Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
And there was Robert Christgau, who went way beyond "mediocre":

DAVID CROSBY: If I Could Only Remember My Name (Atlantic) This disgraceful 
performance inspires: the first in an unpredictable series of Consumer 
Guide competitions. The test: rename David Crosby. The prize: one Byrds lp 
of your choice. The catch: you have to beat my entries. Which are: Rocky 
Muzak, Roger Crosby, Vaughn Monroe. D MINUS




What's amazing is, now rollingstone.com calls the album "a masterpiece."
Who knew?
We knew.
  

    
Yes *we* knew about If I Could Only Remember My Name. 

Before heading downstairs for dinner ...

<<Although a hugely popular act, CSNY have had a rather polarizing
effect on critics (though Neil Young's solo work is about as
critically lauded as anyone's, with some exceptions, particularly for
his 1980s albums). Do you have any thoughts on why they sometimes
garner such negative reactions, and did you come across any
reviews/essays you felt extremely wrongheaded (in an entertaining
fashion or otherwise) when considering material for the book?>>

Richie ... when sifting through the mountain of material to consider
for inclusion in this book, I made the decision early on not to include
reviews.  Not because they were necessarily negative (though most
were), but because I felt they offered little insight into the artists
in CSNY. The reviews often said more about *the critics* than the
musicians or the records reviewed. So I came upon them, yes, but left
them alone and don't regret that decision (one, as it happens, my
editor at Da Capo Press agreed with 100 percent).

As to the first part of your question ... why CSNY, CSNY, Croz, Stills
and Nash have garnered so many negative record reviews has vexed me
for years. It seems like the *rock critic literati* only focused on
Neil and dismissed, without listening very closely (if at all) the
works of the the other three guys. Nash's Wild Tales got savaged
mercilessly in Rolling Stone. Stills' 1975 solo album didn't even get
reviewed (even though it was perhaps his last consistently strong solo
album). That description you reference ... "Limpid 'adult bubblegum'
rockers and ballads of numbingly ersatz sensitivity" ... it belittles
more than critiques anything specific. When I asked a critic in the
late '70s why he hated CSN and CSNY so much, he told me simply, "Too
much self-inflated self-importance and not enough danger, not enough
power in their music." When I asked him if he ever listened to the
Manassas or IICORMN, he said, "No. I don't need to." Well, when I sent
him a copy of Manassas and IICORMN and said, "Listen." He wrote me back
and said, "OK ... I can hear some things there ... but I still don't
like them."    
  

    
<<Do you have any favorite quotes you could share with us either from
your interviews of the band or from the book? 

Any prophetic statements made back in the day that have played out?>>

Tony ... I'll have to give these questions some thought and get to
them in the morning ... sorry ... must get my son settled down and
ready for sleep after a long day.  

But before signing off ...

Much of my afternoon was spent with my family at the Hobokan Street
Fair.  Saw The Patti Smith Group performing for free on outdoor
stage... Was really great to see her and Lenny Kaye (who graciously let
me use an article he wrote on CSN for Circus in 1970 in 4 Way Street.
When I contacted him about the piece, he didn't remember it. Great
article, though. I'm really happy it's in the book.)  ... Patti did a
lot of new songs from Trampin', her new album ... She also performed
"Dancing Barefoot" ... what a great track ... makes me rethink an
earlier post ... I *do* love it when artists do new songs ... but it's
also great to hear a few old favorites mixed in ... a matter of balance
... that's the key.
  

    

Oh, man, Patti at the Hoboken Steet Fair! Sorry I was on the wrong coast
for that one this week.
  

    
 re #152 - How the fuck can a reviewer by honest to his readers if he just
doesn't like the artists?  It's as setup for disaster and untruth due to
prejudging.  I guess that's why I never take reviewers recommendations.  Too
bad the public in general is fooled even in this arena.
  

    
Dave, synchronicity alert.  <croz> and Oliver Ray of the Patti Smith 
Group... and me..  in the same picture <grin>.

http://www.levity.com/digaland/crosby95.html


When that was taken, Oliver was an unknown kid living in the Chelsea and 
drawing in his notebook with a rapidograph.  He met Patti a couple of 
years later, and major love and collaboration ensued.  I wish them well.
  

    
What a wonderful shot, Steve. Thanks for the link there. Looks like it
was taken at what my friend Henry Diltz likes to call "the golden
hour" -- right before sunset, when everyone's skin takes on a warm
glow. Synchronicity, indeed.  Oliver Ray is a great compliment to
Patti, Lenny, et al. It was sure nice to hear them on a warm Jersey
afternoon.

Responding to Tony's question <150> about favorite and/or prophetic
quotes from the CSNY gang that are housed in 4 Way Street ... It's
really, really tough to isolate a few. But here goes ...

Neil Young to Cameron Crowe, Rolling Stone, 1975: "The fact is I'm not
that lone, laid-back figure with a guitar. I'm just not that way
anymore. I don't want to feel like people expect me to be a certain
way. Nobody expected Time Fades Away and I'm not sorry I put it out. I
didn't need the money, I didn't need the fame. You gotta keep changing.
Shirts, old ladies, whatever. I'd rather keep changing and lose a lot
of people along the way. If that's the price, I'll pay it."

David Crosby to Jaan Uhelszki, Creem, 1975: "People thought we were a
political band. That's not what we thought. What we sang about were
just isolated incidents that happened. Four people were lying dead at
Kent State, and Kennedy actually did get assassinated. We commented on
it. Back in 1969, we thought that change in the value systems would
sweep further than it did. We thought our lifestyle would pervade the
whole country. It has, but much slower than we anticipated. Certain
values that had been heavily pervasive before were no longer valid.
People were offered an alternative. We were only one of the art forms
that expressed that. *Writers* were before us. But we're operating with
an electronic mass medium and that ain't Gutenberg, baby."

Stephen Stills to Peter Knobler, Crawdaddy, 1977: "To be my friend?
Gotta be loyal. Gotta be absolutely trustworthy. I mean, don't be
blowing my cool, 'cause I won't be blowing your cool. And don't cross
me, 'cause I'm a real hard-ass in a lot of ways. And just operate on a
level of respect and trust. Keep your mouth shut -- Don't put *my*
bidness in the street and I won't put *your* bidness in the street. I
do a bad enough job blowing my own cool."

Graham Nash talking about the making of Deja Vu to DZ, BAM, 1980:
"There were many late night sessions. When we'd finish at 3:00 in the
morning, Stephen had developed a habit of continuing until 8:00, which
made the crews late and made *him* late, which made the session start
late the next day; and it went later and later ...

"We were all staying at this goddamned Caravan Lodge Motel, up in San
Francisco. And Neil had these two bush babies in his room -- Harriet
and Speedy. They were jumping around, the bath tub was overflowing, it
was *nuts*. I swear, I thought I was in a Fellini movie ... You ever
notice how much Neil looks like a bush baby?"

I could go on and on ... but one last one. Here is how Croz's
interview sessions with Ben Fong-Torres ended in 1970: "But, man, 'It
can't happen here' is number one on my list of famous last words." 
  

    
Great stuff.
  

    
Dave,

We've had some great rap here. Thanks to Croz, diga and the many
others for tuning in and joining in.

You know, it feels like we're missing somebody here though.

What are your impressions of Graham Nash? Truthfully he seems like
such an amazing man. He seems to come out of the wash the most
unscathed and well kept. 

I had a chance to interview him just days after 9/11 and it was great
experience to hear his take on things.

Is he the glue that's kept this thing together (when it's been
together)?
  

    
Tony,

Yes, the discussion so far has been great to be a part of.  I'm
grateful to everyone who has tossed in their cents and sense (Thanks,
David <tnf>, picking out favorite quotes is like being a kid in a CSNY
candy store), I'm happy the topic has gone in directions that have
sparked some provocative thought.

As for Graham Nash -- I met him for the first time in the fall of 1979
for two interview sessions for a BAM magazine cover feature (which is
included in its entirety in 4 Way Street). Before talking to him and
spending time around him, I'd thought he was "the quiet one, the
thoughtful one," sort of "the George Harrison of CSNY." Over the course
of my encounters with him, however, I found Nash to be much more than
that. Besides being the band's gentle stabilizing force, its historian
and archivist, he's also the motivator, the COO and "head coach" of
CSN/CSNY, not to mention the guy who writes the most accessible songs. 
Right off the bat I felt like I could ask him *anything* and he'd have
an answer (Croz is the same way). There's also an aspect of Nash that
goes beyond music.  He genuinely wants the planet to be a better place
to live. And he's done a lot on his own and with others to try and make
that a reality.

One side of Nash that few will acknowledge, though, is that he
genuinely loves to *rock* and does it well.  While best known for such
songs as "Teach Your Children," "Our House" and "Just A Song Before I
Go," he also can get down and dirty. Listen to "Pre-Road Downs" live,
"Immigration Man," "Take the Money and Run," and, in the final measures
of Neil Young's Time Fades Away album, as Steve Silberman and I have
discussed before, when Nash screams "LAST DANCE!", the rafters of the
arena shake. I wish Graham and Neil had done more raw rock songs
together over the years. The sole "official" Nash-Young project was
"War Song" in 1972.  There shoulda been more.  Maybe there will be
more. 

Calling Graham Nash the "glue" that binds CSNY together is only one
aspect of his greatness as a band member and musician. He sets the
table, organizes the setlists, creates the vibe and steers/guides the
ship ... all while dancin' barefoot and singing/playing his heart out. 

Lastly, Nash is true family man and is always kind to his fans,
communicating with them directly and with care and patience.  As he has
often related (he tells the story in my interview with him in 4 Way
Street), when Graham and his friend Allan Clarke stood outside in the
rain waiting for Don and Phil Everly in 1960 and the Everlys took the
time to speak with the young teenagers in Manchester, Nash never forgot
that kindness -- which he extends to all who approach him in public to
this day.

So, Tony, those are my impressions of Nash, whom I'm very lucky to
call a friend.

  
  

    
I really liked Cathedral. Is there any back story to that song? How
did he come to write it?
  

    
Sharon, yes, there is great back story to this song. Nash related all
of the details to me once.  I will share in a couple of hours (or less,
hopefully).
  

    
Here is the "Cathedral" back story, in Nash's own words, spinning back
to the early '70s: "The incident was: getting up in the morning at
6:00, getting in this old Rolls-Royce that we'd hired for the day,
going over to this dealer's in London and picking up some acid,
dropping the acid and then going through Richmond Park with the ulimate
goal of ending up in Stonehenge -- and we went through Winchester on
the way. We were with (former CSNY road manager) Leo Makota and another
friend. And the experience in Winchester Cathedral was probably my
favorite acid trip I've taken -- I haven't taken that many, perhaps a
couple dozen. It was an amazing space -- the feeling of the sunlight
pouring in through the windows, in fact, when the sunlight hits, it
definitely made a *bbhhrr* sound, the pillars turn to ivory white. So
much feeling inside it, I'm sure I didn't need the acid. I was walking
down the aisle, one of the aisles, there were graves on the floor and
one of them attracted my attention and my legs started to waver, not
shake, but just waver, you know, like a divining rod -- it was real
strange. I looked down and this guy had died on February 2nd (Nash's
birthday) in, I think the actual date was 1798, but poetic license made
in 1799 for the rhyme scheme. And it was very interesting, that I
would be attracted to a thing I hadn't seen, with my eyes six feet
above the ground..."

Nash admits that the eventual "Cathedral" songwriting process "was the
longest one for me.  It took about four years. After the experience, I
began to write a piece of music with no lyrics and that was the
*feeling* of what it was I wanted to say. But trying to hone down the
overwhelming series of feelings I had into some cohesive form,
understandable to other people, was a long process."

"Cathedral," with its musical crescendo from Nash's solo piano to a
propulsive, churning CSN-fired chorus, and a torrent of emotional takes
on religion and being in Winchester Cathedral on acid, is, without
question, one of Nash's most stirring songs. 
 
  

    
Dave, it seems to me that CSNY's greatest strength -- the shifting
variety they're able to place within their concert shows -- has also in
a sense been their greatest weakness, at least as far as working
against their longevity as a continuous act and contributing to the
rather sporadic nature of their studio output.

CSNY are unusual in that in a live show, you can see a band of four
singer-songwriters, each with a lot of material, work in much more
numerous combinations than is the case for almost any other rock act of
their stature. You might have just one, or just two, or just three of
the four performing on a given song, in various combinations. Or all
four could play loud rock'n'roll. As the album "4 Way Street" itself
reflected, they could play their material equally well acoustically and
electrically. As Greil Marcus wrote of their Woodstock appearance in
Rolling Stone, "They seemed like several bands rather than one."

Yet at the same time, because the band contains so much individual
talent and versatility, it seems like the band could *not* contain the
individual ambitions of each member. So the original and best
incarnation of the quartet actually only did one studio album together
(Deja Vu) before splintering off into solo, group, and side projects,
although some of these were collaborations between some of the members.
For a group that's remained so popular over decades and has actually
performed in concert over a span of decades, their recorded studio
output is actually remarkably slim.

I mentioned this observation in passing in my books on folk-rock, but
I wondered whether you had any thoughts, in agreement or disagreement,
on this, and whether the band's expressed similar sentiments to you in
assessing their dynamic.
  

    
Thanks for the back story. It's one of my favorite CSN songs, and it's
not played much these days, and I love it even if I do correct the
grammatical error in it when I sing it to myself. :-)
  

    
You're welcome, Sharon, "Cathedral" is one of my favorites as well.
Please enlighten re: the grammatical error, though. I don't have the
lyric sheet in front of me ...

Richie Unterberger wrote:
<<... because the band contains so much individual talent and
versatility, it seems like the band could *not* contain the
individual ambitions of each member. So the original and best
incarnation of the quartet actually only did one studio album together
(Deja Vu) before splintering off into solo, group, and side projects,
although some of these were collaborations between some of the members.
For a group that's remained so popular over decades and has actually
performed in concert over a span of decades, their recorded studio
output is actually remarkably slim.

I mentioned this observation in passing in my books on folk-rock, but
I wondered whether you had any thoughts, in agreement or disagreement,
on this, and whether the band's expressed similar sentiments to you in
assessing their dynamic.>>

Great to see you here again Richie. In case anyone is not aware, Mr.
Unterberger has written a number of excellent books on music. Two on
the evolution of folk-rock have been the subject of Inkwell.vue topics:
"Eight Miles High" (Topic #196) and "Turn, Turn, Turn" (Topic #160).
Very informative and entertaining.

With regard to your commentary and theories ... I certainly agree that
the CSNY combination has presented its challenges from an artistic,
creative and logistical standpoint, from 1969 onward. And even though
each member has stated, in one way or another, the CSNY "Mothership"
was never meant to be a group in the traditional sense of the word
(with solo, duo, trio and other *side* projects expected), I know each
guy (with the possible exception of Young) regrets that CSNY has unable
to produce and release more recorded product over the years. 

While the individual drives and ambitions of the four artists
certainly made it harder to coordinate group projects, I don't agree
with what Greil Marcus wrote about CSNY feeling like "several bands
rather than one."  As you point out in talking about the CSNY live
album, 4 Way Street, the guys were able to stretch out individually and
also forge their creative forces together -- during the wooden music
and electric parts of a concert.  CSNY also did this very successfully,
IMHO, in 1974 -- even though the *sound* in the stadiums was not at
the level it should have been. And there are plenty of times when CSNY
sounded like a *band* in 1999, 2000 and 2002 -- to my ears,
particularly on the acoustic stuff. American Dream album (1988) was the
only CSNY project that I think felt more like patch-work without a
real natural group center. Even Looking Forward (1999) had its share of
moments of group inspiration.

So rather than feeling like CSNY was never a *real group* (or meant to
be one), I think it has been a combination whose diversity has
contributed to its musical power, aura ... and fragility. 

It would be easy to site Neil's lack of commitment to CSNY as the
primary reason for the group's meager output -- and his emergence in
the early '70s as a major superstar on his own certainly gave him the
freedom to do whatever he wanted. But I think it's more complicated
than that. As Croz has stated in the past, CSNY sometimes feels like a
box of viles of nitro -- drop one and everything goes up in smoke. With
such four strong creative beings coming together, there are bound to
be moments of tension and disagreement. According to each guy, this
killed atleast two attempts to record a CSNY album in the mid '70s. And
Croz has said, "It would have been the best one." Based on projected
track listings, he's probably right.

So, at this point, nearly 35 years since CSNY was born, while the
*moments of group magic* have been fleeting over the arc of that
timeperiod, they *have* been there. I just wish there had been more of
them.  
 

    
  

    
"Standing on the grave of a soldier that died in 1799"

I always change the 'that' to 'who.' It's something I hear a lot in
lyrics, actually. Similarly, while I don't really care for the Clash, I
respect them (and the other bands that do it) for correctly using
'whom' in their lyrics.
  

    
Ahhh, OK. Now I see/hear. Thanks, Sharon. If you heard Stills sing the
words "ain't full growed" -- as he does in the song "Jet-Set (Sigh)"
on the first Manassas album, the hair on the back of your neck would
probably stand up.
  

    
I'd have to hear the song. If it's a song sung in dialect, well,
that's different.

Another common grammatical error is 'you and I' when 'you and me' is
actually correct. My former husband was in a band and he and his
lyricist wrote a song with that phrase, and I pointed it out to them,
and they claimed that the rules of grammar weren't important in
songwriting.
  

    
Sharon... <grin> gonna have to side with your husband on that one. As
a former reporter I used to use that as license to make up all kinds of
words... well, privately of course.

Dave... what about the collaborative of Crosby Nash... throughout all
the muss and fuss they were the two that stayed together. Both
spiritually/frienship-wise and clearly creatively. On top of it all
there's the tingling news that they've cut a double CD that could be
released soon...
  

    
Sharon,
"Jet Set (Sigh)" is part of a Manasass "suite," and, now that you
mention it, I'm not sure if Stills is speaking in a dialect when he
sings: "Try to be cool/ You just play da fool/ Let it be known/ You
ain't full growed."  He could have *used* full-grown, but chose not to.
In matters of rock songwriting, like your former husband claimed, the
rules of grammar often go out the window.

Tony,
As for the Crosby-Nash combination ... yes, both David and Graham have
remained tight personally and musically (even through David's worst
moments in the '80s) for more than 35 years now. There's a bond between
them that is *so* deep ... 

In 1970, Crosby famously told Ben Fong-Torres about Nash, "If I was a
chick I'd marry the cat. I think he's one of the most highly evolved
beings I've ever encountered." 

The first time I interviewed Nash in 1979, I asked him what attracted
him to Crosby ... Graham admitted, "I'm a people watcher. I really love
to watch people. I'd never met anybody like him. He was a total punk,
a total asshole, totally delightful, totally funny, totally brilliant,
a totally *musical* man. And I enjoyed his company." Later in the same
interview, when I asked Graham ... "Was Crosby and Nash a natural
union?" ... he responded, "Yeah, absolutely. I've always been drawn to
David's musical insanity."

Almost 20 years later, Nash was asked by Bill DeYoung in Goldmine:
"What do you and Crosby give each other that others can't?" 

"I think what I provide him is stability and accuracy.  I am so
linked, psychically, with David that if we're in the middle of a song
and I know that he's gonna fuck up the next line, I can make the same
mistake so it comes out correct to the audience.  I've done that so
many times, and he looks at me with that walrus smile and I know that's
very valuable to David.

"What he gives to me is an unbelievably unique musical framework.
There's nobody I know that plays music like David.  It's completely
foreign to me. I can't play those jazz chords. I'm much more simple
than that."

So while Crosby and Nash are very, very different, unique individuals,
they create such wonderful musical chemistry together. It is great
news, indeed, that a new Crosby - Nash album is going to be released --
the first new C-N studio album since 1976's Whistling Down the Wire.
It will be a delight to hear it. 
  

    
Dave... that was just a KILLER summation. What a great selection of
quotes. Have to admit to some goose bumps...
  

    
Rewinding back to Richie Unterberger's compelling post <164> about
CSNY, I re-read it again as well as my response <166>, then I re-read a
part of Shakey by Jimmy McDonough (who admittedly has little regard
for CSNY), describing group's first coming together in 1969: 

"Four singer-songwriters with a rhythm section: CSNY was now complete,
but it would never be a cohesive musical unit. As Graham Nash stated,
"I never considered Greg or Dallas part of CSNY. I considered them
hired hands -- always."

Richie's comments (including the Greil Marcus quote) and Jimmy's graph
(with the Nash quote) got me to pondering ... how many other major
superstar groups have *had* to use additional support players to take
their music on the road? Not the Beatles. Not the Stones. Not Led
Zeppelin. Not the Grateful Dead. The list goes on ...

Maybe my brain is wiped out tonight ... but I frankly can't think of
another *band* situation quite like CSNY -- which has had a different
set of support players for every one of their tours: bassist Greg
Reeves and drummer Dallas Taylor (1969), bassist Fuzzy Samuels and
Dallas Taylor (to be replaced after Denver by Johnny Barbata) (1970),
bassist Tim Drummond, percussionist Joe Lala and drummer Russ Kunkel
(1974), bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn and drummer Jim Keltner (2000) and
bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, keyboardist Booker T. Jones and drummer
Steve "Smokey" Potts (2002).

If CSNY went out on the road with just the four of them and *no*
support players ... would it have to be an all acoustic tour? Stills
could rotate to bass (which he still does now and then in the context
of CSN and CSNY) and drums. But, of course, Stephen couldn't play bass
and drums at the same time. This is the reality that CSN faced back in
1969 after the band's first album was released and Neil was recruited
... which, while adding to the group's overall sound, Young did not
solve the ryhthm section problem at all. CSNY still needed to add a
drummer and bassist in order to play electric music live. And this has
been the case ever since.

Does this reality make CSNY any *less* a band than the Beatles or the
Stones?  Not to my ears or my way of thinking ... I would frankly love
to see/hear a CSNY acoustic tour (or even another CSN acoustic tour,
which the trio did so well in 1990 and 1991) and I also happily accept
the fact that CSNY needs a rhythm section in order to plug in on stage.
Doesn't bother me at all. But I can see how a *critic* could argue
that CSNY is *dependent* on additional players in order to present the
full scope of their records live.     
  

    
I have not thought of CSNY as a band - but they are a group. 
  

    
Robin ... how would you describe the difference between a band and a
group?