Jump to content

David Crosby tells great Coltrane story


medjuck

Recommended Posts

I just came back from seeing a documentary about David Crosby that begins with him telling a great John Coltrane story.  According to Crosby he had taken some drugs and gone to see Coltrane who took a long solo so intense that Crosby fled to  the bathroom.  Suddenly the bathroom door was kicked open and Trane entered still playing his solo.   Crosby never says whether Coltrane was there to use the facilities or just chasing him.  The movie then begins and the incident is not mentioned again. 

Edited by medjuck
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, medjuck said:

I liked it. Never been a big fan but   I saw Crosby perform at a charity event a year or so ago and was surprised how good he was. 

Thanks. It might come around again, or I can rent it.

Quite a while ago, when Crosby needed a liver transplant iirc, he came across in the media as an extremely, shall we say, un-simpatico character and I developed an aversion. Somewhat a fan of his Byrds era, less so of CSN(Y).

Edited by T.D.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

He still comes off that way. At least he admits it.  He  says he managed to alienate all of CSN&Y as well as Roger McGuinn  none of whom have spoken to him the last couple of years.  Film explains how he pissed off Young and McGuinn but not Sills and Nash-- the latter of whom seems to have been his best friend. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, medjuck said:

He still comes off that way. At least he admits it.  He  says he managed to alienate all of CSN&Y as well as Roger McGuinn  none of whom have spoken to him the last couple of years.  Film explains how he pissed off Young and McGuinn but not Sills and Nash-- the latter of whom seems to have been his best friend. 

He could be pretty obnoxious. He bugged Judee Sill so much once that she took off his belt and ran after him, whipping him with it, with a bunch of people looking on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Crosby has always, or for a long time at least, seemed like a real ass. Not of the very worst variety, but defijtely chaotic-neutral (at best).

Kind of reminds me of Morrissey a bit. A coworker was reading Morrissey's autobiography a couple years ago, and I asked him how it was. He said "ok, I guess, but it's all so misserable and whiny."...

...to which I processed to laugh and laugh quite heartily in his face, my retort being: "well, duh. It's Morrissey!"

 

Similarly, Crosby is exactly who he is, and long as you know that going into it, nobody's gonna get surprised or nothing.

 

I like CSN(Y) well enough, but haven't followed them too closely. In think Four Way Street is all I have on CD, though I've had another title or two in years past.

I think I saw them once back in high-school or early in my college years, 6th row (iirc), maybe circa 1987-89. I remember them being quite good.

I'd probably pony up to see the Crosby doc, just cuz I love music docs. Not a huge priority, but I be open to paying to see it in a theatre at matinee prices.

 

(FYI, I generally like Morrissey, probably more than David Crosby. But Morrissey is definitely an ass. Saw him live twice in the late 90's, and was blown away, couple of the best non-jazz concerts I'd ever been too. But we saw him again a couple years ago, and he was more annoying, and I don't think we need to go hear Morrissey again for another's 5-10 years.)

Edited by Rooster_Ties
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Crosby has always, or for a long time at least, seemed like a real ass. Not of the very worst variety, but defijtely chaotic-neutral (at best).

Kind of reminds me of Morrissey a bit. A coworker was reading Morrissey's autobiography a couple years ago, and I asked him how it was. He said "ok, I guess, but it's all so misserable and whiny."...

...to which I processed to laugh and laugh quite heartily in his face, my retort being: "well, duh. It's Morrissey!"

 

Similarly, Crosby is exactly who he is, and long as you know that going into it, nobody's gonna get surprised or nothing.

 

I like CSN(Y) well enough, but haven't followed them too closely. In think Four Way Street is all I have on CD, though I've had another title or two in years past.

I think I saw them once back in high-school or early in my college years, 6th row (iirc), maybe circa 1987-89. I remember them being quite good.

I'd probably pony up to see the Crosby doc, just cuz I love music docs. Not a huge priority, but I be open to paying to see it in a theatre at matinee prices.

 

(FYI, I generally like Morrissey, probably more than David Crosby. But Morrissey is definitely an ass. Saw him live twice in the late 90's, and was blown away, couple of the best non-jazz concerts I'd ever been too. But we saw him again a couple years ago, and he was more annoying, and I don't think we need to go hear Morrissey again for another's 5-10 years.)

I always thought Johnny Marr made the Smiths.  Saw CSNY twice, about 30 years apart.  First time was at the Atlantic City Raceway concert in 1974/75, and Santana absolutely played them off the stage.  That was the great group with Leon Pattilo and Tom Coster, Borboletta era.  I actually like Crosby's music quite a bit.  Graham Nash is the one whose music always annoyed me with that group (though I liked him in the Hollies).  Could live my life quite happily without ever hearing "Teach Your Children" or "Our House" again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, medjuck said:

He still comes off that way. At least he admits it.  He  says he managed to alienate all of CSN&Y as well as Roger McGuinn  none of whom have spoken to him the last couple of years.  Film explains how he pissed off Young and McGuinn but not Sills and Nash-- the latter of whom seems to have been his best friend. 

Back in '94 (the liver transplant brouhaha), Crosby's assholicity came off as so extreme that he became somewhat of a public laughing stock and was extensively mocked in the media.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, T.D. said:

Going back to the original anecdote in the club...Did Coltrane know who Crosby was? Or was he just following some random long-haired doper into the bathroom?

None of this is made clear in the film.  Crosby was present at a recent sold-out screening here in Santa Barbara (he lives nearby). If I'd gone I would have asked him more about it.  It seemed to me that the story is included (and starts the film) to show just how passionate people can be about their music. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...