I’m older than I’d like and I’m creaky, but I’m doing alright.

David Crosby

He forced his fellow Byrds to listen to a collection of Ravi Shankar ragas and John Coltrane’s Africa/Brass over and over again while touring the UK: the two albums inspired the groundbreaking Eight Miles High, widely considered to be the first psychedelic single ever released. He was also the Byrds’ most enthusiastic chronicler of the LSD experience, which informed the frantic I See You and the suitably dazed-sounding What’s Happening?!?! on 1966’s Fifth Dimension – writes Alexis Petridis in The Guardian.

Eventually, the Byrds fired Crosby.

This week, Pádraig used his voice forcefully and purposefully and on cue. Clearer and louder than ever, and without a trigger like a cough, he repeatedly said “Ya“.

The enourmous difference such a short word would make in his life. How differently people would perceive him having a voice. How much more empowered he would be and feel.

Here is a picture from the week before last. Pádraig’s PAs took him out for a late Christmas and New Year Lunch.

They had burgers and a curry, except the man himself who went straight for the steak. If you think about all the things that went on that day: being able to go out by himself with people of his age; ordering food and drink (he had a coke:); eating and drinking in company; tons of banter.

It is also so nice to see that his friends are making time for visits, now that the pandemic is more or less over and visiting becomes easier. Nothing like a bit of a catch up on what’s happening.

During the day, he is working more with his upper body using resistance bands.

He is also helping significantly more with his upper body when sitting up in bed, and is helping, occasionally, positioning his feet in the right position before standing up. Something to improve and work on. We were thinking to use the arm trainer of the MOTOmed more often and more regularly. Having better head and upper body control would make such a difference.

When I was reading Alexis Petridis article about David Crosby, I learned that, “by all accounts, including his own, David Crosby could be a tricky and difficult character. His career was regularly punctuated by angry arguments, bitter fallings-out, sackings, general discord. Joni Mitchell once waspishly suggested he was “a human-hater”. His former bandmate Roger McGuinn described his behaviour while a member of the Byrds as that of a “little Hitler””. – “I was a thorough prick”, Crosby said of himself.

I like his music. Today, I listened, for the first time, to his song What’s happening ?!?!

Crosby’s music is great and it will outlive him for a long time.