Graham Nash has never been one to shy away from honesty—especially when it comes to his long and complicated relationship with Neil Young. Speaking on the Rockonteurs podcast with Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt, Nash didn’t hold back when reflecting on their time together in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
“I have great respect for Neil. I know he’s a wonderful musician,” Nash began. “But he does things occasionally that really piss me off.”
Before Young joined the group, CSN had already found its voice as a trio. Nash didn’t know Young personally at the time, even though the Canadian had already made a name for himself with Buffalo Springfield and his solo work. Nash recalled being cautious about welcoming a new bandmate he hadn’t even met.
“I know Neil’s a decent writer and I know he’s a decent singer, but I’ve never met him. I don’t know whether I can be his friend, whether I could tell him secrets, whether I could hang with him,” he admitted. “I’ve got to meet this guy before we fucking invite him into this band.”
That meeting happened over breakfast in Manhattan—and, at first, it seemed like magic.
“At the end of the breakfast, I’d have made him king of the world,” Nash said, laughing. “He was funny. He was self-effacing. He was very smart.”
But as much as Neil Young added to the group, Nash admitted the experience was bittersweet. Talking about their classic album Deja Vu, Nash revealed that it was nearly completed before Young even entered the picture.
“We already had ‘Almost Cut My Hair.’ We already had ‘Teach Your Children.’ We already had ‘Our House.’ We already had ‘4 + 20.’ We already had ‘Carry On,’” he said. “We only got two songs from Neil, and he never played one note or sang a note on ‘Teach Your Children’ or ‘Our House.’ So in a way, the best thing that ever happened to CSN was Neil—and the worst thing that ever happened to CSN was Neil.”
That tension didn’t stop with the studio work. Nash said Young often isolated himself, avoiding the shared tour life that the rest of the band embraced.
“He always travelled alone,” Nash explained. “He never travelled in the buses like me and David and Stephen on that entire 1974 tour. He never joined. He never travelled with us.”
Even with their history of ups and downs, Nash still shows admiration for Young’s artistry. But it’s clear that their creative chemistry came with personal challenges.
As of this summer, Neil Young is scheduled to headline Glastonbury Festival and BST Hyde Park in the UK, while Nash is currently touring across North America and preparing for shows in the UK and Europe later this year.
