An East Carolina University biologist has brought his admiration of Neil Young to a whole new class.
Or species, to be exact.
Jason Bond, an ECU professor of biology, has named a newly discovered trapdoor spider, Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi, after the legendary rock star.
“There are rather strict rules about how you name new species,” Bond said. “As long as these rules are followed you can give a new species just about any name you please. With regards to Neil Young, I really enjoy his music and have had a great appreciation of him as an activist for peace and justice.”
That’s cool. And now a reason for nutballs to kill spiders.
Neil also shows up at a Java conference to talk about using Java for interactive features in his new boxed retrospective. John caught that one first time around.
It could be much worse…like Celine Dion or something! Gidigy Gidigy Goo!
This is an insult to the spider as the spider probably has a better voice than Neil Young.
Cute spider! I like the tribute, but tend to prefer descriptive names for species. Many birds were named by birders and given names that tell us a lot more about the birder than the bird.
#2 – lmj3325,
I don’t agree about Neil Young’s voice. I’ve never found it particularly offensive. I do agree though that whenever any other species is compared to humans, it’s an insult to the other species. Poor spider got stuck with a human name. Calling humans pigs, snakes, rats, etc., is always more of an insult to the other species than the human.
I’d sue his ass for slander if I was a famous singer.
>>I’ve never found it particularly offensive.
Gosh, Scottie, Neil Young may not be Maria Callas or Pavarotti, but he is one of the musical icons of our time, like Bob Dylan (who also doesn’t have a voice well-suited to operatic tunes). And hey, at least he’s not singing “We’re gonna get you a GoPhone today” with Tiffany in TV commercials, like MEATloaf. Way to go, Professor Bond!
Right on Mister Mustard.
#5 – Mr. Mustard,
Way to miss my point!!
Right on Scottie!
Scottie, I got your point. I just wasn’t interested in the human-slandering. I was more interested in your failing to give Neil Young his due. That guy rocks. He’s not just “not offensive”, he’s a superstar. And his music (from the sixties up to the present) is great.
#6 and #8 –
Right on JimR!
.
I wanna blog with a Cinnamon Grrl
I could happy with the RSS feed
of my Cinnamon Grrl
Neil Young is in my top 10 favorites of all time…spiders, not so much.
#9 – And his music (from the sixties up to the present) is great.
Sounds like someone missed the “Trans” album.
Neil: New Wave seems popular.
Public: Yes. And?
Neil: I think I’ll make a synth-pop new wave record.
Public: Neil, you really need to lay off the pipe, dude.
Neil: No… it’ll be great. Filled with enduring classics.
Public: No… It will bomb… just like this ill-fated phoney dialog between the public and Neil Young that OFTLO has been typing for at least 2, possibly 6, lines too long…
Neil: You are right. This joke sucks, but I’m still making Trans.
Public: Damnit! Will talented yet burnt out 60’s era icons never learn?
#12. Most people are in two camps on Young, those who like his hard rocking Crazy Horse style, the others his acoustic country style. I love both. And then there was Trans………
>>Sounds like someone missed the “Trans” album.
Yeah, OK. I missed the “Trans” album. I take it that wasn’t one of his better efforts.
I’m not a Neil Young fanatic, I just think most of his music (be it Crazy Horse or acoustic-country) is great. I’ve heard a couple of shitty songs by him over the years, but that’s no reason for Misanthropic Scottie to go dissing the guy. He’s an icon.
Do you think the spider is going to marry a US citizen, live in the US for 20+ years, write all sorts of songs about how much the US sucks, but never bothering becoming a citizen so he can vote?
Uncle Ben, I think it’s time for you to go convert some rice ( http://tinyurl.com/5859sh ). What “all sorts of songs” did he write about how life in the US sucks, other than “Alabama” (which was spot-on, regardless of what rednecks Lynrd Skynrd had to say), and maybe that one about not singing for Pepsi, not singing for Coke (which was also spot-on).
Sheesh.
#16 – Uncle Ben, I think it’s time for you to go convert some rice ( http://tinyurl.com/5859sh ). What “all sorts of songs” did he write about how life in the US sucks,
Good point. I can’t think of any.
And you know what? Let’s just drop all this jingoistic bullshit patriotism. Typically, when someone says that the US sucks, they don’t mean that they hate their neighbors or they hate freedom or that The Grand Canyon is ugly… They mean they hate what their elected leaders are doing… The same thing that jackbooted flagwavers like Limbaugh, Hannity, and Coulter say every day… So if you want to take criticism as being the same as saying “the US sucks”… then okay… the US sucks. It sucks big sweaty bison balls, and sucks them hard.
other than “Alabama” (which was spot-on, regardless of what rednecks Lynrd Skynrd had to say),
How is Young less a redneck than the guys in Skynrd? …and it should be noted that Young and the Skynrd guys were well known to be good friends with deep respect for each other. The lyric in Sweet Home Alabama is intended as a playful jab at a friend.
and maybe that one about not singing for Pepsi, not singing for Coke (which was also spot-on).
I never took that as any kind of anti-American sentiment.
The best kept secret about liberals, is that liberals also love America…
Also, liberals love spiders (just to keep on topic)
>>How is Young less a redneck than the guys
>>in Skynrd?
Well, to tell you the truth, OFTLO, I don’t know. I don’t know all that much about Lynrd Skynrd, other than that there are a lot of chord changes in “Free Bird”. Maybe they’re hippies in disguise.
Neil Young, on the other hand, I know a little about. And he ain’t no fucking redneck. He may have some family issues that I’m not really down with, but as to his politics, he rocks.
>>I never took that as any kind of
>>anti-American sentiment.
Well, who sings for Pepsi? Who sings for Coke? American pop stars. Remember when Michael Jackson almost burned his head off? I just assumed that, as the Cradle of Capitalism, America was bearing the brunt of that song’s sarcasm.
Alabama and Keep on Rocking in the Free World were fresh in my mind when I wrote about his anti-American songs, although a quick google revels there are also a bunch more that I am not so familiar with.
Neil Young’s music is great (okay, some of it sucks, some is great). I respect the fact that he plays whatever music he wants to and doesn’t really care what anyone else thinks.
However, I think if you emigrate to a country, live their for years, and start criticizing its politics, the least you can do is become a citizen and vote. Just seems to make sense: if you don’t want to make your adopted country your home, don’t start criticizing it.
Well, I don’t know about that Unk B. Neil Young may have spent a lot of time in the US b/c that’s where all the recording studios are and the money is, but I never got the impression that he ever gave up his Canadian roots. And his songs reflect that.
Hey, how about “Ohio”? Is that anti-American also?
In any case, a lot of his music is great (so some of it sucks, bfd). And it’s an honor to the spider to be named after him, no matter what Misanthropic Scottie says.
#21 – Mister Mustard,
Actually, I quite like Neil Young’s music. I just can’t say much one way or the other about his voice. His lyrics and music are excellent. I should also add that I am not a huge music aficionado. And, I like lots of music from people with less than perfect voices, Lou Reed, Janis Joplin, etc.
Mister Mustard:
Rita McNeil and Stomping Tom managed to record stuff without moving to the US … (as did Stan Rogers, Garnet Rogers, The Berra McNeil’s, The Rankin Family and plenty of others) besides, I thought you could become a US citizen without giving up your Canadian citizenship….
I thought Neil was living in the US because he married a Californian.
-Ben.
>>Rita McNeil and Stomping Tom managed to
>>record stuff without moving to the US …
>>(as did Stan Rogers, Garnet Rogers, The
>>Berra McNeil’s, The Rankin Family and
>>plenty of others)
Yeah, but they’re not Neil Young, are they? Walk down the sidewalk in Boise or Portland or San Fran or Philly and ask “who’s Rita McNeil” and then ask “who’s Neil Young”, and see which one gets you an answer. Much as I love those Canadian singer-songwriters, if you wanna become an icon, you have to leave.
#18 – And he ain’t no fucking redneck.
Not in the wife beating / minority hangin’ way…
More in the barefoot, hanging out in the sticks, guitar strummin’ kind of way
#19 – Maybe… But isn’t it more anti-consumerism specifically rather than an indictment of a whole nation?
#20 – However, I think if you emigrate to a country, live their for years, and start criticizing its politics, the least you can do is become a citizen and vote.
THERE THEY’RE and THEIR
Look em up
Learn them
Stop embarrassing the United States of America
(Okay… I’m kind of kidding)
(kind of)
Actually, I was bitten by the Neil Young bug many years ago. Pun intended.