CSNY/Déjà Vu

March 20th, 2003. A coalition of forces, predominantly made up of American soldiers invades Iraq. The war in Iraq was the first major military operation by U.S. forces since Operation Desert Storm in 1990. Prior to that was the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War left deep scars in the U.S. It was a war that divided generations, changed the landscape of patriotism, and became a rallying cry for changing the social landscape of America. During the Vietnam War there were many forms of protest against the U.S. government. One of those ways was through music and one of the bands who gave voice to the disdain was Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young could be considered one of the first super-groups of music. The band comprised of members from The Hollies (Graham Nash), Buffalo Springfield (Stephen Stills and Neil Young) and The Byrds (David Crosby). Their initial incarnation was a brief experience but their relationship with each other would continue through the following decades. With the invasion of Iraq and subsequent difficulties that came from the invasion, a growing disdain began to permeate throughout the U.S. The news reports of intense fighting in Fallujah and increased insurgency activity along with the reports of torture being practiced on Iraqi prisoners, became rallying cries for skeptics who had initially protested the invasion. For those who were against the war, the election of 2004 would resurface many feelings of the Vietnam era. The democratic candidate for presidency, John Kerry was a veteran of Vietnam and a major objector to the Vietnam War upon his return from duty. Kerry would lose the election to George W. Bush and the next political point of change would be the mid-term election of 2006.

During 2006 Neil Young would create his anti-war album Living With War which lead to his idea of going on tour with Crosby, Stills and Nash. The tour would comprise of their political music and the hope of the tour would be to challenge audience attendees into helping them see the reasons why the U.S. should not be in Iraq. Neil Young would also document the tour by creating the film CSNY/Déjà Vu (2008).

CSNY/Déjà Vu looks at the reactions of people effected by the war in Iraq while also announcing the repercussions of not understanding the effects of the Vietnam War. The film constantly tries to give the sense of Déjà Vu by looking at the events within the United States now and comparing them to the events in the United States during the Vietnam War. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young all give recollections of the Vietnam era and how a message of peace has always been a message of their music. The film does not focus so much on the music of the tour but does show how the music's message is still prevalent today. Older songs like "Ohio", "Déjà Vu", "Military Madness", and "For What It's Worth" become songs that cry for reason and understanding. Neil Young's Living With War album becomes the battle cry of the tour with songs like, "Looking for A Leader" and "Let's Impeach the President".



The reaction of the audience to the tour is mixed with much of the audience being made up of people from the generation of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. For some age is where the similarities end because the politics of the day are divisive. At a stop in Atlanta some of the audience jeer and walk out on the show as Neil Young performs "Let's Impeach the President." The film constantly points to the fact that there are some who are not interested in protesting or the war in Iraq, some are just interested in going to see a band perform. This mixes well with the medias review of the tour which is mixed at best. The narrated reviews seems to add to the varying viewpoints of the Iraq War and how divided the country is on the war.



CSNY/Déjà Vu addresses the need to be aware of how the war is shaping the country. The band is aware of the misinformation about the war in the mainstream media. Neil Young touts his website, Living With War Today, as a place where people can upload their anti-war songs and leave posts about their war experience. The site is also shown as a place where true facts and figures are shown about the number of killed soldiers because of the war. Through the website Neil Young is connected to some returned soldiers from the war.

Throughout the film Micheal Cerra, a veteran of Vietnam and war reporter, conducts interviews with returned soldiers, family members of those who served and concert attendees. One former soldier, Josh Hisle, is a musician who questions the reasons why he was there. He puts music to his emotions and even performs for Neil Young. Other soldiers are interviewed and are trying to do the best they can with handling the stress of war and understanding why they went. With showing what returning soldiers are doing with their war experience the film makes a connection with what returning soldiers did as protest during the Vietnam war. These interviews try to solidify the view that the Iraq War is similar to the Vietnam War and hence to make viewers feel that sense of Déjà Vu.



CSNY/Déjà Vu may very well address the issue of war in Iraq but the film does not fully address the pro-war standpoint. At the end of the film there is an epilogue that shows that the midterm election did not go as planned as the anti-war protesters wanted but the fight continues. One strength of CSNY/Déjà Vu is the ability to look at the past and really ask the question, "Do we want to repeat it?" Now we have reached the point where Iraq war has faded. Combat troops have been recalled and now the U.S. is just a presence rather than a force within Iraq. CSNY/Déjà Vu shows that the voice of older generation is still active but it is the newer generations that will have to carry the torch, become a force rather than a presence and if peace is so important then we will have to actively pursue living without war or else face that sense of Déjà Vu again.