BLABBERMOUTH.NET
Legendary singer-songwriter and guitarist
David Crosby says that he was branded an "old idiot" by members of his own family over his dismissive tweet about
Eddie Van Halen.
A week after the
VAN HALEN axeman's death,
Crosby seemingly minimized
Van Halen's talents, replying simply "Meh ...." when asked for his opinion of the
Eddie's guitar-playing skills. The following day,
Crosby took to his
Twitter to clarify his original comments. "[
Jimi]
Hendrix changed the world of guitar. Nobody else really," he wrote. "[L]ook I get it ..many of you loved
Van Halen ....and the one time I met [him] he was nice ....and he was talented ...meh to me means I don't care that much ....and I don't ...doesn't mean he wasn't good ,he was but not for me". He later offered an apology of sorts, claiming he had forgotten the guitarist had just died and admitting his original tweet was "not cool."
On Wednesday (October 21),
Crosby once again addressed his
Van Halen faux pas, writing on
Twitter: "You will be happy to know that I am reliably informed by the younger members of my family that I am an old idiot and
Van Halen was one of the [best] guitarists to have ever lived".
After a
Twitter follower told him that he "blew the
Eddie Van Halen thing",
Crosby replied: "I did. He was an amazing guitarist but I didn't know that. Truth is I never ever listened to that band so I was completely ignorant. No insult intended. I never listened to any of the big pop rock bands. I didn't even own a
Led Zep record and they could write."
The left-leaning
Crosby frequently spars with fans on
Twitter about politics and passionately defends his stance, saying that he disagrees with those who think artists like him should "shut up and sing." "It's not part of the deal," he told the
Boston Globe three years ago.
At 79,
Crosby is a two-time Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer, inducted as a member of both the widely innovative folk-rock band
THE BYRDS — with whom he first rose to stardom — and the
Woodstock era-defining group
CROSBY, STILLS & NASH.
Crosby played at some of rock's most culturally significant concerts, including the
Monterey Pop Festival,
Woodstock and the
Altamont Free Concert. He is also one of rock's most prolific collaborators, recording and playing with
Bob Dylan, members of the
GRATEFUL DEAD,
Neil Young,
Jackson Browne and others.
Image credit:
Live From Here
