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Would-Be Biographer Files Suit Against Neil Young
Alleging that Neil Young blocked publication of an authorized biography that he worked on for nearly a decade, former Village Voice writer Jimmy McDonough has filed a $1.8 million fraud suit against the musician. The writer is also seeking the right to get the book published.
According to the suit, filed on Monday (5/1) in Los Angeles County Superior Court, McDonough and Young entered an agreement that gave the biographer the ''artistic freedom to write a biography of Young, entitled 'Shakey: The Biography of Neil Young,' with Young's assistance and blessing, subject only to Young's right to request edits or changes with regard to his then-immediate family.''
However, McDonough's suit claims, Young ''unilaterally'' backed out of the agreement after McDonough gave him the manuscript. ''Young did so without ever stating a single specific objection to any material in the biography,'' the suit says. ''But for Young's actions, Random House Inc. would have published the biography.''
The suit, which says that Young and McDonough had inked a deal with Random House to publish the book, alleges that, despite years of assurances that the book would be published, Young used ''the wealth and power he had accumulated from his musical and business success to squelch publication of the biography.''
A spokesperson for Young could not immediately be reached for comment.
