Another Byrd Has Flown
Sorrow and Bliss, Benchmark Eatery, David Crosby, Brock Purdy, Hazardous Hydrant
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. I hope you enjoy the picks and pics.
Fave Five 17: Another Byrd Has Flown. Mason’s Masterpiece (Sorrow and Bliss), Pleasing Pozole (Benchmark Eatery), Virtuoso Vocalist (David Crosby), Irrelevant Iowa Stater (Brock Purdy), and a Hazardous Hydrant.
One of my favorite bands of all time, The Byrds, lost another of its original members when David Crosby passed away one week ago today. He followed Gene Clark (1991) and Michael Clarke (1993). Only Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman are still with us.
I saw a version of The Byrds with Clarence White play a concert at Washington University in St. Louis on September 9, 1972. It was a thrill to see and hear Roger and Clarence perform together before Clarence died the following year. I never saw David live, but I was a fan of his work with CSN, CSNY, and Crosby & Nash.
Book Best Bet
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Barb bought this book based on Ann Patchett’s recommendation. She hasn’t gotten around to reading it yet, but I brought it with us to California. I read it in one week and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s both witty and touching.
From Amazon:
Winner of the Book of the Year (Fiction) at the British Book Awards
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction
Brilliantly faceted and extremely funny. While I was reading it, I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realized that I wanted to send it to everyone I know." — Ann Patchett
The internationally bestselling, compulsively readable novel—spiky, sharp, intriguingly dark, and tender—that combines the psychological insight of Sally Rooney with the sharp humor of Nina Stibbe and the emotional resonance of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
Martha Friel just turned forty. She used to work at Vogue and was going to write a novel. Now, she creates internet content for no one. She used to live in Paris. Now, she lives in a gated community in Oxford that she hates and can’t bear to leave. But she must now that her loving husband Patrick has just left.
Because there’s something wrong with Martha. There has been since a little bomb went off in her brain, at seventeen, leaving her changed in a way no doctor or drug could fix then and no one, even now, can explain—why can say she is so often sad, cruel to everyone she loves, why she finds it harder to be alive than other people.
With Patrick gone, the only place Martha has left to go is her childhood home, to live with her chaotic parents, to survive without Ingrid, the sister who made their growing-up bearable, who said she would never give up on Martha, and who finally has.
It feels like the end but maybe, by going back, Martha will get to start again. Maybe there is a different story to be written, if Martha can work out where to begin.
Restaurant Recommendation
Benchmark Eatery 201 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101
After Barb finished her volunteer rose pruning at Mission Historical Park in Santa Barbara, Julian and I picked her up and met Tracy, Matt, and Noah at Kids World Park. After Julian and Noah enjoyed the playground, we walked downtown for lunch at Benchmark Eatery Neighborhood Kitchen + Bar.
I ordered pozole and crispy chicken sliders, and they were very tasty. Tracy shared the pozole with me and loved it. I took two of the sliders home for dinner.
Pozole Verde: Authentic Mexican stew topped with radish, cabbage & cilantro, carnitas, and avocado
Crispy Chicken Sliders (3): Coleslaw, pickle, sriracha aioli, brioche bun
Marvelous Musician
David Crosby, Folk-Rock Voice of the 1960s, Dies at 81 - The New York Times
David Crosby: 20 Essential Songs by the Folk-Rock Legend - Rolling Stone
I am a big fan of The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Crosby & Nash. I always appreciated David's harmony singing, but his solo work didn't appeal as much. One of my music-loving friends, Steve Meilleur, extolled David's songwriting, so I delved into it more.
For me, Croz is one of my two or three favorite singer songwriters. Most people only think of him in the context of the Byrds and CSN (Sometimes "Y"), and are not familiar with his full music catalog. His songwriting with CSN was some of their best, IMO, including "Guinnevere," "Long Time Gone," "Deja Vu, "and the often overlooked "Delta". He also co-wrote "Wooden Ships" with Paul Kantner. His solo work is masterful, and often overlooked - check it out, starting with "If I Could Only Remember My Name," through "Croz," and "Lighthouse." He was remarkable, and his music will, thankfully, live on. Rest well and in peace, David "Croz" Crosby. You will be missed. — Steven Meilleur
The Lefsetz Letter by Bob Lefsetz
David Crosby was a difficult man. But he was brilliant. And the special sauce, the man whose magic could be hard to pin down, but without him in the room it didn’t happen. And when he was…
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David Crosby maintained his internal tuning fork throughout his life. He never compromised, never did it the easy way, always kept pushing towards the goal. There are people who don’t like this, but Crosby was smart enough to know you don’t retreat because of institutional blowback, you stay the course, otherwise you can never get to the goal.
So that’s all she wrote. All he did. There will be no more story. But there’s enough for two or three lifetimes. David Crosby first and foremost embraced life. He’ll be a long time gone.
The most distinguishing talent of David Crosby can be summarized in one word: harmonics. It’s what set him apart from his peers and added a unique contribution to his and the music of others while also inspiring many of us to uncover new creative possibilities with our voices and instruments. — Gary Goff
Musically, he always played an essential, yet subtle part in every band he was in. He was the ‘middle’ guy. With the lower and upper harmony parts usually pretty obvious in any situation, he was a master at finding the middle, buzzy, unpredictable, harmonically stretching element that changed vocal harmonies from predictable to thrilling. Not the obvious parallel movement. He did it in the Byrds, CSN & sometimes Y and elsewhere. In his beautiful recent recordings with my pal Michael League & others. In his harmonies with James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and David Gilmour. — Fuzzbee Morse
From Wikipedia: David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941 in Los Angeles; died January 18, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. Crosby appeared on the Byrds' first five albums and produced the original lineup's 1973 reunion album. In 1967 he joined Buffalo Springfield on stage at the Monterey Pop Festival, which contributed to his dismissal from the Byrds. He subsequently formed Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1968 with Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield and Graham Nash of the Hollies. Meant to be a group that could collaborate freely, Crosby and Nash recorded three gold albums in the 1970s, while the core trio of CSN remained active from 1976 until 2016. CSNY reunions took place in each decade from the 1970s through the 2000s.
Songs Crosby wrote or co-wrote include "Lady Friend", "Why", and "Eight Miles High" with the Byrds and "Guinnevere", "Wooden Ships", "Shadow Captain", and "In My Dreams" with Crosby, Stills & Nash. He wrote "Almost Cut My Hair" and the title track "Déjà Vu" for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 1970 album. He was known for his use of alternative guitar tunings and jazz influences. He has released seven solo albums, five of which have charted. Additionally he formed a jazz influenced trio with his son James Raymond and guitarist Jeff Pevar in CPR. Crosby was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once for his work in the Byrds and again for his work with CSN. Five albums to which he contributed are included in Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, three with the Byrds and two with CSN(Y). He was outspoken politically and has been depicted as emblematic of the 1960s' counterculture.
I bought Graham Nash / David Crosby in 1972 and Wind on the Water in 1975. “Southbound Train,” “Page 43,” and “Immigration Man” are my favorites.
From Wikipedia: In addition to solo careers and within the larger aggregate of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the musical team of David Crosby and Graham Nash performed and recorded regularly as a duo, mostly during the 1970s and the 2000s.
In addition to their album work, Crosby & Nash were the harmony vocalists of choice for a number of prominent singer-songwriters and album-oriented rock performers in the 1970s. Their most recognizable session work includes "Are You Ready for the Country?" on Neil Young's 1972 Harvest album, and the hit singles "Free Man in Paris" by Joni Mitchell in 1974, "Mexico" by James Taylor in 1975, and "The Pretender" by Jackson Browne in 1976. They also appeared on albums by Dave Mason, J.D. Souther, Elton John, Art Garfunkel, Gary Wright, Carole King, John Mayer, and David Gilmour, as recently as on Gilmour's Rattle That Lock (2015).
Long Time Gone
I first heard Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1969 when their debut album was released. My sister Joan bought it and told me excitedly about this new supergroup formed from the The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and The Hollies. The first time I heard “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” I was blown away by the harmonies. Deja Vu (the first album with Neil Young) was another triumph, and the release of “Ohio” in 1970 after the Kent State tragedy was a very powerful moment. When 4 Way Street came out in 1971 my friends and I rushed out to buy it and listened to it with great anticipation.
From Wikipedia: Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk-rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills, and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, they are called Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). They are noted for their intricate vocal harmonies, often tumultuous interpersonal relationships, political activism, and lasting influence on American music and culture.
Chimes of Freedom - Monterey 1967
I had been aware of their hits from the 60s and liked the sound of their harmonies and Roger McGuinn's guitar. In 1967 I recorded “I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better” off the radio not realizing that it was an oldie, and it became one of my very favorite songs. In 1970 my brother David and I bought The Byrds Greatest Hits. We liked it so much that we proceeded to buy all of their albums.
From Wikipedia: The Byrds were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with front man Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole consistent member. Although they only managed to attain the huge commercial success of contemporaries like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Rolling Stones for a short period in the mid-1960s, the Byrds are today considered by critics to be nearly as influential as those bands. Their signature blend of clear harmony singing and McGuinn's jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar was "absorbed into the vocabulary of rock" and has continued to be influential.
Initially, the band pioneered the musical genre of folk rock as a popular format in 1965, by melding the influence of the Beatles and other British Invasion bands with contemporary and traditional folk music on their first and second albums, and the hit singles "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!". As the 1960s progressed, the band was influential in originating psychedelic rock and raga rock, with their song "Eight Miles High" and the albums Fifth Dimension (1966), Younger Than Yesterday (1967) and The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968). They also played a pioneering role in the development of country rock, with the 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo representing their fullest immersion into the genre. The original five-piece lineup of the Byrds consisted of Jim McGuinn (lead guitar, vocals), Gene Clark (tambourine, vocals), David Crosby (rhythm guitar, vocals), Chris Hillman (bass guitar, vocals), and Michael Clarke (drums).
Sports Star
Brock Purdy: Mr. Irrelevant
The San Francisco 49ers will play the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game on Sunday at 3 pm EST. The two quarterbacks have a combined record as starters this season of 22-1, but they are not the typical high first-round draft picks. Jalen Hurts of the Eagles was the 53rd pick (second round) of the 2020 draft, but he is a strong candidate for NFL MVP this season. Brock Purdy of the 49ers was the 262nd and final pick (7th round) of the 2022 draft, making him Mr. Irrelevant, but he is undefeated in all seven games he has started in the NFL. This shows how imperfect scouting, rating, and drafting of athletes can be. I think it would be great if he is able to win the Super Bowl this year.
Can 49ers' QB Brock Purdy take 'Mr. Irrelevant' tag to the Super Bowl?
Purdy threw 13 touchdowns to four interceptions this season after taking over as the 49ers starter on Dec. 11 in Week 14. He was named one of three finalists for the 2022 Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year award on Wednesday, despite only being a starter for the past seven games and five of those in the regular season.
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Former USC and NFL wide receiver and actor Paul Salata was the originator of Mr. Irrelevant. He would invite the player for a week's vacation in Newport Beach, California, as a way to honor him. Salata announced the draft's final pick until 2013, and his daughter Melanie Fitch has done it ever since.
From Wikipedia: Brock Richard Purdy (born December 27, 1999 in Queen Creek, Arizona) is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State University and was selected by the 49ers with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, making him the Mr. Irrelevant of that year.
After being named the third-string quarterback to start his rookie season, injuries to quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo thrust Purdy into the starting role. He won all five regular season games he started, contributing to the team’s ten-game winning streak that propelled the 49ers to a division title and the second seed in the playoffs.
The statlines from this contest were incredible. Purdy completed 19 of 30 passes for 282 yards and five touchdowns, and rushed 15 times for 55 yards and another score. Hurts completed 18 of 26 passes for 273 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and also rushed 22 times for 68 yards and two touchdowns.
Picture Pun
Julian says: Don’t drink the water from the yellow hydrant.
Triad was my favorite David Crosby song, both his version on Four Way Street and the Jefferson Airplane version on Crown of Creation