Behind the Cover: Neil Young

I wish I was on the cover of Lionel Trains magazine," Neil Young, an avid antique-train collector, joked to photographer Mark Seliger. "My kids would be so impressed if I showed them a copy of that."

Judging from that statement, it may seem that Neil Young wasn't thrilled about gracing Rolling Stone's cover in 1993. His kindness to Seliger, though, told a different story. "He was so incredibly generous and wonderful," says Seliger, who was invited onto Young's vintage tour bus (from the Buffalo Springfield days) to shoot the portrait. "He proudly showed us his mukluk boots and every different color of plaid shirt that we could choose for him." Young was riding high on the success of Harvest Moon, his sequel to 1972's Harvest, making his first appearance in the Top Twenty in nearly ten years.

The concept behind the portrait, says Seliger, was to capture Young "as if he was outside and he could actually hear the wind moving." For Seliger, who also fronts the country-rock band Rusty Truck, it was the first opportunity to shoot his hero. "I don't think there's any songwriter who I respect or listen to more than Neil Young," he says. "I had to pinch myself when I got the job."