Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Diga said:
<As far as I understand it, CPR can't *afford* to tour that much. 
<Which is sad, and which is why it's so important to spread the word.

Yeah, I agree. But the thought is kind of strange to me. Nash, Pevar
and Raymond are all going to be on the road, together, three of
Crosby's all time favorite music partners collaborating and he's going
to be.... sailing? gardening? coaching soccer?

I mean the last time he let something like that happen he was sleeping
next to Bubba wasn't he?
  

    
Sleeping next to Bubba? Explain that one, Tony <smiles>.

Am home today nursing some bruises suffered in a slip on the concrete
around the local community pool yesterday ... nothing broken, but
enough bruises and scrapes to keep me off my commute for a day ... just
got back from the pharmacy ... so catching up ...

Thanks to Bill Evans for the kind words ... a son trying out for the
Atlanta Braves baseball team? Wow! Now that's a dream opportunity!

Steve Silberman wrote ...
>I always have felt that CSN was blowing off the possibility of
garnering a serious touring audience by being unwilling to be THAT
improvisational ...

Well, CSN or CSNY will never been as improvisational as the Dead were.
And even though before recent tours we'll get a quote from Nash that
essentially says, "We're really going to shake up the set-lists this
tour." In reality, what that means is that a few new songs will be
added (this last CSNY tour, "I Used to Be A King," "Feed the People"
and "Old Man Trouble" were among the fresh numbers), but the set-lists,
with the exeception of a couple of songs, are fairly set. Even though
CSN and CSNY are not really *jam* oriented -- the only "mini-jams," of
late, occuring during "Down By the River" and "Almost Cut My Hair" -- I
agree that they certainly have the song catalogue (if not the new
material) to throw in more surprises from night-to-night. It was great
to hear CSNY hammer home "Eight Miles High," but why not also throw in
"Rock and Roll Woman?" Or "Daylight Again/Find the Cost of Freedom?" Or
"On the Way Home?" Or "Black Queen?" Or have Stills play some acoustic
piano on a few songs again? I agree, Steve, that this would make it
much more interesting for fans who take in more than one show along a
CSN or CSNY tour. 

As for the jokes and raps ... they do sound almost pre-recorded
sometimes. Nash generally introduces the band and, at least during CSN
tours, will invariably have the bass player or drummer be from the city
the show is taking place in (e.g. "And on bass ... my dear friend
Gerald Johnson ... from right here in Cleveland, OHIO!"). 

Even Neil Young's solo tours (with and without Crazy Horse) tend to
feature a basic song running order that varies little once a tour hits
its stride. The only exception was Young's 1999 solo acoustic tour,
which found him changing from five to eight tunes a night -- throwing
in such rarely played songs as "Kansas," Home Fires," "The Last Trip to
Tulsa" and "Ambulance Blues."

As for NPR, CPR ... I agree that the timing is a matter of economics
and my guess is that we'll see both cominations in 2002, plus a goodly
amount of CNPR.

Regarding questions from <fom> about arena tours vs. smaller venues
... again, it's mostly a matter of economics. It certainly has nothing
to do with smaller venues being "beneath them." I can assure you,
artists like CSNY would much rather perform ten nights in a club or
1,500 arena rather than Madison Square Garden of Staples Center. But
it's just not logistically possible. 

>is there a generic term for the kind of harmony CSN do?

I suppose "three-part harmony" could be termed "generic," but the
vocal harmony that results when Crosby, Stills and Nash put their
voices together is hardly generic. The CSN vocal blend remains a
unique, other-worldly sound. 



 


 
  

    
Dave Z Asked:
>Sleeping next to Bubba? Explain that one, Tony <smiles>.

By "sleeping with Bubba" I meant when he was in jail.

How hard did you fall Dave? LOL

The last time Crosby let his best touring buddies hit the road without
him, other than when he wasn't, er, uh... invited, was when he was in
jail.

(Seriously, hope you're okay...)
  

    
Dave, one of the common journalist issues that's especially resonant
in your case--a lot of us become journalists because it gives us
access to interesting people we'd like to talk to! And once we
start down that path, we find ourselves balancing the fan side and
the journalist side a lot,particularly as we get to know our subjects
better and see things that are often very different from the public
persona.

Add to that that people are pretty different in different contexts--
e.g., from my own observation, Neil Young as hunted-and-harassed-
rock-star-at-an-event is a startling contrast to Neil geeking out with
the engineers talking about sound--and there's a lot of complexity
you're dealing with, both as to how you work with the folks and what
you write about.

You've been working with these guys for a long time--how do you keep
the public stuff public, the private stuff private, and know what reality
you're dealing with at the moment? And what is your advice to the 
would-be rock journalist in this regard?
  

    
And yes, I hope you are duly recovering from your pool mishap! Owie!
  

    
Bruise-healing beams to you, Dave.
("Beams" are a local and charming WELL tradition that work!)

> Bubba

One of my favorite jokes that Nash ever told from the stage was when he 
introduced Croz's solo segment by saying,

"Now David's going to play some music from his unreleased prison album,
'Shower Toy'."


!
  

    
E-mail from Jesse Sturdevant:

Dave,
 
This has been a most fascinating read over the past several days! A few
questions concerning outtakes and unfinished albums that I've been
curious about---
 
After Neil bolted during the Human Highway sessions in 1974, the other
three decided to press on for a CSN record, according to your book.
Things blew up between Graham and Stephen during a rehearsal for
"Guardian Angel." Do you have any idea how much progress was made as a
threesome?
 
In 1978, CSN attempted a follow up to the Boat album. I know that
"Helicopter Song" wound up on Earth and Sky. Do you know of anything
else? For that matter, do you know what was completed for the aborted C &
N record in 1979?
 
Lastly, someone mentioned on the Lee Shore that CSN was working on an
album in 1985. There's no mention of that in your book and it seems a bit
shaky. Crosby hadn't written in years, Stills probably emptied his
"cannon" for Right By You the year before and Nash probably had his
Innocent Eyes material. Can you shed any light on this?
 
Just have to say I love your book! The layout is perfect, with the
headlines for each subject making it easy for quick reference. I have
read Shakey, and I'm glad you let the subjects voice their own opinions
about their work instead of the author. Another example of this would be
the Dylan bio Behind the Shades by Clinton Heylin.
 
peace
 
Jesse
 
 


 
  

    
Thanks for the "healing beams," friends. I'm no Greg Louganis, that's
for sure ... Bactine is doing to trick on the stinging scrapes ... but
tender bruises will take a week to heal ... at least I can walk, and
tomorrow I'll be back on that train to NYC ...

Tony and Steve .. thanks for introducing me to "Bubba," metaphorically
speaking, now I know ... Shower Toy, indeed!


Mary E. asked ...

>How do you keep the public stuff public, the private stuff private,
and know what reality you're dealing with at the moment?

Well, Mary, it can be a delicate dance sometimes. For me, somewhere a
long the line, I gained a "seventh sense," a little voice in my head,
that said, "Enjoy this private moment with Stills, but it you share it
with the world, you're a dead man." Seriously, my credo is: how I
approach this journalist gig with CSN (&Y) is based on love and
kindness, not exposure and sensation. I try to present the truth, at
all times. I know what should be public, and there are some things that
are best left private and personal. 
 
>And what is your advice to the  would-be rock journalist in this
regard?

There's no road map or guide book through this sort of territory. But
my advice would be ... get to know your subjects and get to know what's
important in their lives and careers. Accent that. The rest of the
stuff is color. It can be interesting color -- which is important. But,
from my perspective, it shouldn't be hurtful color. Everyone (rock
stars, included) should be allowed to have a private life.

Regarding questions from Jesse S. (I'm happy you've enjoyed my book!):

As for CSN '74-'75 ... from everyone I spoke with, no additional
tracks were recorded after the "Guardian Angel" meltdown ... C&N went
on to record Wind On the Water and Stills finished his Stills solo
album.

As for CSN in '78 and C&N in '78-'79 ... this is a question for Joel
Bernstein. I must admit that I have no knowledge of additional specific
tracks (if any) that may have been recorded then by CSN or C&N then.
It was certainly a time of some tension and differences ... 

As for CSN '85 ... I have no knowledge of any CSN sessions that may
have taken place then either. I seriously doubt that any did. As you
pointed out, Stills' Right By You and Nash's Innocent Eyes solo albums
are from that era, and Croz was just about at the nadir of his
life/career. It's a miracle that CSN was able to perform live with any
effectiveness at all then. But they did ... 


    
  

    
"Enjoy this private moment with Stills, but *if* you share it
with the world, you're a dead man," I meant to say. The reality is,
though, that 90 percent of my times with Stills have been musical ones,
which I've gladly shared. 

And, from my experience, the *public* Stills, Nash and Croz are not
that different from the private lives I've gotten to know. With these
guys, there hasn't been a major "geesh, this isn't the person whose
music I grew to love." Instead, getting to know these guys has only
deepened my appreciation for them as people and artists.

On that note, I must sign off from New Jersey for the noight, "dress"
my wounds and try to get my 8-year-old to turn off "Laurel & Hardy" and
get some sleep ... 
  

    
A new day.  

I listened to Nash's "Earth and Sky" last night, which is now available on 
a 24-bit remastered CD, having never been available on CD before.

It's not a perfect album, and has a couple of clinkers.  BUT:  it struck 
me again yesterday what a very fine and wise song "Earth and Sky" is.  And 
it has those great chunky Nash pop chords that Nash does best.

"Out on the Island" is a taste of what another C/N album might have been.

Worth checking out.
  

    
Steve, yes, Nash's Earth & Sky is certainly filled with some choice
moments ... I had "Out on the Island" in my head last night, even
though I hadn't listened to the CD in about two weeks (I picked up the
24-bit remastered as well in May). "Out on the Island" would be a good
"oldie" to add to the mix on the NPR tour. Peev could sink his fingers
into that one! Other songs on E&S that I enjoy are "Magical Child" and
"Helicopter Song" (Stills and Kootch on guitars). 

 
  

    
So...about my harmony question. I think there is a recognizable kind of 
harmony that CSN does, and it was also done by the Byrds and the Mommas 
and the Poppas and other groups. Yeah, all of them have unique sounds, but 
I was wondering if there is a term for that particular kind of 60s-70s 
harmony. I guess not.

I also don't really understand why playing smaller spaces sometimes would 
be logistically impossible.
  

    

It isn't impossible, but... If a tour is designed for stages of a certain
size, you can't put that production into a smaller place without abandoning a
lot of hardware and essentially starting from scratch.  On a certain level,
that's a bogus excuse I guess -- I mean, "Just get up there and play!" -- but
as a practical matter, big tours by big groups are very elaborate and need to
be consistent.
  

    
Oh of course, but my original question was about the scale of the tours. I 
understand that a 3-semi tour can't play a small venue. But some groups do 
more than one kind of tour, and some seem wed to the arena scale.
  

    
>But some groups do more than one kind of tour, and some seem wed to
the arena scale.

Depends on the combination ... CSNY will only do a "three-semi tour"
and that's it. That's just the level the group is at. CSN, however, may
play 1,500-seat venues, outdoor wineries, festivals, etc.  -- even the
occasional club tour. Young solo may do the seem. But when "the big
group" tours, it's the big venues ...

Re: '60-'70s folk-rock harmony ... there is no colorful term that
applies to the harmony from that era. At least none that I've ever read
or heard about. 
  

    

Doesn't economics and demand also play a large role?  If they can sell out 
an arena because there's that many people who want to see them, why would 
they opt for a smaller venue and fewer ticket sales?   Or is the profit 
margin about the same, regardless?  By that I mean, with a large, 3-semi 
tour the costs must be astronomical, costs that they wouldn't face with a 
smaller more intimate venue, where they would also not be able to charge 
the same amount per ticket.

I really don't know, of course, and this is pure speculation.
  

    

>If they can sell out an arena because there's that many people who want to
>see them, why would they opt for a smaller venue and fewer ticket sales?

Intimacy, esthetics, lower pressure.  But: fewer dollars.
  

    

slipped by Dave.  Perhaps we should coin a term for that kind of harmony, 
right here right now!
  

    

And slipped by David!
  

    
Re: Sound description...

I've heard the phrase "Southern California Sounds..." What does, or
did that include? I know I've heard it in conjunction with the Eagles
and Venice.
  

    
>I've heard the phrase "Southern California Sounds..." What does, or
did that include? I know I've heard it in conjunction with the Eagles
...

Good point, T, but it seems to refer to the overall sound, including
the voices, instrumentation, songs, etc ... not just the harmony
vocals. The term "L.A. Mafia" used to apply to the likes of Jackson
Browne, Warren Zevon, the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Waddy Wachtel, Lee
Sklar,Russ Kunkel, Kootch, John-David Souther ... but seemed like more
of a '70s thing. CSNY, Neil and Joni were seldom, if ever, grouped into
the mix.   
  

    
One more point ... to your point, Tony ... "Southern California
Sounds..." has been used to define everything from the Beach Boys to
the Byrds to the Mamas & the Papas to Love to CSN to the Doors to the
Go-Gos ... almost like a scene as well as a sound ...
  

    
And before them, Dick Dale!
  

    
When people started reviewing Workingman's Dead and American Beauty in the
'70s, they called it "three-part high harmony borrowed from Crosby, Stills,
and Nash."  I've also read CSN being referred to as "ice cream harmony."
Of course, CSN harmonies are similar in a lot of ways to "Beach Boys
harmonies" -- another generic term.
  

    



Mike Macenas, via email:



Sorry to be late to this most interesting party - just spent my lunch hour
reading thru the 200+ posts and have a million follow-up questions/comments,
but as this event is winding down I thought I'd ask something new:

In the CSNY time line at what point do you think Neil became the critics
darling and Stephen Stills some sort of press pariah?  And how much of this
is based on image and media relations and how much on actual "product" (the
songs) produced ?  Seems to me Stephen and Neil both were treated to nothing
but raves thru most of the Springfield experience and the CSNY salad days.  I
believe Stills got generally glowing reviews on his first solo album and the
Manassas set - but by around '75 or so had kind of been written off, while
Neil had become acknowledged as a mega talent.  Looking back now that seems
like an awful short period of time to fall out of favor

I've wondered how much of this is in part because of the way each of them
wore the trappings of stardom.  Watching the Last Waltz outtakes the other
night - Neil certainly looks the part of hipster rock n' roller - tee shirt,
roach clip, army jacket (de rigueur stoner wear in the mid 70's ), while
Stephen comes out dressed as a junior high principal or somethin' ... looking
at his 70's persona he may be the only rocker who always who a sport coat and
collared shirt ... not particularly hipster gear.   Neil put out some sloppy,
drunken records like Time Fades Away n' Tonight's the Night and he's "real"
and when Stephen does the same (Down the Road, Illegal Stills ) he's labeled
as "burnt out" and a victim of rock n' roll excess.  Neil, and the critics
seem to revel in his dissolute rock n' roll attitude while Stephen's hardcore
personality and focus on traditional success (album sales, money ) seems to
turn alot of people off .... and may have bit him in the ass regarding his
relations and standing in the media.

Always thought it'd be a neat trick for Neil to record some Stephen songs and
vice versa then put 'em out and see what the critics say -

MjM