On this day in 1969: Neil Young feels washed up
A 24-year-old Young talks career failure, groupies, and "mafia" label execs
If you ever feel disheartened about the start-stop nature of your career, feel good knowing that even the greats have been through the same thing. After Canadian rock legend Neil Young formed The Mynah Birds with an American draft dodger named "Ricky," they successfully landed a record deal with Motown Records.
But the Navy eventually caught and arrested Ricky, sending him back to the States, where he would become Mr. Superfreak himself, Rick James.
Two years after the demise of The Mynah Birds, Young got a fresh start with his new band Buffalo Springfield.
The folk-inspired outfit scored a hit in "For What It's Worth," and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. But not before the group disbanded in 1968, which left Young feeling disheartened by his trajectory. He confessed that "it's hard enough to live with yourself when you consider what you've done a failure rather than a success."