This week, musician Graham Nash talks with podcast host Guy Raz about his continued inspiration, delivered-in-30-minutes-or-less Top 10 hits, and his famous, sometimes famously troubled, collaborations with the likes of David Crosby, Joni Mitchell, and others.
LISTEN NOW: The Great Creators with Guy Raz: Graham Nash
Graham Nash has made some of the most unforgettable music of the last century with songs like the Crosby, Stills & Nash classics "Marrakesh Express," "Our House," and "Just a Song Before I Go." Now, at the age of 80, he’s as creatively engaged as ever, still releasing new albums and roaming the streets of New York City in search of his next great photograph.
Nash explains his love for music began as an young Salford lad; "When I was supposed to be going to bed Sunday evening, getting ready for school the next day." The American Top 40 hits of the day, he remembers, were being "blasted out from Radio Luxembourg... Occasionally, when the weather would cooperate with us we could hear it quite plainly."
"I think BBC only had two channels back then," Graham recalls, "but I could hear it through my bedpost... If I put my ear to my bedpost, I could hear the American Top 40, and that's what started me."
Nash, continues, "Once I had learned the basic three chords on a guitar and could play every Buddy Holly song that he wrote, my parents, thankfully, would not let me deviate from that. They saw my passion for music and instead of crushing it and saying, 'get a real job,' you know, 'this music stuff's not gonna last more than two years,' -- and now here we are fifty-odd years later and I'm talking to you about music."
Still creating to this day, and creating things that he is incredibly proud of, Nash says the sparks that keeps him moving are curiosity and challenge. "I'm curious about everything. I want to know how everything works... I want to challenge the universe," he adds. "I challenge the universe every single day, because I talk internally to myself. I go, 'OK world, I know you've got some great s**t out there. Here I am, I've got my camera, I've got my brain. I'm coming out into the world, show me, what have you got?' Invariably, I see something fantastic. I put myself in that mood; I'm almost willing the universe to challenge me and show me things that other people don't see."
Don't miss the full episode featuring Graham Nash and grab a copy of his photo book A Life in Focus now.
Listen to The Great Creators with Guy Raz for a more inventive, imaginative you. Every week, Guy Raz (creator of How I Built This) leads a deep-dive conversation with someone at the top of their game. From conquering stage fright to learning to be more present and focused, you'll learn how each guest mastered their craft and ultimately became more successful in life. The result? An arsenal of tools and techniques you can apply to your own life and work, allowing you to harness your talent and become a better version of yourself.
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Check out some of Audacy's all-new Rock stations like 80s Guitar, Rock N’ Road, Freedom Rock, The Canyon, Arena Rock, Wake Up and Rock, and The Roots of Rock for those who crave the early days.
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