David Crosby!

 It was 1970. I was a mere lad, barely a teen, but I had to have the Woodstock movie soundtrack ($9.99 at Walgreens). I wasn't old enough to see the movie as they said fuck and there were blurry naked people in ponds and shit and it was rated R. But I heard the music on late night FM radio. I bought the double album because I needed to hear Hendrix play the anthem and The Airplane play Volunteers and The Who play See Me Feel Me. But what I heard on that album changed my musical life. It was a band of 4 dudes I'd never heard of. And the first rap "3 days man" and "49 65 Hike" and then came the opening chords of Suite Judy Blue Eyes and then the banter "this is only the 2nd time we've played in front of people man"  and "We're scared shitless".The harmonies that blew my mind. I was freakin hooked forever. The sweet sweet harmonies have never been matched and now never will be heard again except on vinyl and in my memories.

David Crosby died way beyond his years yesterday. He made it to 81 despite the drugs and the booze and the paranoia and the prison time which he took like a stand up guy. But  David Crosby , though true to himself, never realized how to be true to others. He was a cantankerous old man even at age  25. His way or the highway and most of the time it was the highway. Others couldn't stomach his ego and his disdain for how others chose to live. Crosby was about the music and that's about it. Relating to others was not in his wheelhouse and he didnt even try to change. His band mates, Stills, Nash, Young hated him. His other band mates in the Byrds hated him. Most of the time that is. But when they buried the hatchet, the music flowed and it was wonderful.

I heard Crosby on a local radio show once, in town with his son to play a local venue and he was not a nice man. He condescended to the host so badly I couldn't bring myself to go though he was one of my heroes. 

Later during a time of reconciliation, I did manage to see CS&N in Lincoln with Max. He knew how much I loved them and how happy I was during that concert. We left to beat traffic and Max almost insisted we go back in because Teach Your Children was being played. We stopped and listened to the whole thing in the parking lot. 

Look these people keep fucking dying on us. They live forever on records and streaming but it's not the same. I want them alive even if they can't sing. CS&N could always sing and I will miss David sorely. His sweet voice and his unique look. His Almost Cut My Hair let the freak flag fly. Keep flying David.

(PS speaking of that Woodstock album, I once came home and found my mother listening to it and being "disgusted" by the Hendrix anthem. LOL...it made me love it even more!)