Before Rick James Could Afford Tons of Cocaine & Neil Young Had a Brain Aneurysm…

Prior to becoming the guy whose words Kurt Cobain found relatable seconds prior to shooting himself in the face and Dave Chappelle’s vision of 1980′s cocaine stupidity, respectively, Neil Young and Rick James forged a seemingly unlikely partnership in a Canadian-based band called The Mynah Birds, which just so happened to also feature keyboardist Goldie McJohn, later of a little band you may have heard of called “Steppenwolf.”

As if the roster of this collective of novelty superstars was not enough, their backstory [complete story] only adds Jews to the fire. After signing a Zito-esque 7-year deal with Motown in 1966, James was arrested for having gone AWOL from the U.S. Navel Reserve and fleeing to Canada two years earlier. The band promptly fell apart without releasing a single album, but lamenters should note that the only reason James was in Canada to meet and subsequently unite with Neil Young in the first place was because of James’ flight from his responsibilities.