The story of David Crosby and Steely Dan, his favourite band of all time
For a long period of time, David Crosby was one of the most fascinating men in music. His life read like a piece of fiction, and given the recent tragic news of his passing, a biopic is screaming to be made about his impact on popular culture. Crosby first made waves as a vital cog in one of the counterculture’s most vital bands, The Byrds, then after being fired, he augmented the genius of both CSN and then CSNY before they split in 1970. From there, Crosby subsequently embarked on an extensive solo career, one that would further streamline his unique approach to music creation.
Crosby today passed away at the age of 81; his wife released a statement to Variety, stating: “It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away. He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music. Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched. We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and try to deal with our profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers.”
Never afraid to weigh in with a hot take on anything musical, Crosby was one of the most interesting and controversial figures in the industry. Due to his stature as an artist, his opinion has always remained a vital one, whether you agreed with it or not. Crosby offered interesting starting points for debate, and often it appeared as though his contentious viewpoint was designed for a reaction alone. Whether it be his very public spats with his former CSNY bandmates, calling Neil Young’s wife Daryl Hannah a “purely poisonous predator”, his thoughts on Joni Mitchell, or how he believed Janis Joplin and Grace Slick were the original “queens of rock” – Crosby was brimming with out there opinions.
However, one of his opinions I’m sure we can all get behind is his views on Steely Dan, undoubtedly one of the most unique and essential bands of all time. It is no secret that Crosby was their biggest fan, and in July 2020, he tweeted: “Steely Dan is my favourite band in the world period”. It is also well-known that one of Crosby’s musical heroes was Steely Dan’s resident anti-hero, Donald Fagen.
The pair had vaguely known each other for a while but didn’t collaborate until September 2019, a time when Crosby joined Steely Dan on stage in Santa Barbara to sing the classic track, ‘Home at Last’, taken from their iconic 1977 album, Aja. A resounding success, a few days later, Fagen asked Crosby to again join the band on stage to play one of his own songs, 1969’s ‘Wooden Ships’, at New York’s Beacon Theatre.
“I get there, and they’ve learned it really well, and they’ve written horn parts,” Crosby told Rolling Stone. “It’s just smoking. I walk out, and the whole audience goes absolutely batshit crazy. We practically did structural damage to the building. It was really good. After that, I really cultivated a relationship with Donald. He doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, but he’s a brilliant guy. I admire him beyond belief.”
This fruitful collaboration didn’t end there, either, and Crosby would get his long-term wish of recording a track with Fagen. Shortly after the New York show, Fagen sent him a set of lyrics for a song titled ‘Rodriguez for a Night’. Crosby and his son and musical partner, James Raymond, then composed the music. “We Steely Dan’d them right into the fucking ground,” he said. “It’s a story song and it’s really fun.”
Of the experience, he also explained: “I’m so honoured he gave us a set of words. I’ve been asking him for a couple of years. He started to trust us, I think. It took a long time, but he gave us a set of words that are really wonderful, and we just wrote the shit out of them.”
The track appears on Crosby’s 2021 album For Free, and it is, of course, a simply brilliant piece of work. It’s a shame that Fagen didn’t actually appear on the track, but through his unmistakable lyrical style combined with Crosby and Raymond’s best Steely Dan impression, his influence permeates the track.
Listen to ‘Rodriguez for a Night’ below.
