Neil Young at York

Here are more pics from April 1998 York:

Here are some pics from April 1998 York AOL BBQ (not sure if Neil is hiding in any of these, but he is in my next BBQ post):

Here are some pics from October 1999 York AOL BBQ:

Thanks for the memories, Tony! A good time was had by all at those BBQ's.

Wow! Memories from York with the AOL train gang and many pics with Neil Young in 1998 and 1999.
Thanks TD for the pics!

@Tony D. posted:

Here are some pics from April 1998 York AOL BBQ (not sure if Neil is hiding in any of these, but he is in my next BBQ post):

Great photos, Tony!  Thanks for sharing.

You did a first-rate job with the photos, Tony! I had a GREAT time at each of those AOL get-togethers on the fairgrounds and at the Viking Club after we were banished from the fairgrounds (probably because we were having too much fun).

Thanks for all of the comments, everyone!

I was lucky enough at that time to get approval for the purchase of a $800 Kodak digital camera from my boss at work, for which it came in handy for my personal life, too.

PS.  It is amazing how technology continues to improve; $800 then, for pretty low res pics compared to today's standards.

@MartyE posted:

Here’s the catalog Neil Young signed. Upper right.

A catalog after my own heart - two Allegheny's pictured on the front cover.   

What year is that from?

Allan,

Too much fun? Yes and we filled up a few garbage cans with beer bottles and Frank’s cooking was better than the fairgrounds crap!
Definitely great times back then.

@Ted Bertiger posted:

Allan,

Too much fun? Yes and we filled up a few garbage cans with beer bottles and Frank’s cooking was better than the fairgrounds crap!
Definitely great times back then.

Exactly why we got booted. As the Mayor of the Fairgrounds (Mytrains aka Mike Newcomer, RIP) told me, since The Fairgrounds didn't get a cut of the take (which was $0 anyway) and our BBQ was not supporting the approved food vendors, our little soirée had to exit. Lol we even got scolded in the TCA Eastern York Booklet. 
So baked Ziti at the Viking Club over Frank's outdoor gourmet prepared dishes it was...

Tony, those are wonderful photos.  There are a lot of long-gone heads of dark hair (or in some cases, hair, period) flat stomachs, and some people that no longer are with us.  And AOL, which was leading the way at one time, is largely forgotten.

The girl in the yellow t-shirt, in some of the photos, is surely in her mid-30s.

And the state of the art equipment is now old stuff.  Same goes for Neil Young;s Lionel Lines tour bus, an Eagle, not manufactured for years now, probably scrapped.

Thanks for a memorable look back in time.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I love his moving song about the old man, but forget the exact title.

Down by the River was an early big hit, and I liked the music, but not so much the lyrics, when he says "I shot my baby," or words to that effect. Maybe Neil simply had empathy for the tragic fictional characters, both shooter and victim (I hope they are fictional),  in the song. I remind myself when hearing such songs that songwriters have vivid imaginations, and can be empathetic in almost every imaginable situation.

More importantly, Neil is a creative genius in music, trains and probably other things. As I've mentioned several times before on this Forum, IMO what Neil has done with trains, his son and himself represents the highest and best use of model trains.

I would love to meet him.

Arnold

There is a long history of what are termed "Murder Ballads" in traditional music; this is a bit of a variation on that theme.

1998 and 1999 Signatures strangely looking different

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Down by the River was an early big hit, and I liked the music, but not so much the lyrics, when he says "I shot my baby," or words to that effect. Maybe Neil simply had empathy for the tragic fictional characters, both shooter and victim (I hope they are fictional), 

As a blues fan, a lot of people could have a field day with just about every blues song ever written and rightfully so.  Every time I hear Albert Collins' lyric, "brick, baby, I'm gonna throw it upside your head", for example, I cringe.  However, you have to keep it in perspective. Almost all blues tunes are about suffering and sadness and very often they are about another man stealing your woman or your woman running away with another man or your broken heart from all these things packed together.  So, I see these lyrics metaphorically, and when the anger or sadness typically hits its peak, the electric guitar playing gets truly magical and that has created some of our greatest rock songs.  Down by the river, I think, is such a song. IMHO it is truly one of Neil's finest.

If I saw him at York, I might be tempted to ask him about it.  But then I probably wouldn't, because we would be there to talk trains.

Mike

This is a Lionel Inside Track magazine that Neil signed it for me when a particular President/COO from Lionel visited him around 20 years at his ranch. I will never part with this personalized magazine and will have my grandsons keep this long after I’m gone.
I was known as Captain Kraft from AOL days. The Cap is short for that and NY knows me as that from then.

My favorite line from a blues song was by BB King I believe. "Nobody loves me but my momma and sometimes, I think she's jivin' too?

@c.sam posted:

My favorite line from a blues song was by BB King I believe. "Nobody loves me but my momma and sometimes, I think she's jivin' too?

I like that line, too.  I have a t-shirt from the Chicago Blues fest from several years ago with that quote on the back   My mom got a kick out of it!

Met him in his tent, talked about his system, and didn't ask for his autograph. My wife raised **** with me for that. Oh well.

@artyoung posted:

Met him in his tent, talked about his system, and didn't ask for his autograph. My wife raised **** with me for that. Oh well.

Same here - I just asked to shake his hand and thanked him for the music.