Neil Young, Heart of Gold

 
At a certain point in the life of an artist, he becomes himself and all is revealed. Such is the power of this simplest of films by Jonathan Demme. It is an edited live recording of two concerts given by Neil Young and his band at the Ryman Theatre in Nashville in 2005; captured in all its authenticity with the clearest of sounds one could achieve with modern recording techniques.

There is a key moment in the middle of the film, when Neil Young appears on his own in changed dress and for some minutes one is not sure whether it is not a film clip from a previous concert when he was much younger. The figure is wearing a cowboy hat, looks lean, authoritative, very elegant, strumming his guitar and singing in a crisp, youthful voice. Gradually we realise as the camera moves to his face that it is part of the same concert footage. It is breathtaking.

The music, like the songwriter, has retained all the freshness and power of his heyday in the early seventies when, after his stint with the awesome grouping of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, he broke through as a major solo artist with the best selling album, "Harvest". He explains some of his songs; like "Old Man" with an anecdote about how he met his subject. An older gentleman was showing him a ranch that he wanted to buy: "How come a young guy like you's got enough money to buy ranch?" he asks. Neil Young replies, "I'm lucky, just very lucky." The old man says, "Well, that's the darnest thing I've ever heard!" Neil Young went home thinking and penned one of his most poignant songs.

He introduces his acoustic guitar as having once belonged to the legendary country singer, Hank Williams. He sings a song about it: "This old guitar is not mine to keep. I'm just playing it for a while."

It is heartening to see that unlike many of his colleagues, he has not let success affect his sense of purpose. His faithful band of musicians are also his long-time friends. Emmylou Harris helps out with backing vocals. The bonhommie is so real and sweet, it must have been remarkable hearing him sing and talk in person. His art; the obtuse allusive lyrics, the loping melodies, the punching syncopations; suddenly all makes so much sense. He is very clear about his roots and his own unique role in the history of contemporary American music. He sings both from his head and his heart. He is a remarkable guitarist. He keeps it simple and he plays like he really means it. The heart of gold has been with him all along.