Even though David Crosby tragically passed away in 2023, he lived life to the fullest possible extent. A life that was so full that some people have a hard time comprehending it. Between his music career and nefarious tendencies, Crosby’s life mimicked that of a troubled film character. However, he did not design it that way. Rather, it happened that way and Crosby spent his life adapting to the changing tides, most notably when he went to prison in 1985.
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In 1985, David Crosby was arrested, charged, and convicted of possession and weapons offenses. Consequently, Crosby was sentenced to nine months in a Texas State Prison in Huntsville. In music, this type of experience gets romanticized, but when Crosby became a free man, he made sure to subvert that notion and spew out nothing but the truth.
The Reality of David Crosby’s Prison Experience
No matter how many songs are sung or movies are made, prison is still prison. A place meant to punish and allegedly reform those who find themselves behind bars. Well, the reformation prison offers did work on Crosby, as the survival tips and lack of narcotics helped him change his debilitating ways.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, David Crosby opened up about his experience with prison and how it changed his whole internal being. Particularly, he did so in a Q&A with the publication when one user asked what prison advice to give to their brother. Regarding the question, Crosby stated, “Nobody is made for life on the inside. Trust me, I’ve been there” and “Tell him, mind his own business, a lot of people in there looking to pick a fight because they really have nothing else to do.”
Furthermore, Crosby divulged how he “Lucked Out” by going to prison, per Mojo. “Well, of course, it changed my life; that’s how I kicked drugs,” added Crosby. “The worst possible way to kick drugs is in prison. They don’t give you any aspirin. They look at you and go, ‘Hey, rockstar! How you feeling now?’ Wasn’t any fun at all,” he concluded.
Per his comments, it seems that David Crosby was a man who could only learn when he hit rock bottom. Though, that is better than not being able to learn at all. Other than his music, David Crosby lived a life that hopefully teaches people about the importance of self-awareness. Surely, out of the many things he preached, that is one of the things that is remembered about his legacy.
David Crosby at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre per Getty Images
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