Neil Young is a little over two weeks away from the launch of his Love Earth world tour. And in a new post on the Neil Young Archives, he’s inviting longtime fan Donald Trump to come and check it out.
“When I tour the USA this summer, if there is not martial law by then which would make it impossible, let’s all come together and stand for American values,” he wrote. “We will not be doing a political show. We will be playing the music we love for all of us to enjoy together. President Trump, you are invited. Come and hear our music just as you did for decades.”
He’s alluding to the fact that Trump is a longtime fan of his work. Rolling Stone even rang up Trump in 2008 to discuss his fandom after noticing him at several New York shows, including the front row of a CSNY concert at the Theater at MSG where he was seated next to Patti Smith and Salman Rushdie.
“He’s got something very special,” Trump said. “He’s performed for me at my casinos over the years, and he just brings it down. I’ve met him on occasions and he’s a terrific guy.”
He couldn’t, however, name any of his songs when pressed. “It’s sort of all favorite,” he says. “I like the older stuff better, which is typical with a lot of artists — hence the famous Ricky Nelson song ‘Garden Party.’ I like all his songs, you know, ‘Rock and Roll’ — just great stuff.”
Trump and Young met up at Trump Tower a little over ten years ago when the singer was looking for investors for his Pono music service. But their relationship soured once Trump announced his candidacy for the presidency, and began blasting “Rockin’ In The Free World” at his events.
“You are a disgrace to my country,” Young wrote in a long, scathing letter to Trump on his website. “Your mindless destruction of our shared natural resources, our environment, and our relationships with friends around the world is unforgivable.… Our first black president was a better man than you are…Every time ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ or one of my songs is played at your rallies, I hope you hear my voice. Remember it is the voice of a tax-paying U.S. citizen who does not support you. Me.”
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Last month, Young reacted to Trump’s vicious campaign against Bruce Springsteen. “Bruce and thousands of musicians think you are ruining America,” he wrote. “You worry about that instead of the dyin’ kids in Gaza. That’s your problem. I am not scared of you. Neither are the rest of us. You shut down FEMA when we needed it most. That’s your problem Trump. STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT ROCKERS ARE SAYING. Think about saving America from the mess you made. Taylor Swift is right. So is Bruce. You know how I feel.”
In this new post, where Young invites Trump to his shows, he strikes a somewhat softer tone. “Bruce Springsteen and many others will be in our country this summer, there for you,” he writes, “playing our favorite music, songs like ‘Born in the USA.’ We are proud of who we are, and must never let our government forget it.”
From Rolling Stone US
