Graham Nash to do it his way at State College show

Rock icon Graham Nash isn’t particularly keen on unsolicited career advice.

“People were screaming at me when I left the Hollies,” recalled Nash, who will stop by The State Theatre on Friday in support of his 2016 album, “This Path Tonight.”

“They said ‘What are you doing? You’re walking away from millions!’ They did the same thing with Crosby Stills & Nash. So on and so forth. Ultimately though, no one’s making any decisions for me ... but me.”

The Woodstock Nation’s numbers may be thinning, but Nash remains energetic and lucid to a remarkable degree. He makes no apologies for his left-leaning politics, nor his disinterest in a Crosby Stills & Nash reunion. He wears many hats — songwriter, author, painter, photographer, humanitarian — and a suitable adjective to describe Nash is “autonomous.”

Nash recently spoke about carrying on through life on his own terms.

Q: You turn 76 this year, yet your energy seems endless. Do you find the days getting shorter at all?

A: Hey, growing old is not for the faint of heart! But, I don’t fear it. I can’t. The music means too much to me. The things I want to do ... those mean too much to me. These dire times we live in now, the people currently running this country … it means too much to just sit idle. So yes, I agree, I do have a lot of energy at this age.

Q: On this tour, you’re accompanied only by longtime CSN collaborator Shane Fontayne. Are you open to touring with a full band again?

A: Absolutely. I’ll decide when, though. The band that played on “This Path Tonight” ... I’d very much like to take them on the road.

Q: Speaking of “This Path Tonight” and its featured musicians, what kind of sound were you looking to capture on this album?

A: I wanted it to be real as possible. I like first takes — there’s a feeling of immediacy when you’re recording the first take of a song. “Myself At Last,” for instance, the version you hear on “This Path Tonight” was the first take. I’m not interested in recording a song four hundred times, then having to listen to each one.

Q: There’s a particular lyric on “Myself At Last” I wanted to inquire about: “Everyone I’ve ever known has been some kind of test.”

A: Oh, yes. People test you constantly. They test you in that they cause you to make choices. Some good, some bad ... but all the same, these are choices you’re held accountable for.

Q: Kanye West sampled “Chicago (We Can Change the World)” for the rapper Beanie Sigel’s 2000 hit “The Truth.” How did you receive being sampled for a hip-hop song?

A: I thought it was fantastic. Here’s the thing ... I don’t know where my songs come from. By that, I mean I can’t foresee a song materializing in my mind until it happens. In that respect, there is also an element of surprise when I discover where my songs end up.

Q: What other obscure recordings or curiosos do you perform on that a Graham Nash completist may want to hear?

A: How about a recording of the Everly Brothers and myself performing “So Sad” live in three-part harmony?

Q: Where can fans find that?

A: They can’t. I have the only copy.

Q: For inclusion on the next box set, perhaps?

A: We’ll see. Again, I’ll be making that decision.

This story was originally published August 3, 2017 at 9:04 AM with the headline "Graham Nash to do it his way at State College show."