Crosby Chronicles Musical Activism
Friday July 14, 2000
By Megan Bucks

When it comes to writing and singing songs about world hunger, poverty, and human rights, the legendary David Crosby has always been there to stand and be counted. And now the outspoken member of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young is taking his activism to TV, in a miniseries for the Learning Channel titled (what else?) Stand and Be Counted.

Based upon his book of the same name, Crosby and friends, including Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Brown, Sting, Harry Belafonte, Jewel, Pete Seeger, Tracy Chapman, Carlos Santana, Bob Geldof, Willie Nelson, and others, chronicle the history of music made for a cause. In both the book and the miniseries, Crosby tracks the evolution of musical activism from the non-violent protests for civil rights in the 1960s, to the No Nukes concerts of the
1970s, Live Aid and Farm Aid in the 80s, and the current annual concerts to support a free Tibet.

Crosby says the four-hour series, scheduled to air Aug. 22 and 23 from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m., is an overview of 40 years of musical activism interwoven with celebrity interviews and news footage, using the music of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie as the documentary's "jumping-off point."

"We thought that was a salient point, and that those two guys were such good examples, that we could pick up there," Crosby says. "It went from there into the Civil Rights Movement, and that was a huge part of our story. The two major examples of activism in this last 50 years have been the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. They were slightly connected, and they segued one into the next, and they overlapped."

Crosby, whose father made documentaries in the 1930s as part of the WPA, admits he was a little skittish about pitching the idea of a documentary to any network.

"I  know documentaries are very hard to sell. Nothing blows up. There's no car chase. Nobody takes their top off."

Crosby proudly acknowledges two of his personal heroes for change are Gandhi and, "that kid in Tienenman Square, for standing up in front of the tank," and he insisted that music and protest are a perfect fit. "Musicians have two jobs: to entertain and to be the town crier, the
troubadour - to say, 'It's 12 o'clock and all is well,' or 'It's 12:30 and it's not so damn good."

Although he cautions the town crier gig is not without it's share of personal responsibility. "One guy. That's what we're trying to get across," he says. "There's nothing more powerful in the world than an idea. If you believe in something strongly enough, and you are willing to stand up for what you believe in, it will affect people around you in a ripple that spreads out."