“I love his music, man”: The artist David Crosby said wrote the best American songs
Like many legendary partnerships in music, the one with David Crosby and Stephen Stills had its moments. The pair didn’t always get along, but the work they did together was enough to make up for the hardships, breeding a kind of mutual respect that transcended their different frustrations. And, above all else, it’s difficult to imagine what the 1960s counterculture scene would have been like without them.
Given changing attitudes and cultural trends, Crosby wasn’t always the favourite member of the group alongside Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young, particularly when it came to his broader views on political issues and his opinions about other musicians. As a result, this approach pushed him to outlier status on more than one occasion, with the others beginning to favour working in his absence.
However, given their closeness while writing and touring, fallouts and frustrations seemed inevitable for CSNY. After all, it takes a great deal of patience for musicians to go on the road with people they will be spending time with for weeks and months on end, and for personalities as big and demanding as some members of the group, it was only a matter of time before boiling tensions became explosive arguments.
However, despite the turbulent nature of their history, each member maintained their admiration for one another, likely understanding that everything they achieved together far exceeded the need to hold on to the grudges of old fights. After all, everybody gains some perspective after taking a step back, and it seems that most of CSNY was able to weigh up what actually mattered the most on a fundamental level.
This is likely also why, when entertaining the different chapters and stages of his own life and career, Crosby only had nice things to say about his former bandmates. This was particularly prominent when it came to Stills, not only because he made his admiration clear but also because he was honest about the unique dynamic they both enjoyed and endured throughout their whole relationship.
In many ways, this made his kind words appear far more legitimate. He could have said what most musicians do to save face and praised Stills’ work in ways that felt honest but lacking in some level of authenticity. However, instead, he mentioned their inability to see eye-to-eye, but how much his love for the musician came out all the more in between these lines.
“You know Stephen and I have never gotten along well,” he told Louder. “We butt heads pretty regularly. I love him. I’ve been through too much with the guy not to love him. He’s not an easy person. I love his music. I think the guy wrote some of the best songs that have ever come out of the United States. But he and I disagree about just about everything; about how to live our lives and what matters and where to go left and where to go right. Whatever we do agree about, we try to concentrate on. Because I love his music, man.”
It’s a nice sentiment for someone who constantly seemed on the verge of delivering his most controversial, provocative thoughts and views. However, when it came to musicians like Stills, Crosby knew that anything like that would have been utter pretence, as the only thing he felt in the end was appreciation for his former associate. In other words, they might have disagreed more than is necessary, but he always felt endeared to Stills’ ability to deliver like no one else.
