VH1's 'Legends: Neil Young' Looks at the Career and Personal Life of One Of
Rock's Enduring Icons, Premiering Thursday, June 15 at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT)
Latest Edition of VH1 Series Features Exclusive Interviews with Neil Young;
New Concert Film 'Silver & Gold,' Capturing Young Onstage in 1999,
Premieres Immediately After 'Legends'
NEW YORK, May 31 /PRNewswire/ -- "Everything about my life has been pretty
extreme, when you think about it," says Neil Young, in his typically
understated manner.
One of the most successful rock singer-songwriter-guitarists of all time,
Neil Young has been an integral part of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby,
Stills, Nash & Young, and a solo star for 30 years. He's also suffered more
than his share of personal troubles, battled through polio and epilepsy, and
helped his wife and children through their own difficult medical struggles.
For the first time, Neil Young speaks candidly and in depth about his
personal life and brings new insight to his vast catalog of music in the
latest edition of the VH1 series "Legends: Neil Young" premiering on
Thursday, June 15 from 10:00-11:00 p.m. (ET/PT).
Highlighted by rare performance footage of hits like "Helpless," "Ohio,"
"Down by the River," "Old Man," "Like a Hurricane," "Hey Hey My My" and "Keep
on Rockin' in the Free World," "Legends: Neil Young" uncovers the personal
story behind the intensely private artist in revealing, newly recorded
first-person interviews with Young, as well as David Crosby, Stephen Stills
and Graham Nash. Young recounts his four-decade musical odyssey from his
earlier memberships in Buffalo Springfield and CSNY to his own extensive solo
career (including his many lives with the band Crazy Horse), and also talks
about the darkest days of his life, such as how he coped when two of his
children were born with severe handicaps.
Neil Young on his epilepsy: "The first time I remember having a seizure,
I was 20, in Hollywood. It's part of my makeup. And there's something about
it that's part of me. I know it's not gone. It's just not manifesting itself
the way it was."
On his early adulthood: "Susan, my first wife, was a wonderful lady. She
was older than I was, and I really wasn't grown-up enough for her. It took me
a long time to grow up because all my growing-up time was spent on music. All
the other things suffered for it."
On recording "Harvest" in 1972: "For most of the record, I had my back in
a brace, and I ultimately ended up having surgery and getting it fixed. I had
a couple slipped discs, and if I moved the wrong way, it hurt. But the music
just kept on going anyway. It's a good example of not letting something get
in the way of a musical idea."
On walking away from his famous bands: "I can be a team player, but I
won't be a team player unless I can play my game. If you have to compromise
what you're doing too much, or lay back too much on something you want to do
to be part of a team ... I'm not a good player there."
On his personal travails: "I've had a lot of things happen to me that
people think are 'one-lifetime' events -- you know, when your house burns
down, something like that. A lot of that's happened to me."
In addition, Graham Nash testifies about Young's propensity for suddenly
breaking away from planned tours and recording dates, explaining, "One of the
reasons why some of the albums never got made and some of the tours didn't go
off was because he has no toleration for bull. Very little. Zero. If we're
not giving 100% to the music, he's gone." And David Crosby assesses what is
perhaps Young's ultimate appeal, concluding, "You can't predict Neil. No one
except Neil can tell you what Neil's going to do next week. And I like that
about him."
The debut of "Legends: Neil Young" will be followed immediately by
"Silver & Gold," premiering from 11:00 p.m.-midnight (ET/PT). A live concert
shot in Austin, Texas, during his 1999 solo acoustic tour, "Silver & Gold"
captures Young as he performs dozens of new and classic songs, including
"Looking Forward," "Philadelphia," "Long May You Run," "Silver & Gold" and
"Harvest Moon."
"Legends: Neil Young" is a production of VH1. Executive producer, Bill
Flanagan; producer, Angela Quilala; narrated by William Baldwin.
Review copies and art available.
VH1 produces and programs a wide variety of music-based series, specials,
live events and acquisition-based programming that keeps viewers in touch with
the music they love. VH1 is a registered trademark of MTV Networks, a unit of
Viacom Inc. MTV Networks owns and operates the cable television programming
services MTV: Music Television, MTV2, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, TV Land and
VH1 as well as The Suite from MTV Networks, a package of ten digital services,
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ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming
can be seen worldwide.
SOURCE VH1
-0- 05/31/2000
/CONTACT: Stacey Sanner, 212-846-7837, or Rachel Lizerbram, 212-846-7833,
both of VH1; or Todd Phillips of MTVN, 310-752-8075/
/Web site: vh1.com
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