David Crosby's Shipwreck
Long Time Gone by David Crosby and Carl Gottlieb
Rock stars are supposed to be self-destructive. Publicity photos of groupies, drugs, living to excess in a variety of ways are all part of the cultural mystique surrounding these musicians whose every work means so much to so many people. Frequently, such photos are staged, Kodak proof, if you will, of the lifestyle. Often, they're not.
Sometimes things get bad for these inhabitants of our rock pantheon. Jimi or Janis bad. Or they take another turn and become Cobain bad. Or there are just dumb things that happen like Beach Boy drummer Dennis Wilson drowning. Spider Robinson was right; god is an iron. Imagine - one of The Beach Boys - drowning.
The People v. David Crosby
Folkie David Crosby and buddy Carl Gottlieb tell us in the 1988 book about Crosby's continuing battle against drug addiction, Long Time Gone. The story is sad, and although many people know that Crosby has extensively battled his addictions, seeing in black and white the sheer magnitude of the problems they caused is horrifying.
David Crosby is a sick man.
His co-authored autobiography freely admits this illness. Crosby goes so far as to include extremely unflattering medical records and admits to breaking many more laws than conceived by the most vigilant of law enforcement officers. Weapons and drug charges were Crosby's typical offenses, although he details breaking so many other laws that one imagines a lifetime of incarceration had the attorneys doubtlessly assured him that he was beyond arrest.
David Crosby is a gifted man. Not musically. Yes, we all know that he's a genius there; one of the sweetest songbirds to ever harmonize in rock music. His true gift, though, appears to be the ability to analyze the best possible way to achieve his end whether that purpose is musical, related to substance abuse or even learning the nuances of sailing. Long Time Gone details his exploits in each of these areas, among others, leaving the reader wondrous at how much energy and effort Crosby sunk into excelling in so many areas.
David Crosby was a poor man.
Throughout the torturous pace of the book, I allowed my mind to briefly contemplate whether the publisher had agreed to pay by the pound. There is a lot of information here, but much of it may strike all but the most rabid fans as superfluous. Other rock star tell-alls, notably those by Mick Fleetwood and Al Kooper, are written when the former star is facing mountains of bills and trades once more on the name that made them famous. Crosby joins their ranks with Long Time Gone.
The Plot in 101 Words - One Extra
Crosby was an incredibly prolific folkie who first recorded in 1963. He tells of the growth of the West and East Coast folk scenes and describes in almost painful detail the formation of The Byrds. Also included are graphic depictions of Crosby's life - whatever he happened to be involved with at the time. When that was a sailing journey for weeks on end, the reader is forced to endure the entire trip. Finally, escalating out of control with stardom, drug use and failed interventions, Crosby lands in rehab and then prisons. The book is slow reading, but chock full of anecdotes.
How This Book Even Works At All
Reminiscent of VH-1's Behind The Music, Crosby and Gottleib intersperse Crosby's ramblings with interviews and news items from dozens of sources. Countless times, I finished a section, say a memory from Graham Nash, and actually heard the announcer's voice in my head.
When we return, the folk singer is arrested and albums sales plummet. Next on Behind the Music..
The convention briefly works, but after more than 500 pages, one simply begins whimpering. Surely there must be something to read other than edited transcripts of interviews. 500 plus pages is a lot of words - certainly more than 100,000. Were they all necessary?
No, and that is Long Time Gone's biggest problem. The Doubleday editorial staff apparently put away their red pens and let Crosby spew. A much more pleasurable reading experience would be offered if the word count was cut even thirty percent.
Frankly, the reminiscing ad infinitum about Crosby's boats and sailing trips are filler, much the same as a recording artist tossing a weak cover on an album to push the play time higher. Have you ever read a book where the characters are sailing and wished that the boat wrecked? Neither had I until now, but one adage this musician never learned is Less is More.
So Will I Like This Book?
Rabid rock fans - and I do mean rabid - will enjoy the name checks throughout the book. There are several lovely sections dealing with how Crosby and Joni Mitchell first developed her following, as well as backfill stories on dozens of significant rock era events. Tabloid readers and those who stop to gawk (not slow down, stop) at car accidents will also have their sense of the macabre stroked.
Others would do just as well in picking up a Crosby album, or one with one of the three bands he has played with, and enjoying the music.
