Devotion (and Neil Young)

I was lucky enough to catch the BBC’s extensive Neil Young evening recently. The line up included a solo gig from 1971 and “Don’t be Denied“, a feature length documentary based on one exclusive 3 hr interview with Young. Seeing the twists and turns of his prolific career was inspiring, even more so was his dedication to his art.

He admits himself that he has lost friends and band members along the way as a direct result of his behaviour. Others interviewed hinted at the fact that he had built a name for himself as unpredictable and heartless. However it was Young’s response to this topic which I found the most inspirational. He openly admits to a history of leaving band members behind, and seeing relationships ruined by his actions. However, he also argues that every single act was for the better of the music. His devotion was, and still is, to his art.

Recently I was involved in a conversation on this exact topic and overheard a sarcastic perception that neil young sounded like a “really nice guy”. The fact that Young left people behind in his course of “following the music” being seen as totally negative. There was a sense of synicism that Young was actually simply cruel, hiding behind “music”.

But without people who are willing to be so devoted to an art/science we would get nowhere. These are the people who do new things, who push forward.

I 100% understand the feeling of being so deep in a creative project that for a time nothing else seems to matter.

Off topic: Every day I see new analogies between design and music. Journal post to follow.

Leave a Reply