Neil Young opens up in wistful documentary
It's only fitting for a documentary about Neil Young to venture to Canada's Northern Ontario region — his birthplace and the subject of a song. It certainly stays alive in this spare and intriguing film directed by Jonathan Demme, who has helmed two previous Young concert films.
Here, the 66-year-old rocker pilots a 1956 Crown Victoria through his rural hometown, casually pointing out a school named for his writer father Scott Young. But he has somewhere else to be: Toronto's Massey Hall, site of his solo Le Noise concert tour stop in May 2011.
His distinctive alto voice has become seasoned over the years, conveying all the power imaginable in his lyrics, underscored by a range of emotional urgency from his guitar licks.
Young performs simply with a guitar and harmonica, or piano. minus a back-up band that we never miss.The music is haunting. His storytelling has always plumbed the depths of the emotional landscape. Artistic integrity is a recurring theme.
There's something appealingly wistful about both the concert and Young's hometown tour. Down-to-earth and affable, Young recalls key moments in his youth but doesn't mourn the loss of it. Similarly, he doesn't skim the cream from his vast catalog of songs. He chooses a deeply personal mix of old and new, each song exploring fascinating emotional terrain.
Demme is clearly fascinated by Young's musical integrity and wants the audience to share his passion.
Neil Young Journeys underscores the continuing relevance of Young's artistry over the last 45 years and why he is regarded as one of rock's most influential musicians and songwriters. The introspective tales of his youth are an artful counterpoint to the urgency of his musical selections. He doesn't tout it or even refer to it, but Young endures. He hasn't burnt out and he's certainly not rusting or fading away.
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