Graham Nash is a bit of a Renaissance man. He's best known as a singer-songwriter, famous as a member of the group the Hollies and later in Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. He is also a photographer, painter, sculptor, and as this book shows, a pretty good writer. Nash chronicles his life from his childhood in working class Manchester, England, through performing in the bar scene, and on to stardom in the world of rock and roll. He story is brutally honest about the wild times, sex, and drugs without being sordid. Included are his long relationship with Joni Mitchell, the disagreements between band members, the frequent problems working with Neil Young, and the drug abuse that nearly destroyed David Crosby. There is lots of talk about the intricacies of songwriting and the harmonies that CS&N created in their music. Nash also speaks about the importance of CSN&Y's political activism from the anti-Vietnam era to the present. Through it all, Nash seems to be the most level headed of the group although he was no angel. However, he is the one who managed to end up in a stable marriage, raised successful kids and created an idyllic home on the island of Kauai while continuing his music and art careers. I listened to the audio version of this book read by Graham Nash. The great part about this is that whenever specific songs & lyrics are mentioned he sings them. The downside to listening to the book is missing out on the 25 pages of photos contained in the book. I've put the book on reserve just to have a look at the photos.
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