Neil Young learned to paint watercolors to go along with his new memoir. Neil Young
Neil Young learned to paint watercolors to go along with his new memoir.
51 Willys Jeepster: “1951 Willys Jeepster”
Young would drive through the Santa Cruz redwood forests in his 1951 Willys Jeepster. He bought it in Santa Ana in 1968 for $750. Despite the “raggedy” convertible top and “funky” gear-shift linkage, Young immediately knew he wanted it. Neil Young
51 Willys Jeepster: “1951 Willys Jeepster”
Settled at his Broken Arrow Ranch in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains, Young would drive through the redwood forests in his 1951 Willys Jeepster. He bought it in Santa Ana in 1968 for $750. Despite the “raggedy” convertible top and “funky” gear-shift linkage, Young immediately knew he wanted it. “The car itself was a real beauty, soulful and open like a desert cruiser.”
59 Lincoln Continental Convertible: “1959 Lincoln Continental Mark V”
Young’s love for classic cars and the environment came together with his 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark V Convertible. In 2008, Young assembled a team to convert the 6,200-pound car to run on electricity and biofuels. Neil Young
59 Lincoln Continental Convertible: “1959 Lincoln Continental Mark V Convertible”
Young’s love for classic cars and concern for the environment came together with his 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark V Convertible. In 2008, Young assembled a team to convert the 6,200-pound car to run on electricity and biofuels, resulting in the LincVolt.
47 Buick Roadmaster Convertible: “1947 Buick Roadmaster Convertible”
Before moving to Hollywood, Young bought a 1947 Buick Roadmaster Convertible in Toronto for just $75. “Buying it was kind of a dreamer’s move on my part, but if I could find another one today in nice original shape, I would probably still go for it.” Neil Young
47 Buick Roadmaster Convertible: “1947 Buick Roadmaster Convertible”
Before moving to Hollywood, Young bought a 1947 Buick Roadmaster Convertible in Toronto for just $75. “Buying it was kind of a dreamer’s move on my part, but if I could find another one today in nice original shape, I would probably still go for it.” The car broke down before long, and Young left it on the street.
50 Plymouth Special Deluxe: “1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe Sedan”
While he was recording American Stars and Bars with Crazy Horse, Neil Young was driving a 1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe. It was “a little rough getting into first gear just as the clutch was released, but it was really very solid aside from that idiosyncrasy.” Neil Young
50 Plymouth Special Deluxe: “1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe Sedan”
While he was recording American Stars and Bars with Crazy Horse, Neil Young was driving a 1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe. He bought it for about $1,800. It was “a little rough getting into first gear just as the clutch was released, but it was really very solid aside from that idiosyncrasy … It always started right up and I used it all the time.” Young keeps the car on his ranch and still drives it, “the trusty six-cylinder engine firing up responsively whenever asked.”
30 Rolls Royce Shooting Brake: “1930 Rolls-Royce Shooting Brake ‘Wembley’”
After finishing a tour with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Young bought himself to a 1930 Rolls-Royce Shooting Brake. It soon after broke down in Belgium. At the same time, Young writes, his relationship with actress Carrie Snodgrass was breaking down as well. Neil Young
30 Rolls Royce Shooting Brake: “1930 Rolls-Royce Shooting Brake ‘Wembley’”
After finishing a tour with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Young treated himself to a 1930 Rolls-Royce Shooting Brake, which he bought in England. It soon after broke down in Belgium. At the same time, Young writes, his relationship with actress Carrie Snodgrass (who inspired the song “A Man Needs a Maid”) was breaking down as well.
48 Buick Roadmaster Hearse: “1948 Buick Roadmaster Flxible Hearse ‘Mort’”
In the early 60s, before Young became famous in the U.S., he toured the clubs of Winnipeg, Canada with his band The Squires. To get from gig to gig, he used a 1948 Buick Roadmaster hearse, which he named Mort. The car later inspired the hit song “Long May You Run.” Neil Young
48 Buick Roadmaster Hearse: “1948 Buick Roadmaster Flxible Hearse ‘Mort’”
In the early 60s, before Young became famous in the U.S., he toured the clubs of Winnipeg, Canada with his band The Squires. To get from gig to gig, he used a 1948 Buick Roadmaster hearse, which he named Mort. The car later inspired the hit song “Long May You Run.”
If you take a journey through the past half-century of Neil Young songs, you’ll see a steady stream of cars along the way. The cab he used to drive in “The Last Trip to Tulsa.” The Datsuns and the clockless Jeep of “Motor City.” The Aerostar and the Cutlass Supreme in “I’m the Ocean,” the 1959 Cadillac Coupe fin sticking out of the ground on the cover of “On the Beach.” You’d pass plenty of trains, too, but that’s a story for another day.
Young’s love affair with cars is complex. He sees their beauty, but worries about the planet-damaging effects of their fuel inefficiency. Those conflicting feelings inspired Young’s LincVolt project: A 1959 Lincoln Continental converted to run on electricity and biofuel.
In Young’s new memoir, his second, the Buicks, Plymouths, and even Rolls-Royces in his life also serve as plot vehicles. With the cars as central characters, Special Deluxe: A Memoir of Life & Cars takes the reader on a backseat ride through the rock legend’s life.
In cars and in music, Neil Young has never been afraid to try something new. That spirit of experimentation spills over to the pages of Special Deluxe. The memoir features watercolor paintings of cars by Young, and with it, the 69-year-old musician can now add illustrator to an extensive resume that already includes rock god, Internet entrepreneur, and director. His artwork will also appear on the cover and the inside spread of his upcoming album “Storytone,” which is due in November.
“I have always thought about painting and never had the confidence to start,” Young says. “But when I wrote the book I searched and chose some photos of the cars and decided to trace them in pencil to eliminate the backgrounds and let the shapes dominate.”
Young had another obstacle to overcome. “Being colorblind, I chose my colors carefully and consulted with friends to be sure I was on the right track,” he explains. “Now, I look on my colorblindness as an asset. Soon I started seeing that shadings and highlights from the angle of light hitting a surface was my main area of interest. At that point I began planning for them in advance, outlining them lightly as a guide and not painting them in, leaving them blank. Then I began blurring the colored areas with plain water on the brush or a damp Kleenex to accentuate the highlights of sun or shadow hitting paint and chrome.”
Young says his process hinges on using the right photos, and that he particularly liked the composition of the pictures he used from Lethbridge, Alberta-based One Shoe Photography. The initial idea for the book’s artwork was to do them as hand-drawn pieces, but Young soon found he preferred the look and feel of watercolors.
“At first I tried charcoal and chalk because I liked the gentleness and softness of the colors,” Young explains. “I soon changed to watercolors, finding that medium more expressive for my abilities… Tracing from [photo prints], I then have a scan of the tracing made and produce a few copies on cold press paper. The paper is not bumpy like traditional watercolors. I like it to be smooth, so it is specially sought out.”
While the paper is special, the rest of the materials are fairly standard. Along with your basic over-the-counter watercolors and pencils, Young also uses basic office supplies, if in a somewhat unusual way. “Whiteout is occasionally used sparingly to secure exterior perimeter line quality,” he explains. “Chrome is treated with a variety of metallic paint pens, usually two or three different intensities working together to create depth in the metal. On the originals, the chrome reflection changes as you pass by.”
You’ll be able to see those reflections change in person if you’re in the New York area. An exhibit of the Neil Young’s paintings for the book will be on display at the James Goodman Gallery on Tuesday, Oct. 14 through Thursday, Oct. 16, from 10 am to 5:30 pm. Special Deluxe: A Memoir of Life & Cars will be released Oct. 14. If you can’t make it, click through the gallery above for an exclusive first look at Young’s drawings.
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