Stephen Stills hasn't toked drugs and alcohol for three years. “And I'm really well,” he says on Zoom in connection from his home in Los Angeles. «I returned the guy that I was before this madness began, an affable and sociable person. At the beginning of the career, even before I sold a single disc, it was all special, but when you put on it about the poison … I'm glad to have returned what I was. “
After the series of concerts with Judy Collins of 2018, Stills stopped going on tour, but continues to perform occasionally, for example for charity purposes as when January 30 sang For what it's world with the Dawes and Mike Campbell at Fireaid, and then do Teach Your Children With Graham Nash. It was since 2016 that the two did not perform together. “It was like getting on an old pair of shoes,” says Stills. «And the pleasure of playing with those boys made him even more special. I don't attend Nash because he lives on the East Coast, but it was nice to see my old friend again ».
In the last two years Stills performed at the Painted Turtle last October, at Willie Nelson's 90th birthday in 2023 and made some concerts here and there with the Jim Isray Band, but he is not entirely convinced of returning to tour. “I'm a little more active now, so there is a possibility. It depends on the type of place where I can go play. “
To discourage it is the prospect of being too long on a tour bus. «It is the great obstacle. I can't imagine making those travels again, especially without Mike Finnegan (The CSN keyboardist who died in 2021, NDA) who tells me about his stories. Or maybe it would not be so different from the life I do today, since I spend time reading books and tinkering on the computer. And I still like playing ». The fact of having denied it, on January 3, who thought he would not arrive at 80 years of age. “I'm gathering money from those who have bet against,” he says jokingly.
On March 8th he will perform at the Town Hall in New York for Judy Collins' 85th birthday. In addition to Folksinger there will be Paula Cole, Rickie Lee Jones, Richard Thompson, Sophie B. Hawkins. In April it will be the turn of Light Up the Blues, charity concert in favor of Autism Speaks with Billy Idol, Cat Power, Linda Perry. There will also be Neil Young: inviting Richie Fuay, he could organize a reunion of Buffalo Springfield. «For this thing I refer you to Neil. He obviously boasts he is predictable ».
Over the past three years Stills has worked very slowly to an autobiography. We will not read it soon. “I proceed one word at a time,” he says, adding that to cool off his memory went to reread period articles of New York Times, Washington Post And The Times.
«I went to resume the newspapers released on my birthday over the years, helps to turn up on that period and make memories flow. Making neurons work at this age is a great challenge. Maybe one thing comes to mind and find out that it happened in another decade compared to what you thought. It was a nice exercise. By writing the book I understood that the more things change, the more they remain the same. And let me say, writing is much simpler now that I'm sober ».
From Rolling Stone Us.
