David Crosby returned to dispense the sage wisdom of a (folk)-rock star who has done just about everything with his Ask Croz advice column. Appearing in Rolling Stone, the latest edition of the 80-year-old singer-songwriter’s column tackles such topics as the John F. Kennedy assassination, when is too late to have children, whether he was wrong about former President Donald Trump (spoiler: he wasn’t), and more.
Forgoing the video advice column, Crosby responded to this latest batch of questions—which fans can submit to askcroz@rollingstone.com, granted you don’t ask about a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reunion—in written form. The first question was undoubtedly the toughest.
I’m a 56-year-old father of two. My own dad was very abusive to me as a child, both physically and verbally. I cut him completely out of my life many years ago, and it felt great, but he’s older now and trying to re-connect. At the very least, he says he wants to know his own grandchildren. I’m very torn. I know I’m happier without him, but when it’s your own flesh and blood, are you supposed to simply forgive and try to move on? Every time I come close to doing that, I remember him whipping me with his belt as I screamed in agony. He’s a helpless old man now and I’m confused and don’t know what to do. Help.
— Lewis
Crosby responded,
“Boy, you’re hitting me with a hard one right off. The high ground is in trying to give him another chance. Quite possibly, he had no idea what he was doing and was subjected to the same kind of stuff by his parents, which bent him. That’s usually the case. It doesn’t excuse it, but it might help you understand it.
“The moral question of whether you owe it to him to try and give him another shot? That’s a tough one. I think, I think, the high ground is in at least trying. If you try and he’s snotty or inappropriate or wrong, you can tell yourself at least you tried. And I think that will make you feel better about him.”
After that came another question about families.
How old is too old to have a kid? I’m 51 and my girlfriend is 32. She wants a kid, but I fear I’ll be way too old to chase a kid around the house. I’ll also be in my seventies when the kid is in college. What do you think? Will a kid make me young or just make me feel old?
— Rob
“I don’t think you’re too old to have a kid at 51. No. Absolutely not. Truth is, I think people should wait until they’re in a stage of their life where they’ll be more mature to have the kid. I think getting married right out of high school and having kids in your twenties is not the way to do it. I think you know more, you’re more balanced, you have a better idea of what matters to you, you can communicate better, and you’re generally more stable.
“I don’t think there’s any reason you shouldn’t have a kid when you’re 51 if your wife wants to and she’s willing to go through the trouble. It is a wonderful voyage. It is also a shitload of work. And it’s worth it. I have done it and I like it. I think you should go ahead and have a kid.”
Following a couple tough questions, Crosby teed himself up for an easy home run.
Did you ever stop and think that maybe, just maybe, you were wrong about Trump? The economy was strong those four years, the Covid vaccines were developed, and America didn’t get entangled in any foreign wars. I know his personality was off-putting and he said dumb stuff, but isn’t it just possible he was a good president and you refused to let yourself see that?
— Sheila
“No. It’s not. I’m offended by the fact he’s a child. I’m offended grossly by the fact that he’s a total racist. I’m offended even more by the fact that he’s never looked at a woman as anything other than a mouth and some tits. He doesn’t even know they are human beings. He’s an obnoxious person. He has absolutely no values at all. He’s all ego. No knowledge. No accomplishments. He never created anything.
“I measure people by, ‘What have they created? What have they done to help anyone else? Who do they love?’ He doesn’t love anybody. He hasn’t created anything. He hasn’t made anything better at all.
“Also, there’s several inaccuracies in what you said. Entangled in foreign wars? Well, we didn’t get out of any either. And he definitely blew our relationship with Europe, which was our biggest bunch of allies, you dimwit.
“I think you want to find an excuse for him. I think you’re probably another racist person and you’re looking for an excuse and for it to be OK. It’s not OK. His idea of what’s right and wrong is completely antithetical to me and the values that we started this country on.
“I will remind you that all men are created equal. All women too. He doesn’t believe that. So he’s out of the picture for me right there. Not a good human being, not trying to be a good human being. So there. I seriously don’t like him, and I’m not about to start liking him.”
With time on the clock for one more, Crosby put on his tinfoil hat and took a moment to Stan a 1973 box office bomb written by blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.
You famously ranted about the Kennedy assassination being a conspiracy at the Monterey Pop festival; after 50-plus years of investigations and research, has anything changed your outlook?
— Chris Starr
“Absolutely not. Kennedy was shot by more than one person from two different directions. You can tell if you watch the Zapruder film. I’ve been to [Dealey Plaza in Dallas]. If you look at the range from the little knoll and the wooden fence to where the car was, I could have hit him with a pistol from there, let alone a rifle.
“Now, the guy in the switchyard that goes over the freeway, who was near the freeway, he said he saw a guy with a rifle come from behind that fence. He also got killed. A number of people got killed afterwards. [Editor’s Note: These claims have been hotly debated, to say the least.]
“The movie Executive Action tried very hard to portray what actually happened. I think it is probably very close to the truth. They did try very hard to keep it from coming out. I think it is very close to what actually happened. There’s no question in my mind.
“Kennedy pissed off a lot of people. There were racists who felt he was giving the country away to Black people. There were people who felt he was fucking with the oil depletion allowance, which is a freebie the oil companies get because they’re eventually going to run out of oil. I don’t know how they got that through. The must have bought some senators and got that one. But he was messing with it. He was unpopular with the power structure, and that’s why he got killed.
“I mean, Oswald shot at him. That’s not what killed him. I’m firmly convinced that I’m right. I’ve seen nothing to contradict that opinion.”