We interrupt our regularly scheduled weekly blog to talk about my trip to see Neil Young signing his new book Special Deluxe, which came out on Tuesday. I was in the city the previous week on my way to a meeting when I walked by the midtown Barnes and Noble. I noticed a sign in the window that said Neil would be there the following week signing his new book. Well thinking that there wouldn’t be too many opportunities to see him up close again I ventured with my wife, Beth Ann, who is an unusually good sport about these type of adventures, into NYC for the Neil Young book signing.
We got to BN a little before noon, bought the book, got my wristband and went outside to wait on a very long line that wrapped along 5th avenue and down 46th street. Nothing much happened for awhile, so I sampled the new book as we waited.
(It’s an interesting book, better than it thought it would be. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific car that he owned (or in the earlier part of this life the family cars) and what was going on at the time he owned the car. So there is a memoir within these tales of his long standing love affair with old automobiles. Neil has also become a bit of an artist: each chapter has begins with a color sketch of the car. )
Beth Ann went off to shop while I continued to wait. She wouldn’t be able to get into the signing unless she also bought a book which wasn’t happening (her sportsmanship has its limits). Passersby occasionally asked the people in line what they were waiting for. When we answered Neil Young signing his new book responses ranged from “Cool” to “Who’s Neil Young?”
Around 12:30 the line finally began to move and by around 1:00 I was back inside the store, heading up the escalator to the signing area. The line snaked around the outside of the stacks to an area in the back where the author (and arguably my biggest musical idol) sat behind a table in a very secluded area of the store. Photo taking was allowed while you were on line but “frowned upon” at the table. So I got this shot as I neared the table.
I had two things I wanted to achieve in my brief appearance at the signing table (shaking his hand and gushing about how big a fan I was were not on the agenda – if you were willing to wait on line for an hour I think he probably knows you are a big fan). I had in my pocket the ticket stub from the November 20, 1976 Neil Young and Crazy Horse midnight show at the Palladium in NYC, which I planned to show him (see the post on “Great Rock Palaces of the Past” for a photo of the ticket). I also wanted an update on The Archives II box which has been in the works for a few years and is still not out (Archives I came out in 2009 – Neil years are like dog years when it comes to things like this).
Finally my time at the table arrived. I approached the table. Neil looked every bit of his almost 69 years but still had that amused, ironic looks in his eyes. As he took the book to sign (a BN staffer takes the book from you as you reach the on deck circle and puts it on the table – an effort to streamline the process I guess) I took the ticket out of my pocket. After he finished signing I handed him the ticket mentioning where it was from. He took the ticket, looked it over and said “that’s pretty cool”. As he handed it back to me I asked my question about Archives II. “It’s all finished” he said. “It should be out in six to seven months.” I thanked him and was ushered out. As I was leaving the person who was ahead of me on line also asked to see the ticket.
So that was it. An hour plus on line for 20 seconds with the king. Still I left feeling good I had taken the time to see him. Long may he run.
(PS I’m still taking the over on the Archives II release date.)