The Time Neil Young Called John Hodgman by Mistake

John Hodgman tells a story on the show After Midnight about receiving an unexpected phone call from Neil Young, which turned out to be a case of mistaken identity that lasted five months.

The Call

Hodgman was standing in his bathroom when his phone rang from an unknown number. He answered (because, as he puts it, he is an elderly person who answers unknown calls). A man named Donnie in Winnipeg said he was Neil Young's manager and that Neil wanted to talk to him.

Neil Young got on the line. He told Hodgman he was a big fan and wanted him to participate in a YouTube promotion for a new high-quality music streaming service Young was launching.

The Mistake

Young mentioned that he loved the job Hodgman did filling in for Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. The problem: that was John Oliver, not John Hodgman. Hodgman had appeared on the show in a smaller capacity but had never hosted it.

Hodgman had to break the news to Neil Young directly: "You've made a mistake." There was a long pause. Then Young recovered and said he was a big fan of Hodgman's work too.

The Commitment

Despite the mix-up, Neil Young committed to the bit. Hodgman stayed in touch with Young's team for about five months working on the project. As Hodgman tells it, Young decided that Hodgman was the one he wanted, mistake or not.

Key Takeaways

• Neil Young confused John Hodgman with John Oliver
• Hodgman corrected him on the call, and Young doubled down anyway
• The collaboration discussions lasted about five months