It is 10 years this month since the creation of 4 WaySite. I would like to
celebrate this milestone by thanking you all for your support, messages
and input into the forum. The site, like the four individuals we love,
has had its ups and downs, but survived to tell the tales and to
promote the music.
Let's hope that over the next 10 years there will be more stories to
tell and more brilliant music, old and new to celebrate.
Another outtake by Dave Zimmer of an interview with yours truly....
"Their music has no expiry date"
Dave Zimmer: What is it about Crosby,
Stills, Nash and Young, collectively and individually, that continue to
hold your interest and enthusiasm?
Dolf van Stijgeren: Their music has no expiry date. In the
early 70s when I was a young hippie influenced by older sisters who had
older boyfriends, I "secretly" listened to 4 Way Street when my parents
wanted me to sleep. I must have been the inventor of the so called
mondegreen (the mishearing - usually accidental - of a phrase as a
homophone or near-homophone in such a way that it acquires a new
meaning) because I sang things like "Hello movie in the dark" (Real
Lyrics: Hello ruby in the dust) and "And they've changed him into a
chair" (Real Lyrics: And they've chained him to a chair). I still do
enjoy listening to this great live album as well as Déjà Vu, but I am
also a great admirer of Crosby's more recent work such as CPR. Not to
mention their live performances that are still as fresh and enjoyable as
ever. Their secret is both simple and obscure: they are open to new
influences (like CPR's jazz) but stick to their folk rock roots.
Oldies are notorious for not liking change and as long they are not
going to experiment with rap music, I shall continuously enjoy listening
to CSNY in all their forms!
"It's the appreciation that both fellow
fans and CSNY show"
DZ: What is the most rewarding aspect of
creating and running 4waysite.com?
DvS: When CSN were in New Zealand by the end of 2007, a
New Zealand fan hung around the back after a show and got to talk
briefly to Graham Nash. He took the liberty of saying that "Dolf from
4waysite.com says hello." Graham replied that I am a good man and that
he keeps in touch with me. New Zealand is from our European
perspective right on the other side of the planet, but I felt the warmth
of that remark. The internet is everywhere and connects people.
In the process of writing "Since Then: How I Survived Everything and
Lived to Tell About it" I had been contacted by co-writer Carl
Gottlieb. I suggested that fans should be able to ask questions through
4waysite.com. Carl (and David) agreed, many questions raised and -
according to Carl Gottlieb who I am more than willing to believe - much
of the book's content was suggested by the questions. 4waysite.com is
mentioned in the book's Acknowledgements section as being "extremely
useful" to Croz and Carl.
Let me not forget the reactions from fellow CSNY fans. The following
took place in Chicago during the CSN2YK Tour. I was standing at a bar
wearing my 4waysite.com T-shirt when someone approached me and said
"Hey, I check this site every day"!
So, it's the appreciation that both fellow fans and CSNY show, that I
find most rewarding.
"Hey, Nash-guy, I think I got two tix for ya"
 DZ:
What is your all-time favorite CSN/CSNY
personal moment?
DvS: Prior to the CSNY2K Tour I innocently forwarded someone
else’s message to Graham Nash with a request. He almost literally
replied "Why don't you come to Chicago"? So, he promised two tickets for
the Chicago concert and I flew from Amsterdam to Chicago in April 2000
with Jeroen Mol a friend of mine and former website manager of
4waysite.com, but without tickets - the only thing I had was
his word... I had to pick up the tickets at the Will Call window of the
United Center by 6 PM. The man at the Will Call windows was absolutely
not interested in me and told me without blinking his eyes, there were
no tickets... at the moment. The only thing I could do was walk rings
around the huge statue of Michael Jordan and wait for some good news. I
never felt so small and dependent. 7PM: nothing. But at 7.30PM he
carelessly said "Hey, Nash-guy, I think I got two tix for ya"! I
noticed someone wrote Graham Nash's initials on a sticker but I did not
realize what it was.
We enjoyed the concert and afterwards we
were guided backstage to a kind of a waiting room with about 20 nervous
fans. Then someone mumbled a Dutch-sounding name and my friend Jeroen and I were asked to follow him backstage down under the catacombs of
the United Center. And there he stood, Graham Nash, and spontaneously
hugged me. Needless to say, that is my favorite CSNY moment.
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Back in Holland I read a review of the Chicago concerts by none less
than Steve Silberman (contributing editor of Wired magazine, but that is
something I did not know in Chicago) and he mentioned "The witty Dutch
guys" he met backstage. That was the icing on my Chicago cake and it was
fun indeed.
"We know Crosby, Stills and Young's health wasn’t a
bed of roses"
DZ: How do
you think the CSN/CSNY story will ultimately end?
DvS: I am convinced they will get (even) more recognition in
the future. Just compare it with good painters such as Rembrandt and
Vincent van Gogh. They shall write music and perform as long they
physically can. We know Crosby, Stills and Young's health wasn’t a bed
of roses along the way, so let us hope it will last as long as possible
because I feel their story is still unfolding.
DZ: 4 WaySite
has become the "go-to" online destination for unfiltered news and views
about CSN&Y. How have you managed to keep the content fresh and engaging
over the years?
DvS: First the news. You wont believe it, but 10 years
ago I wasn't sure about creating the section "News & Rumors." But then
something happened that unleashed the power of my imagination: the
CSNY2K Tour! As if CSNY wanted to help me ;-). Another example is the
section "Discography"; Neil especially keeps me rather busy. But wait,
what about the Tours section? Never a dull moment with CSNY and plenty
to update. My favorite sections are the "FAQ" and the "Pick of the Month"
with some interesting exclusive interviews.
It takes a lot more work than most people are aware of. I don't do it
all by myself and would like to take this opportunity to thank Jeroen
Mol with whom I literally designed 4waysite.com in the sand of a beach and
started 4 WaySite, John Collins, Vicky, Margaret, you Dave and.. all the
visitors.
 DZ: All CSN&Y
fans owe you a standing ovation for a decade of outstanding work. What
motivates you to keep the site rolling at such a high level of quality?
Where do you and 4 WaySite go from here?
DvS: Thank you for the kind words, Dave. As long as people
like you find new things by visiting 4waysite.com, I am happy. As long I
get unexpected compliments, I carry on. I remember in Chicago in 2002, just
before a CSNY show while I (innocently) wore my 4 WaySite T-shirt, a man
next to me said "Hey, I know that site". I said with a grin on my face
"Well, it's mine" and he said "Wow, I can't believe I am sitting next to
the 4 WaySite website manager." I am down to earth, but I experienced a
few seconds of fame, although that grin must have lasted a little longer
and comes back every now and then.
As for the future, I have quite a few ideas, but encounter two enemies:
time and the size of the site (over 900 pages!). I am using old HTML
website techniques which makes it difficult to use modern features. But
nevertheless, we will try to make it possible for people to react to the
news in the News & Rumors section.
And finally to raise a corner of the veil: I would like to have personal
CSNY stories from fans, insiders, musicians, etc. that I might post some
day.
Dave, thank you for the opportunity to
engage in this interview and for your ongoing support.
And to all the loyal CSNY fans who visit
4waysite.com: thank YOU!
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