David Crosby tells great Coltrane story

[medjuck]

I just came back from seeing a documentary about David Crosby that begins with him telling a great John Coltrane story.  According to Crosby he had taken some drugs and gone to see Coltrane who took a long solo so intense that Crosby fled to  the bathroom.  Suddenly the bathroom door was kicked open and Trane entered still playing his solo.   Crosby never says whether Coltrane was there to use the facilities or just chasing him.  The movie then begins and the incident is not mentioned again. 

Edited August 15, 2019 by medjuck

[sambrasa]

And then the effect of drugs wore off?

[T.D.]

How did you like the film? It was in my area recently, but I passed.

[JSngry]

What kind of drugs are we talking here?

[Brad]

Strange story. Must have been some powerful stuff. 

[JSngry]

Yeah, if it was some good acid, I've no doubt that Crosby thought that's what he saw.

As to whether or not what he saw was actually there....

[Shrdlu]

Anyone want to know what Paul Desmond said to me about Trane when I asked him in 1965?

Dave Brubeck's and Miles's groups with Trane often bumped into each other at engagements, so they all knew each other. Lol, I didn't ask Paul what he thought of Philly Joe.

[Peter Friedman]

Yes, what did Paul Desmond say about Trane?  And did he have anything to say about Miles or other members of Miles groups?

[medjuck]

3 hours ago, T.D. said:

How did you like the film? It was in my area recently, but I passed.

I liked it. Never been a big fan but   I saw Crosby perform at a charity event a year or so ago and was surprised how good he was. 

[T.D.]

8 minutes ago, medjuck said:

I liked it. Never been a big fan but   I saw Crosby perform at a charity event a year or so ago and was surprised how good he was. 

Thanks. It might come around again, or I can rent it.

Quite a while ago, when Crosby needed a liver transplant iirc, he came across in the media as an extremely, shall we say, un-simpatico character and I developed an aversion. Somewhat a fan of his Byrds era, less so of CSN(Y).

Edited August 15, 2019 by T.D.

[medjuck]

He still comes off that way. At least he admits it.  He  says he managed to alienate all of CSN&Y as well as Roger McGuinn  none of whom have spoken to him the last couple of years.  Film explains how he pissed off Young and McGuinn but not Sills and Nash-- the latter of whom seems to have been his best friend. 

[Big Beat Steve]

2 hours ago, Peter Friedman said:

Yes, what did Paul Desmond say about Trane?  And did he have anything to say about Miles or other members of Miles groups?

+1

[sgcim]

1 hour ago, medjuck said:

He still comes off that way. At least he admits it.  He  says he managed to alienate all of CSN&Y as well as Roger McGuinn  none of whom have spoken to him the last couple of years.  Film explains how he pissed off Young and McGuinn but not Sills and Nash-- the latter of whom seems to have been his best friend. 

He could be pretty obnoxious. He bugged Judee Sill so much once that she took off his belt and ran after him, whipping him with it, with a bunch of people looking on.

[Rooster_Ties]

Crosby has always, or for a long time at least, seemed like a real ass. Not of the very worst variety, but defijtely chaotic-neutral (at best).

Kind of reminds me of Morrissey a bit. A coworker was reading Morrissey's autobiography a couple years ago, and I asked him how it was. He said "ok, I guess, but it's all so misserable and whiny."...

...to which I processed to laugh and laugh quite heartily in his face, my retort being: "well, duh. It's Morrissey!"

 

Similarly, Crosby is exactly who he is, and long as you know that going into it, nobody's gonna get surprised or nothing.

 

I like CSN(Y) well enough, but haven't followed them too closely. In think Four Way Street is all I have on CD, though I've had another title or two in years past.

I think I saw them once back in high-school or early in my college years, 6th row (iirc), maybe circa 1987-89. I remember them being quite good.

I'd probably pony up to see the Crosby doc, just cuz I love music docs. Not a huge priority, but I be open to paying to see it in a theatre at matinee prices.

 

(FYI, I generally like Morrissey, probably more than David Crosby. But Morrissey is definitely an ass. Saw him live twice in the late 90's, and was blown away, couple of the best non-jazz concerts I'd ever been too. But we saw him again a couple years ago, and he was more annoying, and I don't think we need to go hear Morrissey again for another's 5-10 years.)

Edited August 15, 2019 by Rooster_Ties

[Shrdlu]

At a Brubeck concert in Adelaide, Australia, in 1965, I got a chance to chat with Paul Desmond briefly. Things were much more informal in those days. I asked him what he thought of Coltrane and he said "Interesting, but I wouldn't want to sound like that."

[JSngry]

Scandalous!

[felser]

1 hour ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Crosby has always, or for a long time at least, seemed like a real ass. Not of the very worst variety, but defijtely chaotic-neutral (at best).

Kind of reminds me of Morrissey a bit. A coworker was reading Morrissey's autobiography a couple years ago, and I asked him how it was. He said "ok, I guess, but it's all so misserable and whiny."...

...to which I processed to laugh and laugh quite heartily in his face, my retort being: "well, duh. It's Morrissey!"

 

Similarly, Crosby is exactly who he is, and long as you know that going into it, nobody's gonna get surprised or nothing.

 

I like CSN(Y) well enough, but haven't followed them too closely. In think Four Way Street is all I have on CD, though I've had another title or two in years past.

I think I saw them once back in high-school or early in my college years, 6th row (iirc), maybe circa 1987-89. I remember them being quite good.

I'd probably pony up to see the Crosby doc, just cuz I love music docs. Not a huge priority, but I be open to paying to see it in a theatre at matinee prices.

 

(FYI, I generally like Morrissey, probably more than David Crosby. But Morrissey is definitely an ass. Saw him live twice in the late 90's, and was blown away, couple of the best non-jazz concerts I'd ever been too. But we saw him again a couple years ago, and he was more annoying, and I don't think we need to go hear Morrissey again for another's 5-10 years.)

I always thought Johnny Marr made the Smiths.  Saw CSNY twice, about 30 years apart.  First time was at the Atlantic City Raceway concert in 1974/75, and Santana absolutely played them off the stage.  That was the great group with Leon Pattilo and Tom Coster, Borboletta era.  I actually like Crosby's music quite a bit.  Graham Nash is the one whose music always annoyed me with that group (though I liked him in the Hollies).  Could live my life quite happily without ever hearing "Teach Your Children" or "Our House" again.

[T.D.]

9 hours ago, medjuck said:

He still comes off that way. At least he admits it.  He  says he managed to alienate all of CSN&Y as well as Roger McGuinn  none of whom have spoken to him the last couple of years.  Film explains how he pissed off Young and McGuinn but not Sills and Nash-- the latter of whom seems to have been his best friend. 

Back in '94 (the liver transplant brouhaha), Crosby's assholicity came off as so extreme that he became somewhat of a public laughing stock and was extensively mocked in the media.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

theres probably a lot of truth to it we do know that Trane did do that, havent we heard many stories of Trane practicing in the kitchen of jazz club n stuff

[JSngry]

It sounds like what anybody with musical integrity and personal awareness would say about damn near anybody who was coming from a different place but was still working towards getting to the same place.

[medjuck]

BTW The Byrds always claimed 8 Miles High was inspired by Trane. 

[T.D.]

Going back to the original anecdote in the club...Did Coltrane know who Crosby was? Or was he just following some random long-haired doper into the bathroom?

[medjuck]

5 minutes ago, T.D. said:

Going back to the original anecdote in the club...Did Coltrane know who Crosby was? Or was he just following some random long-haired doper into the bathroom?

None of this is made clear in the film.  Crosby was present at a recent sold-out screening here in Santa Barbara (he lives nearby). If I'd gone I would have asked him more about it.  It seemed to me that the story is included (and starts the film) to show just how passionate people can be about their music. 

[JSngry]

Crosby was on Hollywood Squares for a bit, wasn't he? The rebooted one? Seems I remember that.