Neil Young Still Rockin’ in the Free World

We informed you that Neil Young has jumped on board the “Impeach Bush” bandwagon. Check out the video interview where Young provides his own perspective on his new song and album. YouTube’s sort of slow today, so here’s an excerpt:

Young: It’s a record about unification.

Interviewer: Surely though, [I mean?] you say it’s a record about unification but with a title like “Let’s Impeach the President”…

Young: That’s not the title of the record. The record is called…

Interviewer: Not the record, but the song.

Young: Yeah, right.

Interviewer: “Let’s Impeach the President.” That is pretty strong. Strong words.

Young: Yeah. Yeah. I think it is. I think it’s called for. And so do a lot of other people.

It was also a great interview about freedom and post-9/11 mentalities which all Americans, no matter how they feel about the war, should watch. Brian Doherty is cynical about whether this song will create political change. I don’t expect any song to directly change the world — but it can provide a common public voice (like “Ohio” did) to the voices of millions and millions of angered people.

Props.

posted Apr 24th, 2006 by Stephen Gordon
  • disinter

    The Red Hot Chili Peppers are on board too.

  • Julian (a Vietnam Vet)

    Check out his politics. He is a Marxist. Seems to me he does not square with liberatarian beliefs. Why are you so hell bent on supporting the likes of him? Is it a single issue and you are willing to compromise as long as he hates Bush and is antiwar?

  • Stephen Gordon

    Julian — in politics, coalitions are important. I’ll work with a Republican on a tax cut or Second Amendment issue just as fast as I’ll work with a Democrat on a civil liberties issue.

  • http://www.myspace.com/chancellor740 Chance Dale

    Well, personally, I think that supporting someone on a single issue does not mean that you would support him on everything, I mean, we were allied with the Soviet Union during WWII but we certainly didn’t agree with them on, say, the redistribution (Ha!) of wealth.

  • Stephen Gordon

    Because that’s only an apparent thing. I don’t have a view, I have an opinion that changes because everyday is a different day. I’m not a liberal or a conservative. I’m not like that. With Reagan, some things he did were terrible, some things he did were great.

    source

  • disinter

    in politics, coalitions are important. I’ll work with a Republican on a tax cut or Second Amendment issue just as fast as I’ll work with a Democrat on a civil liberties issue.

    Gawd I wish the Libertarian Party would realize that.

  • Timothy West

    We cant even form coalitions within the LP, much less with other parties.

  • IanC

    Mike, Timothy — every time I’ve suggested it, locally or otherwise, I inevitably get accusations of “collectivism.”

    *THAT* is the legacy of Ayn Rand. We need a new source for our ideology.

  • http://disvoter.blogspot.com The Disenfranchised Voter

    Ugh. Rand…

  • Graham

    Actually, ( I don’t have the exact quote because the book is not in my hand) but Rand actually DID advocate doing politics on an ad-hoc, single issue coalition basis.. I think it was in the “Virtue of Selfishness”- “What Can I do?” section. She said NOT to join a political party ( she didn’t care for the “Libertarian Hippies”). She said the ONLY appropriate political action was to work with those who agreed on single-issue commitees. If you have read any Rand, you also know what she thought about defining “compromise”- and this is certainly not a case of compromising. BTW, I am a big fan of Neil Young, though I do not agree with ALL of his politics. I also listened to a lot of RATM, and other Marxists in my day. My music would be pretty boring if I only listened to Rush or some other objectivists/libertarians/etc.

  • Julian (a Vietnam Vet)

    Stephen Gordon

    I am not a single issue person although my passion is the First and Second Amendments. I can’t say I would align with gang members on Second Amendment causes. Now we have to deal with those that have the same philosophy as Neil Young concerning hunting. He supports a total ban on hunting. If that happens, then the next step is banning firearms because why would anyone need one since we can’t hunt anymore. Self defense is not a viable argument for them.

  • Stephen Gordon

    Julian,

    I didn’t suggest that I’d align with Young on a Second Amendment issue. I would (and have) aligned with Ted Nugent on 2A issues, though. I’ve also never seen a gang member at a 2A rally, so I doubt there is much hope for an alliance (anyway, a lot of 2A folks would actually be shooting at the gang members – making that one real unlikely).

    Neil Young is no gang member, though. An alliance with him (or any other generally respectable person) on issues where we do agree makes total sense.

  • http://www.fbear.net didjman

    To call Neil Young a Marxist is just silly. It shows you haven’t a clue, and are just throwing mud.

    As far as Neil Young supporting a ban on hunting–do you have a source for that? I have looked, and have found no evidence of NY supporting hunting bans of any sort.

  • http://www.fbear.net didjman

    Julian’s posts demonstrate a problem all to prevalent on the internet. Someone makes a statement they disagree with, and rather than using a reasoned argument they resort to ad hominem attacks.

    It’s absurd to call Neil Young a marxist, but even if he was, so what? Marxists are capable of being right occasionally, as are liberals, socialists, conservatives, libertarians, fundamentalists (of all stripes), atheists, agnostics, and anybody else.

    It’s unclear to me how Neil Young’s position on hunting (which I have been unable to find) has anything to do with the validity of his concerns about the direction of this country under the Bush administration.

  • Timothy West

    Let’s impeach the president for lying

    And leading our country into war

    Abusing all the power that we gave him

    And shipping all our money out the door

    He’s the man who hired all the criminals

    The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors

    And bend the facts to fit with their new stories

    Of why we have to send our men to war

    Let’s impeach the president for spying

    On citizens inside their own homes

    Breaking every law in the country

    By tapping our computers and telephones

    What if Al Qaeda blew up the levees

    Would New Orleans have been safer that way

    Sheltered by our government’s protection

    Or was someone just not home that day?

    Let’s impeach the president

    For hijacking our religion and using it to get elected

    Dividing our country into colors

    And still leaving black people neglected

    Thank god he’s racking down on steroids

    Since he sold his old baseball team

    There’s lot of people looking at big trouble

    But of course the president is clean

    Thank God

  • http://none TBone Pennsylvania

    Thanks Mr. President for making President Clinton look better and better every day!
    Thanks for not letting oil companies gouge us!
    Thanks for letting corporations take our pensions!
    Thanks for helping to control health care costs!
    Thanks for only being able to serve 2 terms!