David Crosby: Remember My Name

David Crosby, music legend of the 1960s and 1970s looks back at his professional and personal life.

Many people are amazed that he is still alive, including himself. He has survived heroin and cocaine addiction, several heart attacks and still lives with diabetes. He is very frank in the interviews and he talks about his failed love affairs and feuds with band members.

He first hit it big with the folk rock group The Byrds. Former group members Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman appear briefly to speak about their dealing with Crosby. The original line up also included Gene Clark. The Byrds had a great sound with McGuinn's jangling 12 string electric guitar and soaring three part harmony singing by McGuinn, Crosby and Clark. Crosby's beautiful tenor voice was a huge part of it. There is a scene in the film of Crosby talking on stage about conspiracy theories about the JFK assassination. McGuinn explains that he didn't want the Byrds to get into politics, so it was decided that Crosby would be fired from the group. The Byrds' beautiful harmony singing would never be the same after Crosby left.

We see Crosby speaking of life after the Byrds, spending it mostly on his newly acquired sail boat. He also talks about his love for Joni Mitchell, friendship with Cass Elliot and disdain for Jim Morrison. When he sees a photo of The Doors, he sneers "Morrison, what a dork!" He gets back into music when he joins Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield and Graham Nash of The Hollies as a super group (the first one, Crosby says). The group appears at Woodstock and record several big selling albums, the trio also become a quartet at times with Neil Young. Once again Crosby is part of a great harmony singing group.

The last part of the film shows things unraveling for Crosby. His drug addiction and rages get him into trouble with the law. The FBI is searching for him on drug and weapons charges. He turns himself in and spends time in prison. He seems to now be sober and would reunite at times with Stills, Nash and/or Young. However while he says he is sober he seems to still have problems with anger and volatility. In just the past few years he has offended former band mates Nash and Young so much that they refuse to perform with or speak to him.

The end shows his touring on his own, as well as recording several solo albums. As of this writing he is still alive and kicking, though it's kind of bittersweet since he is still making music but appears to have lost all of his friends.

Ok film and it deserves a lot of credit for not falling into hagiography. Some interesting tails and perspectives. From my knowledge the CSN(Y) story is still largely untold so interesting to hear some if it told here.

David Crosby is a two-time inductee into the Rock Hall Of Fame and, without question, into its Hall of F'Ups*. Crosby has a singing voice that can harmonize with the best of them, but, just as frequently, that same mouth can spout asinine and downright offensive utterances aimed not only to his enemies, but to those closest to him. AJ Eaton's Documentary does a competent job providing an overview of Crosby's career and personal life from his beginnings, through his fame with the Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash (and sometimes, Young) and then his long long fall into being mostly forgotten by the mainstream (although he still tours and records music). Much of the archival footage is familiar, but, there are enough home movies and other ephemera to keep it interesting. Somewhat curiously, Crosby's solo work is given little detailed attention outside the album which gives the movie it's title: Remember My Name**. There are interviews with a few friends and his long-suffering wife Jan, but, other critical people are seen only in archival recordings (including, especially, the other members of CSNY).

The heart of the Doc are intimate filmed discussions between Crosby and filmmaker Cameron Crowe, who interviewed Crosby back when he was a teen in the early 70s. Within those interviews all of the positives/negatives, engaging/off-putting and most important of all: honest/evasive poles of Crosby's personality come to the fore. There are some painfully poignant moments in the discussions where the musician talks frankly about the people in his life that he has lost and/or alienated. At one point he admits that essentially nobody he collaborated with musically over the decades will even speak to him now. Crosby is keenly aware of his mortality, and seems genuine when he marvels at his good fortune to simply be alive when so many in his orbit have passed on via the same vices he is guilty of. At the same time, the Doc never captures the anger and rage that the artist infamous for. I'm not sure if its because of Director Eaton's reluctance or a failure of Crowe to press him further. Too often, Crosby is allowed to simply deflect. It's frustrating for the viewer, but then again, its unsurprising.

DAVID CROSBY: REMEMBER MY NAME is an interesting exercise, if a bit self-limiting. Still, Crosby's tenacity has to be admired. He's completed another album since this Doc was filmed and was still touring as of this writing. A survivor.

* In typical Crosby fashion, he states that he wants to be inducted a third time in order to 'spite' Eric Clapton (the only person with three inductions)

** This may not be surprising since Crosby rues that he is the only member of CSNY to have never had a 'solo' hit.

I watched this documentary about one of the gods of folk rock, musican David Crosby, twice in a row; I never do that with a movie. The first time I watched it, I didn't like it. I couldn't see the forest for trees. Basically, the first run through made me feel sad. I was emotionally affected by witnessing this pioneer of iconic music, master of harmonies, a creative genius in my opinion, as he lamented, (in the twilight of his life), his estrangments from friend-partners and fellow legends that he created treasured classics with that moved the world.

I didn't like seeing another one of my musical heroes and activism role model, Graham Nash, lash out in anger and palpable pain. I didn't like this movie; the whole thing felt depressing and uncomfortable.

So, why did I watch it again?

Because I suspected there was a lot more value to this conversation than the initial kneejerk reaction I had let me appreciate. I respect and admire Cameron Crowe as an interviewer of my favorite rock icons and of master filmmaker Billy Wilder too. I like Cameron immensely as a person, and trusted he would handle this film about David Crosby with care, in his capable hands. And of course, I love David's music and choose to give a fresh view to his words about his life.

Unlike many other documentaries, this one gives the strongest voice directly to David, the subject, rather than being populated with talking heads filling the air with their "expert" commentaries. Crosby took this opportunity to review his life in an honest, poignant, heartbreaking, joyous, and creative way.

As a child, his father never showed him any love. He lived through music, was a pioneer of sound, admitted that he could not live without music, which he would reluctantly choose above all else, to the surprise of his loving, devoted wife, Jan Dance, who shared some raw and touching personal reflections of her own. David wondered if his absolute need for music made him selfish. His gifts are necessary for his survival, and perhaps for many of his fans as well.

On the second view, I was struck by the music. This is the music I love; the music of my childhood, my life, my heart. Additionally, in the last few years Crosby has reinvented his career with a group of young musicans to supply harmony to his wonderful words; he turned out four albums chock full of his talented, transportive brand of magic. His muse apparenly stronger than ever; his perseverence through the ravages visited upon his body and soul solidly shines.

The arc of David Crosby's career included the pinnacle of collaborative artistic perfection and arguably some of the most stunning harmonies that have ever soared on this crazy cosmic sphere. Likewise, his career and life went careening out of control through his weaknesses, addictions, drugs, anger, angst, and ego. His health and relationships suffered terribly from these strains. How dare he be human?

Jackson Browne shares the story of an intervention he helped stage for David at one of low points of this life journey. It was notably unsuccessful, thus, former friend, Graham Nash, is furious and fumes at this loss and betrayal. How, if, or why to reconcile any form of relationship is up to them. I mourn the pain they have endured, and I get lost in the celebration of the music. As the credits rolled again, I came away without judgement and revisited the absolute privilege of being a fan.

You're getting a solid overview of his career and some moments where he mentions his regrets over what he's done, he'll say "I was awful, etc:" but not give many specific examples of how, apart from just general drug use and unreliability Still, it's well made, if only from one side. It would have been nice to hear from others too.