The enigmatic Neil Young has done something he swore he’d never do. Write a memoir.

But after an injury last year Neil needed something to fill his time and so we have the autobiography, “Waging Heavy Peace,” which comes out next week.

Now Neil doesn’t care much for reporters or what anybody thinks of him but in the interest of promoting the book he granted an extensive interview to David Carr from the New York Times.

Carr, obviously a fan, calls Young “an emblem of authenticity for the next generation, the keeper of rock’s soul,” and they talk about everything from Neil’s investment in Lionel Trains to his quirky career decisions.

To which Neil proclaims, "I work for the muse. I'm not here to sell things. That's what other people do, I'm creating them. If it doesn't work out, I'm sorry; I'm just doing what I do. You hired me to do what I do, not what you do.

As long as people don't tell me what to do, there will be no problem." Ahh, that’s just one of the reasons we love Neil. Is it any wonder his fans range from Bob Dylan to the Foo Fighters?

Read the entire interview here.

Check out Neil doing “Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World” with Pearl Jam.