In this profoundly moving March 1999 broadcast of The Dini Petty Show, two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee David Crosby sits down for an intimate, incredibly raw conversation. At 57 years old, the founding member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) was operating on borrowed time—celebrating five years of sobriety following a near-fatal liver transplant. This interview catches Crosby at a rare, joyful career junction: his new band CPR was thriving, and down the hall in the studio, Neil Young had just walked in unannounced to spark the final CSNY reunion album, Looking Forward.
Rather than focusing solely on classic rock hedonism, Crosby opens up to host Dini Petty about the miraculous personal reconciliation that redefined his life. He shares the stunning story of his son, James Raymond, whom he had given up for adoption in the 1960s. Decades later, while Crosby lay dying in a hospital bed, he received a letter revealing that James had grown up to become a professional, classically trained musician without ever knowing who his biological father was. This emotional reunion led to the formation of their band CPR, fusing Raymond’s formal musical literacy with Crosby’s legendary instinctual songwriting.
David Crosby strips away all rock-star pretense when discussing his brutal descent into heroin and freebasing cocaine, describing himself as an ignorant kid who was handed millions of dollars without a roadmap. He credits his survival entirely to his wife, Jan, who stuck by him all the way to the absolute bottom of a prison cell and back. The sprawling discussion also highlights Crosby’s boundless enthusiasm for his craft, his memories of guitar virtuoso Michael Hedges, and his immense gratitude for his second chance at life, colorfully declaring that “music is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.”
Following his passing in January 2023 at the age of 81, this long-lost broadcast serves as an extraordinary testament to a legendary survivor who managed to mend his music and his family before the final curtain. Unseen since its original 1999 CTV airing, this master tape has been optimized and preserved via the official archive of The Dini Petty Show, protecting a vital piece of musical and television history.
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