Neil Young is using his tour the way Bob Marley or Rage Against the Machine might. Musicians used to stand for something through their art – whether it was civil rights, to negate racism, or to call our politicians ‘out’ for misrepresentation of the people. Neil Young is standing up against corporate infiltration of our governments, GMOs, and more.
Young is attempting to spread the word about GMOs using art in its most profound form – to help promote a food revolution.
In the ‘old days’ music wasn’t just another arm of the corporatocracy. It was a way to express truth. In his Monsanto Years Tour, Young is traveling around the world to promote organic, healthful food – the exact opposite of what Monsanto and their biotech friends stand for.
The Chicagoist recently said of Young:
“Neil Young has been confounding and testing his audience for nearly a half century now, so when the musician dropped the hint that his new project would be a concept album about agrochemical titan Monsanto nobody was necessarily shocked. The man has always gone against the corporate Goliath whether it was “audio”-related (Apple and the MP3) or “auto”-related (gas companies). His fight for the independent farmer has been going on for years, since 1985 when he co-organized the first Farm Aid benefit concert. So Monsanto, the leading producer of genetically-engineered seed and herbicide, seems like a natural (or unnatural, if you will) target for the songwriter.”
Just recently, Young played a three-hour set in Lincoln, Nebraska. He has also been to Oxnard, California where The Monsanto Years film was put in the can, and he’ll be around the world spreading his message.
Neil Young, photo by Pegi Young
You can watch the full length ‘The Monsanto Years’ film here.
There’s nothing more liberating than “sticking it to the man,” as Young likes to say. You can join him as he tells it like it is about Monsanto.