An evening with Graham Nash

[highplainsdem]

7. Sounds like a wonderful evening, DFW! I'm so glad you got to enjoy it - and glad to hear that Graham

was obviously enjoying it as well.

It made for bittersweet reading last night, though, after posting the news earlier in the day that Golden Earring's George Kooymans had died, after a battle with ALS ( https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143500597 ). He was 6 years younger than Graham, but Golden Earring had started doing American tours in the late '60s and on one tour George and lead singer Barry had stayed at Stephen Stills's house and possibly met Graham. Like so many musicians then, they used drugs and did a lot of drinking - George had to be carried onto a plane once when they were touring with the Who and he'd tried to keep up with Keith Moon partying the night before - but he'd taken good care of himself in recent decades. Even ran marathons. Had been so healthy that even in his early 70s he'd been able to write, record and tour with both an American guitarist in a duo, and with two other famous Dutch musicians in a supergroup trio, while still keeping Golden Earring together and selling out arenas. And then ALS ended all three groups, when George had had no intention of slowing down.

With some classic rock musicians, their staying healthy (or not) seems deliberately attributable to lifestyle choices. But with others it seems so random and unfair.

I hope Graham will have more years in pretty good health - and no more bad falls.