NY: In Toronto I went out and played a whole bunch of gigs by myself. The twelve-string gave me a chance to do that. They weren’t very good gigs…. I played one night when somebody was not available at the New Gate of Cleve. And they knew a couple of days in advance, so I filled the bill—for that one night they let me in. Somebody was down there and reviewed me. It wasn’t a big review. My first review said that my songs were cliché-ridden. JM: How did that strike you? NY: “Marty, what’s a cliché?” NY: Then there was a place in North Bay-the Bohemian Embassy. That’s where I first did “Oh Lonesome Me.” I had the arrangement before I left Toronto-that same arrangement, the chord changes and the rhythm. Neil Young Shakey by Jimmy McDonough 2002

See, the way I used to work then - this would be the summer of 1969 we're talking about now - I'd usually go in and record with Crazy Horse at Sunset Sound Studios every morning. Then I'd go to CSN&Y rehearsal in the afternoon through to the evening. Then I'd go home, crash out, get up the next morning and do the same routine all over again. That's when "I Believe In You", "Oh Lonesome Me", "Wonderin'" ... a couple of others on After The Goldrush - all those songs were conceived there and recorded there. That's where I first cut "Helpless", by the way, and the only reason the Crazy Horse version didn't come out is because the engineer didn't record the perfect take, so ... bam, that was lost. Neil Young The Dark Stuff - Neil Young and The Haphazard Highway That Lead To Unconditional Love by Nick Kent 1993

I wanted to give the acoustic solo thing a try in the Village (Yorkville). That Gretsch guitar and signed case is probably around somewhere. I sold it at a music store on Yonge Street, and of all the things that are out there of mine, that is the one I wish I still had. That was my first Gretsch, just like Randy Bachman’s, but it was gone and I took my acoustic twelve-string to a few gigs and got some bad reviews. My first review dismissed my songs as full of clichés. They probably were! What’s wrong with clichés? I thought I was pretty good, myself. I had an arrangement of “Oh Lonesome Me” that I really liked, and people laughed at it, thinking it was a parody or something. I used it on After the Gold Rush, and that worked. Neil Young Waging Heavy Peace Sept 2012

This song here will probably be my next single [laugh]. You never can tell. It's an old song written by a guy called Don Gibson. The first song that I've ever recorded that I didn't write. It's very historic. Actually I recorded it because I really liked it so much. I haven't recorded that many songs that I don't like though, so that doesn't really set it apart. You'll recognize it right away. Neil Young The Canterbury House, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA October 16, 1969