Waging Heavy Peace

By: Neil Young

Narrated by: Keith Carradine

Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

The perfect gift for music lovers and Neil Young fans, telling the story behind Neil Young's legendary career and his iconic, beloved songs. “I think I will have to use my time wisely and keep my thoughts straight if I am to succeed and deliver the cargo I so carefully have carried thus far to the outer reaches". (Neil Young, from Waging Heavy Peace)

Legendary singer and songwriter Neil Young’s storied career has spanned over 40 years and yielded some of the modern era’s most enduring music. Now for the first time ever, Young reflects upon his life - from his Canadian childhood, to his part in the '60s rock explosion with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, through his later career with Crazy Horse and numerous private challenges. An instant classic, Waging Heavy Peace is as uncompromising and unforgettable as the man himself.

©2012 Neil Young (P)2012 Penguin Audio

too good to be ruined by inappropriate narrator

When someone has as distinctive a voice as Neil Young, more care should be taken when choosing a narrator. That said, this book was very well done. He moves from topic to topic, often revisiting the same subject from the point of view of the different stages of his life. An original way to organize his story- it was never boring for a minute.

Neil says "look inside my head for a minute"

What would have made Waging Heavy Peace better?

I give this 4 stars for performance but Keith Carradine was a great choice and he did a great job - particularly in the second half of the book when he really seems more emotionally connected. But I would only give 5 stars if Neil Young had narrated this himself. But give it up for Mr. Carradine. As the book moved on I was not only hearing his voice but I was picturing him as if he was reading stuff he saw for himself.

Which scene was your favorite?

On at least one occasion I was at a hockey game with Neil Young sitting beside me. That only happened because we each have a son with cerebral palsy so we were in the handicapped section. During intermissions some people would come up behind where we were sitting and just kind of stand there awestruck. Neil Young has a lot of fans. Me too although I had a slight worry that someone might mistake me for David Crosby. I mention this only to illustrate that I know Neil Young as a real person besides being a rock icon. And also to note that my favorite scenes were often about "Ben Young". He almost always referred to his son that way (and there is one scene that illustrates the confusion that might occur otherwise) yet he is just as likely to refer to Bob Dylan as "Bob" even if he hasn't mentioned him in the previous half-hour.I also found myself fitting into this story at various other places. I completely understand the love of model trains, going on road trips, getting the most out of music as a listener, building electric cars. I bet a lot of people will find connections to his story. The ones likely to be disappointed are the ones who expect a lot of chapters (and he tends to write many, small chapters) to start with "I was so wasted that I ...".

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Waging Heavy Peace?

This book is not even close to being in chronological order. And maybe that would take spirit out of the author if you made him cut/paste it into something resembling a narrative. But I think he wrote this book as if it was a phase of his life between two other phases and he didn't have the time (or the inclination) to futz with it.

Any additional comments?

Overall I liked this a bit better than the Heart memoir even though I tend to like to hear about women's lives more than men's. I also think it is interesting how people will write about their drug history and say "it wasn't so bad" and I'm thinking "oh, you were lucky". And they write about their sex lives and they seem to say "I guess I got around" and I'm thinking "that's it - where's the rest of the stories". I'm very glad I read this book but I think I'm temporarily done with Rock bios and Actor bios and Comedian bios. Might go looking for Science or Philosophy bios.

Couldn't read it. Was on bookshelf, disappeared

What made the experience of listening to Waging Heavy Peace the most enjoyable?

I think being able to listen to listen to it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

?

What does Keith Carradine bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

?

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

You won't be ripped off as I was.

Any additional comments?

Have someone contact me about this.
[e-mail]
337-989-5003

I never thought I would be bored by anything from Neil Young

One of my most favorite singers and songwriters ever, I was really looking forward to this. But it feels rambling and without heart or passion. Not much about music either, at least the first several chapters. Just random thoughts. Bummer.

I love Neil young but this book was just all over the place.

I just read the book by Graham Nash of Crosby stills and Nash and so I wanted to read the book about Neil Young.

He didn’t talk about his experiences with CS N as much as I would’ve liked, He talked a lot about cars and other things that wasn’t that interesting for me. He went through so many women that it just became a blur.

Neil Young in his own words.

This book is a glimpse into the mind of Neil Young. He spoke into a microphone and gave us vignettes of his thoughts and important events in his life. He is passionate about cars, music, family, the environment, model trains, and more. He talks about his physical challenges and those of his children. He tells stories of the early days of Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crazy Horse and brings us into his present relationships with his fellow artists and other friends. He goes from topic to other topics and then back again. It sounds crazy, but it works. I love Neil's music, even the Shocking Pinks and Trans era stuff. He is an artist, not just a performer and this book reflects that. He is sometimes thought of as a liberal because of his anti-war songs and environmental stance. But he talks about how he dislikes stereotyping of individuals and has a more nuanced and gracious view of people with different perspectives.

Keith Carradine has an expressive voice and does an outstanding job narrating this book. Even if you have not been a Neil Young fan you will probably enjoy this book. It is an delightful listen.

Interesting book

I’ve been a lifelong fan of Neil Young and I found this book very interesting and very enjoyable to read. I would recommend this to any Neil Young fan because I think they would enjoy it and get a kick out of the story in it.

Loved it

Loved Waging Heavy Peace. Neil Young delivers his stories with honesty and perspective, and provides a well-rounded view of his life.

I remember now!

What a great adventure the 60’s and beyond were
Neil captures all the love and freedom we all felt along the highway of drugs, sex and rock and roll
We’re all past that now but it certainly shaped the way I take in life now
Never for money Always for Love Neil
Always in your debt
By the way I felt like the birds that followed you around that day were all your friends that left way to early
Big hugs brother

Getting to know Neil Young

Where does Waging Heavy Peace rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my favorite biographies. I felt like i was sitting down with Neil Young as he told me stories about his life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Neil Young. Listening to the book brought me closer to who the man is instead of just the guy on the records.

Which scene was your favorite?

Just listening to Neil describe his passion for not just his music, but all music.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

That would be nice, if a little impractical. The narrative aspect of it was a nice change from most biographies I have read.