Stephen Stills Interview
Author: Mark D. Allen
Source: Indianapolis Star and News
August 7th 1997
That uncommon sight you might have noticed lately is, indeed,
Stephen Stills smiling. With good reason. He's remarried ("the third time's the charm
-- I finally got my best friend to marry me"), with a 9-month-old son, Henry. They
inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice this year, both as a member of
Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash. And Stills, David Crosby and Graham
Nash have finally decided to answer the question "can't we all just get along?"
with "yes, we can."
"The relationships within the band have grown much more friendly
and forgiving, and the sands of time have rounded off a few corners, shall we say,"
Stills says, a chuckle in his voice. Change is inevitable, and Stills' story is filled
with change. His political opinions have softened somewhat and he's turned himself from
"the guitar player in the folk group" into a first-rate musician. And, though
Crosby, Stills & Nash are currently working without a recording contract
("marketing people have no idea where to put us, except under "c"'), Stills
is optimistic, not angry.
It's taken Stills not to mention Crosby and Nash nearly 30 years to
reach this peace. The volatile trio met in 1968. Chris Hillman of the Byrds introduced his
bandmate, David Crosby, to Stills, who was in their opening act, Buffalo Springfield. When
the Byrds broke up, Crosby and Stills became "running buddies." "David knew
everyone because he's such a social butterfly," Stills says. "We'd get together
and sing acoustic songs. Then the Hollies came to town and we all went to see them. Cass
Elliot (Mama Cass of the Mamas and the Papas) comes up to me and said, "You and Cros
want a third harmony, don't you?"' They did. "She said, "When I call you to
come to my house, or when David calls you to come to my house, come. Do not find any
reason not to.' The next thing you know, we're at Cass' house and Graham is there. ...
Then we met again later at Joni Mitchell's. "The first time he put his voice in"
the song was "You Don't Have to Cry' "we went, "A-ha. Bingo. Paydirt. Now
just pray that we can all get along because we're going to all be stuck together for
years." Twenty-nine years later, he and his partners are trying to reach four
generations of fans with songs such as "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Teach Your
Children" and "Our House."
The idea of 50-year-old rock stars was unheard of in the 1960s, but
from his earliest days in music, Stills, 52, says he angled to be the kind of entertainer
who had a long career. Toward that end, he's concentrated on his guitar playing. Always an
excellent and underrated player, Stills says he's been listening to jazz musicians like
guitarist Kenny Burrell and pianist Oscar Peterson to develop ideas.
Is Stills underrated? "Why don't you quote Crosby?" Stills
says. All right. "My partner," David Crosby has said, "is arguably the best
guitar player alive and the most underrated guitar player walking." "Now, I
can't say that," Stills says, "but I certainly appreciate that from my partner.
I feel like I'm just learning how to play the guitar. I mean, really learning to play the
guitar."
Over the years, Crosby, Stills & Nash have learned and taught,
usually with some social upheaval going on in the foreground. From Woodstock, Vietnam and
Watergate through the anti-nuclear movement and the Reagan years, CSN is well known for
supporting Democratic causes. Stills actively worked for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996.
But these days, Stills also espouses many pro-business ideals. "This is a corporate
democracy," he says. "This is the '90s. These are the times we live in."
Stills remains consistent on public-private partnerships, right down to
CSN's decision to perform in theaters on this tour. "The recovery of the American
inner city usually starts with some Clinton money (federal dollars) and some corporate
money going into refurbishing the downtown," he says. "And they start with a
theater. ... So there's a certain amount of civic duty in our participating in that."
Finally, and perhaps most surprising, Stills defends selling the rights
to his classic song "For What It's Worth" for use in a padlock commercial. He
gets agitated when he thinks someone's accusing him of selling out. "Either
incredibly rich entertainers or incredibly poor ones argue about this," Stills says.
"And I'm stuck somewhere in the middle. A commercial is a commercial. Big friggin'
deal. The mechanicals (publishing fees he receives) are real nice and help out. "God
forbid if David Crosby gets sick again and I can't tour anymore, or something happens
where I can't get around, what am I going to live on? I'm going to be living on
mechanicals. So I don't want to hear it."
