Neil Young was depressed before forming Chrome Hearts

Micah Nelsonthe son of the legendary Williehas long been a companion in musical adventures of Neil Youngin Promise of The Real and in Crazy Horse. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine Micah talked about how the Canadian musician was out of sorts before forming i Chrome Hearts.

At the end of 2024, in the words of Micah NelsonYoung was going through a rough patch and seemed to be taking a break from music. The main reason for this discouragement was due to the fact that the tour with the Crazy Horse had to stop due to some health problems experienced by the members of the group. “I knew how depressed Neil was. He didn’t want to make music. He was really hurting. He was trying to get over it and get his energy back. Then he was really disappointed about what had happened and how it had gone. And it drained him a lot, extinguished his flame. I said to myself, ‘Neil is dying? This is unacceptable.'”

The musician then declared that he encouraged him to undertake a new project, thus contributing to the formation of Chrome Hearts. “I called him often to see how he was doing and remind him that he wasn’t old. I told him, ‘Do whatever you have to do. Take your time. I understand. Recharge yourself. The tank needs to fill up again, this can take time, but when you want to start again, call me and I’m ready to go.’ I kept pushing that idea, reminding him that he hadn’t played in four years and was feeling the rust. Then it took a few years, once started again, to really find the rhythm again.”

THE Chrome Hearts they would later form with Nelson and Young’s bandmates in the Promise of the Real, Corey McCormick And Anthony LoGerfoand the organist Spooner Oldham completed the lineup and went on tour earlier this year. “It took a minute of micro-dosing with this idea: ‘We don’t have to stop. I know you’re not done.’ Then the natural organic process of seasons of inspiration, as they come. But I was just planting those seeds so that when the situation started to take shape, he had something to pick up from the ground and harvest… That’s how Chrome Hearts was born. It just feels like the right thing.”