Music to my Eyes

As I sit listening to a Neil Young CD I feel compelled to write about some of the books written about my two favourite musicians.
First off I will look at Shakey by Jim McDonough about Neil Young. This book describes itself as the definitive work on Young. McDonough was given unprecedented access to Young and was given a number of interviews with Young and those close to him. Just before the book was published Young tried to have it stopped but failed and McDonough's work saw the light of day. Well written and interesting Shakey has a lot to say about Young, and not all of it is complimentary. I found that I had a better understanding of this complex singer/songwriter than I did before. This book is a must for fans of Young.
The other book I want to look at is Chronicles by Bob Dylan. It was big news that Dylan was going to sit down, and in his own words write about his life. But as always anything Dylan says about himself has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Dylan is famous for reinventing his past to suit his present and this gives his autobiography an air of unreality, as it is never clear what is real and what is Dylan playing games with his audience. Chronicles is still an entertaining read that lets you see some of the amazing things Dylan has done and seen, and what it means to be the voice of a generation.
For fans of Young and Dylan these two books are well worth the time to read.