Bob : Welcome back Neil, I think the third time you've done the show - it's always a pleasure. The first thing I want to ask you, why " Landing on Water", what prompted the title ?

NEIL : I was in an aeroplane on the way home from a vacation after I'd finished "Landing on Water". I was just reading the safety broshure, there is a plane and I noticed the graffic there down on the bottom of the page, of the plane landing on water and an illustration of how to do it. I was feeling tentative about the record and how people would like it, and I looked down at those people in the diagramme, and the big plane with the water lapping up at the windows, and they are all trying to get their rafts out of the doors just right, and following the directions. It didn't look as if they had a chance. So I kind of felt like that myself.

Bob : That's a great answer. On "Touch the Night" I noticed there's a credit for the San Francisco Boys  Choir. How did you get hooked up with them, they do a good job on the background vocals ?

NEIL : Well, I met them on a " Parents Helping Parents" thing where my wife and I were asked to speak because we're involved with children with Cerebal Palsey, and " Parents Helping Parents". The choir was also there, so I got the chance to hear them, I actually introduced them to the crowd. That was my part in the thing. Later, I asked them if they would like to make a record with me.

Bob : Well, they have taken a great song and made it better.              PLAYS  " TOUCH THE NIGHT  "

Nick ( Hyde Park N.Y.C.): Out of all the stuff you've done lately what is your favourite type of music that you like to play ?

NEIL : My favourite type of music that I like to play right now is Rock 'n' Roll.

Bob : It changes for you though, doesn't it ?

NEIL : Rock 'n' Roll would kill me if I played it all the time the way I like to play it It takes so much out of me that I don't think I could have done it twelve months a year for the last 20 - 22 years and still be here, so I temper myself by playing other kinds of music and doing other things. Than just when I'm about to explode I go back to Crazy Horse and go on the road.

Walter ( Pickering Ontario ) : I heard there is a benefit concert in Toronto in December some time, for Cerebral Palsy. How did you get involved with them ? Is it because of your son ?

NEIL : Well, that's how I really got involved, because my son has Cerebral Palsy. But there's just a lot of families out there with kids who have Cerebral Palsy. My wife and I have made it our thing to try to reach out to those people, and try to help in whatever small way we can.

Bob : Are there other shows besides Toronto, or are you going to focus on the Toronto area this time ?

NEIL : This time there are three shows in Canada on this tour and we are going to be doing something for the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Association. We havn't worked it out, either one show or a portion of the proceeds from all three shows will go to the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Association.

Rachael ( Orlando Florida ) : I'd like to complement you on your work with Live Aid and Farm Aid, how did you get hooked up with Tom Petty and Tim Hutton in the movie " Made in Heaven " ?

NEIL : Well, the director asked me if I would consider doing something, a small part, because Tim Hutton is a good friend of mine. Really, it was Tim Huttons idea that I do this. I like to act, and it was a chance for me to do something small, where I could just have a good time.

Bob : Has that film been released yet Neil ?

NEIL : No, it comes out at christmas.

Lisa ( Atlanta ) : Have you ever read the biography written about you called " Rust Never Sleeps ". And if you have do you feel that it is an acurate portrayal ?

NEIL : I've never read it !

Bob : So you've no idea if it's accurate or not. Has anybody pointed out anything about it to you ?

NEIL : That's the first I've ever heard of it. ( Does any NYAS member know anything about this book ? - Editor)

Bob : There are quite a few books on you. Do you have a favourite, or one that you dislike ?

NEIL : No !                                                   PLAYS  " HEY HEY MY MY ( INTO THE BLACK ) "

Alan ( Dayton Ohio ) : I seen you in 1983 in Dayton, at the Hurrah Arena, you had it filmed, I'd like to know if that tape would ever be available to the public ?

NEIL : That's a good question. I know I finished it, and I gave it to somebody. I don't know what happened to it. It was pretty good I thought, but I don't know what happened to it though. Somebody is distributing it, maybe Vestron.

Jesse ( La Fayette ) : My question concerns a song you wrote back in the 70's called " Pardon my Heart" as it's really relevant to me today. When you wrote the song was it directly because of a relationship you were involved in ?

NEIL : I think it just came out of me, I'm not sure what the original spark was for that.

Tina ( Campbell, Calif ) : Who's your favourite band, past or present ?

NEIL : I think, presently, I really like ZZ Top and the Stones, I guess - there are so many great bands and so many awful ones too !

Tina ( Campbell, Calif ) : I was wondering how it felt, getting back together with C.S.N. for the Live Aid project?

 NEIL : It was terrible, it was the worst thing I've ever seen. I looked at the tape, it was very embarrasing, it was totally un-together. We sounded much better in the trailer, when we were rehearsing. It was great to see them, but it sounded really horrible. We were out front and the monitors weren't too good. It's like a sort of sacrifice when you put an acoustic band out front, the same thing happened to Dylan. You have the big group behind setting up the electric equipment, and they say " We must have some folkies around somewhere that we can stick out there and kill ten minutes." They put them out front where the monitors are no good, and you are out in front of the P.A. where it feeds back and you are out there with an acoustic guitar and a microphone - it's a total joke. But you know, we are doing it from the heart.

Bob :  Don't you think, in spirit it was kind of special ? Maybe the music wasn't as good as you would have hoped it might have been.

NEIL : Yes, sure, I guess you could say that. It was kind of special, for sure. I liked it, I'm glad we did it, but we didn't do it very well.                                                                     PLAYS  " WEIGHT OF THE WORLD "

Mike ( Los Angeles ) : I was looking at the special thanks on the new album, you've listed Don Henley. I was curious as to what influence he has had on you on the new album ?

NEIL : Well actually Don Henley and Danny Kortchmar are really good friends, and I thanked Don on the album because he actually laid back on his own project for a couple of months, to let us do this.

Bob :  You're going to be doing a concert with Don Henley and Glen Frey, and I think that is in just a couple of weeks. Can you tell us a little about it?

NEIL : I can tell you I am going to be there, and Don asked me to be there. Don is doing a favour for my wife and I about a month after that, that's all I know about it, other than I'm going to be there.

Bob :  It's a benefit I believe, and it has something to do with Toxic Waste, is that correct ?

NEIL : It has to do with water and toxics, toxic waste. I heard it had something to do with ........ this is really ridiculous to be doing something and don't know what it is for - that's me !!

Sue ( Austin, Texas ) : I was wondering why you feel Farm Aid II didn't do as well as Farm Aid, and what do you think the future holds for Farm Aid ?

NEIL : Why did Farm Aid II not do as well as Farm Aid I ? Well, I think it was done on July 4 and people are out on July 4 generally. They don't stay home and watch T.V., and the television coverage itself was on VH-1, which is probably the most out of the way of all the video channels.

Bob :  Also on that day ( July 4th) a lot of people who were watching T.V. were watching what happened in New York City with the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty. There were a lot of distractions on that particular day.

PLAYS  " MR SOUL " ( buffalo Springfield / trans compilation )

Sam ( Atlanta) I was wondering why you decided to redo "Mr Soul " on your "Trans" album, and when you go touring this fall will you be touring with the International Harvesters ?

NEIL :  Back in about 1980 or 1981 we were thinking about getting the Springfield together, and as a joke I made an audition tape for myself so that they would know I was still kicking. I made " Mr Soul", but I never did play it for them. That's what I started doing, I made that tape at home with the drum machine and all that, as a sort of joke, as an audition to get in the group. But we never did get together again maybe I didn't do a good enough job on that one, I don't know. I'll be touring with Crazy Horse this fall.

Steve (Mount Greenwood, Ill ) : Joe Walsh was in town a couple of weeks ago and he was on the radio station here and he said that the Buffalo Springfield were having a reunion soon. I was wondering if there was any truth in that rumour ?

NEIL : What's happening is that we are hav'in a reunion every month and we've already had two reunions. We plan on having another reunion, but we haven't set a date for it yet. We are having a series of reunions ( laughing).

Bob : Coming soon to a venue near you ( laughing)

Tim ( Vancouver ) : You were behind the camera there for a while, doing commercials, as Bernard Shakey, there was a rumour, was it true or not ?

NEIL : Yes, I did a Hyatt House commercial as a cameraman, I hired out as a camera operator. It was just something I wanted to do, trying to get my chops up on camera work - I had a good assistant.

Bob : How long ago was this ?

NEIL : The late Seventies ( actuaslly if a Rolling Stone interview at the time is to be believed, it was the late Suixties - Ed) I'm interested in film and video, I just wanted to do something. I didn't cut it or anything, they just sent me out and said " Go down to the Hyatt House" - I made $%100 or something. They sent me down to the Hyatt House as Bernard Shakey and his assistant. We were thrown out of the rotating restaurant, we got thrown out of the elevator, wee got thrown out of the lobby. Finally, I got a great shot of the bell-hop standing out in the front of place, a bus load of about 200 Japanese had just got out of the bus and dumped all their luggage on the guy, I was covering that ! I sent all the footage in, I never seen the commercial so I don't know what happened to it.

PLAYS  " HIPPIE DREAM "

 Steve (Witchita ) : David Crosby is out of prison, or getting out, what influence do you thing you'll have on him ?

NEIL : He's in great shape right now, I think hes going to have to acclimatise himself to the outside world now. He's getting all the support from his friends, who love him. We all have different ideas and suggestions for him on how to keep things going during the tough periods of realignment and re-entry. I think hes going to make it. He's a great guy, he's a great human being, a wonderful soul, and hes the core of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Theres no point fo him playing in that band without him being in great shape. He's always been the catalist, keeping it together. I think he's going to be alright now, we're all praying for him and hope that everything will work out great for him, and we have every expectation that it will.

Bob :  The line in the last song, "Hippie Dream" " The wooden ships were just a hippie dream" did you have David in mind at all ?

NEIL : Yeah I had him in mind, I had him in mind for about five years and I kept writing different things, then one night I wrote that. I called him up and said " I wrote this song, your probably going to hear it. All you have to do is prove I don't know what I was talking about, and I'd be a happy guy if you could do that."

 Bob :  Who are the guys ? who is in Crazy Horse at this point ?

NEIL : It's the same guys who have always been in it. It's Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina, and our new guy, who replaced Danny Whitten who died in 1973, is Frank Sampedro, he's only been with us fifteen years !!

Bob : The new kid on the block

Bruce (Vancouver ) : I noticed throughout your career you've had a recurring Indian theme, in Buffalo Springfield you had the buckskin jacket, at Farm Aid I noticed you had a wooden Indian, then on "Rust Never Sleeps" you had "Pocahontas" and on "Stars & Bars" you had an Indian on the back. Why is this ? Are you an Indian at heart or what ?

NEIL : I don't really know why. It seems like some times I write songs when I open my mind up that's where I go. I really don't know why. But it's obvious that there must be something going on there, but I don't really know why, I can't answer that.

Bob :  You've caused Neil to think about it Bruce. Thanks for your call.

NEIL : Yes, I'm really sweating here now.

Bob :  This next song you recorded at home ? "Southern Man" you recorded at home !! ?

NEIL : Yeah, at my home in Topanga Canyon, we recorded it downstairs. It's the reason it sounds the way it does, that whole record has a kind of home recording quality to it,                               PLAYS  " SOUTHERN MAN "

Judy ( Houston) I was wondering, one of your albums, "Tonights the Night". I know it's one of your favourite albums and you call it the black sheep of the family. Why do you call it that ? And also did you play the part of Frankie Fontaine ?

NEIL : No I really love it because I remember how the record company came to me and they said "Neil why do you want to put this record out, do you know whats going to happen when you put this one out ? No one's going to play it, no ones going to like it. It's not commercial, it's technically below par. Why are you doing this? " I knew I had a winner when they said that.

Troy ( Omaha ): I read a long time ago that you were diabetic / epileptic, I was wondering if that was true, and if it is, how has it affected your music and your life at all ? .

NEIL : Well, I'm not a diabetic and I'm not an active epileptic. I think it's definitely affected my life. It's affected something, I really can't say how it has, but its an experience that has shown itself in some of my songs. I really don't know what the connection is but I feel there is some kind of connection between playing the guitar and some of the things that have happened to me. That's a hard question to answer, I don't really think about that much, not that it's because I think it's difficult for me to answer - that's why I'm rambling on.

Dave ( Loisiville ): My question is about the huge volume of unreleased material that you supposedly have stored away somewhere. Once in a while you pull one out in a concert and it's a real gem, I was wondering if you have any thoughts about maybe taking some of that and putting them together in an album or something and releasing it. There are a lot of people about who'd love to hear them ?   

 NEIL : When I put out " Decade" I included a lot of songs that were on the shelf in with the songs that were recorded at the same sessions so that you can tell the similarity in the sound  of the unreleased songs to the ones that were a hit. When I make " Decade II " I'll make a decision as to what records are put on it.

Bob : So there will be a " Decade II ", another triple album release do you think ?

NEIL : I don't know about that. It's a different world today than it was when I put out "Decade I ", although when Bob put out " Biograph " it did pretty well, so I don't know what will happen with that - I havn't really put it together yet. 

PLAYS  " PEOPLE ON THE STREET "

Gregg ( Left Bridge ): I read your dads biography of you last year called " Neil & Me ". Scott is a rather well known writer up here in Canada. I was just wondering, have you ever considerd writing a book yourself ?

NEIL : Yeah, I've kicked the idea around a couple of times. I've often thought that my perspective on what happened might be interesting to people, but then I go somewhere and forget about it.

Joan ( Austin ): I want to ask about a film clip I saw on television several years ago, I believe it was titled " Human Highway " and I believe it was to be released as a film, I never saw anything else about it. I wonder what happened with it ?

NEIL : That's an off-the-wall movie and we tried to get the "big bucks" people to distribute it. Nobody put it out because it was too wierd. I've still got it, I've got a lot of things like that at home.

Bob : Any chance of any of that being released now ?

NEIL : Yeah, there is a chance. There are some people that seem to be interested in it now. So there is still a chance it will come out and it's still basically as relevant today as it was when I made it so we'll see what happens with it.

Jamie ( Pittsburg ): What influenced you to do the country music album " Old Ways " and were you happy with the way it turned out ?

NEIL : What influenced me to do it was a love for country music and the country music community as I knew it, a lot of my friends - people I just enjoy making music with, as it's a different kind of music to r' n' r. A lot of the guys that play it were a lot older than I was, guys that couldn't be playing r' n' r. They're just a whole different kind of people and they've got a lot of soul and I love playing with them. They are masters of what they do. Ralph Mooney playing steel guitar, Waylon Jennings, Harold Robbins - I had a great time. The people that I played with were so inspiring to me. I love that kind of music and I'm sure that one day I'll return to country music, I'm not sure when, maybe down the road somewhere, theres still a lot of time left.

Bob :  How about Music City itself, what do you think of Nashville ?

NEIL :  I've always enjoyed Nashville. I always make a point of visiting Nashville at least once a year, wheather I'm performing or recording or whatever, I've got a lot of friends in Nashville and I've had a lot of great times there and if anyone's listening they'll know what I'm talking about.                       PLAYS  " EVERYBODY'S ROCKIN' "

Vance ( Grand Rapids, MI ): I saw you in Lancing about 3 years ago with the Shocking Pinks, half the concert you did by yourself with programmed instruments. What I'd like to know is if these were the the easiest musicians you've ever worked with. Also, you had a great big T.V. monitor, it looked like a 58 Motorola, did you have it specially made or did you buy it someplace ?

NEIL : You have to make them because that one was 15' wide. You can't get them in a store - did you really ask me if you can get that thing !! That was the size of a small house !

Bob : His other question was even better I thought, were those the easiest musicians you've ever worked with ?

NEIL : Yeah, those guys were ....... yeah, they were really reliable.

Kathleen ( Laurel, Maryland ): I'd like to know if there is anything you'd really like to do that you haven't done?.

NEIL : Yeah, lots of things. I know when I'm going to sleep there's a lot of things that come to my mind, just before I fall asleep, but I usually forget them by morning, I'm just getting started here, I think I've got a foothold now.....

Bob : I guess you are in a real r' n' r mood right now ?

NEIL :  Yes, I feel like getting down with Crazy Horse, it's a lot of fun playing with them. It's something that I really need to do right now. I want to get close to my guitar, and we're having a great time. We've been practising a couple of months already for these shows.

THE END

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