Neil Young vs. Michael Jackson!?

Hey, Matilda, how's it going?

First I'd just like to throw it out there that I really can't stand the song "Old Man", or for that matter, anything on "Harvest" except "Out on the Weekend". I much prefer After the Gold Rush and the so-called ditch trilogy to come.

Anyway, I think what you're saying represents a big difference between Michael Jackson's music and Neil Young's music. Michael Jackson was not only a great musician, he was a great entertainer. He, James Brown, folks like those threw great shows, usually based on mutual excitement by the fans and performer. (Something is really wrong with that sentence, but my head's not clear enough to fix it.)

Neil Young, on the other hand, often recorded, introspective, brooding, even hostile music. Where Michael Jackson's music can be a fantastic group experience, in a lot of ways, Neil Young's is best listened to alone.

So, to actually answer the questions, yes I do think the attitude is reflected in the music.

And to answer the question as if I had not followed directions, Neil Young.

BQ: Personally, I'm not very loyal to any franchise, sport or otherwise.

Not really comparing the two as artists, I think a signer/songwriter's attitude toward their fans comes through more at a live performance. I would rather an artist make good music that speaks to me on different levels, rather than just writing songs specifically aimed at their fans. This allows them to widen their fan base by reaching out to different types of listeners. I think most good artists do love and appreciate their fans, they just show it differently. They have to enjoy the freedom to create the type of music they wish to, without worrying about who they might offend. Neil's song line was not aimed at his fans. Michael's music was not really written that way either. He wrote about what he felt was important and tried to get his message across, even if it was controversial. I think that is why his music appealed to so many different people worldwide.

BA: I don't really have a favorite sport.

I don't see the comparison. I am very dumb about Michael Jackson, and I want to be. But what I see, if right about MJ, is: Neil Young wrote these words in lyric for production, and MJ just made a normal P and R statement.

I could go on about the difference, but that seems understood here.

I won't insult him here, but I have and will again. He is not my kind of people, nor is his music, my kind.

MJ; may be a "reflection", for your answer, I don't know. But, a gut feeling about MJ; From his attitude about life, that he portrays, or should I say reflects, he would only know fanfare and not real life.

Neil's music is pure life, and fan reflection would have little to do with it.

T. M. T.

Sport, Music, and Life, with out fans you fail to thrive.

Hi Matilda.

Kudos on a really interesting question here.

I tend to lean more towards Neil Young in this instance. I like to think that there is an appreciation for the fans, basically a complete apathy I think is a shame, but the way I see it that's a realistic and healthy perspective. He's doing what he's doing and people are liking it, but how much can you rationally "love" a stranger (loving "fans" is loving a concept) or try to please an abstract collective . Why should you seek the approval of people who you don't know and more importantly don't really know anything about you (as much as they may presume to know everything). I like it when an artist is appreciative of their fans. I think it should (though I don't see it as necessary beyond looking at it professionally and thus really only arriving at understanding and respect) be acknowledged that the fans are, well your customers, and I think it's really awesome when artists will go the extra mile, but I also think that if you go on and on about how much you "love" your fans, you've either lost perspective or you're more likely being totally disengenuous.

I agree with Carol that you're taking that Neil Young line out of context and misinterpreting it. When a song lyric includes the word "you" it's not always referring to the listener.

I think that a songwriter's attitude is reflected in the music if he or she wants it to be. Other than that, I don't think there's much of a difference. Of course, if I hear about an artist mistreating his or her fans, I'm less likely to enjoy the music in the future, unless it's REALLY, really good music. I don't know if Neil Young resents his fans in some way, but, he falls into the REALLY good music category, so I don't really care about his personality.

BQ: I think that fan loyalty is more important in sports than in music. Though music is a competitive industry, artists aren't directly competing with each other, with a winner each night (unless it's a battle of the bands situation).

Neil has never been a likable guy - He made some great music but very few great friends through the years. Yes I think that a singer's attitude to their fans does reflect at least a little in their music. Bruce Springsteen for one loves his fans and plays his heart out for them every time he sings and his songs reflect the lives of his typical fan. Honest hard working blue collar people.

The Beatles The Kinks Jimi Hendrix Experience Bob Dylan Neither Neither Led Zeppelin Neither Lynyrd Skynyrd Pink Floyd The Clash The Clash The Undertones Prince Neither Neither Dire Straits Nirvana Nirvana Neither Manic Street Preachers Blur Radiohead

Tough question for me to answer. I don't really read up on artists, interviews or biographies, so I don't know how they feel about the fans. I'd like to *think* that their attitude towards the fans wouldn't come through in the music- good, bad or indifferent. That they would continue making music for whatever reason they first began, and not allowing something like the fans to dictate the direction they go.

I think Sookie brings up a valid point about the longevity of Rock VS Pop artists. I'm inclined to think that a Pop artist (like Britney) relies more on keeping the fan base happy than a Rock artist. Exceptions to every rule, of course.

Michael Joseph Jackson.

Really? Never read those lyric to mean what you say. Anyway, MJ couldn't hold a candle to Young's talent when it comes to song writing.

BA: American football. Yes, loyalty is very important. When you have a stadium of people who cheers can register on a seismograph, that loyalty can change momentum.

Geaux Tigers