INTERVIEW: David Crosby - 'Serve The Song,' Not The Self : NPR
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From interview David Crosby: 'Serve The Song,' Not The Self : NPR:
David Crosby may have one of the most cherished voices in rock history, but it's rare for listeners to hear it alone. His new solo studio album, Croz, is only his fourth such release in more than 50 years of making music.
Wild Tales, by Graham Nash
Asked how he chooses which songs to attack on his own, rather than alongside his longtime partners , and , Crosby says it's less a decision than an intuition.
"If I have songs, then I want to be recording them. It's not as if I sit there with the songs and say, 'This is a Crosby, Stills & Nash song,' or 'I gotta save this until I can work on it with Neil,' or 'I'm saving this for myself; this is too good for those guys' — I do what comes naturally," Crosby says.
"Our job, really, is to serve the song," he adds. "That's really what making records is about. You have to really write a real song that you can sit down and play for somebody and make them feel something. If you don't have that, you shouldn't bother."
Croz is out this Tuesday. David Crosby spoke about it, as well as his Voltron-like relationship with and how his songwriting has changed since a brush with death in the early 1990s with weekends on All Things Considered guest host Kelly McEvers. Hear more of their conversation at the audio link.
by thrasher@PermaLink: 1/27/2014 04:55:00 PM
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5 Comments:
Ive got my plate of cookies ready for the record store when I pick this album up. (gonna spread that rumor about White Young Tardis album ...)
I'm planning to make my rustic bread, open a good Cabernet, and celebrate this release as a tribute to one of my favorite lyricists, David Crosby!
Good plan MNOTR! Sounds like a nice listening party.
Support your local music shop.:)
Should be renamed Almost Cut My Eyebrows.
TW on a somber note Pete Seeger has died 94 years of age as per the Telegraph.
Last performance Farm Aid?
David Crosby, two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and survivor of three fatal diseases, has released his first solo album in 20 years, "Croz." Recorded with his son James Raymond, it features stellar collaborators (Wynton Marsalis, Mark Knopfler) and is drawing even more stellar reviews. The 72-year-old singer will tour this year with Crosby, Stills & Nash (and possibly Young), but first he will play two solo sets at the Great American Music Hall this month. We spoke to him by phone from his home in Los Angeles.
Q: Should I be worried about the NSA listening to this call?
A: No. I don't have any secrets. You can get it all in the autobiography.
Q: You made "Croz" with James Raymond, the son you gave up for adoption in 1962. What's your relationship like now?
A: It's incredible. We have two languages we speak - English and music. There's a great deal of respect for each other.
Q: I heard you guys were pulling all-nighters in the garage.
A: That's exactly what I was doing. I was sleeping on a pullout couch. I can't tell you how much fun it was. My son would make a really good omelet in the morning and then we would just go to work and work and work. We didn't have money or a record deal. Our job was to serve the songs. From the response I'm getting, it's ridiculous. I think Rolling Stone gave me the best review of my career.
Q: It's pretty amazing to get reviews like that this far into a career.
A: A lot of people this far into a career, which is a nice way of putting it, sort of give up. The muse is there if you open the door. But you have to put that guitar in your hands, and you have to want it and work for it.
Q: You're also going out with Crosby, Stills & Nash this year. What happened to the covers album you were making with Rick Rubin?
A: It just wasn't good chemistry. We will probably finish it on our own.
Q: Did you read Graham Nash's book? Did you feel like he painted an accurate picture of you?
A: Yes, he did. You have to understand, I love Graham. He's probably one of my best friends in the world. It's just that I don't want to live it all again. It's been 25 years since I did hard drugs, and I want to put it behind me. I'm not happy about it, but he's a scrupulously honest man.
Q: So you're still friends?
A: Very close.
Q: A box set from CSNY's 1974 tour is coming out this year. If Neil Young wanted to get the group back together, would you scrap all your other plans?
A: I'd do it at the drop of a hat, because he's just that good.
An Evening With David Crosby: 8 p.m. Feb. 20-21. $60-$84.95. Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell St., S.F. (415) 885-0750. www.slimspresents.com.
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