Few artists have been a part of as many era-defining groups as Stephen Stills. For many, it’s one and done. For Stills, he has lent his songwriting prowess to Manassas, Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills & Nash; and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. His stature in the folk scene is lofty.
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Fittingly, Stills has had a lot to say about music, art, and life on the road throughout his career. Find 12 of his best quotes about these things and more, below.
[RELATED: The Origins of the Iconic Trio Crosby Stills and Nash]
1. “There are three things men can do with women: love them, suffer for them, or turn them into literature.”
2. “Once you decide that it is the art that is important and not how popular and well-received you are, you no longer have an albatross.”
3. “I don’t set out to write a political song. I am not one of those that feels compelled to write about what’s going on.”
4. “One thing the blues ain’t, is funny.”
5. “Sometimes I get a little drunk, sometimes I get a little out of it, sometimes I get out of tune onstage, but that’s something that shouldn’t be dissected.”
6. “I got hooked into folk music by accident because that’s what white college kids liked when I was a child.”
7. “The only albatross is the hurt you divine from what people say about your art.”
8. “I detest talking about myself. There is a reason why people pick up an instrument and put it between themselves and the rest of the world.”
9. “Language is an inadequate form of communication. If you’ve picked up an instrument, it’s because you don’t feel you are communicating sufficiently.”
10. “An artist cannot be responsible for what people make of their art. An audience loathe giving up preconceived images of an artist.”
11. “There were times I thought I was going to turn to the blues, but then I’d hear better blues players.”
12. “I much prefer the road. My thing is getting live in front of people. There is a sterile environment to a studio that doesn’t make me let go.”
(Photo by Robert Knight Archive/Redferns)
