Rating: 
Summary: McDonough dunna good job
Review: For a guy who apparently is as tough to crack as a brazil nut crossed with an oyster, Jimmy McDonough has accomplished an admirable, thoroughly revealing portrait of the artist. That he spent about a decade around the guy gave him amazing insight to the workings of a man whose career decisions could be summed up by the title he chose (actually a nom-de-film maker/producer of Neil's). Do the math, folks: Do ya wanna pay for a hunnerd page frolic (probably half o'that pictures) or twice such a slim volume's fare for 700(!) jampacked sheets of well-dug and researched information that will reveal to you the source of Mr. Young's inspirations and how he got that way? This is as fine a rock bio as ever's been writ and a fantastic bargain at the price for the tome's size. If you're already a fan you indeed owe it to yourself. If you're a musician you'll garner wisdom of experience from a guy who's been there and done it and not gone back to do it again but moved on and rarely repeated himself, defying the music industry in his sheer audacity and determination. If you thought musicians were flaky clueless drug-addled losers, this book will change all that. I have newfound admiration for Neil, and Jimmy, despite the unfortunate circumstances of the volume's birth, has come up a winner himself, despite whatever outcome of the out-of-court settlement.On the downside, a lot of this knowledge is not new and in fact much of the whole picture was already known, yet it's a fine read nonetheless and if you're detail-oriented and thought you'd read it all about Shakey, guess again.
Rating: 
Summary: Engrossing, but Author need to step back
Review: Neil Young's bio "Shakey" is written like 2 books, the first part, covering most of Neil's career up to the early 90's is "Shakey", and is an engrossing read, containing some insightful, shocking, and hilarious anecdotes about one of rock's true iconoclasts. Once the 90's roll around, and author Jimmy McDonough begins the interview process, it becomes "My Life With Shakey, by Jimmy McDonough" I must admit, I learned much about Neil's life and career from this book, and it filled in a lot of holes in the creative process of the artist. Once McDonough enters the picture, though, the book becomes almost unreadable, due to McDonough's incessant whining as to why Neil follows the path he does, which is NOT the path Mr. McDonough WANTS him to follow. Well, what did he expect? The entire book up to that point is of an artist who follows his muse, with little or no regard to trends, common sense, friendships, whatever. All of a sudden, when he does it in front of the author, it's a terrible thing. Also, stick with telling us how a song was recorded, inspiration, anectdotes, whatever, but I don't care whether Jimmy McDonough thinks a song is weak or strong. One of Neil Young's strongest suits is for his songs to be interpreted in a multitude of ways to different people, and a biographer should allow the reader the freedom to decide. Like it or not, we buy the book because it's about Neil Young, not because Jimmy McDonough wrote it. It gets 4 stars because the first 80% is very good, but the ending needs some work.
Rating: 
Summary: some interesting characters but no perspective at all
Review: McDonough long ago succumbed to rollingstonese, journalism without perspective. Or sometimes just lousy journalism, as in his account of Frank Sampedro, the silliest whitewash I've read in a long time. And, of course, there's the slavish worship of Kurt Cobain, whose great suicide means...what? The importance of rock'n'roll? By ignoring the historical context, McDonough's written hundreds of pages of gossip. The best parts of the book are the descriptions of some of Young's strange fellow travelers such as David Briggs and Jack Nitzsche. Young's a tough subject because his best songs are not big political statements. But he didn't write in a vacuum, either, and McDonough makes no effort to put him in any wider context other than rock journalism cliches. I'm not surprised Young cooled to the project, and I don't think it has anything to do with an unflattering portrait.
Rating: 
Summary: Perspective
Review: Note to this biographer and anyone else planning a biography. Check your love or hatred at the doorstep of beginning your book. I get so tired of biographers being fans and critics slanting every bit of fascinating history into a morphed shape of their subject. Lots of good stuff (too much, maybe) in this book, but I winced every time the author talked about his feelings and his position in the story of Neil Young. I'm glad I read this, but I would have been happier editing this draft.
Rating: 
Summary: Author is a headcase
Review: Save your money. Too bad Neil Young allowed this creep to interview him for this piece of junk. Jimmy McDonough is the literary equivalant of Mark Chapman, Lennon's assasin. The last thing anyone wants is a sugar-coated book, but this takes the (sugarless) cake. Neil may or may not have some strange ways, but its the author's obvious hangups that come through clearest in this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Music & The Mystery Continue to Inspire!
Review: ... The Music & The Mystery Continue to Inspire! ... The book itself is as "UNRELENTING" as the intensity of a locomotive train coming your way at full force, as "UNRELENTING" as Neil Young's guitar solo in Like A Hurricane, and as "UNRELENTING" as the man himself. ... JUST READ IT! ... YOWZA! - The Aeolian Kid
Rating:
Summary: essential
Review: McDonough has written some of the most entertaining and insightful articles about Young over the years, he seems to have the knack of getting people onside and opening up to him. That track record continues with this biography, which blows all the other Young books out of the water. That's not too difficult, I guess - the others range from sloppy (David Downing) to annoying (Johnny Rogan). This book illuminates every intriguing nook and cranny in its subject's life. What were the Rockets like before Young turned them into Crazy Horse? What was in Dean Stockwell's screenplay for "After the Goldrush"? All wittily and satisfyingly explained here. McDonough is his own man, he pays little attention to previously accepted Young mythology. Stephen Stills is not presented as the central creative partner in Young's life, that honour (correctly) goes to producer David Briggs, whose understanding of his client's talents allowed him to rein in Young's frequent poor judgment and create the best records of his career. It's revealing that Young's recordings since Briggs' death have been comparatively weak and uncertain. McDonough's ear for Young's music is pretty spot on. His strong opinions have made me revisit the records for new and beautiful details: Greg Reeves bass playing is a masterstroke on "After the Goldrush"; dumbing down a bunch of hotshot Nashville musicians is the root of the unique "Harvest" sound; the world of difference between the harsh digital echo of "This Note's for You" and the deep organic echo of "Harvest Moon". The overwhelming personalities that have surrounded Young throughout his life are vividly drawn. Mother Rassy, manager Elliot Roberts, lover Carrie Snodgress, collaborators like Jack Nitzsche, David Crosby and Billy Talbot, just to name a few. It's a...of a cast. And lurking throughout it all, quietly watching the madness, is Young himself. Complex, obsessive, loving, cold, wily and naive, he's a priceless catch for an ambitious biographer. McDonough does him justice.
Rating:
Summary: Finally - a little something about Neil
Review: After having spent the major portion of my life as a major fan of Shakey, I was thrilled to read this book. Although it reveals little about Neil's the trials and tribulations of Neil's love and family life, I was satisfied with the body of information on his professional development as a musician and songwriter. I particularly like the details that were included on the writing and recording of various songs. I have listened to them all again with a better depth of understanding.
Rating:
Summary: Sour Grapes
Review: The author clearly does not like Neil Young.
After 700 pages, he comes to the conclusion that, although he doesn't understand Neil, Neil is in fact a human being.
What an insight, genius.
This book stinks. It's poorly written and banal. Never mind the hero worship, this book is a hatchet job. Right down to mocking Neil Young's accent with the never ending "heh heh heh" the author keeps adding to every Neil quote. What an embarassment.
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing Biography of An Enigmatic Rock Figure!
Review: As revealed in this new biography, Neil Young is a twentieth century original, a man who rose from obscurity based on nothing less than serendipitous happenstance, a remarkable talent as a musician, singer, and songwriter, and his enduring will to be true to his own inner voice. His story is nothing less than remarkable, given the quicksilver nature of fame and fortune in the rock and roll music business, for Young has truly done it all his way. He has a fabled lack of concern for consequences, for example, and has changed course in the midst of tours, recording sessions, and life a number of times, and allowed terrific carnage to concur in the wake of his leaving. As fellow Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young group member commented, "Neil is not what one would call a 'team player'". No, indeed he isn't. And the wreckage he sometimes leaves behind him has been the stuff of legend. Yet in the midst of all of this carnage and destruction, he has been fabulously successful, and in this penetrating and somewhat discursive biography written by a veteran rock and roll journalist allowed unique access to Young, the artist is revealed to be an iconoclastic, idealistic, and impetuous soul, one in constant search for unique opportunities for his own personal artistic expression. He tends to deal in extremes, not only in his music, but in his wider personal life as well, and has, for example, bought old wrecked 1950 something Cadillacs for $400, only to spend tens of thousands of dollars to have them scrupulously, painfully, and quite expensively restored to pristine condition. And he brings this aspect of doing things to the ultimate degree to almost every aspect of his life. Yet where it shows most clearly and most fatefully is in his recording output, which is both prodigious and varied. He has jettisoned friends and colleagues in search of something creatively different, has dared to off on obscure tangents, and has returned to writing, playing and singing that is artistically fresh, honest, and approachable. Young's life reflects this devotion to introspective aloofness, and although he is happily married with children, he has left a lot of emotional detritus on the floor in the area of his life as well. Colleagues and peers such as Paul Simon and James Taylor speak of him in glowing and affectionate terms, and even Bob Dylan is an outspoken admirer of Neil's creative abilities. Yet all of his friends, band members, and associates recognize that the singular degree to which Neil Young has lived his life is in many ways cruelly and unnecessarily selfish, as though all that mattered to Young was his pursuit of his artistic expression and his idiosyncratic interests. In fact, Young admits as much, and yet is unapologetic. So while one can easily admire the singular creative force he embodies, one is leery of anyone so inner-directed and so single-mindedly devoted to his pursuit of art that he sometimes seems to carelessly disregard all those humans who so meaningfully contribute to his ability to do what he does. Yet he is also sometimes described as generous, thoughtful, and exteremely loyal to friends and aquaintenances. Thus, there is no question but that Neil Young is an enigmatic, complicated, and often tortured individual, and he certainly is a uniquely talented and gifted artist, musician, and singer. His life has been neither easy nor uncomplicated, and one has to admire the energy and determination he brings to his craft, his continued work, and to his life. He is a searcher, someone who, after all this success and recognition, seems still devoted to the pursuit of what Mark Twain referred to as 'the territory ahead', out where few other humans have tread, and where Neil may get to breathe in the intoxicating aromas of original art. This is a fascinating, absorbing, and very informative book written with Young's cooperation and blessing, and one that incorporates interviews with hundreds of Young's friends, family, and colleagues as well as centering on many hours of interviews with Young himself. Long may he run! Enjoy.
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