About Neil Young
I just got done watching Prairie Wind, the new Neil Young concert movie. I really enjoyed it. Sadly, I didn’t really listen to Neil Young or many other rock genre musicians until I was in my thirties.
A few years back; an aquaintance of mine, Eric, from high school passed away somewhere out on the west coast. I found out about it when his parents called me and asked me to put something together and provide music for his memorial service.
Eric and I met in junior high but were never close friends. We both played the saxophone but Eric later turned to the guitar and I remember him singing and playing Neil Young songs when we were in high school.
I asked about what they had in mind. They said Eric liked Neil Young a lot and maybe I could do that… Neil Young on the saxophone… I agreed but wanted help.
I happened to be working with a band called Sugar Daddy at the time, and Sugar Daddy himself, Grant, was a Neil Young fan. I was able to convince Mr. Daddy to come play guitar and sing Neil Young at my friend’s funeral while I noodled soprano saxophone lines around the melody.
It was a nerve wracking thing for me. The phrase “put something together…” always leaves me in a panic. This was also a funeral service… I felt a strong pressure to do exactly just the right thing…
We chose two songs, I believe one was Needle and the Damage Done, and the other I don’t remember.
We played our songs. We played them well. There didn’t seem to be a huge reaction either way. People cried. Some were silent.
Eric’s father gave me some money and thanked me. The pastor thanked me. There seemed to be something a little strange in the way he looked at me… I gave the money to Sugar Daddy.
The next day I was in the local convenience store when one of Eric’s friends saw me. I’d known Eric was in with a certain crowd but I didn’t know how far he’d taken certain types of experimenation. The friend told me Eric had died of an overdose.
I’ve never been sure how to feel about it. Beloved son dies in a tragic heroin overdose and I come in and play “Needle and the Damage Done” at his funeral.
I didn’t know the cause of death. Would I have made the same choice had I known? Did it bring more pain to his survivors? Was it a terrible mistake?
Its been years but I still wonder.
