Charlie Rose Science Series
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Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America
by Thomas L. Friedman
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by Thomas L. Friedman
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keep on rocking in the free world!
Awesome, I love Neil Young so much. Isn't it funny that I work for a plant that makes lithium ion batteries that Ford is currently using for their Hybrid SUV's. Neil is spot on, we can't keep up with demand.
Perpetual motion engines? Good grief Neil, stick to music and humanitarian projects my friend.
Thanks, Charlie, for your interview of Neil Young. You enabled us to see the core of Neil's greatness - his connection to his source (his personal 'godness', or 'gift'), his connection to others (the 'bond' with all humans), and his connection to the planet (his desire to find a more earth-friendly alternative to gasoline-powered automobiles).
Really great to see someone trying to make a difference to Large Vehicles, imagine if this works and all the Trucks on the Road change, pollution would drop immensely. Then add in to that Self-Employed workers (Builders, Plumbers, Phone Techs)in there Transit Vans being able to get 100 mpg. All those delivery vehicles on the road being less polluting and achieving long drives without the need to fuel up, in time prices of everything could drop (from Groceries to Commodities). I guess in a way it is "Keep On Truckin' In The Free World."
Fusion is the only answer and as earthlings we don't have to waste time dreaming of exotic alternatives as fusion powers the universe so we know it works!
Most of us can feel for the suffering soldiers like Neil does. That's what we do as humans. But more of us have to learn to put (artistic) feelings aside and actually THINK about things like "the war." As much as I hate to say it, there is a logical chasm between the particulars of suffering soldiers and the universal ideals and agendas of nations who send them to fight. Neil and his old CSN&Y buddies are good at making us feel the pains of war, but assertions like "impeach the President" show that their ability to think is suspect.
Is it me, or is the video down?
Thank you Neil Young! Alter egos...
Deborah(below) you are spot on!
What a wonderful, kind and down to earth fella
I would like to buy a copy of this amazing interview. How can I get it? Thank you.
keep on rockin neil john, scotland
Dear Mr. Charlie Rose: Would it be possible for you to pass this message along to Neil Young and his buddy Jonathan Goodwin? Have you considered magnetic reconnection as an alternative energy source? According to Brian Sullivan's Dartmouth website: "Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physical process occuring in a magnetized plasma, whereby magnetic field lines are effectively broken and reconnected, resulting in a change of magnetic topology, conversion of magnetic field energy into bulk kinetic energy and particle heating." Perhaps this type of energy can one day be directed for use in powering an engine. Thanks, Linda in Portland, Oregon.
I can solve your energy problems.
He's right...this damn war will not end until we solve our energy crisis.
I have tried to buy the DVD of this interview from your web site but have been unsuccessful. where can I buy this interview---it was magnificent!
Comment by Diane Dickey on Wednesday, Jul 16 at 04:18 PM (re Allan Sloan, Gretchen Morgenson interview, 07/15/2008) : "... I strongly recommend to Charlie Rose and everyone reading this to rent the documentary, "Who Killed the Electric Car." For a preview, go to: http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/ (Charlie, maybe you could have the makers of that film appear on your show.) It's about how General Motors, in 1996, created a plug-in electric car (the EV1), and allowed consumers to lease the cars to test them out. The cars were a huge success. They were a compact size, not miniatures, and they were peppy and fast. The people who leased them, loved them. Then GM pulled the plug on them and pulled all of those cars back - even though the people leasing them begged and pleaded to buy the cars they were driving. All the cars were taken from them and sent to wrecking yards and shredded. (The truck hauling the EV1s had to drive through a picket line of lease protesters to deliver the EV1s to the wrecking yard.) The cars were new. (It makes me wonder what the oil companies whispered in the ears of GM executives while they were in bed together.) So now, when I hear that GM will need a couple of years to come up with an electric car, I bristle. They already have the cars designed. All they need to do is dust off the manual that contains the EV1 prototype, and manufacture them and bring them back into the market."
At $10 a gallon for gasoline in the USA there won't be an economy left to transform.
Reading a lot of the comments about this Charlie Rose interview with Neil Young, it's interesting to note how much they differ. In a way they're like the crowd reactions to the CSNY Living With War tour. But Neil Young himself likely appreciates them all. To recognize one's own purpose is more the message he seems to convey. All he strives for, it appears, is to somehow contribute to making the world a better place for humanity. And he said something important humanity needs to realize: Until managing the world's energy problems are figured out, war will not likely go away. World War Two was more of a geographical and political philosophy human race war, compared to what's been happening since 9/11. Now, it's all about grappling over the control of oil energy, where such a control desire pits countries and religions against each other, and demands world powers to challenge in foreign regions where the most oil exists. That's basically what he's stressing, and he feels he can contribute to help solve the need for cleaner and more affordable energy problems in his own humble (yes, humble) way, by setting an example... of at least trying to conceptualize and even manufacture some self-energy producing components. Among his many song lyrics one will find the simple concept of 'trying' as a repeated theme. At least Neil tries. He has long been trying, and he keeps on trying to figure out answers to big questions by shedding different lights on less advertised, but still potentially possible solution ideas. The world needs more of this type of person around, to recognize, as Neil put it, how he knows everyone on the task teams he assembles is smarter than he when it comes to their working on humanity's energy need solutions... in non-violent ways. His idea, simply put, is to get as many of these energy-smart people in the same room at the same time, and have them all turn to the same non-violent solution page.
Amazing musician, but don't quit your day job or 'invest' all your money in perpetual motion machines. Charlie you should have managed the conversation and saved him (and me) the embarrassment.
Paul, I live in Lancaster, PA (population 60,000, County population ~ 460k). http://www.google.com/search?q=lancaster+pa&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7IBMA I used to live in New York, too--Seattle, San Francisco, London. I know about expensive places, and I know how hard it is to pay the bills some times. It's a lot easier when you can share a car, walk to work, ride your bike, walk to the market, take a bus or train out of town. $10/gallon gas is in your near future, so get used to it. It will in fact be transformative, and transformation can be painful, but it's going to happen in the next 5 to 10 years. Young isn't talking about a utopian vision, he's talking about inevitable necessity. We will be forced to change away from the oil economy simply through its scarcity. The longer people cling to it, the more costly it will get, and the more destructive it will be. You vote with your dollars. Every dollar you spend on gas is an endorsement and support of the oil-based economy. Whenever someone chooses to live more than driving or biking distance from work, it's a choice to depend on the oil economy and to support it. If you're spending--what is it now, $200/month on gas? If you're spending $200/month, that's $2400/year not getting saved. But 50% of your federal taxes go to the Pentagon, which is primarily focused on protecting the oil-based economy. So add that to the cost. Then add the cost of your kids' athsma, environmental cleanup, etc, etc. and you start to see the real costs of supporting this system. Then add India and China into the mix. India's middle class is now larger than the entire population of the US. And they just got a $2500 car from Tata--where do you think they are getting their gas? Same as us--it's a world commodity. What happens to gas prices as, say, 10% of them hit the road with their new cars? 30 million new cars will put a crimp in your gas-based lifestyle through higher gas prices and more pollution. And if India's middle class is anything like the US middle class, that number will exceed 100 million in 10 years. Then we're really screwed. So yes, it will be painful if we linger on the oil-based economy. And the people who will get screwed the most are poor and middle-class Americans. I'd suggest taking a deep look at what you care about, what you value, what your principles are, and then look at your budget and see how well they align. My guess is you'll be looking at Lancaster, PA and other great small cities and towns pretty quickly. We'd welcome you here! http://lancasterliving.com/
To respond to your comment, Charles, I don't begrudge Neil Young one penny of the money he has earned. He has been one of my favorite musicians since I was very young. I have seen him perform at least 20 times. It's just easier for someone who has a lot of cash to say that we should be paying $10 a gallon for gas. For him to spend $150 to fill up his car vs. the $60 or $70 he is spending now is no big deal. For most people it is. The simple point I was trying to make was that $10 a gallon (in the real world of today, not in the utopian world that Neil so admirably has his sights set on) would cripple families that are struggling already to make ends meet. The effect on agriculture, trucking, the airline industry, small businesses, etc. would be catastrophic and would set this country into an economic tailspin that we might never pull out of. I agree that we are a wasteful society and that we have been spoiled by the low cost of gas relative to the rest of the world, and I think that phasing in higher gas prices--while transitioning to alternative energy sources--is the way to go. It's happening, just not fast enough. Oh, and where is this mythical city that you live in that is cheaper than the burbs? New York City, where I work, is one of the most expensive places in the world to live.
It is really a great feeling to have had this idol for more than 30 years and then over and over Neil demonstrates a depth of character that rivals his music. Better to burnout, then to fade away.....
The suggestion of $10 a gallon isn't a bad thing. It's not about what he can afford--it's about what we as a world can afford. We can't afford CHEAP gas. We don't use it responsibly. The least productive thing you can do with oil is burn it--it has so many amazing applications, some damaging, some constructive. $10 gas makes us think HARD about how we use gas. And it makes us think about where and how we live. I live in the city. I choose to live here because it's easier, cheaper, more vibrant than the suburbs. Cheap gas and cheap loans created the suburbs. Suburbs are a relatively new invention--completely inefficient. Neil Young is his own man, not to be compared with Dylan. He's a worker and a thinker. And who cares if he's wealthy from his gifts?
This interview with Neil Young was outstanding!!! I admire Neil as a person, musician, and for his demeanor. Thank you Charlie Rose for interviewing one of the best singer/songwriters ever. I enjoyed every second of it, but do not wait too long to get Neil back on the show again. I love your show Charlie because you keep the show's guest list diverse. John McPherson Lubbock, Texas
I love Neil, but it really bothers me when I hear someone like him, for whom money is not an issue, comment that he thinks it would be better for the environment if gas cost $10 a gallon. I admire his goals and his ambition, and I agree that we need to solve our energy problems, but for the average family $10 a gallon is devastating.
Charlie really tried (several times) to get Neil to talk about his music but Neil "stayed on message". He was there to talk about his latest passion - energy and war. Good thing to be passionate about, but I wish Neil would "give a little" on the music. He did give good insight into how he writes (but "I gotta follow the muse" is not news to serious fans). I would have wished him to talk a bit more about how he reconciles his acoustic side and his electric side ("sometimes it's distorted, not clear to you.."), how and why he uses his guitar tone and bit more about the iconic "Old Black". Why he still tours. He came close when he talked about throwing out the set list. What songs of his won't he play anymore and why? Why not release "Time Fades Away" on CD? How does he keep music fresh? How does he decide what musicians to use on recordings and tours? A little insight into the recording process from his perspective might be neat.
Wow briljant interview and clips............ Lot of depth Neil for president !
thanks charlie for hour with neil young!
Geeze... love talking and hearing about all this. Love Neil, he speaks to my heart. I used to work for a utility company and believe in turning the lights on, but hate the idea of expiring fossil fuels. I really think that there is enough wind in Wyoming to support the entire world, but, how does someone who runs their own small business that is being KILLED by gas prices that are artificially inflated by witholding oil exploration in America and offshore ... stand a chance? I have to use gas, I have to deliver my product, I am as green as they come with my policies but gas prices are devastating my business in a multitude of ways. I appreciate Neil's creativity -- he wrote a song that is all about me --Unknown Legend-- but what can his soapbox do to help me survive!?!?
As a lifelong follower of Mr. Young, I found this to be a very good interview. It is good to hear there are Americans (Canadians) who make their fellow countrymen aware of the fact that in Europe the prices for gas have always been high. Do these Charlie Rose shows air on National TV? Today I paid US$ 12,00 for a gallon (EUR 1.65 per litre). It is indeed time that new sources of (natural) energy are going to be used in everyday live. Keep on making music with a message!
What a wonderful interview. Our band, The Neil Deal, performs Neil Young's music in the western states. This interview is one of the best I've ever seen. You were even able to get him to smile & share about some of his passions. He is truely one of the renaissance men of our time, 'long may he run.' Bruce neildeal.com
If only there had been another 2 hrs with Neil.I have followed Neil since Buffalo Springfield,so it was nice to finally hear him in conversation.However,I would have loved to hear more about the CSNY DejaVu film, his family and his life with his best band(my opinion),Crazy Horse and his times with CSN.That's why we needed another 2 hrs!Thanks, Neil, for giving of yourself to all of us for so many years(I've seen you 8 times in concert..awesome!).Thanks,Charlie,you've always been the best.I've watched your conversations for 25 years.This was great!
I don't think I recall this many posts after one of your interviews. That was just fantastic! He really is always thinking. You can see it so plainly. Thank goodness the doctor's found that aneurism before we lost such his conscience and genius. Hope Neil and his team comes up with that revolutionary drive train. Great to see you open up in this way after all these years.
Does Neil travel around on the wings of a dove? He doesn't mind 10 Dollar for a gallon of gas, he's got the money. The whole interview is mindless dribble and no, Neil is not Dylan, not even close.
That was brilliant.Sat totally enwrapped even though on shift work on and should be in bed- could not tear myself away. Great interview Mr Rose. Neil, an inspiration,a leader, & a most human human. Even if great songs can't, visions & dreams can change the World.
Never nothing wrong hearing a couple of old bad-asses riffin' at the end of the day. Thanks boys.
It is so refreshing to hear a conversation that gets away from the debate over democrats vs republicans and talks about the larger problems that everyone needs to care about. History will record Neil as one of the great contributors of his generation - beyond his music - that inspired others to try and reach for the stars and succeed.
This was an interesting interview with a terrific musician with a conscience. It is always entertaining to hear how an artist approaches his or her craft, and in this case, Neil didn’t disappoint. The real value, however of this interview, relates to Neil’s views on the connection between energy and war, or energy and the future prospects of our planet. I’m thankful that Neil has leveraged his celebrity for the purpose of a BHOG (big hairy audacious goal) for eliminating “roadside refueling.” Hopefully, his commitment towards this goal can light a fire for the rest of us to examine things we can do to improve the future of our lives on this planet.
Charlie that was a beautiful show. Here's to all the suckers for love.
This comment is regarding the beginning of the interview. Neil Young was describing his reaction to the USA Today front page photo of wounded and dying soldiers being operated on in a plane hurtling through the sky. It was heartbreaking (whichever political side one might be one) to listen to Neil tell what he was thinking - to really imagine what it must be like to be mortally wounded and also what it must be like for the docotrs, and WHY? for WHAT? What is this life? It was a heavy moment. I wanted to hear more about how Neil FELT, not his view particularly, but an ARTIST's view. At that moment of deep emotion and heartbreaking imagery Charlie Rose asks something stupid like 'which do you write first the lyrics or the music'. Oh for Pete's sake! What a dolt. What issues of the heart were lost for such a stupid, uninteresting, hackneyed question which poured like sawdust from Mr. Rose's mouth. Sheesh.
Quite fulfilling to finally "meet" Neil Young, if only for an hour and only via a television program. I have been following him for many years (since CSN&Y) and he is an artist lacking the hype, marketing and ego which charactertize many other R&R song writers and performers. He just "does it" they way he feels it and wants to express himself. There are two performances which I remember most endearingly and viviidly: the Martin Scorsese film documentary -- THE LAST WALTZ [the final gala concert of Bob Dylan's sometimes back-up band and, which also gave independent performances and made many recordings\, "THE LAST WALTZ." (Have seen this film many, many times.) Also, at the celebatory 30th Anniversary of Bob Dylan's association with Columbia Records at Madison Square Garden. WOW! Saw it live and played the video probaby 25 times. His comments on the war and saving the planet via a substitute for gasoline vehicles: unlike other celebrities, I found his comments heartfelt -- and, not driven in any way to enhance his ego, become more popular, to sell more tickets to his concerts or sell CD's or to enlarge his musical career. To be concise: he is who he is. Ergo, authentic! I knew that he had gone through serious health problems -- but, did not realize that they were life threatening. The most touching part of the interview was when he spoke so glowingly about his wife and marriage of 30 years. A R&Rer married for 30 years, to the same woman and he obviously adores her? Even the unusual does happen -- but, rarely. If only we had more people like Neil Young in this world. We would not be facing the overwhelming problems we deal with: personal, domestic and global which are choking us all. Wonderful interview and program. Mr. Rose, you are so knolegable about so many aspects of our world. A veritable protean host.
You can't stop a free spirit.....
I live in England and have been privileged to see Neil twice in concert over the last few months and he was sensational.I have listened to his music for 40 years and I cannot imagine my life without it.The internet has enabled me to enjoy this excellent programme.I have rarely heard him interviewed.It was a very interesting conversation and marvellous to hear Neil talk on subjects close to his heart.There are a lot of problems in this world but with guys like Neil around we have a chance.Keep on Rockin' Neil and come to England with CSN soon please.
What an incredible insightful interview with Mr. Neil Young! I've been a long time fan of his music, and to see this side of Neil was wonderful. Thanks for the full hour of Neil Young!
Mr. Rose, Thank you for having Neil as a guest on your show. It was a thoroughly enjoyable hour that allowed him to express himself concerning a variety of subjects close to his heart in a relaxed setting and enabled your viewers to wonder, cry, question, dream and sing along.
Mr. Rose, Hello this is a fabulous interview, I love Neil Young's message. He is very honest and if he doesn't know an answer he states it. This is the kind of conversation I like to watch. It's not a bunch of words that someone has memorized. Thanks, Chris
The people who disagree with Charlie Rose's conversation style are complete morons. I have read a few of your intellectual circle jerk responses and am completely astonished at how you idiots look at the world. Charlie holds conversations with his guests, these arent interviews. That is what makes his shows so great. For the naysayers stop intellectualizing every single freakin word. Try to appreciate these conversations for what they are.
Hey Robert Zimmerman is that your real name. Probably is because I would imagine you are not a "sycophantic" fan of Dylan's either. No need to feel sorry for us. I suspect we live a much happier, fuller life than you do in spite of the attempts by disgruntled, misanthropic curmudgeons like you to pollute our thoughts with your hostility. This lowly "syncophant" has only one suggestion for improving our environment, and that is the extinction of gasbags like you. We would probably soon have an overabundance of energy as you fossilize. Maybe I'm reading things into your comments that are not there. Maybe "gasbag" is no more accurate on my part in describing you than "syncophant" is on yours in describing those of my ilk. Otherwise, you would probably express your thoughts with other, more mature, phrases than "blah, blah, blah." Sorry about all your rejections/disappointments in life. (Maybe if you changed your attitude things would get better.)
To Joseph Anderson, Berkeley, CA WHAT?
Hi Neil Young is the best Rock&Roller of the world
"It is better to burn out than fade away." Mr Young is one of the few major artists of his era that that have done neither. It is rare that an artist is able to tap into primal creativity so deep into his career. Mr Young is a true em path, that is able to touch the raw nerve of emotion and creativity. That is the source that both enchants and touches the soul of his audience whether young or old. Openness to that source is what keeps your soul alive, along with an unbending determination to listen and tell the truth as you know it....Words largely can not express the creative process. However the source of creativity is a flash of an idea or emotion welling up inside of you from the depths of your soul, setting it down and letting it carry you without plan or organization to its logical conclusion, sometimes miles away from the original concept. Perhaps creativity is taking a chaos of ideas and emotion and reorganizing that chaos into a comprehensible construct....Why don't you know what happened..."He was a friend of yours."
I'm like 30 years past the age of rock hero worship and romantic fantasies -- I thought, until I heard Neil talk about how he met his wife, and how he felt, and how they'll have been married for 30 years this August, and how he appreciates her and turns to her and the family they have -- and damn! I was so right 30 years ago! Love lasts. Neil you're wonderful. Sigh. For a look at how beautiful Neil was 30 years ago, see him live at Massey Hall singing Old Man. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq0tAoO3-xQ&feature=related
Thanks for a great interview, Charlie. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. I am a big fan of Neil Young. I would just like to remind Neil that Americans aren’t paying as much for gas compared to other developed countries, particularly Europe, but Europeans enjoy the financial freedom of universal health care, generous pensions, highly efficient mass transportation, quality low cost child services, etc. Powerful people in Europe are willing to earn less -- fifty million instead of three hundred million annually -- and own two or three homes instead of ten so that everyone in society has a basic standard of living and quality of life. They don't grudge helping those in society with little or nothing. I am a firm believer in Capitalism with regulations to protect Americans from what we are experiencing now - and I also believe in a basic right to shelter, food, education, and health care in a rich and developed country like the United States. Please spare us the sanctimony. Americans are economically oppressed and intellectually starved so crony Capitalism can thrive.
This is the 1st time in over a decade that I have listened to one of your interviews that didn't get pushed around by your own nonstop chatter (although you tried!) DIRECTING the interviewee's answers as you always do to a particular path and agenda that you want yourself - not since the Peter Newfeld/Berry Sheck interview of October 1995 have I seen such a subject-oriented hour on your program. Good for Neil. You succeeded in a great show in spite of yourself and all your buzz-words: "genius" , "how do you see yourself?" These are ludicrous notions, accompanying your star-gazing, like talking about golfing with Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, jeez!! WTF cares? Listen to Terry Gross, read Teddy White, THESE are interviewers, and you know what? We learn just as much about them at the end as any biographer/interviewer, and we'd learn a lot about you, too, just by the way you LISTEN, if you can learn to do that. This night's program was so great because, although you didn't ask non-directed questions enough, and still tried to put words on Neil Young's mouth like you do with all your guests, you began to get an inkling of the spacial way this cat thinks and speaks and writes. And he does not view life the way you do - and this was illuminating not just for the audience, but in particular for YOU. Ask non-pointed questions and you will get less couched answers. Let people pause and finish their own sentences - they know better than you what they are thinking! One more thing - it's COWGIRL in the Sand ... and the big group which began Neil Young's career was not CSNY. It was the BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD. Then 2 solo albums, then CSNY.
Thank you, Mr. Rose, for a fantastic interview with Neil! I've been a fan of his for almost 40 years. It never ceases to amaze me that he exhibits a consistent commitment to following his muse. His integrity is never compromised either. I loved the interview ending, talking about his "church" in nature, then showing him playing "When God Made Me". Well done, Mr. Rose!
I don't know which was more joyus to witness, a true Artist in Neil Young, or Charlie Rose when he is curious. Thank you Mr. Rose,again for being willing, and able, to give air time to a man trying to make a difference, a true Artist. And as always, thank you Neil, for walking the walk. All the way to New Oreleans.
this was the interview i want my friends to see in order to understand the passion i feel for neil's music. it was 'prairie wind' emotion in an interview. to see the neil eyes through the whole interview was a joy. to see his passion for everything he has done and does ... what an example to us all. thank you charlie rose for putting neil in a spot where he felt comfortabe to share as he did. and here's to the 'tall trees' church. amen.
Doug Butler wanted interesting television and comments on Neil's 'bad hair'? Doug this was Charlie Rose, not Entertainment Tonight. You were on the wrong channel dude. Charlie, thank you for the excellent television tonight. The best Neil Young interview ever.
Great respect, great humanity, great conversation! Meanwhile (..with apologies!) "Here we are in the years: I've been driving down this freeway, for eighty seven years, when my car ran out of gas, children cry out in fear. The showman shifts gears, and walks toward his new-age craft. I've been waiting so long, and you've been coming to me for such a long time now." Perhaps the time has finally come. Now, Mr. Young's dream of a car that never runs out of gas may sound like perpetual motion, yet what about an electron? Doesn't it motor around the nucleus never stopping to refuel? Heck, if a measly little electron can do that, why can't we?
Very interesting to hear him talk about fans and autograph seekers. I've never been an autograph hound but I've been a longtime fan. I actually ran into Mr. Young on 5/17/08 on one of his days off out with his son. I had my two kids with me and he actually took the time to talk to me and encouraged me with my own music and then gave me a very warm and friendly handshake. It actually felt like I was talking to a friendz. I didn't sense that Mr. Young was cautious or hesitant or uncomfortable at all. Perhpas it was my small children that put him at ease. And no I did not ask for an autograph or photo. I was trying to be discreet because nobody was bothering him and I didn't want to call attention. What a great experience meeting the guy who has the most influence on my music randomly like that!
So that was an act?
Someone has mentioned Neil looked like he had a ketchup stain on his shirt. Its a paint stain. The theme of his current tour is that of an artist or painter. Each song played on his Continental Tour has been introduced by a painting placed on a stand next to the band, much like a vaudville act. Neil has a tendency to stay in character when he goes out on tour with his fellow musicians. Hence, the shirt is part of his tour wardrobe.
I don't see any trace of "sycophancy" from Charlie or any comment here. Maybe for the rest of us, DOUG, Neil Young remains a regular guy who demonstrated in the interview how unimpressed he is with his own celebrity, how indifferent he is to people who are, and how committed he is to finding a solution to the ongoing energy crisis.
Thank you so much for this wonderful conversation with Neil Young. This was the most relaxed interview I have seen with Neil. It revealed so much about him as a human being. I love his music, his lyrics and his compassion for mankind. He is his own person and most certainly has a gift. He has not compromised his art for commercial success. He speaks the truth directly from his heart. You allowed him to express himself freely and I thank you for that!
Is that a ketchup stain on Neil's shirt? Makes him look like a slob.......
A conversation with a creative genius. What struck me was his commitment to it. It is faith itself to endure I suppose. And he goes on and is just a great example of being with it through it all, enduring. Thanks for the great conversation, I needed that.
The best interview I have seen/read of Neil. It's easy to beleive in music when it comes from the heart and mind. Great to see two people I love to listen to at the same table. Long may you run, Gary
Charlie Rose-It's good to see the many facets of the legendary Neil Young. There is so much more...Doubt he did the interview to elicit praise of his musical gifts. He's trying to help us,our children,our children's children.... Keep on Neil!
Charlie Rose-It's good to see the many facets of the legendary Neil Young. There is so much more...Doubt he did the interview to elicit praise of his musical gifts. He's trying to help us,our children,our children's children.... Keep on Neil!
Charlie let Neil be Neil and the result was a just-shoot-me-now brand of boredom. Notorious for not showing up for rehearsals and gigs, Neil didn't show up for this gig either. Charlie looked utterly helpless, letting the geezer-rocker (with ridiculously bad hair)ramble on about a car, a source, and a brain thing. Spare us the star-struck sycophancy, Charlie, and make the dude actually say something.
Dear Louise, ..Did you notice Mr. Young himself said he had respect for Mr. McCain? But of course, he, and we, are all free to vote for the candidate we prefer, ..and I hope we do. Thank you.
At long last the American public is getting to know the other side of Neil Young. Thanks so much Charlie Rose, for allotting the time for such a great, candid interview. The Earth conservation messages have been a mainstay in Mr. Young's long career. In 1972 his famous 'Harvest' album was the first to be packaged in recycled paper, and his better auto industry suggestions date way back. Windmills, solar energy, self contained green energy producing homes... all his forte. So great to have an all-ages influential thinker talking about how to accomplish these things. When Neil was asked about the "change" needed in the White House... when it came to leadership he was specific, expressing how the 'best and most important changes' needed today, will come from the brightest people in the fields of science and technology, who can develop and devise publicly accessible ways to help better conserve the world environment. More of Neil Young's 'protect Mother Earth and help its humanity' volumes can be added here, but 'will stop there. Thanks again. Great Job. Tod S.
Mr. Rose, how can you seriously say, "there's no way NOT to respect [John McCain\?" I can think of several - He's a multi-time adulterer. He's a flagrant liar, often denying he said things he said as recently as a few days earlier. (For examples, go to YouTube) He claims to represent the best interests of veterans, then time and again votes against bills (or doesn't vote at all) to improve benefits for, and treatment of, veterans. He claims to be pro-environment, then votes against measures to protect the environment. He pretends to be a "Maverick", but continues to support failed Bush policies. He pretends to be free of influence of lobbyists while not only taking money from them, but having them serve in high level positions on his campaign. And let's not forget his involvement with the famous Keating 5 scandal, for which he got a slap on the wrist. There are many more reasons NOT to respect John McCain, but it would fill up your website.
I saw last night's show this afternoon - I would like to see all the show, I only caught the last part and that part was awesome-incredible :) Thank you!
Thank you Mr. Rose for shining your light on Neil Young. It is rare to see such a talented superstar who is like the guy next door. I have always been a fan of his music but never realized there is so much more to the man.
How about loading the video replay?I missed the first half.It can't be that hard can it?
I'm a long time fan, well not very long compared to the length of Neil's career but for half my life time. Since the age of 16 I've been spinning his records. I was happy to hear the ideas that have entered my own mind (and surely many others) at times come out of Neil's mouth last night after 1 am. The need to develop transportation that actually puts energy back into the grid. More small windmills in peoples yards could also be a good start. Who's to say we can't make the paint on a car act like a solar panel or the wheels and drive shaft act like turbines, producing electricity as it rolls along. Lighter weight vehicles could also be made with safety in mind as well. Recycling is still a major area of concern, people, all people need to be recycling or be charged for not returning certain items like glass or plastic containers. Anyways, great show and loved the interview. Don't let the republicans fool anyone, conservation is what will help us now more than drilling. Buy less, use less, be happy with the more simple things that don't drive up waste or transportation. We spend most of our oil just getting trash to our homes and out of sight out of mind. Get the cars tuned up, O2 sensors and CAT replaced on time, wheel bearings rolling smoother and everything else that causes drag like that trailer full of gas guzzling recreation. From Utah
thank you for a great conversation! the passion you both bring to your work was obvious! i only wish it could have gone on for hours! i cannot tell you how much i enjoyed this interview with a truly gifted soul. bon
After volumes of accolades for Neil Young, I'm embarrassed to say I never heard of him. (I'm also old - maybe I've just forgottrn.) But one of the entries made me uncomfortable as well as think. Repeating it here on the chance it will do the same for someone else. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Comment by --- Dear Neil Young --- on Friday, Jul 18 at 05:26 AM ------------- I really appreciated what you said today and I'm really glad that -- for once on Charlie's show -- an anti-war voice like you was on for the entire hour. However, I am African American and I can tell you that Obama, as another "Good Cop" imperialist, has been *THOROUGHLY VETTED* by the U.S. imperialist ruling class (THE U.S. RULING CLASS DOESN'T LET ANY POLITICAL CANDIDATE ALL OVER IT'S HANDMAIDEN, MAINSTREAM, CORPORATE, INCLUDING PBS, TV, ALL THE TIME, WHO HASN'T BEEN THOROUGHLY VETTED) -- the same one that sends our country, or rather economic draftees, off to war [as they did before in Vietnam\ in the Middle East for oil -- and/or Israel & Zionism (representing another white-supremacist, originally European, settler-colonialist fundamentalist religious ideology, again toting the Bible and the gun, this time Jewish instead of Christian, against yet another demonized non-European *NATIVE/INDIGENOUS* people: the Palestinian people). ______ Check out Dissident Voice, online: “Progressives for Obama Fool Themselves", by Glen Ford [editor of Black Agenda Report\ / July 9th, 2008. ______ As I've said before, SOMEONE HAS TO BE ABLE TO SAY "I TOLD YOU SO" ABOUT OBAMA. (Of course, both Barack and Hillary are really "the good cop" versions of McCain.) Even so-called "change" can be a politician's PR election gimmick in America. _____ It's sad but understandable why so many Black-Americans have put their illusions in Obama, but not all of us Blacks are fooled by him. For example, Obama has repeatedly promised Israel that he will do "everything" to stand by Israel, but Obama hasn't promised Black Katrina victims (or Black police brutality victims or their surviving family members, or wrongly/dubiously convicted Black death row victims, or Black primary/secondary school educational racism victims) -- citizens right here in this country -- *anything*. Obama even said that Blacks must _respect_ the Sean Bell 'Jim Crow' court verdict in New York. _____ And Obama's appeal to white liberals/progressives is that he tells them exactly what they want to hear: that RACISM IS OVER! And if he's elected that's exactly what whites will gleefully and loudly proclaim -- and that for anyone Black, under-educated, un-/under-employed, and poor or incarcerated, it's their own damn fault -- just like Obama has been doing already against Black men, especially like only Black men are "unwed, irresponsible fathers".
this proves that neil young has helped influenced the thinking of america for over 40 years. nothing is better than hearing a neil young song after having a bad day. live forever neil, thanks roger in oregon
does anyone know when it will be up on the web? i think i've checked back here 100 times already! haha ... can't wait! i missed the original air. neil young is great! the letterman interview was just a tease! too short. go neil!
Thank you, Mr. Rose! This was an insightful interview with Neil Young: writer, poet, musician, director/producer, thinker and innovator. Thanks Neil, for everything you've given us (your fans) over all of the years... Peace and love.
Great "current" interview with Neil Young. Glad you could get him on the program. Hope you have him back with the Lincvolt team and also whenever he decides to release the archives. I got a DVR and am gonna have the kids watch it this weekend. Very inspirational.
Charlie, What a great interview you had with Neil Young. I thought that your discussion of the source of Neil's Art was profound and inspiring. The two of you should continue this discussion further. I want to thank you for being my favorite talk show host.
Charlie, Could not believe the great interview with Neil Young last night ! You seemed very relaxed and let Neil show us his many talents and layers. He is a gigantic star that is using his life and talents for the betterment of us all. We need more of those people in the world! I hope he can find the solution to the energy crisis but it will take some sort of political directive in the end to get EVERYONE to wake up and realize that we are in big trouble if we don't do somethng about it and soon ! Great job, Neil, in getting the word out anyway you can. America, listen up !! Thoughts from a Prius owner , Hey, its a start!
Maybe it's just me, but I thought the interview with Neil Young was terrible and embarassing to watch, basically because of the ineptitude and apparent ignorance of Charlie Rose as to precisely who Neil Young is as a musician and cultural figure. Thus I did not detect a single question being asked about Young's music and his career which included Woodstock and acquantainceship with all the big stars of that era like Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell etc. or tough questions about his views on race and the song Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote disparaging him etc.etc. or any questions that really pertained to who he is as a public figure. Rather the banal lines of questioning by Rose were boring and mostly irrelevant. I felt this boorish interview was an insult to Young and his fans whose only value would be to journalism students as an example of how not to conduct an interview. If Rose doesn't really know who one of his subjects is and doesn't have the time to study up on him in prepping the interview, then he should assign it to someone else, like Ben Fong Torres of Rolling Stone, who has the background and motivation to ask the questions that are pertinent of this 70s cultural icon. Actually, stody old Johnny Carson could have done a better more respectful interview that would have included some musical selections and that would have been mercifully briefer.
Listening to Neil Young, I thought about how difficult it is no to despair. Thankfully, I have no family members fighting this fraudulent war in Iraq, so perhaps that is why I pulled the ejection handles on this war a long time ago. Obama or McCain, it almost does not matter. If you think about it, the vast majority of military members and their families voted for Bush both times -- so when I see a body bag or coffin on tv, I cannot help but shrug my soldiers. Someday, maybe, the military community will wake up from the fantastic lie that the Democrats are anti-military and that Republicans are more patriotic.
I don't know if Neil has ever sat for an hour long, intelligent televised interview. Thank you Neil & Charlie, what a treat! If Charlie wasn't a fan, he will be now after this. Charlie & Neil were both on their A Game. Neil's passion and integrity thrives. Articulate, funny, and thoughtful. Perhaps you can invite him back to find out how the Lincvolt project completes (if ever) and to discuss the Archives when released. Wonderful! -Chicago
Neil Young does seem to carry at least four of the traits that will lead to a new energy plant for medium light transport: freedom to imagine renewables truly strategically better, cooperation with engineers working on the same principle, humility, and authentic human hope...? Listening to an honestly accomplished writer musician honestly not wasting his life and faith is uplifting.
Neil, Keep on rockin in the FREE world!!! Loved the interview -Thanks to both of you
Neil Young certainly has a different perspective on powertrains that will hopefully catch on before we are suffocated by our own ignorance and intolerance.
This was one of the BEST interviews I have ever seen with Neil Young. In fact, I think it was one of the best interviews I have ever seen. Way to go Charlie! You have always had the gift of gab, but tonight was something exceptional.
Suzanne Carnes on Friday, Jul 18 at 05:29 AM: "I have always wanted to thank Neil Young for writing the song "OHIO,"" --- Mad props to Neil Young, but you should have heard the Isley Brother's very, of course, SOULLLFUL cover version, with Earnie Iseley's soaring and machine gun Hendrix style guitar playing! (You might be able to find it at YouTube.) I wish that some famous band had written a song -- or at least that there were a prominent documentary, as with Kent State -- about the forgotten Black anti-war students at Jackson state (Jackson, MS) who, protesting against the Vietnam war, the murders at Kent State, and Southern racism, were also legally murdered (2 murdered) and (many) wounded by police and state troopers there 10 days after the May 4th Kent State shootings, on May 14, 1970.
Talk about a gift. Your interview with Neil Young was a gift to us all. You obviously dig the guy and your admiration of him enabled him to express himself very suscenctly and humbly. very nice to see you relaxed. Thanks for the wonderful hour.
Thank you so much for having Neil Young on, Charlie. I watch your program every night. I was a student at Kent State University in May 1970, and was a witness to the massacre that took place there. I have always wanted to thank Neil Young for writing the song "OHIO," but never have found an address for him. Thank you Neil, and thank you Charlie! Peace, Suzanne Carnes, Kailua, HI
A wonderful hour, Charlie. Thank you for what you do, and thanks to Neil for what he does.
Only half-way through Neil Young. Many epiphanies. "The Gift of music." The alternative energy initiative. One of the most incredible Bicentennial artists living. Thank you Charlie. Lu 37yrs. - Charlie Rose 25yrs.
Caught the part when Neil Young was talking about cars generating energy. He basically hopes for a perpetuum mobile. Pathetic. Mentioned use of compressed air, forgetting that it takes energy to compress air, etc... It is clear he means well, but understands little. Too bad.
Charlie, you have such a talent for interviewing guests; I stay tuned until the last word. For once somebody (Neil Young)told the truth about how long the war will last...until we solve our energy problem.
Mr. Rose: Neil sang in 2006 in his song looking for a leader: 'Maybe it's Obama but I think that his too you' and we heard as a comment in the Deja Vu movie a comment from the audience:'It is a bit political'. Neil Young proved in his interview that he has a deep macro view on the economical background of international wars (not i the Irak only) and he proved his abiltiy to have a global view on the international impact between the missing network in political thinking fo the welfare of all people living our common world as the the undoubted cause for riots and wars. Bio fuel, exploding food prices and people suffering 'cause they're not able to afford these prices are the same side of the mdeal leading into new distribution wars (as we say in Germany). Maybe Neil Young lost track during the years but today he is stronger than ever and for me the most important think tank in the music business. Today his items are international not only for the USA. He's relable in his thought and, yes he's a real politician. Thanks for work from Germany. We get of lot of inspiratio from you. Keep on Rocking in the free world, Neil. See you in Colmar in August.
Keep up the good work. Thank you.
We saw a very rare thing tonight in this hour interview with Neil Young. We saw a man, famous beyond borders who still loves his wife, (after 30 years!) still needs her connection during his messy and beautiful creative process, and even honors family before everything else. And then, a brilliant thinker who can inspire a team across the US to 'think different'(as Apple used to say), on energy. The macro view Young spoke about was simple yet brilliant. End war, death and suffering by creating a team to rediscover energy that is renewable. Enough available and affordable energy = Peace. His comments on the Prius (and other hybrid) batteries needs to be HEARD. They too, are going to cause shortage and scarcity like oil. From there he took us to the most startlingly true comment about this war I have heard: "This war is not going to end." "We will end it when we solve the energy problem." That sums it up, world. The dark, ugly truth, from a poet who honors his muse. If this was not THE best Charlie Rose interview I have ever seen over the decade, I don't know what could compare. Thank you for allowing the full hour, I could have watched 5 more hours if you could have kept him talking. -Deeply grateful in Albuquerque, NM
Neil & Charlie Wow Neil you have been for the better part of my life. The interview proved it even more. I want to say thank you for the fablious ride. Thank you very much, Oh I an Enguneer besydes a BSEE(one who makes things work)Could I get more info on your non-fuel project. Being a international Industrial Testung & startup engineer for 30 years I'm a good bit cross trained and versed on getting it right & makin it work, Aloha John Furtak Prescott, AZ
Charlie, Neil had me in tears tonite because I feel his understanding of the reality of today is exactly as it is. I have what could be the answer to our energy problem that could be incorporated into every energy need. If you will, please send to him these concepts: 1) Axial Vector Energy makes a generator that is 47% more efficient than existing and is powered by a tiny, super efficient, diesel engine that is a true, multifuel motor patterned after a WW11 torpedo engine). 2)Microalgea can be grown in a "bioreactor" from waste water released from munincipal treatment plants (no water needs as it uses waste water); microalgae produces 50% usable oil to be refined into biodiesel--waste from that process to be used as fertilizer; algae,as a plant, takes CO2 from the air (sequestration) and with sunlite, (photosynthesis) releases oxygen (which all animals need) and is, after combustion, Carbon Neutal and Oxygen neutral. 3)Algal bioreactors have in the lab produced 180,000 gallons of diesel per acre per year. 4)Algal biodiesel is clean burning and its combusion can power efficient generators that can be used to power transportation, heating, cooling and all electrical needs (ie: generators hooked to the power grid). 5)A new battery breakthrough in the lab uses nanolithium tubes that can store 100 times the energy than the existing (which already is quite good) and would be a great contribution to the hybrid vehicles of today and tomorrow. 6)And last if not least, the hybrid auto will use the biodiesel vector engine that burns algae diesel for power and generation to the lithium car batteries (and/or energy to the electrical grid if the need aries). I'm from the land of Dylan (Minn, a tad south of where he grew up) and have enjoyed your music for a long time and have spent some glorious yrs in a lot of the land north of our boader. Take care and will continue the search for clean energy. We could do so much for all and the earth if we could only find a way(s) to solve the worlds energy needs. Free energy is there, if we can only find it and make it happen. Bt.
I liked the interview and would like to support Neils cause, please send contact info.
Whoah! Charlie. Neil blew us away tonight. What a great mind. So glad he is on our side and trying to do the right thing. We have faith.
Hi Charlie, would you (or anyone else who knows) please indicate the title of the documentary from which the clip that you aired during the show was taken? Thanks! Robert :-) veryounique@hotmail.com
Mr. Rose I was impressed by the sensibilities and continuing aspirations of Mr. Neil Young. Having had a somewhat similar professional life as both a musician and a scientist and having shared many of these sensibilities and aspirations, I would like to support his work in some way, or, as he put it "be a part of it". Can you arrange for him or a representative to contact me via my e-mail? Thank you.
It was a delight to hear Neil's ideas about responding to environmental challenges. Often, it's the visionary free-thinking artists of the world who show us the way to save ourselves. Neil is one of those visionaries who will lead us out of the mess that those with no vision at all have gotten us into.
Charlie Rose: Hello-Tell Neil Young to call me/contact me ASAP-I'm working on deadline on exactly what he is speaking about tonight-for a big project- Susan(VanSchaick-Olympics)- Saint Laurent (NYNATAS)518/692-2015, former media specialist/creative director for NYS-Mario Cuomo appointee. It is Thursday night-I also, covered alternative energy on Capitol Hill-
Will have seen Neil 4 times this year. Been to other gigs, but hardly anything comes close.
Charlie - I'd like you to ask Neil if he thinks his sycophant fans need to get a life. Neil changed my life, Neil is not a sell-out, blah, blah, blah... This is sick. I feel sorry for these people
Mr. Young...thank you for your music. You've been very active in informing your audience about issues that are not only important to you, but globally significan