[mk]

I saw Neil and Crazy Horse a few years ago right before they released the dreadful Greendale cd.
I've always enjoyed Neil Young, but if that performance wasn't "jumping the shark" then I don't know what is..

[AC]

I saw Neil and Crazy Horse a few years ago right before they released the dreadful Greendale cd.
I've always enjoyed Neil Young, but if that performance wasn't "jumping the shark" then I don't know what is..

People think that about him every three albums or so. Remember Trans?

[Murray "Superboy" Babitch]

Alan Vanneman, this note's for you....cheers.

I guessing the relatively interesting Reason cats do not talk politics with Loder. He's from the warmed-over conventional wisdom liberal camp, at least as far as his smarmy delivery conveyed on the hard-hitting MTV news.

[Matt]

Nick, I part company with the rest of the way to cool for school cats on this forum, and stand with you. Neil is cool. Like Iggy Pop, he possesses the unmistakable hallmark of coolness of not being able to sellout, even when he tries, ala This notes for you/Trans/Freedom. Thanks for the post, I will see this movie.

[e]

You come away from the picture feeling as if you'd learned something new about the wonder of music, and maybe the human spirit, too.

"Excellent" reviews don't contain tripe like that. Anyway, it's got to be better than Jarmusch's Year of the Horse, which really sucked.

[jj]

The only person more annoying on MTV than Kurt Loder is that tool John Norris. Neil Young's ok, though.

[downstater]

what was the name of that one mtv vj from the 80's..adam something...he was all feathered hair and ripped denim. my older sister thought he was so awesome.

whatever happened to the likes of downtown julie brown and ricky rachmann (sp?)

niel young has only been cool to me because he played with pearl jam.

[wellfellow]

Alan,

I'm with you, though on my wild nights, I might just have a Bronx Cocktail and listen to Fats Waller. Never got Neil Young. Probably never will. Can I still be a libertarian if I think Neil Young's over-rated and punk is crap?

[aaron]

The only person more annoying on MTV than Kurt Loder is that tool John Norris. Neil Young's ok, though.

Kurt Loder and John Norris are by far the least annoying people on MTV.

[mk]

wellfellow,
You can only think one, not both, while retaining your libertarian status.

[Gary]

what was the name of that one mtv vj from the 80's..adam something...he was all feathered hair and ripped denim. my older sister thought he was so awesome.

Adam Curry? He's been actively developing new "Internet technologies" since something like 1995. Like Podcasting. He was also involved in creating a string of multi-line chat sites back in '96 (based on the telnet protocol back then), before they were as popular as they are today.

That isn't to say he hasn't screwed up along the way.

[wellfellow]

Mk,

Then I don't dare mention how I feel about science fiction! 😉

[jj]

Granted, anyone under 25 on MTV is inherently annoying, but not for my 15-year old daughter. But 45+ year-old guys like Norris and Loder? Maybe it's not annoying, but it's weird.

[R C Dean]

Rust Never Sleeps was one of the great albums of the age. Hard to believe it is nearly thirty years old.

[downstater]

yes, that's it Gary and thanks for the "where are they now" update!

i never would have guessed that.

[keith]

Back when I cared to watch MTV (1994-99), I couldn't decide who was more insipid on MTV News: Kurt Loder or Tabitha Soren. I got a vibe that the only reason Loder was kept around was because he either had sizeable equity in MTV because he got in on the ground floor, or had "the goods" on the management... aka polaroids from Club 54 or CBGB...

In hindsight, Greg Kinnear on Talk Soup owned the news-of-the-ridicuolous niche back in those days. He shoulda won his Oscar. Come to think of it, each of Kurt and Greg's respective successors have a similar vibe: John Norris vis a vis John "Skunk Boy" Henson.

[Les]

Rust Never Sleeps was one of the great albums of the age.

Absolutely. Harvest. On the Beach. After the Gold Rush. Tonight's the Night.

The 70's were good to Neil's music, if not so much to Neil, himself.

The early 90's Harvest Moon is also beautiful.

Did someone here say "overrated?" Amazing.

[mitch]

When I last paid attention to MTV the white Julie Brown ("Just Say Julie!") was on, and the game show with Colin Quinn. I remember having a crush on the girl on the game show, who had some bizarre exotic name like "Marisol."

[Happy Jack]

Neil Young had one of the best lines ever given about rock.

This song put me in the middle of the road. Travelling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there.

[wellfellow]

"Did someone here say "overrated?" Amazing."

Too generous?

[Douglas Fletcher]

Rust Never Sleeps was one of the great albums of the age. Hard to believe it is nearly thirty years old.

Never could stand it. Just an old fart pandering to the punky kiddies.

[Les]

Why you, I oughtta...

Just an old fart pandering to the punky kiddies.

Don't be silly. Besides the fact that he was only 33 when he made it ("old fart," indeed!), there's not a punk song on that album (though I can see how some might consider the "Into the Black" version of "Hey Hey My My" to be punk-esque). And one side is acoustic and downright delicate, for crying out loud! Nothing wrong with not liking his music, but Neil Young never pandered to anybody.

[Les]

I meant to say, "Why you, I oughtta..." after wellfellow's cruel post. You big meany!

[Douglas Fletcher]

he was only 33

Yeah, but those were rock star years. That would have made him something like 52 at that point.

Les, your musical taste is obviously not nearly as refined as mine. Try to free yourself of this '60s paradigm of rock star worship and you'll be able to see things much more clearly, for what they are.

[Les]

Yeah, but those were rock star years. That would have made him something like 52 at that point.

Okay, that was funny.

Try to free yourself of this '60s paradigm of rock star worship and you'll be able to see things much more clearly, for what they are.

No worship here. Just a deep appreciation for one of the finest and most enduring songwriters of recent decades. Is that so wrong?

[Douglas Fletcher]

Just having a bit of fun, ya silly bitch.

He's written some good tunes, I find most of the time he just doesn't hit the mark. What can I say.

[Les]

Oh, I know you's just funnin'. And I agree that I am a silly bitch. At least that's what my wife says. When I beg her to.

[eyeresist]

Wellfellow said: Can I still be a libertarian if I think Neil Young's over-rated and punk is crap?

Only if you're one of them Mahler/Bruckner/Sibelius cranks.