David Crosby Reveals the ‘One Thing’ He Didn’t Do Wrong
David Crosby reflected on the fact that his voice had survived all the punishment he’d given it over the years, and said there was only “one thing” he hadn’t done wrong.
The 80-year-old was discussing his latest solo album, For Free, which is the fifth LP he’s completed in the past seven years. Asked by the Guardian how his voice had remained “so young,” Crosby replied: “That really mystifies me. I did everything wrong.” He added: “Well, no, I didn’t do everything wrong. I didn’t smoke cigarettes, and maybe that’s the key.”
He regretted other aspects of getting old, however. “My skin is like tissue paper, man,” he said. “It tears or bruises.” He reported that his 80th birthday party had been a low-key family affair, agreeing that things would have been different in earlier decades. “Those would have involved sex,” he said, noting: “I expected to be dead when I was about 30.”
For Free is the third album Crosby’s made with his son James Raymond, who he didn’t know had been born until a few years ago. “James did a wonderful thing, man. He gave me a chance to earn my way into his life… [b]y making music with him,” he explained. “And we write spectacularly well together.” Picking Raymond’s composition “I Won’t Stay for Long” as a highlight of their latest record, Crosby said: “Imagine how I feel about my son being that good a writer. I wear it like a garland of flowers on my head. It’s just fucking wonderful.”
Listen to David Crosby's 'I Won't Stay for Long'