Graham Nash Interview: His Past, Present & Future
Graham Nash stopped by the studios to chat with Jonathan Clarke on Out of the Box - Q104.3 - New York's Classic Rock about the new CSN live concert DVD, CSN 2012, the aborted Buffalo Springfield tour, his gallery collection, how he got into art and mentions that the Stephen Stills Box Set drops in October.
Some Neil Young content here that folks have had some debate over Graham's "tone". Those debates were based off either transcripts or print interviews. Here we can see & hear for ourselves where Graham is coming from.
Thanks to 4waysite.com - Crosby, Stills & Nash and Neil Young fansite with News and Rumors!
Labels: graham nash, interview
by thrasher@PermaLink: 8/23/2012 08:29:00 PM
17 comments
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17 Comments:
Can someone tell me why Stills wouldn't prepare himself for the BS tour not going ahead? I went all the way out to Bonnaroo from Texas, specifically because I thought there was a very high chance that it might be the last show they played. And guess what ...
Nash can keep pedalling the "financial" stress aspect, but it is a load of absolute horseshit. If you are in CSN, then you are damn well loaded for life.
And surely a CSN tour is more attractive than just CN? Stills being available worked out nicely for Crosby and Nash.
Also, I must say that Neil owned the BS show I saw. Stills was like a session musician off to the side for most of it. Which was surprising, because I know how well he can play. But Neil dominated the stage and commanded all the attention. It was clearly his band, and he probably felt he could do whatever he liked with it ... including nipping the reunion in the bud. I think Bonnaroo was a triumph, and Neil was happy to take the BS out on a high.
Graham makes a valid point about friendship. To Neil friendship is a space rocket that orbitted our planet.
Awesome interview. Graham is a great man, and a great story teller. I like his honest approach, telling it like it is.
If the Neil sycophants can't accept the truth, well, too bad. Doesn't make Neil a bad person; he is still a great man even though he makes upsetting decisions from time to time.
As for the poster who says Neil owned the Springfield shows....well, so what? I've seen the shows and both Stills and Richie have nothing to be ashamed of. Does Neil have major stage presence? Umm, yea.....but there's no Springfield without the other two guys as well. Btw, check out the Sprigfield when they recently played Bluebird and tell me Stills didn't do a great job playing a classic cut.
If you are CSN then you are damn well loaded for life?!?!
And your point is what?
You think CSN members don't have financial stress? Have you ever followed the sad saga of David Crosby?
Stills planned to be on a Springfield tour....that fell through. Yea, im sure it impacted him financially. Luckily for him he had CSN to fall back on....and recoup some of what he lost.
Their houses are very fine, in a recent interview about photography Nash accidentaly said 'my houses'. I love CSNY, CN, CSN & Y but let's be honest they haven't made a decent record in 30 years together.
Nash comes across ok, but is lost in himself and the inflated impression of what CSN have done - the debut was GREAT the rest. At least Neil keeps pushing it - they are park bench mutations. Crosby saga is sad but he ain't on the bread line - much of his problems are associated with drugs (past) and ego (ever present).
"poverty" is a relative term...It's 6AM and I'm about to get on a bus and go apply for food stamps...but it would be SUCH a tragedy if Nash had to sell one of his houses...my situation is at least partially my fault but I have no sympathy for any of those guys...yet...
Neil has always had a bad reputation for being self centered and not caring about others' feelings, going back to the Springfield day, his dumping Nicolett Larson as his lover without a word during the "comes a time" sessions, to his failure to show up at the Buffalo Springfield R&R Hall of Fame induction (he wasn't a no show for HIS)...and the list goes on on on. Does it take away from his musical brillance? No...but for me, I wouldn't want to count on HIS friendship in my life.
Graham isn't saying anything that hasn't been said before. This sort of squabbling has been going on for 40 years between CSNY. They're a family that argues but always comes back together.
It's all part of the Shakey bargain.
peace
"Eat a peach"
AP: Any plans for a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young project?
Nash: Very, very possible. And I say that with tongue in cheek because I'm in the middle of mixing it right now - 1974 live tour of baseball stadiums and basketball arenas. The firs
t tour of its kind in history. We recorded nine of the 35 shows. I've been through with my friend Joel Bernstein, who's producing it with me, every single note that we played on the nine entire shows. We chose the best songs. I made a rough mix of it. I took it up to Neil's ranch. He loved it. And that's unusual for Neil because you know he's picky, you know?
He's Neil.
http://www.theday.com/article/20120820/ENT15/308209996/1044
"He's Neil."
that about sums it all about up.
I don't know nearly enough about Graham Nash to give any kind of informed opinion, but he has always struck me as the most strident of CSNY, with Neil a close second. I don't say this in a bad way, I think it's just his personality. He seems like a very straight forward guy who has something to say, and is not shy about saying it. Works for me.
That being said, I don't think anyone involved could have been surprised by a fizzled out BS tour, or a fizzled out anything involving Neil. Has it put a strain on the relationships involved? How could it not have? If my best friend cancelled out of a long planned for vacation at the last moment, I would be upset, or at the very least disappointed. Is it an irreperable strain? I highly doubt it. I think it's true that CSNY are a family that squabbles now and then, but can't escape the underlying love that's never too far from the surface.
The abrubt nature of Neil's decisions where they impact his friends and other musicians has never been my favorite aspect of Neil's character, and I have always felt sorry for those impacted. I don't have a hard time believing Stills has a tricky financial situation, and was negatively effected by the cancelled tour. Whether or not it's true, I don't know. If so, then good on Nash and Crosby for having his back. But Neil is who he is, for better or worse. He keeps his own counsel, has his own reasons, and somehow has the balls to stick with his decisions, even when he must know how badly they will sometimes come off. Everybody who knows him knows this.
It's like the joke Woody Allen relates at the end of Annie Hall though, about the guy who goes to a doctor about someone who thinks they're a chicken, but puts up with it because he "needs the eggs". I'm betting that everyone involved needs the eggs when it comes to Neil, and if they haven't learned yet, need to learn to, like setlistthief says, "Eat a peach".
A Friend Of Yours
"I said a lot of things that I can't take back
But I don't really know if I want to"
I've always found the story about Neil dropping out of the Stills-Young band tour to be somewhat humorous. However, if I'd been Stephen getting that telegram, I would have been furious. When I saw the Miami show, Stills polished off an entire bottle of Jack Daniels over the course of two hours. Talk about pressure! Chris Hillman was a worthy replacement, but a lot of people went to see Neil. If I'm not mistaken, lots of people stayed away and the tour ultimately lost a buttload of money.
Yeah, Neil is Neil but he's the one who has to live with the consequences of his actions. From his dismissal of Danny, to hurting his friends, lovers, and wives to confounding his fans, I see Neil as a deeply conflicted man-someone who yearns to be close and accepted by those he loves yet feels the same strong pull to follow his muse wherever it goes. Just listen to those Love Art Blues lyrics: "why must I choose between the best things I ever had?"
@1.:17am ... My point on Neil owning the shows, which I already stated, is that he owns what the BS does. Obviously he can't do it without the others, but ultimately it is his decision what happens with that band. And I saw Bluebird, Stills played great, it was a highlight of the show. I didn't say he couldn't play. If anything, he is a more technically gifted guitar player than Neil.
@1:22am - Stills didn't "lose" anything. He just wasn't going to make millions more until CN stepped in. The CSNY 2006 tour ... from Billboard Boxscore they grossed $32 million in ticket sales alone. That was just one year. Sure there are overheads, and Rick Rosas and the like to pay as well ... but I simply can't believe any of these guys needs to be bailed out of a financial hole at this point in their lives. Financial stress to them is making a few hundred grand instead of 5 million. Stills probably got paid more from one show at Bonnaroo than most people make in a year.
The personal/friendship impact on Stills is very real, though. But still something he should have been prepared for.
By the way, I think Neil has been and will continue to act like an asshole to his "friends" from time to time. He is having the time of his life with the Horse now, and looks best buddies with Poncho and co. But it will all be over by the end of the year, and he'll move on to the next thing.
I was fortunate enough to see the Stills/Young Tour, at least for it's historical value. The tour opened in Detroit at Pine Knob Music Theater. Later that same year after the tour was aborted I saw Stephen Stills playing at a small club 5 minutes from my house. That's what he was reduced to without Neil on the bill while Neil went on and toured with Crazy Horse instead.
I love how some of you make broad assumptions- that Stiils should have been prepared for the tour being cancelled, that it's hard to believe members of CSN could have financial stress etc.
How do u know this? How do you know what kind of money any of these people? How many people do they support?
I remember reading Shakey and how there was a point in the early 80s when Neil was financially strapped. It got very bad, according to Elliot. Who would have thunk it?
Well, guess what....just because you're a high profile rock star doesn't mean you're always rich. Shit happens.
I love how some of you make sweeping generalizations as if you are part of the CSNY inner circle. It's pretty funny, actually.
Personally I support these guys buying their records and tickets.For the rest, I don't feel any solidariety. They have earned millions of dollars in their careers. CSN are now in their early seventies.I assume that they could save something for the retirements years when they were younger and had a greater income.So they now can change their style of life and spend a little less. Anyway, their Dvd is on the Top 5 Charts and their concerts have an average of 2000-2500 attendence, with the probable $ 20000-30000 pay at night for each member, the year income of an average man.
I guess that Nash is simply pissed off, because Neil has not yet assured his presence for the next tour, behind the CSNY 1974 project.So he is dismissing Americana and Crazy Horse...
So don't cry no tears...around them.
So Tired
I don't begrudge anyone who has talent that can make money. I wish I could get 20,000 people to pay to come hear me play songs.
I don't have that special gift, nor the riches that accompany it.
All the more power to CSNY. They are very lucky to have had the amazing careers that they've had.
Btw, I'm not sure Graham is pissed off. He just is in a position to speak his mind...and he does.
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