Buy Stuff From Graham For His Birthday

Graham Nash's birthday is a sort of holiday here on Broken Hearted Toy, and this year it arrives just as he's about to kick off a world tour. This Path Tonight, his first solo effort in 14 years is due out in April. Touching The Flame, an exhibit that covers Nash's entire career dating back to The Hollies, runs through March 20 at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. So what better way to celebrate the man's birthday than to buy stuff from him?

Tickets for his May 11 and 12 shows at City Winery - Chicago officially go on sale tomorrow, but quite a few have already been snapped up via pre-sale opportunities during the past two days. This Path Tonight, which comes with a DVD, is available to pre-order on Amazon. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is selling a Touching The Flame t-shirt, and you can find t-shirts, vinyl, CDs, and other items on the official Graham Nash website.

If you’ve read Graham Nash’s autobiography Wild Tales or Ken Sharp’s interview with him in the limited-edition book Play On! Power Pop Heroes - Vol. 1, you know he enjoys sharing entertaining anecdotes about his life. Occasionally, the way he remembers something isn’t quite the same as the way Stephen Stills, David Crosby, or his fellow band mates in The Hollies, Allan Clarke and Tony Hicks remember it. Who can really say for sure at this point?

I did a telephone interview Nash for the Illinois Entertainer in 2009, and he came across like a guy hanging out with his mates in a pub. We talked about how The Hollies deserved to be in The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame (they hadn't been inducted yet at that time), his political views, and how he finds inspiration for songs. My favorite part was when he described how the idea for "To The Last Whale" came to him while he was sailing with David Crosby.

And yes, I have a ticket for one of his City Winery - Chicago shows.