Young makes peace with his anti-’War’ critics

Crotchety old hippie Neil Young might just be a tad craftier, and a tad more subtle, than his brazenly political new album “Living With War” would suggest.

Full of no-holds-barred songs including “Let’s Impeach the President” and “Looking for a Leader,” the staunchly antiwar collection, released last week, has become a lightning rod within the pop music community and beyond, generating reaction from praise for the 60-year-old rocker for his boldness to trashings of his artistic credibility.

“Trite lyrics, leaden playing, and screechy, preachy vocals sabotage any chance his messages might have to persuade,” wrote the Christian Science Monitor, which gave “Living With War” a D grade. “Neil’s heart may be in the right (or left) place on this project, but his art is missing in action.”

The Washington Post grumbled that the album “seems to be a couple of years behind the curve, coming across like a series of stale, somewhat superficial lefty blog posts set to fuzzy rock as Young attacks (and mocks) the Bush administration while declaring war on war.”

Young’s response?

He’s posting all the jeers on his own website, right next to the cheers.

Rather than clutching tight to the artistic blinders that allow most musicians (and actors) to see only the praise that comes their way, Young’s latest move seems more geared to sparking dialogue than in initiating impeachment proceedings on Capitol Hill.

“I found what people said about this music to be the real story, both pro and con,” Young wrote in an e-mail in response to questions from The Times about his reason for laying bare the jabs as well as the plaudits his latest work has inspired.

A link labeled “Living With War -- The Great Debate” at www.neilyoung.com opens to eight full reviews, four labeled “pro” and four “con,” followed by links to additional critiques -- 10 more negative and nearly 50 in the positive column (including The Times’ review).

“I was surprised by the amount of positive reviews,” Young wrote, “and the intensity of both the pros and cons.”

Alongside glowing notices from Time magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Toronto Star, printed in their entirety, are some equally harsh articles from the National Review, the Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post and other media outlets.

“Was Young not paying attention during the 2004 presidential election, or during September’s antiwar protest on the Mall? Did he only recently realize his contempt for Bush and his outrage over the war in Iraq?” J. Freedom du Lac wrote in the Washington Post. “Where ya been, Neil?”

The National Review, in a May 5 editorial about “Living With War,” zeroed in on Young’s Canadian citizenship, as did several other critical pieces.

“This interloper from the land of moose and Mounties is telling us to impeach our president! For goodness’ sake,” the Review’s editors wrote. “If it’s not Mexican fence-jumpers trying to dictate legislation to us, it’s fur trappers from the wilds of Ontario insulting our head of state. America’s business is everyone’s business, it seems.”

Suddenly cast in the role of outside agitator -- something that didn’t happen in years past when Young voiced support for President Reagan, or released his post-9/11 call-to-action song “Let’s Roll” -- the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer said, “Surprisingly, I agree with Stephen Colbert: that Canadians should not be allowed freedom of speech while living in the USA.”

As to the relevance of his citizenship, Young added, “I consider myself to be a citizen of the Planet Earth first, and a Canadian second.”

Despite all the press accorded “Living With War,” it didn’t translate immediately into stampedes at record stores. The album sold 60,000 copies in its first week of release, entering the national sales chart Wednesday at No. 15, about average for a Young album this decade.

On learning that his harshly critical assessment of the album was on display on Young’s website, John Kehe of the Christian Science Monitor said, “I think it’s cool. That’s very much like Neil Young, who’s always been a maverick artist.

“I’ve always admired him for going through life not giving a [hoot]. I think with this album he’s trying to throw his rock fans a little bit of raw meat,” Kehe said. “I just wish it had been done better.”