David Crosby was the featured guest this week on The Howard Stern Show, where the singer-songwriter was as characteristically open as ever. Among the topics were Crosby’s own mortality and his past relationships with his Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmates as well as Joni Mitchell.
On the dour subject of his own inevitable demise, Crosby made no bones about his dwindling clock. The 79-year-old musician has accepted the reality of death and, rather than obsess over how much he has left, chooses to spend his time doing what makes him happy: making music. It’s a sentiment he has dispelled before in his Ask Croz advice column, “It’s not how much time you got …it’s what you do with the time that you do have.”
Though Crosby lives every day as fully as he can, when asked whether or not there would be a reconciliation with his CSNY bandmates before one of them eventually passes, Crosby simply said “I don’t think it’s in the cards.”
“I’m not looking for them to absolve me of my idiocy,” Crosby told Stern. “You gotta understand, man, I let all three of those guys down totally by becoming a junkie. That’s where I really did hurt them, not dissing their girlfriend or pissing them off. I actually did harm. And for that, I’ve apologized a million times and the best apology I could make was beat it, and come up, and be useful again. I’m fine.”
When speaking of his former musical partners, Crosby didn’t take any cheap shots and mostly blamed himself for the decay of their once-loving relationship. In particular, he praised Stephen Stills, calling him “the best guy in the band.”
“He’s the best guitar player, the best singer, and wrote all the hits. And was stunning onstage, just stunning,” Crosby said. “Every time the guy touches a guitar, everything swings right away.”
Crosby also revealed that a “huge” Crosby, Stills & Nash documentary is in the works from director Robert Zemeckis (Forest Gump, Back To The Future), produced by Nigel Sinclair and Tim Sexton.
Another point Crosby reiterated from his Ask Croz series related to Joni Mitchell, as the musician doubled down on calling his ex-girlfriend “the best singer-songwriter of our times.”
“As good a poet as Bob [Dylan] and ten times the musician and singer he is,” Crosby said emphatically. “I care about him, but the truth is she’s much better as a musician and as a singer.”
Even with all his praise, however, Crosby still said that their romantic partnership wasn’t easy, especially when he was shacking up with somebody so immensely talented.
“Imagine if you wrote a song, a really good song, and you sang it to her when she came home, and she sang you three better songs that she wrote last night,” Crosby said.
Watch some clips from David Crosby’s recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show. David Crosby also has a new song out today, June 23rd, entitled “Rodriguez For A Night” off his forthcoming album, For Free.
David Crosby on His Health and His Thoughts on Dying
[Video: The Howard Stern Show]
David Crosby Doubts Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Will Ever Reconcile
[Video: The Howard Stern Show]
David Crosby on Dating Joni Mitchell and the Night She Broke Up With Him
[Video: The Howard Stern Show]
David Crosby – “Rodriguez For A Night”
[Video: David Crosby]