The Rolling Stone Interview: Neil Young

What prompted you to get back together with Crosby, Stills and Nash?
Well, there's a certain energy you get from singing with people you've known for twenty-five years. People who have been through all these changes with you. Gone up and down with you. Seen you do things that are wrong and seen you do things that are brilliant. Seen you fucked up to the max, you know? And you've seen them do all these things. And yet we're still here. Just to hear what it sounds like when we sing together after all these years — I was curious. I've wanted to do it for the last two or three years. And now it's possible.

I think that CSNY has a lot to say. Especially Crosby. His presence is very strong. Him being strong and surviving and writing great songs and being part of a winner is really a good role model for a lot of people in the same boat.

So he's really cleaned up?
He's doing fine. His emotions are slightly shattered, because he's just abused his emotions for so long by not letting them out. But now that he's pure and can let his emotions out, his highs are real high, and his lows are real low. Those are just the extremes of his personality. But he pulls out of his lows, and they don't turn him toward any problem areas or anything.

How about Stills?
He's definitely the rowdiest of the four of us, as far as abuses and things like that. But he's at a time in his life when things are real important. He's just been married, and his wife's pregnant. There are a lot of new things happening. And he and I playing together is a nice resurgence.

He didn't seem so together when they profiled CSN on West 57th.
The thing that surprised me was the fact that CSN actually did the show. I mean, what are they gonna do next, Geraldo? And they obviously weren't thinking clearly, because every tour that CSN has ever done, Stephen has gone out the window. He blows out before he goes on the road. He blows out heavily. So what do they do? They set up a TV guy to be there when it happens. What kind of stupid move is that?

You two have had a stormy relationship.
We're like brothers, you know? We love each other, and we hate each other. We resent each other, but we love playing together. I see and hear so much in Stephen that I'm frustrated when it isn't on record or something. There have been a lot of frustrations through our whole lives with each other, but there's also been a lot of great music. He continuously blows my mind with the ideas that he has for my songs. He's one of the greatest musicians I've ever met in my life. Great singer. Incredible songwriter.

But what's he like as a person? He came off like a jerk on that show.
He's a tormented artist. He's the definition of the tormented artist. And he's a great fucking bluesman. But he's got a lot of monkeys on his back, and they're not letting him do his thing. I just hope he makes it.

And what's Nash like?
Nash is a very straight, very sincere kind of organized guy, dedicated to quality and very reliable. And he's an extremely good singer. Amazing pitch. He likes to be on top of it. He takes a lot of pride in being totally able to accomplish whatever it is that has to be done. Without Nash, there would be no Crosby, Stills and Nash at all. It would have been over a long time ago.

Are there plans for a CSNY tour?
They wanted to book a tour, and I said no way. I don't want to have anything to do with a tour. When the record's finished and we know what we've got, that's the time to talk about a tour.

Also, everyone needs to really get in shape if we tour. There's no way getting around the fact that a CSNY tour would be a nostalgia tour to a great degree. CSNY is Woodstock — it's that era, that whole generation. So why go out there and not be at our physical best? If people are looking at us as their brothers who they went through all these changes with, do they want to see somebody who's not together? No, they want to see someone who's superstrong, who's endured, who's a survivor and is still creative and looks better than ever.

If we go out there and fall on our ass, what are we? Dean Martin? All the alcoholics who went to see him, they didn't say, "Wow, look at Dean. He used to drink so much, but he got himself together and now he's strong, up there with Frank and Sammy." I feel sorry for the guy. He's in the fucking hospital.

That's a weird comparison, but in some ways it's very true. They're just another generation's heroes. So I think we have a responsibility, and I don't think we've lived up to it yet.

Crosby's recovered to a point. But he needs to recover his physical strength and endurance. His endurance is low because he's very big. And he moves very slowly. This is a problem that has to be solved. You can't go out there with all the spirit in the world. You have to have a physical body that can sustain the gruel of a world tour.