Graham Nash recently sat down with Rick Rubin, recalling his close and problematic friendship with the late David Crosby and how the rocker’s ‘two sides’ both amazed and scared him simultaneously.
Nash and Crosby’s friendship dates back to the mid-60s, and that’s certainly quite a lot of time to get to know someone very personally and deeply. The pair had a musical harmony, along with Stephen Stills and, later on, Neil Young, that enhanced millions, so it was fun for Graham to look back and recall his studio sessions with David.
The rocker felt he always knew when to step in or step back when working with his late bandmate, as Crosby’s vocals had a natural element that fascinated him. It was pretty natural for him to click with David and sing in whatever way he thought was right, easily establishing a unique trust between the duo.
Graham on recording with his late friend:
“We were pretty good at duplicating. If I listened to one of David’s lead vocal tracks, I’d soak it into my soul, and I’d just sing what I think was appropriate, and in most cases, it worked out pretty good. Because of that, the direct melody that he’s singing – he trusts me to do the right thing. And I loved that part of our relationship – the trust that we had with each other.”
When Rubin asked whether the trust between Nash and Crosby solely depended on music, the British rocker denied it with a firm no, saying that the established trust was beyond a musical collaboration. The duo had faith in one another with everything, and their musical harmony was only a part of it.
Nash discussed whether the trust he had with David solely depended on their musical harmony with the following:
“No, I would say the trust came from being deep friends. It’s because we were so close together – I mean, we could really harmonize, you know. We had a wonderful time. It was great making that particular piece of music [‘Where Will I Be’] because I wanted to stay out of David’s way because he was talking to you or your heart directly, and I only came in when I felt it needed to take another breath.”
He then recalled their early days with David, away from all the disputes and controversy that followed the pair later into their friendship. Graham noted how genuine and gentle Crosby could be as a person, but he also could be vicious while criticizing the people around him… and these complicated sides of his late friend both fascinated and scared Nash.
Nash’s exclusive insight on Crosby’s personality:
“David was a very interesting couple of people. On the one side, he could be the most generous, funny – brilliant at telling stories, obviously brilliant at singing and playing the guitar, totally unique. The other side of David was – if there was something he didn’t like, he had no problem in telling you, and he could become nasty and vicious. Those were the two sides of David, and I always wanted the first side. I want to feel easy, light, and part of. But the other side of David was pretty scary.”
So, although the friendship between Graham and Dave was complex, it didn’t change the fact that the British rocker was still very much impressed by his late friend’s musical genius and genuine personality. However, there was also a side of Crosby that left Nash feeling uneasy, his vicious criticism often scaring him.
