Neil Young Nation [Paperback]

While some may be forgiven for assuming that Neil Young Nation is yet another in a crowd of Neil Young biographies, this is neither among those officially sanctioned (Shakey, Don't Be Denied) nor an unauthorized facts-be-damned waste of paper. Never having met with or spoken to the man whose name forms the title (and not wanting to, for fear his role model might be a jerk on such an occasion), Kevin Chong has written a Neil Young book that is less a biography than a memoir: upon turning 29, after spending three years creating a manuscript (for a different book) that no publisher wanted, Chong decided to stop writing fiction, and looked to Neil Young--a man who has succeeded on his own terms--for inspiration on what to do next.

Chong hatched a plan to take a road trip with three friends (Geoff, Dave, and Mark), retracing the journey Young made in early 1966, when he left Canada behind to meet up with Stephen Stills in Los Angeles, where they found immediate fame with their new band Buffalo Springfield. Along the way, Chong interviewed people who had known Young at the early stages of his musical career: former band members, classmates, girlfriends, and others. While well-referenced, what makes the book most rewarding is the dry, self-deprecating humour shared by the author and his traveling companions: "It often seemed to me that Dave and Mark lived in a parallel universe where pretty female strangers, when asked for directions, offered their services as tour guides. On certain levels, I hate them." Equally refreshing is Chong's unwillingness to gloss over some of his hero's questionable attitudes and behaviour regarding relationships and politics, pointing out many contradictions throughout his career but never letting them interfere with his respect for the music and the man. --Eric Wilson

The deep personal commitment that millions of rock fans make to their idols is sharply illustrated by Chong's belief that "Neil Young saved my life." The author, a recent Columbia M.F.A. graduate and novelist, shares the story of a journey he and three friends took through Winnipeg, Fort William (now Thunder Bay, Ontario), Toronto and Los Angeles—all areas where Young lived and worked from his 1950s childhood to his present-day fame. Chong talks with a writer who treasures the memory of being winked at by Young and a landlady who remembers that Young left a cigarette burn on her couch. The musician emerges an enigma, a leftist political artist who antagonized left-wingers by praising Reagan, while denouncing Nixon as "hippiedom's dark overlord." Tough about firing people when he had to, yet sensitive and willing to lay himself bare, Young comes across as recognizably human, despite the author's reverential tone. Chong has a flair for colorful descriptions and bringing character eccentricities alive, and he chooses appropriate Young lyrics to quote throughout the narrative. Penetrating as Chong's chronicle is, however, it sometimes meanders and would've benefited from a deeper look at the author's feelings. Photos. (Nov.)
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"Chong has a flair for colorful descriptions and bringing character eccentricities alive" (Publishers Weekly 20060203)

"The chapters on that One Great City Winnipeg shine brightest...The interviews with Winnipeg author John Einarson are worth the price alone." (William McGuirk Oshawa This Week 20060112)

"Kevin Chong's road-book slash pseudo, unofficial biography, Neil Young Nation has the odd quality of being the perfect piece of literature for both hardcore Neil Young fans...and middle-of-the-road fans...Chong's book is lightly humourous and poignant." (Ibi Kaslik Eye.net 20051201)

"By turns travelogue, cultural critique, and biography, it's anchored by the author's love of Young's music and a desire to understand his place in the world." (Metroland Holiday Gift Guide 20051217)

"Let's jus say that Neil Young Nation is a funny and eloquent testimonial to what art, at its best, can do: make us feel a little less alone." (The Gazette 20060401)

"Neil Young Nation is definitely a full-ass book. Maybe it's even an ass-and-a-half of a book...It's literate, it's silly, it's a treasure trove of Neilster trivia, and insightful even to those who only know his hits." (Rice Paper Magazine 20060103)

"The author is a superb historian and vividly brings these actions to life again." (BookReviews.com 20051221)

"This very funny highway diary proves that even if you don't get to meet your hero, often the journey is all that really matters." (Noise Magazine )

Neil Young is one of the most consistently popular musicians of our time. His brilliant, gnomic, lyrical music has earned him fans of all ages and persuasions. Novelist Kevin Chong counts himself among them.

Neil Young will turn 60 in 2005. Kevin Chong will turn 30. To celebrate these two milestones, Chong sets off on a road trip in search of his boyhood hero. Crisscrossing the continent, he follows that route that led Young to become a musical legend. He visits Winnipeg, where Young formed his first band, the Squires; Omeemee,Young's childhood home; Los Angeles, where Young became a rock star; and many more of Young's former haunts. He meets rabid Neil fans, talks to people who knew Young as a kid, and puzzles over Young's strange, sometimes contradictory pronouncements.

Neil Young Nation is an entertaining account of Chong's journey. But it is much more than a conventional travelogue. It's an idiosyncratic, irreverent, free-wheeling pastiche that incorporates elements of biography, mock hagiography, cultural criticism, humor, and personal essay. Chong's brief vacation from adulthood teaches him something about rock and roll, contrarianism, the allure of the road, being cool, and aging gracefully: staying Young.

(20050912)

Kevin Chong is the author of four books, including Neil Young Nation -- honoured as a book of the year by the Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, and Ottawa Citizen and aired as a documentary on CBC's Definitely Not the Opera -- and the novels Baroque-a-Nova and Beauty Plus Pity. He is an editor at Joyland.ca and teaches creative writing at UBC.