UPDATED (see comments below)
According to an interview with San Francisco-based Steve Silberman on Here & Now | NPR, David Crosby tried to reconcile with both Neil Young and Graham Nash in his final days. (thanks HtH & Mary M.!)
"There were efforts to reconcile with Graham Nash and Neil Young at the end of his life."
Steve Silberman, a long time friend of David Crosby, said that if Crosby had lived only a few more days, than "there would have been a reconciliation." (Listen @ ~~4:50)
As noted in comments below, we were not the only ones confused by the interview. Even the podcast Here & Now itself had to retract.
Steve Silberman was one of the late David Crosby's closest friends and co-produced the podcast Freak Flag Flying with Crosby.
Silberman wrote the best-selling book "NeuroTribes", has given TED Talks on the subject, as well as a keynote speech at the United Nations. His science writing is included in best-of anthologies and he won a Gold Record for co-producing the Grateful Dead's box set "So Many Roads."
More tributes to David Crosby:
- David Crosby: 1941 - 2023 - obituary, reaction + statements by Nash, Stills & Young
- A Tribute & Appreciation for David Crosby: 1941 - 2023
- INTERVIEW: David Crosby Speaks Out in 2022
- David Crosby Tributes of Note: Not A Long Time Gone
This is inaccurate reporting. What I heard was that DAVID initiated the attempts to reconcile at the very end and Nash was open to it, having tried before himself. I don't know anything about Neil's response if there was one. PLEASE correct this, as I'm getting bombarded with messages! And keep up the generally good work.
ReplyDeleteOk, thank you for Steve for correction.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we just went back listened and at 5;14, you clearly state "Graham Nash and Neil Young at the end of his life".
So we see this more of a retraction on your part than an error on our part.
Nevertheless, the post is updated.
That's really sad to hear that neil wasn't trying to reconcile.
peace
Yes and if you actually LISTEN to the quote, I said, "There were efforts to reconcile with Graham Nash and Neil Young at the end of his life." It was David making the efforts!
ReplyDeleteI'm not "retracting" anything. I'm trying to help YOU be more accurate because I generally love Thrasher's Wheat. This is just sad.
Ok, thanks again Steve. Just updated again.
ReplyDeleteBetter now?
Our apologies for mis-understanding the original quote. After our exchanges, yes, we realize how the mis-interpretation of who was reconciling w/ who.
We do try and get this sort of news correct and have been pretty consistently successful over the 25+ years.
Thanks for the correction, I appreciate it. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteAgain, our apologies for mis-understanding the original quote. After our exchanges, yes, we realize how the mis-interpretation of who was reconciling w/ who.
ReplyDeleteWe do try and get this sort of news correct and have been pretty consistently successful over the 25+ years.
It's really a complex and fraught situation. We look forward to any additional clarifying details.
peace
It is not at all clear to me that "reconciliation" is always possible, important, or obligatory. I think some of the issues here have been just under the surface with Crosby. It is, of course, appropriate and morally important to be respectful in the presence and aftermath of a death. It is, however, unclear whether or not anyone need respond to efforts at reconciliation. In fact, it might be entirely justifiable and emotionally intelligent not to respond to such efforts. These issues go back to what the reasons are for reconciliation.
ReplyDeleteMaybe hard ideas to swallow, but the honesty that Crosby seemed always to aspire might be welcome here. For various important reasons, reconciliation is denied or ignored. And one might say, Neil's comments were enough.
"De mortis nil nisi bene". It appears to be adequate that at the end of a life that arguably also consisted of many irresponsibilities there are responsibilities that cannot be fulfilled at the last minute. David Crosby was an old man when he fell out with Graham Nash and Neil Young so he should have known what he was doing and who he was at the time, an old man, that is. How could he possibly have counted on time to reconcile "later", when there was no "later"? Getting older ourselves we should take this as a memento to take care of our friends and keep in mind that burned bridges can't be fixed that easily. Still David Crosby seems to have understood very late in life what really matters. In my eyes all that will be left of us are the good stories being told about us, the songs so to speak. And it's commendable if someone like Steve Silberman adds another coda to the song.
ReplyDelete"I remember the good times"
ReplyDeleteI think Neil was letting go with his
statement after David passed. No sense
hanging on to bitterness. Neil reconciled
it unto himself.
Regardless, their history speaks volumes
in many ways.
SONY
also, its none of our business really.
ReplyDeletePublic Personae who for decades tried to attract my attention and deservedly earned my attention (and also my money) are my business to some extent. One should not become a cook if one can't take the kitchen's heat to some degree. Many Europeans would have loved a European tour of CSNY. That never happened presumably because of competing financial interests, but also because of internal conflicts. To learn that there have been belated attempts to bury the hatchet therefore is of interest. I agree, however, that there are limits with respect to private relationships.
ReplyDelete@ ethanwinograd - thanks. point taken. just reporting the news. have you followed up w/ the source directly on this?
ReplyDelete@ Dionys - thanks for the very measured response. much appreciated.
obviously, agree. folks may not be aware that in Crosby's final days he was posting about heaven, whether it exists, whether he would be admitted and if you should be.
heavy stuff for a dying man to grapple w/ so publicly.
Crosby was a highly public individual who didn't seem too overly concerned w/ his personal privacy in many, many matters.
again, we see this "news" as fair game. although it's kind of shame that this whole reconciliation thing has become quite confused when it could be genuinely meaningful to many.
someday ... maybe.
peace
ps -
"Gotta Serve Somebody" by Bob Dylan
You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage
You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief
They may call you doctor or they may call you chief
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes, you are
You're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk
You may be the head of some big TV network
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame
You may be livin' in another country under another name
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes, you are
You're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
You may be a construction worker workin' on a home
Might be livin' in a mansion, you might live in a dome
You may own guns and you may even own tanks
You may be somebody's landlord, you may even own banks
But you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Yes, you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Well, it may be the Devil or it might be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
You may be a preacher preaching spiritual pride
Maybe a city councilman takin' bribes on the side
May be working in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody's mistress, maybe somebody's heir
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Yes, you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk
Might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread
May be sleeping on the floor, sleepin' in a king-size bed
But you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Yes indeed, you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy
You may call me RJ, you may call me Ray
You may call me anything, no matter what you say
You're still gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Yes, you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Well, it may be the Devil and it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
(Ooh yeah)
(Serve somebody)
There's NO confusion. The only confusion was the initial headline here. I've confirmed David's reconciliation attempt with Nash myself, twice. But they never got a chance to talk it though because David died. That's the story.
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