54 Years After Moving to America, Neil Young Is Now a U.S. Citizen
Fifty-four years after illegally crossing the U.S. border in a Pontiac hearse, Neil Young has become an American citizen.
“I’m happy to report I’m in!” the Canadian-born musician wrote on his website after months of struggle to obtain his dual citizenship. Young explained to fans that the process had been delayed because of the “good moral character” provision on the immigrant application — meaning he admitted to smoking weed.
On Wednesday afternoon, Young and his wife, actress Daryl Hannah, obtained his naturalization documents at the Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles. He celebrated in a video on his Instagram, singing “I’m proud to be a Canarican” in the tune of “God Bless the U.S.A.” while waving around miniature American and Canadian flags.
Young kicked off 2020 by detailing upcoming archive releases on his website, including concert films like 1990’s Way Down in the Rust Bucket and 2003’s Greendale Live. He’s also planning to release the long-awaited legendary LP Homegrown, and a live album with his 1977 Santa Cruz supergroup, the Ducks.
He recently answered a new batch of fan letters on his site, candidly stating that while he has no current plans to tour, he will appear at Stephen Stills’ Light Up the Blues benefit concert for Autism Speaks in the spring.
