“I wanted to fuck”: The only reason Graham Nash agreed to meet The Mamas and The Papas
Where do you start with somebody like Graham Nash? He’s gearing up to head back out on tour this year, and you have to question how you even begin to put together a setlist for a man who has a string of hits spanning decades in a range of different bands. His work ethic has always remained, and as a result, his music from recent years holds up when held against some of his more classic tracks.
His career began in Salford when he joined a band with his school friends, The Hollies. He enjoyed playing with them, and liked the fact that they made music which wasn’t too serious, but that focused on the audience having a fun time and enjoying themselves. Despite the fact that he enjoyed making this kind of music, he was drawn to America, where his music began touching upon more serious matters.
Now, when you look back at his entire discography, you are greeted by a range of different songs that touch upon different topics. It’s truly amazing how varied his music is, and he has always said that the reason he leans into this erratic style so much is because the music he makes is always supposed to be a reflection of the world that he lives in. That world is never one-note, it’s always a combination of chaos of calmness, so his songs reflect that.
Chaotic is certainly one way that you could describe Graham Nash’s life. Considering the number of bands he’s been in, the constant arguments with the named members from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and his many lovers make for an array of stories that we never tire of reading. Towards the beginning of his career, he was extremely promiscuous, and owns that fact better than most would.
Nash found out early in his career that there was a positive correlation between how good a musician you were and how attractive people found you. “The first time Allan [Clarke] and I with our two acoustic guitars attracted really pretty women, I was like: ‘Oh I see!’” He recalled, “Once I could play three chords on the guitar, my attractiveness to the ladies went up sky-high […] We’d get laid a lot, of course, mainly girls that you picked up at the shows… Once you were found it usually led to sex.”
Nash owned his promiscuity, as it extended beyond just people who had come to his show and extended to others in the industry. It’s well reported that Graham Nash only agreed to meet the band The Mamas and The Papas because he wanted to sleep with Michelle Phillips. When this was put to Nash, he laughed and then was fairly candid with his response.
“Well, I didn’t want to fuck John, I didn’t want to fuck Denny, and I didn’t want to fuck Cass,” he admitted, “I wanted to fuck Michelle […] Now this was pure toxic masculinity. Completely.” Toxic masculinity indeed, and unsurprisingly, when Nash was asked if he’s been in touch with Michelle Philips recently, he said, “No.”
