Crosby Versus Nash

In the realm of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, David Crosby and Graham Nash were often thought to be the George and Ringo of the quartet, but not only have they come up with tremendous songs in their work with Stephen Stills and/or Neil Young, they proved to be impressive as a duo.  Whenever internecine arguments caused the group to put their act on ice, Crosby and Nash would still work together, and they managed to come up with a sharp single such as 1972's "Immigration Man" and two fine albums from the mid-seventies - 1975's intense Wind On the Water and 1976's pensive and underrated Whistling Down the Wire.  Some of the work they did together was on par with their CSNY contributions and often superior to a good deal of Stephen Stills' solo work.

So it's really depressing to, in the wake of the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the first Crosby, Stills and Nash album, to find Crosby and Nash on the outs . . . and possibly for good.

The feud between Crosby and Nash (above, in 1976) dates back to the 2013 release of Nash's memoir "Wild Tales," in which Nash came down hard on Crosby for his drug use and how it affected the group, which famously recorded so infrequently that CSN and CSNY projects were always thought to be reunions.  Although Crosby had told Nash to go ahead and be honest about all of the anguish he caused him and Stills and Young, he was reported to have issues with how Nash characterized him in the book, saying that most of what Nash wrote was a pack of lies.

"Graham’s book is full of inaccuracies and chock-full of misinformation," Crosby told the Web site Ultimate Classic Rock. "When he handed [an advance copy] to me, he said, 'It’s too late to change anything, but here it is.' I was very unhappy about it. It’s a very shallow, very self-serving book, and full of BS."

As if that weren't bad enough, Crosby only made things worse with some nasty comments about actress Daryl Hannah when she started dating Neil Young.  (They wed in 2018.)  Crosby accused Hannah of being a predator in a 2014 interview, suggesting she was some sort of gold digger. Though he apologized to Young - "That was judgmental and stupid and careless and I regret it a lot," Crosby said, adding that Hannah was making Young happy and he wanted to see Young happy - Young has been cool to Crosby ever since, and Nash won't forgive Crosby for that slight.

Nash says there will never be another CSNY record or show again, and Young wholeheartedly agrees.  As for Stills, who has nothing to do with any of this, he is reportedly ticked off at Crosby as well.

I'm not going to defend Crosby for anything he's done. Everyone knows he's a jerk, even his best friends, and the other three have every right to be mad at him.  And truth be told, nothing Crosby has ever said or done has surprised or shocked me. When he turned out to be the sperm donor who produced a baby for Melissa Etheridge and her partner Julie Cypher, my jaw didn't drop because I was too busy laughing.  But I'm still sad over this.  I still hope that, even if Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young never record or perform again, they will still bury all of their hatchets.  As for Crosby, he ought to be damn grateful that Nash pulled him out of his many quagmires over the course of fifty years.

"I trusted my instincts with David," Nash said of his partner in 1991 about Crosby's near-fatal drug addiction.  "I felt he could bounce back, because I still believe that his problems are of self-image rather than anything else.  So he came back and I was there to love him and support him.  Because I think he's worth it."

Come on, Cros, remember everything you and Graham have been through, and how he helped you out.  Because he believed in you.  Don't let your own arrogance bust up for good a friendship that has lasted longer than many marriages.  You're both in your seventies, as are Stills and Young.  It would be a shame if any of you - but especially you and Nash - went to your graves without ever talking to each other again.