When you think of music by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, with the exception of maybe “Ohio”, you probably think of songs by Stephen Stills. And even if he didn’t write them himself, they all definitely have his fingerprints on them.
The late David Crosby once told me, “Stephen was the most talented guy in CSNY.” “He was the one who made these recordings. He was a force of nature. We fought a lot, but usually he won because he really knew how to make great recordings.”
Stills, 78, is softer and more thoughtful these days, by her own admission. However, while it has slowed considerably, the fever for making new music is still raging, as he tells The Daily Beast below.
A two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee, he is one of rock’s most enduring figures, influencing generations with his songwriting and guitar playing, both as a solo artist and as a member of Buffalo Springfield, CSNY and Manassas. In fact, his innovative approach to both acoustic and electric guitar, combined with distinctive harmonies, helped create the iconic “California sound” with classical compositions such as “What It’s Worth”, “Love You’re Together”, “Desperately Hope”. ,” “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” and “Continue.” A true musician of a musician, Stills’ first solo LP is the only album to feature both Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.
Below Stills Talks About Autism/Light Up The Blues This weekend’s benefit concert, the heyday of Buffalo Springfield and CSNY, his unending friendship with Neil Young and his new live album, Live in Berkeley 1971Taken from the legendary ’71 tour.
This Autism Speaks/Illuminates Sorrows shows have really grown in the last decade or so you and Kristen [Stills, his wife] Tell me a little about how and why they started and how you chose the artists you want them to do.
These are three questions.
Fly. [Laughter.]
Yes, I can count like a horse. My son Henry has Asperger’s. [syndrome, a form of autism spectrum disorder]and that brought us to the spectrum world. And what I discovered about the spectrum is that all of the best people are on it, including me and most of my friends. So there’s a fine line between dysfunctional and interesting. And that’s not to take it lightly. It was brand new and became a minor epidemic when it was first diagnosed. There were many mysteries and false assumptions about it. And we tried to rest them. For example, there is no cure, but there is coping. And there is a lot you can do to get back to a normal life. There are varying degrees of course, but as I said, if you’re not on the spectrum, all the best people are.
All the cool kids.
Yes. Definitely.
And apparently in the decade you’ve been doing this, perception has really changed, right?
Yes, of course. But we cannot sleep. That’s one of the reasons we keep doing the shows. God knows it eats half of my year. My wife, Kristen, of course, is the producer and she’s a master at this and she has a really good cast and stuff. But finding artists was difficult this year because when the epidemic broke out, everyone was like, “Oh, I want to work, I want to work, I want to work.” So many people were booked. But a lot of people were playing pretty close to the concert. [in Los Angeles], so we were able to catch them. I think it worked.
Any tips?
First, Willie Nelson. And of course, Neil Young, who somehow handed it over to me, is a great charity. He finished Bridge School Benefit and said, “Okay Stephen, it’s your turn.” It’s really a labor of love, but it’s a labor. Just too much. And especially I would like to reassure everyone that we are raising money for the right organization and the right cause. But the place is small so the thing sold out quickly. We’ll have to do it again, but not until next year. But Willie has a show at the Hollywood Bowl in about two weeks, and Neil and I are going to be on his show, or the Soviet communists would have us believe it was.
Disinformation campaign.
Yes, well, God help us if Neil Young becomes predictable. [Laughter.]
Well, let’s talk about that. This is a permanent partnership. Through all the ups and downs of Buffalo Springfield and all the ups and downs of CSNY, the two of you have always been able to work together in a truly lasting musical partnership. Talk a little about why this partnership is working so well from your point of view.
When we were kids, we angry. [Laughter.]
Hot kids.
Yes. It was Fort William, Ontario, now known as Thunder Bay. I was there with another small group of folk. We were the lead actors and we had two shows on Saturdays, and this Gordy guy who was the lead said, “Oh, I’ve got a friend I’d like to put in between you.” And that was Neil. He was doing what I was doing in New York, writing folk songs with the electric guitar. [What] Neil was doing it – he was amazing. It was eye-opening and the band was kind of incomplete, so we spent a week together, got to know each other, and Neil introduced me to Canada and we’ve been friends ever since. And that is is something permanent. I mean, no matter what, we were always friends.
“Neil and I always knew who we were together. We are brothers. And brothers, you know, disagree and get back to each other. Crosby used to talk about how we scrambled, and I call them wink strokes, but because of them, we went numb.”
Why do you think this relationship is going so well?
Because we were kids when we met. We were too young to hold grudges and all that stuff. And we were never that competitive because we were so different. Although there are a few moments on the lead guitar, but… I don’t know. we don’t misunderstand relative to each other. Neil and I always knew who we were together. We are brothers. And brothers, you know, disagree and get back to each other. Crosby used to talk about how we scrambled, and I call them wink strokes, but because of them, we went numb. And anyway, we didn’t spend enough time together! You know, last night I saw the director’s cut for the first time in years. wood stock. And this is the funniest damn movie I’ve ever seen. At 78, I was rolling when I look back. I was howling how naive and serious we all were.
Baby face.
Yes. I miss that chin. [Laughter.] And I was very, very liquid. And I had more hair. And she could sing higher and lower. Actually, I think I can sing softer now. But it was funny because I was thinking [how]You know, they were trying to force negotiations with the Vietnamese, and I kept thinking to myself, “His feet were shaking watching this shit.” [Laughter.] It was just, you know, a lot of irony. It was shocking, embarrassing and refreshing at the same time to see all of us and how we were back then. We were absolutely serious in our quest for enlightenment.
Yes. The beginning of the journey. This is a good thing. You’ve obviously performed as a duo with Neil many times, and even though Graham will be in Pittsburgh on show night, I have to imagine David’s spirit will rise. Your son Chris, who will be on tour with David, will be there, and David’s son, James Raymond, will perform. Talk about all the legacy that will be on stage in this show.
we do not have time
Energetic! [Laughter.]
We didn’t have time to rehearse because everyone had booked. But I have the Word of Truth behind me, and I can’t say enough about those kids. They are wonderful. They have one thing you can’t teach and that is attitude. It’s totally obvious and only positives. And nothing personal. So I can review the details needed to put some of my edits together and they don’t think twice about it and keep trying until we get it. It was really refreshing for me, because we’re all rusty. Neil and I spent the first two weeks of rehearsal just the two of us trying to remember all the Buffalo Springfield songs and then playing the records and saying, “Oh my God. That wasn’t even close! [Laughter.] So we’re going to do a few of these. It will be neat. Of course, Neil is more into the acoustic stuff, and I’ve dedicated myself to the band. As you know, I love playing electro music.
You grew up working with a group. I want to talk about new live album. Actually, I’ve always loved your 1975 live album, which was taken from the same ’71 tour, but this album is much longer and warts and all. The performances are just as they are, so the feel and vibe is incredible. Tell us a little about that ’71 tour and why it took so long for this special show to see the light of day.
I had forgotten it. [Laughter.] We actually found it while deep diving in the vault. And the first thing that struck us was that the recording was great. Horn players, The Memphis Horns were great. And although Steve Fromholz was too big for me to be a partner… [Mike] He’s Finnigan tall – he and I were a great mix on guitar. So that’s the rest of that era, and yes, part of the song, I don’t know, I guess I look a lot like an angry dog. [Laughter.] And everything is very fast and he has a lot of energy. But it’s also very powerful. Dallas Taylor [the drummer] It had a lot to do with that feeling. I’d design the arrangements and then I’d go back to the theater balcony where we rehearsed and watch Dallas take the band one step at a time. It was amazing. What a great community.
I want to talk about your acting. I’m not sure younger musicians, or even younger fans, were aware of how respected you were among your colleagues back then. You were playing with Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. To them, you were in that league. But does it bother you that young fans know you for the songs but don’t think of you as a top-notch guitarist?
What do you want to say? [Laughter.]
You’re still here, so you can tell the story.
I just spoke with Eric last week, so those relationships and that respect are still there. Now, I’m playing from Jeff Beck – stuff like bias and using the volume knob and really complicated stuff. Although I will never be as good as Jeff Beck. Non-stop.
Well, this is another…
I think we lost the biggest one this year.
To accept.
It was great, but it was very difficult to track down and play along because it was the original “I left the band to work on my car.” He literally did that. “Where’s Jeff?” “Went home.” “From where?” “Well, he took the new little box Chevy and wanted to build it and put it in 32.” He was like that, meticulous and changeable, but a great man. We will miss him. So anyway, I have a lot of that in my game right now. I was pretty good back then, but now I’m better and have some sober time under my belt, so I play a lot clearer. I bought the banjo again. And I can’t play bass on stage, but I play a lot on records. I love playing bass.
Tell us a little about your songwriting process. There are some great songs on this record, Springfield records and songs from CSNY, but your first few solo records and Manassas They were truly incredible achievements. Do you remember your writing process since then?
NO. [Laughter.] I went to a tear. I mean, I had ten years of uninterrupted productivity, and then I started running out of gas. They sound a little slower now, but a little more thoughtful and lyrically much better. While some of these lyrics are pretty good, there are also some bad rhymes in them. Ugh. There are some nasty ones. But this is just me. I had a great time doing this, as the songs suddenly dropped. While I was preparing them and trying to nail that misleading third line, some would be in 15 minutes, some in five months.
I would like to know what we can expect from you next. Will you work with Neil? Are you going to make another recording? maybe with Judy Collins Again?
I have no idea. Frankly. Waiting for the next thing to appear. I mean, now that I’m used to having a house and sitting down to dinner with my kids in the evening, you can’t get me out of here. But when the youngest finally goes to college, then I’ll be an empty nest and I’ll probably be there more often. But travel sucks these days. And the thought of a 14-hour bus ride… scary. But we’ll see what happens.