Neil Young. (File photo)

Neil Young is already a winner at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

No, the Canadian folk-rock hero hasn’t taken up the luge. Rather, a star-studded tribute next Thursday to his music will serve as the centrepiece of the Games’ Cultural Olympiad.

Make that another star-studded tribute.

The Neil Young Project is the second high-profile show in as many months dedicated to the Winnipeg-raised singer-songwriter’s work. It’s also the latest in a long line of tribute events organized by American music producer and Saturday Night Live musical director Hal Willner.

“They asked me to do it two years ago,” says the 52-year-old Willner during a busy day in his New York office. “We had done a Neil Young Project in 2004, so I thought, why not. The material is really cool to work with.”

And he means all of Young’s material. To program the event — which features more than 24 artists from Canada and the United States, including Lou Reed, Broken Social Scene, Ron Sexsmith, Iron and Wine and Teddy Thompson — Willner began by reacquainting himself with Shakey’s entire catalog.

“The way I prefer to do it is to go listen to everything the composer has written,” says the veteran producer, who has also helmed tributes to Leonard Cohen (I’m Your Man), Kurt Weill (Lost in the Stars and September Songs) and others. “Then I put the show together just from the material. I want something that balances the well-known and unknown, and covers all styles and approaches.

“After that, I start approaching artists that I think would be cool. Basically, I cast it like a movie. But the trick is to have a very well-thought-out, very tight script ahead of time.”

It’s somewhat remarkable — and perhaps a testimony to the respect Willner commands — that the artists he casts are usually happy to check their egos and go along with his suggestions.

“If somebody comes in and has a particular song that they’re attached to, we’ll try to fit it in, or take out something that was similar — or sometimes we try to talk them out of it. But that doesn’t happen very often.”

Besides, surprises are welcome, he claims.

“You never know what’s going to click or not. The worst thing that can happen is that you’ll see something that can never be repeated. And usually you can be guaranteed to see stuff that’s incredible and magic, and you’ll be talking forever about how you were there. Sure, there’s stuff that doesn’t work. But when it does, 90% of it is great.”

Among the stuff Willner expects to work: Broken Social Scene, who will serve as one of two house bands; avant-garde guitarist James Blood Ulmer, who will team with Reed on “some good noise”; and Canadian troubadour Sexsmith, described by Willner as a “risk-taker (who) could have written some of these songs.”

That’s high praise, Sexsmith says. But for him, just being invited is a bigger compliment.

“Neil is part of that old guard,” he says. “There’s Leonard and Gordie and Joni and Neil. They’re four of the most influential songwriters in the world. Whenever I’m writing, it’s so daunting when you think of the history you’re up against. I’m always conscious of the work that they did, and I always try to walk in their footsteps.

“I used to do a lot of Neil Young songs when I started out in the bars. I could play Neil all night and nobody could complain. That’s probably still the case.”

It was last month in Los Angeles, when Young was honoured with a concert as MusiCares Person of the Year on Grammy Awards weekend. But Willner doesn’t feel he’s playing second fiddle to that event.

“I didn’t even think about it,” he claims. “That was a superstar show. That’s not what we do. We’re the kooky people; we’re taking the material and trying to do something new with it. I’m not saying Neil purists will necessarily dislike the show. But we’re not going for them.”

Another difference: Unlike the L.A. show, Young is not expected to be in attendance. “I would really doubt it,” Willner says, laughing.

The Cultural Olympiad continues until March 20, with concerts by a wide range of artists including City and Colour, Feist, Billy Talent, K’Naan, Martha Wainwright, India.Arie and more.

darryl.sterdan@sunmedia.ca