By Paul Freeman [2000 Interview]

Through turbulence, David Crosby flew high with The Byrds and then Crosby, Stills & Nash... and sometimes Young. The singer-songwriter-guitarist also created numerous fine solo records, the most recent being 2018's "Here If You Listen."

Almost as impressive as what he has created is what Crosby has survived. There were the years of drug and alcohol addiction. He had to battle type 2 diabetes and hepatitis C. In 1994, he received a liver transplant.

And through it all, for more than half a century, Crosby has been a prominent figure in the fights against political madness and social injustice.

We spoke with Crosby following the publication of the book he co-wrote with David Bender, "Stand and Be Counted: A Revealing History of Our Times Through the Eyes of the Artists Who Helped Change Our World."

POP CULTURE CLASSICS:
"Stand Up and Be Counted" is a fascinating book. What sparked the idea for it?

DAVID CROSBY:
Well, I realized, at some point, that nobody had actually ever written anything about benefits or demonstrations or anything like that. And it had been, obviously, a big thing in my life. But it was also, I thought, a major social force in our period of time.

And I have always been very impressed with courage. It's probably my most favorite human quality. And that it was historically significant and personally something that I love about people, was almost irresistible, once the idea occurred.

PCC:
Were you conscious, from the beginning of your career, that you were continuing the line that included people like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie?

CROSBY:
Yeah, I came from being a folkie in the first place. So I was aware of Pete and Woody Guthrie and people like that from the very beginning. I had a crush on Joan Baez, when I was a kid [chuckles]. And she has been a stand-up person all the time. Belafonte was one of the first records I had. He's been a stand-up guy the entire time. A lot of people that I admired had a great deal of courage. And it surfaced in my head repeatedly.

PCC:
You hear people debate about just how much impact music can have, in terms of real effect. You believe it can be a significant factor?

CROSBY:
I think it's had a tremendous effect over the last 40, 50 years in this country, I don't think there's any question. It was a very powerful force in the union movement. It was a tremendous force in the Civil Rights fight. Every time that those people's courage was challenged -- and their lives were at stake here. We're not talking about just reputations or time or a tree. The people who fought the Civil Rights fight were risking their lives every day.

And what they did was, they held hands and sang "Ain't Nobody Going to Turn Me Around" or "We Shall Overcome." And those gatherings in the basements of churches are where people saw that they could gather together in a cause with music. And from that, it went to demonstrations and from that it went to marches on Washington. And from that it went to the next stage up, which was the Vietnam War, which was where I came in. And we had learned it from the Civil Rights people. And I think it's been a tremendously powerful force.

PCC:
Music today, do you see it being as vital a force as it was in that era?

CROSBY:
Yeah, I've been to a number of these Tibetan Freedom Concerts that Adam Yauch and Michael Stipe and different people from the younger bands have been putting together. Eddie Vedder. And I've talked to all of those guys. We interviewed all of those guys. And other young people like Jewel. They're very committed people. They're extremely bright. They understand what's going on. Eddie Vedder -- God, you should talk to the guy, man. He's brilliant. And he understands.

PCC:
As far as the young audience...

CROSBY:
There's a huge audience... and it's varied. But there's lots of young people that are very idealistic.

PCC:
When you see something like Woodstock '99 [disrupted by violence and fires], do you see that as an aberration rather than...

CROSBY:
I see that as the failure of the people that put it on. If you take a whole bunch of kids, get them drunk, cheat them, lock them up on an old military base with a bunch of barbed wire around them, charge them eight bucks for a hot dog and 10 bucks for a bottle of water and then play them a bunch of music that's full of rage, angst, anger and frustration... and then you get surprised when they get pissed off? [Laughs]

I think the people that put it on were just brain-dead. I think they should not be allowed to do that. But they just forgot the power of the music. And they forgot that kids are people and they will get resentful, if you do that kind of thing to them.

PCC:
But those artists now who are trying to put across a positive message, are they going against the tide somewhat?

CROSBY:
Maybe. But there's plenty of intelligence there. I mean, you look at Bono and U2. Good God, these are stand-up guys, man. "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" is one of the all-time anthem activist songs. And I've spoken with all of these people and they all are committed activists. You know?

All of the guys in my band are stand-up guys. Henley and Jackson and Bonnie. Jackson and Bonnie do more benefits than they do real shows. They're constantly trying to make things better.

PCC:
The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reunion tour you've embarked on, did it just come together organically, rather than being part of some grand plan?

CROSBY:
You know, I think it was part of Neil's plan. But I certainly didn't know. He just showed up... with a guitar... and said, "Hi, guy."

PCC:
Was there any reticence? Or were you just eager to perform together again?

CROSBY:
What, are you kidding? [Laughs] Do you know how much fun it is to play music with Neil Young? He's a genius. He's absolutely one of the greatest musical craftsmen and artists that there is. I mean, we had so much fun last night. We levitated the building last night.

PCC:
Looking back at the history of the group, it's been said that the conflict really added to the creativity.

CROSBY:
Well, you know, that's one view. I think we could have done a lot better without some of the psychodrama and stuff. But that has changed in all of us, because we're much more grown-up people now. And there's a lot of respect and a lot of care and a lot of focused concern for the art. And not any energy wasted on ego trips and turf wars and stuff. It's been remarkable how good it's been.

PCC:
So there was no need to lay down rules...

CROSBY:
No, no, no. It's just been great.

PCC:
Is there is conscious effort to make sure it doesn't become just nostalgia. You seem to have avoided that trap.

CROSBY:
Oh, yeah, we're playing new stuff. We played three-quarters of the new album [1999's "Looking Forward"] last night. And it went down like gangbusters. People loved it, because we did it really well. I know that's completely immodest of me...

PCC:
One of the great songs on the album is "Dream for Him" [a Crosby composition]. What's the story behind that one? Where did that come from?

CROSBY:
"Dream for Him" is a song for my son, who's four-and-a-half [Django]. And it's also, nobody I know that has children hasn't asked themselves those questions -- How do I explain the insanity of human behavior around the world to my kid? How do I say, "Here's the center of our country, son. This is where our leaders live. And, by the way, everybody here thinks lying is okay. I know that I said, in our family, we try not to lie and it's dishonorable. But it's different here in Washington. Everybody lies here all the time." Kids can look at you funny.

How do you explain that one day you're going to be gone? This is tough stuff. And that's where that song came from.

PCC:
You have grown children, as well.

CROSBY:
I have a grown-up daughter, named Donovan Ann, who is an animator and illustrator and doing very well. And then I have my oldest boy, James Raymond, I guess you know the story, I only met him four or five years ago. Amazing that we found each other and even more amazing that, when I met him, he'd been a musician for 20 years. We have a group called CPR. We have a CD out and it's a stunner.

And then I'm the genetic dad of Melissa and Julie's kids [Melissa Etheridge and Julie Cypher]. But I'm not a parent to them. They are their parents.

PCC:
That was a sweet and generous decision. A great story. Were you surprised at the way the media circus took off, surrounding that?

CROSBY:
No, not really. There's people who are substantive and there's people who just try to make as much noise as they can, because they're selling cheese. We tried to talk to the people who would treat it on the level it deserved. And I think, pretty soon, all the nonsense will be over about it.

PCC:
Do you end up being amused by all the media craziness? Do you just shrug it off?

CROSBY:
I'm amused by some. Some I shrug off. The "60 Minutes" piece I was very happy with. "The Larry King Show" I was very happy with. The Rolling Stone piece I was very happy with. I thought they dealt with it, all of them, very responsibly and decently.

PCC:
Stephen Stills, does he give you a hard time about it, cracking jokes?

CROSBY:
[Laughs] He said some very funny stuff. Stephen has a very good sense of humor. And he and the entire rest of the band have been giving me lots of static [laughs]. It's too good a chance.

PCC:
You're still so creatively fertile these days. Why do you think that is?

CROSBY:
I don't know why I get to be as excited with it all as I am. But when we were singing "Stand and Be Counted" last night, I felt like I was smack-dab in the middle of some of the best of my life. And I felt that I was present and relevant and still moving forward. And that's a great feeling.

PCC:
Is there a way you can perpetuate that? Or does it just have to come on its own?

CROSBY:
I think if you keep your value system straight and understand what's important, that you can keep moving forward.

PCC:
It really sounds like life is good at this point.

CROSBY:
It's incredible, man. I'm probably the happiest guy you're going to talk to all month.

PCC:
Do you see it, somewhat, as a reward for all you've had to go through to survive?

CROSBY:
I don't know. I'm kind of amazed, in that life is being as generous to me as it is. But I'm happy about it.

PCC:
As far as being a survivor, do you view that as something that was built into you genetically? Luck?

CROSBY:
You know, I really don't know. I'm not sure. Maybe there is somebody upstairs and and maybe they've got more for me to do. Maybe it's just an accident. I don't know. But I'm grateful.

PCC:
You seem to have a very optimistic outlook.

CROSBY:
Very optimistic. And feeling wonderful.

PCC:
Do you tend to look forward, rather than reflecting on the past?

CROSBY:
Pretty much, yeah. I tend to live very much in the present and look to what I can accomplish tomorrow.

For the latest on this artist, visit www.davidcrosby.com.