Rick James talks Neil Young

Rick James talks about his pre-Superfreak days when he was in a band with Neil Young...WHAAAAAAAAAT????!!!!

[@cgreenfield6655]

Total respect they had for each other. Love that.

[@MothGirl007]

Two of my alltime favorites.

[@TheGravygun]

I doubt they even remember each other

[@critical-thought-4all561]

@@TheGravygun -- really? Did you bother to watch the clip? It's comprised solely of the both of them sharing their remembrances of each other.

[@mattponikvar4944]

Really changes the view I had of Rick as a coked out maniac all the time, the fact that Neil Young and him were boys back in the day is really cool

[@critical-thought-4all561]

@@mattponikvar4944 -- yeah, and Neil, he too was known to, admittedly, do a spoonful or two of coke in his hey-day as well. So Rick was in good company, huh? (I'll never forget the scene, the untouched one, of Neil with a coke mustache during The Band's "Last Waltz" Thanksgiving concert.)

[@VangeliRock]

Wow. I did not know these two crossed paths and even played together. Great story.

[@simplechronology2605]

They even had a recording contract with Motown records, but never released anything. Hard to imagine Neil Young on Motown Records in the mid 1960's, but it almost happened...

[@bobstopa4590]

@@simplechronology2605 Pat Boone was signed by Motown in the 70's.

[@simplechronology2605]

@@bobstopa4590 lol there's a mismatch!

[@wilde.coyote6618]

@@simplechronology2605 odd couple

[@lawrencefeldman7744]

The bassist in Rick and Neil's group,the Mynah Birds,was Bruce Palmer. Palmer would be pivotal later on,leaving Canada with Neil for LA forming Buffalo Springfield with Steven Stills. Palmer would be in and out of the group due to drug busts and eventual deportation. Ricky James Matthews would guest singing on Bruce Palmer's hippie stoner jam psych album The Cycle Is Complete from 1970. Despite the misadventures and misdeeds of both it was all about music.

[@horseygurl143]

Very cool story! And the fact that he liked the Lovin' Spoonful is so interesting to know. Rick was a true lover of music!!!

[@G_FRE]

Real recognize real!

[@aquamarine99911]

Most of us, black and white people alike, are lovers of "music". I myself love the Beatles, the Stones, Stevie Wonder and Tribe Called Quest. But starting after 1980, there was this crazy marketing decision to segregate the races. Michael Jackson and Prince managed to cross-over, but who else? Even today, the alternative rock station in my city will play Beastie Boys, but not the very similar-sounding Run-DMC, let alone any other hip-hop.

[@horseygurl143]

@@aquamarine99911 Good point!

[@Heretic_Hero]

Pretty cool he mentions them

[@horseygurl143]

@@Heretic_Hero Isn't that the truth???!!!

[@wjones284]

He's always so intense, it's good to see Neil cut up and laugh. That low-key devious chuckle is fantastic

[@Losrandir]

Neil Young was great on Late Night with Conan O'Brien back in the day

[@alvinnelson7539]

It speaks of boys being boys

[@ericanderson7059]

Sad that some people only know him for ..Darkness , F your couch , and ____ is a hell of a drug , so underappreciated musically . Thank you Mr.James you were the headliner of the first concert I ever went to way back during the Bustin Out tour , I can still feel and smell the funk .

[@House.Of.Pain.]

I can’t what anyone says I still love Rick James to this day. And if anything the whole Chapelle skit made me like him even more lol.

[@jimbombadill]

I cant feel my legs...

[@bobbyz23]

Only to this new young generation ,to the ones born before he'll be remembered as the king of Punk Funk

[@G_FRE]

I'm glad you got to experience such a powerhouse. Thank you for taking the time to share this.

[@mindofzena8447]

Actually for a lot of people I know, Dave Chappelle introduced them to who he is which then introduced them to his music.

[@timorean320]

This is the stuff he should be known, and remembered for.

[@memyselfeye662]

Rick seemed ahead of his time - true pioneer

[@mysticakhenaton1701]

and, don't forget Musical Genuis.

[@ASSman864]

@@Johnnylund1 aww he wouldnt sign your autograph?

[@baazlvaat916]

@@ASSman864 He kidnapped a tortured a woman.

[@miked853]

@@baazlvaat916 cocaine is a hell of a drug

[@joeski734]

He was at once ahead of his time and the last of his kind, except for Prince I guess.

[@Dunkaroos248]

What a cool interview. Rick James seems really down to earth and humble here. I always found Neil and Rick to be an odd pairing but music is music, it brings all sorts of people together in remarkable ways.

[@KarlLind]

Imagine Rick and Neil making music together and partying it up, that would be epic! RIP, Rick James ❤️

[@Ch33ziTzsk8R]

Like bob Marley and motor head…

[@jasons6882]

They were in a band called the mynah birds together

[@LoriVFenske]

This is such a great clip! When I heard ‘You and I” on the radio in 1978 it blew me away. I bought the “Come Get it” album as soon as it was released. I still remember buying it with my boyfriend. Without Rick there is no Prince. Prince learned a lot from Rick. He was such a phenomenal talent. It’s sad he didn’t have people around him that could help him navigate the pitfalls of stardom and the music biz better.

[@willfromyadkinville]

you are 100% correct!

[@bobschenkel7921]

i had no idea they even knew OF each other. Goes to show, you, me and everyone else, have no idea what goes on backstage or in the studio. Connections are being made and folks are talking, across all spectrums of music, and that is good for the artform. I sparks creativity and originality, and that is good for all involved. Neil Young and Rick James, "Old Man" and "Superfreak". WOW, what a mindfuck.

[@G_FRE]

I don't know if I have anything to add to that. I'm drunk and high (not on none of them stimulants, just some oui'd) and this comment pretty much sums my thoughts up.

[@PuffKitty]

as a child of the '60's, it sure blew my mind as well! It seems such an unlikely combination 😳

[@rahsaanthomas7030]

This was discussed in the Showtime documentary. Rick fled to Canada after going awol from the military. There, he meets Neil Young, Neil Merriweather,and a few other others calling themselves The Mynah Birds..

[@kitrik23]

@@PuffKitty well rick wasnt the rick he became yet ,,, but thank god he found his calling ( musically )

[@terrymckenzie8786]

NeilmYoung liked all different music, and artist. Who would of though Neil, a folky player, would write a song about Johnny Rotten from the sex pistols. A punk band. The grandfather of grunge. Neil’s the man.

[@warriorv9359]

R.i.p. Mr Rick J never will there ever be someone even close to u Brother u were the epitomy of class and soul

[@ladycharlesmusic]

It's so cool to imagine the likes of Neil Young and Rick James, unknown, playing soul music together in Toronto both knowing they'd be big but not knowing how they'd get there yet. You know they're true musicians when they can have such different sounds yet have such total respect for each other's musical worlds.

[@shabut]

He literally says NYC

[@timwhiteside9971]

i always wondered why these two giants did'nt reunite and do something together because it seems they still cared a lot for each other , most likley it was schedule problems being both of them were such huge superstars .

[@chaunceyjonbovi3720]

Holy shitballs. 1982 Neil Young looks exactly like 1996 Bill Belichick.

[@elainadevora1506]

Such a beautiful man. Please share more footage of him if you have it !

[@beaver5847]

I love Rick

[@chesneytube1]

Dave Chapelle actually did an amazing Rick James impersonation 😂 love Neil and love Rick and I think it’s so cool they were in a band back in the day given their vastly different styles.

[@k-nutl6386]

Wow never knew they they played together, Awesome

[@Dunkaroos248]

They were roommates back in the day

[@defaultusername123]

Rick James loved music, all types, you can tell from listening to his music. A master producer. Not a big Neil fan, but this definitely makes him a little cooler in my book

[@ASSman864]

Yep look up rick james plays the blues. It was one of the last videos of rick before he passed and the guitar was slightly out of tune as recognized by rick himseld but man he couldve been an old blues man if he wanted to. I think any time period you throw rick in hes gonna eat

[@artvallejos1460]

Neil Young Top 7 All Time Rock N Roller

[@seanpages__]

Nah rick james sounds amazing on those records!

[@junes2k]

how cool! never heard this before. legends

[@pwnstar1369]

I once met neil young at old west cinnamon rolls's in pismo beach, had a little chat about the car show cool guy.

[@vector8310]

Real musical geniuses. How different from our day and age.

[@anselknight1866]

So weird how so many rockers discredit Rick and Prince cuz they’re seen as camp or something. Anyone who feels the musick knows. Neil is all about the feeling!!

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

Frank Zappa said that when he heard Prince he heard a musician not a record label.

[@anselknight1866]

Boom. Zappa gets it.

[@mdee8784]

Two legends!

[@Kid_Ikaris]

"I just saw the loving spoonful and I blew my mind" lol that's the only way I'm gonna talk about artistic inspirations from now on. Love to Rick James 💛

[@destineetyson7756]

RIP Rick James you will always be my favorite Singer on the plane 😍🥰💘😙 ❤️💟💖💖💖🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🥺🥺🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿😙❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️❣️❣️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️♥️ nice looking guy nice smile

[@kitrik23]

i must say i dig your style of music ... sometimes i think im the only one who thinks rick is the greatest artist of alltime ... good to know im not

[@mathewmcdonald3657]

People that know, they know. Rick James is a 100% certified legend and genius. It’s insulting to his abilities and creativeness and talent that people only know him as a caricature of himself. Rick James was a bad man and has brought me countless hours of enjoyment with his talents. RIP to a great American songwriter and world class musician.

[@ezzz42]

Stone city band is no joke!

[@user-hv8vu8dg9x]

He seemed to be pretty bright, diverse and kind person in interviews. Too bad it got away from him.

[@CCCosta-he4ov]

Rick James was a music genius and the music he did with Neil was fantastic

[@pia5518]

I once met a boy when i was sweet 17, he only could talk about nile jung live..... my brother 9 years older than me ...had an album of neil young... i liked old man ..... still do!

[@adonaiyah2196]

The mynah birds are the best. Sounded just like the stones

[@finnkdy]

Give Them a listen.

[@paulmclaughlin8038]

Brilliant from James here. Respect.

[@mlaursen]

Why is nobody commenting on Neil Young wearing a tuxedo.

[@ndotl]

Tuxedo? What about the hair?

[@justinhopper5941]

Pretty cool. Two guys you’d never think were close. ..I do wonder if they ever went to the abyss together though lol

[@fozzz-vb5oj]

He's Rick James 🙏🙏🙏🙏🐕🐾💞💞💞

[@redlightron]

I believe Neil that Rick wanted to be bigger than jagger because they had some live mynah birds on a wbai special and it sounded more stones then the early stones mixed with Lenny Kravitz. I recorded it on cassette and should have made copies oh well. Amazing stuff.

[@kitrik23]

you can find 2 of the songs on youtube

[@kitrik23]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoK3dmuegNuUl6s&ab_channel=pghpookie

[@kitrik23]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/emGVfpWjeLqWfM0&ab_channel=TheMynahBirds-Topic

[@keithconner6495]

That is great. I knew about them together but still have not heard it

[@trianafoxwood7525]

When I was in elementary school I had a poster of Rick James & Mick Jagger side by side.

[@LeeLee19901]

Wow! Very interesting

[@badad0166]

I used to work in TV. There is some pre-show footage of Rick James working this interviewer by a pool. And it's working well...

[@johnbrowneyes7534]

Huge RJ fan. Still have my vinyl album Cold Blooded ! 😎👍🔥

[@newtron1]

Wow. Jeanne Beker from Much Music. J.D. Roberts worked for Much Music at the same time. J.D. moved to the States and became a news correspondent by the name of John Roberts. Then turned to the dark side by working at Fox News.

[@palmegranite1318]

The New Music was such a groundbreaking show, airing weekly on CITY TV in Toronto. We didn't know how good we had it. I would love to see the complete New Music archives released some day.

[@memeishere1]

how nice to see fottage of rick in good state of mind, seems before drugs sadly too him.over

[@caeserromero3013]

That's super freaky 🤣

[@markwood3389]

Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young and Superfreak!

[@nobodynoone2500]

Dude someone needs to release this.

[@JTD472]

0:34 Neil looking like young Bill Belichick

[@kpec3]

Those guys were so talented that they were versatile.

[@rooly0811]

Great interview

[@larenzohayes4453]

His whole persona is different when he talks about Neil Young...at least in this instance.

[@skyy256]

I consider my self I pretty big Neal young …..Love RJ too but had no idea they were tight like this …..great to hear and see …..even some 50 yrs later …..lol

[@yseson_]

Myna Birds sounded so much like the Stones

[@rogertayloRRR]

"Folk r&b" cool idea

[@box5bastard277]

Rick the God, rip yell

[@thepromiseman7745]

Rick James live in Canada that's how he hook up with Neil Young ..they formed a group called the myinah Byrds

[@beatlefan713]

To me Rick James was one of the best musicians ever! He always made sure, no matter what he did, his band was involved too and that’s something special! This man doesn’t get enough credit musically! Yes he was wild but he was a musical genius in his own right!

[@tomwatson7626]

One of the cutest and most unlikely pairings in music history

[@high_maintenance]

That’s dope

[@RickyMoss]

He speaks very well for someone they say did so much drugs

[@aaronm.1998]

That was a stroke.

[@Teeveepicksures]

this was pre-crack

[@Aivottaja]

@@Teeveepicksures Why would someone rich use crack? It's just cocaine cut into baking soda, isn't it?

[@WilliamPhelpsIII]

Highly intelligent, Rick James.

[@purleybaker]

I had no idea they played together.

[@777jones]

Neil Young: “Huehue”

[@stevenimeson902]

I always wanted to hear that mynah birds stuff

[@Peter-dk4fz]

Awesome

[@dougpeters1625]

This is so cool!

[@matthewoffenbacher6548]

Wow such great art amongst great social comraderie and musicians who persevered far beyond the bullshit.

[@willlasdf123]

I love how Rick fronted for what would become Buffalo Springfield, and the Band while in Canada, got a bunch of white dudes signed to Motown to play music that allegedly sounded like Van Morrison, and back when he was in Buffalo was apparently into Surf music. All before he was that Rick James. Dude was inhumanely fucking cool!

[@youropionmattersnot]

Watched an interview with a guy who recorded an early demo for Rick. He said Rik came in and played every instrument from the drum tracks to the vocals. "One of the most talented musicians he had ever worked with"

[@michaelmcgovern8110]

Cocaine is a hell of a drug!

[@equatebond2809]

Wow, Rick sounded intelligent in this interview. Yesterday I watched one, maybe it was just before he died(?), and he was making fun of Charlie Murphy 😅 and Eddie Murphy's couch. He had a good sense of humor but was difficult to understand.

[@UnicornFromHell9991]

Rick was very well spoken, and brilliant. That interview you're talking about with Charlie Murphy, was in his later years after he had a stroke, that affected his speech etc. Wish there was more videos of Rick!

[@DanJackson1977]

Health problems and drugs.

[@Teeveepicksures]

dont smoke crack

[@WillieDuitt1]

I have heard some of the Mynah Birds and they sounded a bit like the Rolling Stones, Rick James and the Stone City Band should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame well before many that have been inducted.

[@americangiant1003]

Agreed 1000%. In the post “disco era” of the 80s, pre MJ/Prince/Whitney etc. Rick was probably the biggest star in American based R&B. Not to mention being a brilliant Producer playing a huge role in also making hit records for both Mary Jane Girls and Teena Marie among others. This video clip(correct me guys looks like combo of both Canada’s Much Music Channel & MYV)shows that smart musicians such as Mr James and Mr Young listen to all music genres.

[@zeitakulobusta]

Charlie Murphaaaaaaay

[@EdertheJust]

Neil Young and Rick James were in a band together?!?!! Wtf

[@reddeserted13]

Dock of the Bay is "Soul Folk"

[@endezeichengrimm]

Is that Jeanne Beker interviewing Rick?

[@sendinit6413]

"cocaine is a hell of a drug"

[@micherunnett5492]

They were buddies hehe

[@jeffkokosinski1784]

"SHIT I'M RICK JAMES BITCH "!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👍

[@blonieamw2998]

B boy frm east side - local broski

[@annied1997]

😁😁he reminds me of jimi Hendrix.

[@HikeColorado]

Please fact check me on this but I think I remember reading in Gregg Allman’s biography My Cross to Bear where at one time Rick James was doing some things with them when he was AWOL from the Navy? I’ll have to read that book again sometime. Quite a read for sure.

[@ronj9448]

Would love to see Dave Chappell's take on that.

[@donseay3220]

I am smarter now than I was one minute and 49 seconds ago. Cool !

[@vanman724]

Check the beer-belly at 1:15 Legend.

[@ijustwannaleaveacommentony6511]

what did the five fingers say to the face?

[@johndonahue4777]

Jick Rames sounds yarnheaded.

[@gworsham32290]

White women were fascinated with Rick James lol

[@infinitejest441]

Neil is wearing a monkey suit 😂🤣

[@KevyNova]

I’d love to hear what they came up with!

[@artvallejos1460]

Multiple songs on KZbin

[@sdot5389]

Here’s one. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2espYiNrL2VgJY

[@m3llowrush]

mynah birds ruled!!

[@zakur0hako]

the music industry is much smaller than it seems

[@sdot5389]

Toronto was just smaller than it seemed.

[@jeffstone2136]

"I knew him when he was young, but I ain't never seen him kneel. Man of that talent can stand proud." - Rick, not understanding the question because he'd just put a kilo of Colombian disco powder up his nose.

[@wilhelmvg9978]

Neil loved the coke too so no wonder they got along so well

[@sna2ke]

Folk soul is Bill Withers.

[@Lunibruniful]

I thought this was a chappelle sketch

[@hardcodedgamer2265]

That's like Eddie Murphy with a wig hahaha

[@tunafang]

"I'm Neil young Bitch!"

[@stellarocquie7957]

Such an unlikely collaboration.

[@kelvendyson1508]

I wonder if in that circle at that time if he crossed paths with Jimi Hendrix?

[@v1per187]

lol.... I have a lot of questions.......

[@chrismacdonald4570]

Charlie Murphy! What did the hand say to the face? SLAP!!!! I'm Rick James Bitch!

[@michaelcohen7343]

Someone please like this so it doesn’t stay at 666!

[@ndotl]

Bizarre, it seems to be stuck.

[@claudewynter7426]

Done !

[@michaelcohen7343]

@@claudewynter7426 ha!