How a Deal to Kick a Bad Habit Struck a Friendship Between Neil Young and an Engineer He Called “Roy Orbison Meets Heavy Metal” (Exclusive)

Although a friendship isn’t always necessary to produce an incredible piece of music in the studio, it certainly doesn’t hurt. Connecting with someone on an emotional level through shared values and beliefs can naturally lead to a more open, dynamic, and creative partnership, which can add depth and significance to the music. Such was the case for singer-songwriter Neil Young and his long-time producer, Niko Bolas.

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Bolas spoke with American Songwriter ahead of his appearance in “Studio Confidential,” an intimate discussion series held at the Sheen Center in New York City that opens on Valentine’s Day 2026. Bolas and Young began working together in the mid-1980s, and when we asked the producer how he struck up a relationship with Young two decades into his career, he said it all started with a deal to kick a habit.

“We were recording Landing On Water, and we walked through a mall together looking to buy some clothes, I think. As we rode up the escalator together, we both agreed to quit smoking Pall Malls. For some reason, on that album, unfiltered cigs were the thing. It did not last long, and we quit together. That was the beginning of friendship outside music.”

Niko Bolas and Neil Young Bonded Over Beating a Habit in the Mid-1980s

Bonding over breaking their habit of smoking filterless cigarettes might have brought Niko Bolas and Neil Young together on a personal level. But the pair had to mesh professionally if their collaboration on Landing On Water—and the subsequent albums they recorded together—were going to work. And luckily, Bolas has always had a distinct appreciation for their respective roles in the music-making process.

“I don’t think Neil goes back to anything,” Bolas once said of Young’s decision to hire him for multiple projects. “Neil creates whatever’s in front of him, and if it’s not working, he tries something else. I can’t take anything personally with Neil. Neil loves everyone. But also, his purpose on the planet is to be a conduit, and that takes precedence. As long as you can understand that and try to help him, he’ll be in and out of your life for a long time. He’s not a normal human. But he’s worth the effort.”

Bolas and Young worked together on multiple albums, including Young’s 1989 release, Freedom, which includes “Rockin’ in the Free World”. Another song from that album, “Don’t Cry”, was partially inspired by a breakup Bolas was actually going through. “After [Landing on the Water], I found myself booked more and more on his music. He told me he ‘got me,’” Bolas told us. “Roy Orbison meets Heavy Metal.”

Young’s long-time collaborator is one of seven acclaimed engineers and producers featured in Studio Confidential, a discussion series that opens on February 14, 2026, at the Sheen Center in New York City. Tickets are available online now.

Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images