Graham Nash’s Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life

As a young boy, Graham Nash loved going to church. He sang in the choir, and even from a young age, it was “all about the music” as he puts it. He also used to sing the Lord’s Prayer every day in school. And he idolized the Everly Brothers. Guess you learn something new everyday. And that’s just within the first few pages of his autobiography, Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life.

I’ve never been an avid Graham Nash admirer; no, as most of you are aware, I’ve always been more fond of Neil Young. That being said, I have long been appreciative of Nash’s artistic abilities and curious about his story, and I’m sure that Wild Tales only scratches the surface. Graham Nash had humble beginnings in post-war England (which he testifies left an indelible mark on his mind and shaped his opinionated and outspoken political views), and it was the memory of his father and his mother that pushed him to live for and to do more. Which he did.

After his career was launched with the Hollies, Nash went on to cross paths and perform with some of the greatest names in rock and roll, several of which he considered personal friends: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, the Everly Brothers, Mick Jagger, David Crosby, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell… you get the point. Nash is quite open about his circle of “friends”, and Wild Tales features no shortage of anecdotes about said friends. From the Hollies to CSN (and even CSNY), Nash divulges details that rock lovers are sure to soak up. He criticizes Neil Young for being “utterly self-centered” when, ironically, it’s Nash who comes across throughout the book as being egotistical and over-confident, what with his no-big-deal-just-naming-names attitude. It’s not until his poignant recollection of intimate, life-altering relationships with Cass Elliot, David Crosby, and Joni Mitchell that Nash’s heart begins to show through.

As he bounces back and forth from childhood to his life in America as a young man, Graham Nash weaves a tale that’s anything but average. “Rock stars”, as we label certain celebrities, live in a different world. It’s as though their every experience is extraordinary — for Nash, thanks due in part to heavy substance use, — and they always seem to have some kind of heightened sense of reality. With the help of his wife and the birth of his three children, it would appear that Nash eventually comes to the realization that a rock and roll life isn’t always what it seems (albeit in a part-cool-part-caution way).

Even as Nash ages, one thing that never grows old is his passion for music, and his love of art and photography. For me, it’s the pages in this book where Nash opens up and expresses his more vulnerable side about exploring his talents, developing his own processes for song-writing, and augmenting his artistic abilities, that truly inspires and makes Wild Tales worth the read.

368 pages, Crown Archetype New York, Buy it now on Amazon.ca