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David Crosby readily admits that he hasn't made a lot of good decisions in his life; his bad judgment brought him a lot of shame and grief and took a serious physical toll on him, too.
Now 80, Croz has openly wondered (for a number of years) how and why he's still alive, let alone spry enough to continue writing songs and playing music. While tendinitis makes it difficult for him to play guitar these days, the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer can still sing as beautifully as he ever could.
He tells The Guardian that the preservation of his singing voice likely ties back to one of the few good decisions he made in his younger days.
"That really mystified me," he said of his voice's endurance. "I did everything wrong. Well, no, I didn't do everything wrong. I didn't smoke cigarettes, and maybe that's the key."
Crosby once expected to be dead at 30, so forging ahead for another half century has been a surprise, to say the least.
After once going 21 years without releasing a solo album, Crosby just released his fifth solo LP in seven years, For Free.
The album was a collaboration with his son, producer and composer James Raymond, who he didn't know existed until a few years ago.
Raymond's input is a tremendous factor in Crosby's renewed creative output. Collaborating musically has helped the two bond as father and son. Crosby's not sure he deserves the joy it brings him, but he's grateful for it just the same.
"James did a wonderful thing, man. He gave me a chance to earn my way into his life... by making music with him," Crosby continued. "And we write spectacularly well together."
He added that Raymond's composition "I Won't Stay for Long" is the high-water mark of the new record.
"Imagine how I feel about my son being that good a writer," Crosby said. "I wear it like a garland of flowers on my head. It's just f---ing wonderful."