Golden Movie

This is a bit of a departure for me -- but what the hell. I've been trying to figure out what makes the new Neil Young movie "Heart of Gold" so powerful, and here's where I net out. I think Neil had it in his head -- no pun intended -- that this might have been his last performance. The fact that he was scheduled to have brain surgery about 10 days after the actual concert is made reference to, but certainly not dwelled upon. Nevertheless, to me this feels like it could have been a "farewell performance". Like something that Warren Zevon might have done, but didn't have the strength to pull off in the end (he devoted himself to putting out two great final albums instead).

As Neil has aged, he has become more zen. Calmer. More intuitive. Less upset with the world. More focused on his art. And now with the recent death of his father, and his own impending aneurysm surgery, mortality is in plain sight. The Buddhists say that death approaches like a speeding bullet, and sometimes I believe we have the feeling we can see it coming. So what does Neil do? He writes some great new songs, gets a bunch of old friends together -- emphasis on the word "old" -- and has Jim Jarmusch film the performance in Nashville. Why there? Well, it appears that the ghost of Hank Williams is also one of the motivating spirits behind the Prarie Wind story, so why not?

What has always made Neil Young great, and why he continues to be that way is there is absolutely no bullshit. None. This guy is a complete straight shooter. And whereas Dylan can take an emotion and turn it lyrically inside out so often you're never quite sure what the heck he's saying, Neil just tells you what he thinks: "I've seen you in my nightmares, and I've seen you in my dreams. And I could live a thousand years before I know what that means".

Neil has always found a way to get lost inside the performance of his songs. And that quality is captured simply and beautifully here by Jarmusch and his cinematographer Ellen Kuras. But this film is also a kind of soliloquy on the reality of getting older. Practically everyone on the stage started out playing music when both they and rock and roll were very young. Revolution was in the air. There was nothing to lose, and lots to shoot for. But Young, Emmylou Harris, Ben Keith and Neil's wife Pegi have seen a lot of water pass under the bridge. You can see the decades of experience in their faces. Jackson Browne called it "the quiet resignation that living brings", and I can't do much better than that.

There's some joy in this film, but not in abundance. Instead, for lack of something more descriptive what's most evident is a combination of pride and humility. An exploration of what life might mean. The recognition that this music may not be the most important thing on earth, but then again, it ain't nothing either. You might want to compare it with what you've been doing for the past thirty years or so. Or maybe that's pushing it a bit. Either way, as Neil says "Don't be denied". And if you get the chance, go see this movie.