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Aging Hippie Rockers Neil Young And Joni Mitchell’s Past Controversies Resurface Amid Spotify Feud

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Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, senior citizen hippies, have again been the faces of protest.

Young recently threatened to pull his music library from the streaming service Spotify if they did not cancel Joe Rogan’s wildly popular podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Mitchell soon joined in the protest and pulled her music catalog.

Spotify has been the target of criticism from the left for streaming Rogan’s show, accusing him of spreading “misinformation” about COVID-19. Spotify is still with Rogan despite recently signing a $100million deal with Rogan as the exclusive podcast carrier.

But is appears that comments about peace and love are not the only things floating around in either Young’s or Mitchell’s past statements.

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Two Controversial Comments

Neil Young has not always been sufficiently woke by today’s standards.

At the height of the AIDS frenzy, during an interview with Melodie Baker in 1985, Young made this offensive comment, “You go to a supermarket and you see a f—-t behind the f—in’ cash register, you don’t want him to handle your potatoes.”

Young could be defended by one who thinks it is right to. Nevertheless, the sentiment doesn’t seem very hippie-ish.

By today’s standards, such a comment is certifiably ‘cancel’ worthy, so long as you have the wrong politics. Fortunately, Young has the ‘right’ politics.

Joni Mitchell is a long-standing fan of blackface. She even appeared on one of her album covers in 1977 as her blackface alter ego, “Art Nouveau.”

During an interview with LA Weekly, she remarked that, “I don’t have the soul of a white woman. I am a black writer. I frequently write from a black perspective.”

Some of Joni Mitchell’s best friends are no doubt black as well.

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60’s Generation Used To Be For Free Speech

Those who are old enough to remember, or who were actually there, remember or were part of a generation of young people who didn’t want the status quo of their parents’ generation. They wanted the freedom to express themselves and speak up in an environment of free speech. Their slogans were “don’t trust anyone over 30,” and “fight the man.”

Joni Mitchell, CSNY, and Joni Mitchell are two staples in that group.

Was it a mistake?

If you told someone in the Haight-Ashbury that their favorite hippie musicians would one day be promoting corporations and trying to silence speech, they’d ask you where you got the good acid.

Neil Young tried explaining his actions to Vogue magazine. Young stated the following in Saturday’s article by Liam Hess

“I support free speech. I am not in support of censorship. Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information.” 

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If You Can’t Listen Through One Corporate Giant, Go To This One

Besides free speech, opposition to the market and especially ‘corporations’ was part and parcel of the left.

However, now they are promoted. Young is now urging his followers to go to Amazon and listen to his music. Yes, Amazon. Amazon is the 5th largest company The world.

On Wednesday, BBC reported that India Arie and Young’s former bandmate Graham Nash have also joined Young and Mitchell in pulling their music from Spotify. 

Hey, Mr. Young!

Rock and Roll will not die.