David Crosby saw our challenges. But with music "every once in a while, it will be magical."

[highplainsdem]

He mentioned that magic in a recent interview for Ultimate Classic Rock: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-crosby-touring/

He said then that he could no longer play guitar well enough to meet his own standards, because of tendonitis in both hands.

But he was still looking forward - to the release of new music, and to continuing to write more music. Even though he felt he was "done touring" he thought he might do a residency. And he believed that writing new music with others would give him another decade of creativity. "It's allowing me to extend my working life as a writer by probably 10 years. I can write with other people and successfully generate good stuff."

He had no illusions about all the problems we're facing:

You have spent a good portion of your career writing these songs that helped to give voice to the issues of the time. How do you view where we are today?

I think we're in trouble. There's a lot of people involved in politics in the United States who don't really give a shit about democracy. They give a shit about power and money. That's not democracy. That's not the thing that gives the little guy a shot. It's not the way that I believe it should go.

But his focus was on the magic of music.

You know, in your lifetime, man, you could try a lot of times to put a group of people together in a room and make music. Every once in a while, it will be magical. That's when there's a chemistry going on in there.

I'm so grateful for both his concerns about society, and for the magic he was able to create and to share with all of us.

Editing to add video of "Wooden Ships" live in Houston in 1977, with David talking at the start of the video about how much of their music would be likely to last a century. He thought "only a little bit" would. Nearly 50 years later, I believe he underestimated their legacy.

[highplainsdem]

1. Kicking after editing the OP to add video of "Wooden Ships" live in 1977, with David

reflecting on their possible legacy.

[MyOwnPeace]

2. Great, great post, 'High'.......(I know - he would understand!)

He was a complex man that had such a great talent - and worked hard at developing it and sharing it.

[highplainsdem]

5. Thanks! And I agree completely with what you said about him.

[moondust]

3. Good times.

Always a Byrds and CSNY fan, I had the rare opportunity to see David with an unknown small group play in a tavern in downtown Monterey in 1973 or 74. Don't recall the name of the place and no idea why they were playing a regular bar band gig. Great time sitting around drinking beer with Crosby playing live!

RIP

[MyOwnPeace]

6. WOW! Great thing to remember....

amazing to be crossing paths with those who went on to greatness. Have a friend who saw Roberta Flack when she was a 'lounge singer' in DC.

Good for you!

[highplainsdem]

8. What a wonderful memory!

[highplainsdem]

4. David wrote a beautiful song about transcendence - Carry Me (above the world) - after his mother

died. I didn't remember it while posting this OP, thought about adding it here, but decided to post it separately, with a particularly moving live performance from 2018:

https://democraticunderground.com/100217574392

[Hekate]

7. Thanks for the music

[highplainsdem]

9. You're welcome, Hekate! His music was so much a part of the soundtrack of our lives,

for those of us who grew up in the '50s and '60s and '70s. And younger generations will keep discovering it and cherishing it.

[Elessar Zappa]

10. Thanks for posting this.

I wish I had seen him in concert. Even though I was born in ‘83, my favorite music is all from the 60s-80s. I wish I had been around when all those groups were in their prime.