Neil Young - Barn Documentary

@dadork 

"He doesn't really get spoken of when the topic of guitar players comes up, but I think he's truly top 10". 

I like Neil's playing but "top ten"?  Really? Compared to singer-songwriters like Richard Thompson or Bruce Cockburn (not to mention Johan Mayer), Neil's guitar playing is pretty primitive. But perhaps actual playing skill is not the standard you're using... care to explain? 

I was of course referring to John Mayer, not his German cousin, Johan...

@pops , @sns :

I agree. And when it comes to tunes like Like a Hurricane or Cortez, he's in a class by himself. No one can do what he does when he's deep into playing such tunes.

@jerryg123 :

That is, of course, entirely up to you and I would never suggest otherwise. 

@pesky_wabbit 

"If we discounted art for the failings of its creators the galleries of world would be a a patchwork desert and our record collections would consist of gaps interspersed with the odd LP"

+1

I definitely haven't agreed with some of Clapton's public stances over the years but I'm not going to stop listening to the Beano album, Cream, Blind Faith, London Howlin' Wolf Sessions or Derek and the Dominos.  

@jerryg123 :

Reality is, we're all hypocrites from time to time. Like it or not, it's an imperfect world. 

@jerryg123 :

Well OK. 

I don't say this to provoke you but as an creative person myself, I'd assert the primary function of art is not to entertain, but perhaps that's a topic for another day. 

You have every right to choose whom you want to support with your hard-earned dollar!  

BTW, I'm no N. Young fan-boy. I watched the Barn movie and thought it was incredibly self-indulgent.

@oldhvymec 

I was horrified by the chaotic withdrawal. But the fact is, it was Trump who originally agreed to it, not Biden!  I realize we all have out own political biases, but let's at least attempt to state the facts before we launch into our partisan squabbles.  

From Factcheck.org:

The Trump administration in February 2020 negotiated a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban that excluded the Afghan government, freed 5,000 imprisoned Taliban soldiers and set a date certain of May 1, 2021, for the final withdrawal.

And the Trump administration kept to the pact, reducing U.S. troop levels from about 13,000 to 2,500, even though the Taliban continued to attack Afghan government forces and welcomed al-Qaeda terrorists into the Taliban leadership.

During the withdrawal the media repeatedly stated the rate at which the Taliban overtook control was highly unexpected by US intelligence. I have no way to verify this but it seems highly unlikely that Biden would've committed political suicide by sticking to the timetable, had he known the Taliban's resurgence was likely to occur so rapidly. Politicians, whatever their party, tend to prioritize self-preservation above all else. 

BTW, I enjoy your contributions to the forum immensely. 

With respect,

Stuartk

A Google search for: 

Timeline of U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan + FactCheck.org

will bring up a detailed description of steps leading up to the catastrophe. 

@bigquery 

I apologize for my part in diverting the thread from its intended focus.