Crosby’s survival instinct
David Crosby knows he probably should have died a long time ago.
David Crosby knows he probably should have died a long time ago, said Stephen Rodrick in Rolling Stone. Since rising to fame with the Byrds in the 1960s, the singer-songwriter has survived a decades-long drug habit, liver failure, diabetes, and multiple heart attacks. “I don’t know why I’m alive and Jimi isn’t and Janis isn’t and Mama Cass isn’t and all my other friends,” says Crosby, 72, who kicked drugs—except for marijuana—in 1986. “I have no idea why me, but I got lucky.” Despite his years of living dangerously, Crosby is, paradoxically enough, very afraid of being murdered. He owns guns for self-protection; after he was busted on a firearm charge in the 1980s, his public explanation for why he was carrying a weapon consisted of two words: “John Lennon.” He actually began carrying years earlier, after Charles Manson’s gang committed the 1969 Sharon Tate murders just a half-mile from Crosby’s home. “When that happened, I said, ‘Mmm, I think I’m gonna get me a 12-gauge.’ And I did. Later on I got a .45. I’ve always been a gunner, it’s just part of my thing. But no, it’s not really based on a reasonable fear. I think you’re probably better off calling 911.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Scottish hospitality shines at these 7 hotels
The Week Recommends Sleep well at these lovely inns across Scotland
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Scientists invent a solid carbon-negative building material
Under the radar Building CO2 into the buildings
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: April 1, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published