Larry Alderman Johnson (June 11, 1947 – January 21, 2010) was an American film and music producer, director, and editor best known for his long association with musician Neil Young.
Kit Carson and others, they brought a street-wise sensibility and engaged political bent to their work that reflected the turbulent era of the late Sixties.
Described by Young as a "musical novel," it was a series of songs depicting a small-town California family caught up in the post-9/11 world, as they struggle to maintain their way of life during a time of social and political upheaval.
Reminiscent of David Lynch's Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks, with the Devil lurking in the shadows, Johnson helped Young craft the multi-layered backstories for the song's characters and the record and ensuing film remain one of the singer-songwriters greatest accomplishments.
Johnson also produced the accompanying movie, directed by Young, and oversaw the two-year Greendale tour, a rock concert-cum-Broadway musical hybrid that was an astonishing realization of the concept.
Writing for The Huffington Post website, Evan Handler opined, "I feel strange saying it, but "CSNY/Déjà Vu" might just be the most important film to come out of the 2008 Sundance festival.
It opened in American theatres in July 2008 and received further praise for its emotional power, with the Los Angeles Times saying, "Though it may be another in a long line of choir-preaching, anti-Iraq war documentaries, "CSNY/Déjà Vu," Neil Young's effective hybrid of concert film and political snapshot, is one of the shrewdest and most entertaining of the bunch....Recent and archival interview, news, war and music footage, which often juxtapose the Vietnam and Iraq conflicts, round out this unflinching, well-constructed picture," while Richard Roeper gave it a thumbs up on "At the Movies", calling it, "A good, strong documentary....(Young) is a brilliant artist;” and Steven Rea of "The Philadelphia Inquirer" wrote, "as Young – er, Shakey – shifts the focus from himself and his bandmates to several of these veterans, the film achieves a level of unexpected power and poignancy."
Johnson continued to work with Young on his latest film project, a documentary about converting older gas-guzzling automobiles into fuel-efficient, low emission, environment-friendly vehicles titled, "Linc-Volt".
Returning to the rock scene in 1975, Johnson handled sound recording on Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Review fantasia, Renaldo & Clara, and was a line producer for the legendary The Last Waltz concert and film.
In 1995 Johnson produced and directed the innovative Forrest Gump: Music and the Times CD-ROM featuring songs from the Academy Award-winning film's soundtrack and interviews with the recording artists including reunions of the members of The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield.