Special Deluxe

Reviews

Praise for Special Deluxe

“Young returns to reflect on the two defining love affairs of his life: cars and dogs…. The plaintive and straightforward approach to Young's remembrances evokes a kindly paternalism as he candidly recounts details of his experiences forging his musical ambition in Canadian clubs, the hippie scene in Los Angeles, his later solo career and the innumerable rides that took him there…Both heartfelt and conflicted, Young's passion for cars is tempered by his environmental conviction, a prescient reminder that the Earth is more important than a hobby.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Now here’s a guy who takes the word autobiography seriously. This “outgrowth,” as Young puts it, of the Canadian singer-songwriter’s 2012 memoir, Waging Heavy Peace, is quite literally an auto-biography, a collection of reminiscences sparked by the author’s memories of the cars he and his family have owned over the years…he’s more outspoken regarding his views on politics and environmental issues... As an extra treat for his fans, the book is full of illustrations (of cars, naturally) done by Young himself. It’s an interesting approach to a memoir and despite the overlap with Waging Heavy Peace, the approach makes the material feel fresh.”—Booklist

 “Young's new book is structured around recollections of the various cars he has driven over the years, a literary device that elicited more emotionally charged memories and prose than anything in his previous memoir. He writes evocatively about rough childhood moments (he once saw his father slap his mom during an argument, then retreated into the basement to play with his electric trains) and adult triumphs (he composed what ended up being Ragged Glory in an empty car barn on his ranch, sitting by himself for days on end with a joint, his guitar and his amp).”—Rolling Stone
 
“In cars and in music, Neil Young has never been afraid to try something new. That spirit of experimentation spills over to the pages of Special Deluxe. The memoir features watercolor paintings of cars by Young, and with it, the 69-year-old musician can now add illustrator to an extensive resume that already includes rock god, Internet entrepreneur, and director.”—Wired
 
 “Neil writes in a well-developed voice that never misses the mark in terms of tenor and tone. Special Deluxe reads like a great Neil Young song plays - it’s a bit wistful, mildly bemused, deeply passionate, humble direct, and only ever so slightly curmudgeonly.”—Buffalo News

“Just as his autobiography took readers by surprise with its rambling candor, the sequel will appeal not just to gearheads and classic rock fans but anyone who can appreciate a true maverick.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“[A] loving rumination on the litany of vehicles that have taken him from here to there throughout his 68 years….Young's latest avenue of expression adds yet another line to his already lengthy resume.”—LA Times


Praise for Waging Heavy Peace

“Elliptical and personal…Waging Heavy Peace eschews chronology and skips the score-settling and titillation of other rocker biographies. Still, Young shows a little leg and has some laughs…. As the book progresses, the operatics of the rock life give way to signal family events, deconstructions of his musical partnerships and musings on the natural world. It is less a chronicle than a journal of self-appraisal.” –David Carr, The New York Times

“Waging Heavy Peace finally is Neil Young on Neil Young. Inasmuch as this memoir compares to anything, it's Dylan on Dylan in Chronicles Volume 1, and at the risk of offending, one must read it as perhaps one might the Bible: Young's reality is plastic, his prose prophetic; and myth, metaphor and madness meander through his musings….It is a beautiful book, and the sturdy stock gives it a substantial heft. The prose is conversational, peppered with sentence fragments, more stream-of-consciousness than narrative. This in itself is lovely, as reading this book likely is a close as most of us will get to riding with Young in his bus, shooting the breeze, reminiscing.” –Ted St. Godard, Winnipeg Free Press (Canada)

“Terrific: modest, honest, funny and frequently moving…Waging Heavy Peace takes the form of a diary, a life-in-the-day structure that gives Mr. Young room to maneuver, as he takes us on a wander round his memory palace… In many ways, the closest antecedent to Waging Heavy Peace may be Laurence Sterne's 1760 masterpiece, Tristram Shandy…Elegance itself.” –Wesley Stace, Wall Street Journal

“An inspirational account of tragedy, triumph, and toy trains…If you love Neil Young you will love his autobiography….There is humor in his approach, and a preoccupation with the feeling of things; of sound, and with the world of soul and spirit…. [Young’s] is a hero’s story; a man put through trial after trial who is still fighting at the end with humor, courage, and rage to be the most powerful and genuine artist he can possibly be.” –Suzanne Vega, The Times (London)

“Revealing, even (at times) oddly beautiful, a stream-of-consciousness-meditation on where Young has been, where he thinks he's going and, perhaps most revealing, where he is right now.” –David Ulin, The Los Angeles Times

“[Waging Heavy Peace] isn’t a book to part with. It is as charismatically off the wall as Mr. Young’s records, and the recent concert films so imaginatively directed by Jonathan Demme. And however privately calculating it may be, it seems completely free of guile….[A] playful, capricious portrait…Waging Heavy Peace has an affirmative spirit that is one of its most poignant qualities.” –Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“Full of casual asides, unpredictable tangents and open-ended questions as he looks back on his life at age 66.... Dryly hilarious...poignant....Waging Heavy Peace shows that Young is still in full possession of that stubborn, brilliant, one-of-a-kind instrument. He doesn't always go exactly where you want him to, or stay long enough once he gets there, but did anyone really expect anything else?" –Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone (four stars)

“Waging Heavy Peace is a convoluted road map to that life, drawn on cocktail napkins and pinned up with refrigerator magnets — part free-form blog, part liner notes to some future hundred-disc anthology and part loopy travelogue through one aging hippie’s expansive backyard….Young’s voice here is pure, unadulterated Neil.” –Howard Hampton, The New York Times Book Review

“An honest, insightful, engaging and, dare we say, fun literary rambling. It’s a yarn told by a good buddy in a dark bar over beers and tequilas with great music on the jukebox in the background.” –Bob Ruggiero, The Houston Chronicle

“Young writes with dry eloquence in a voice that is clearly his own…His narrative voice is like his music—direct, emotional, hopeful, sometimes funny, willfully naïve, and often, quite beautiful… At its core, Waging Heavy Peace is a story about love of the enduring variety.” –Jeff Miers, Buffalo News

“Lively, rollicking, high-spirited, and reflective… Like one of his long, inventive jams, Young weaves crystalline lyrics and notes about friends… with reflections on the enduring beauty of nature, and the lasting power and influence of music.” — Publishers Weekly (starred) Expand reviews