Stephen Stills is opening up about how his sobriety journey is benefitting the next stage in his career.
The 80-year-old “Love the One You’re With” singer has been completely sober for the past three years, and told Rolling Stone in a new interview, “It gets me back to the kid I was before this madness started, pretty affable and friendly. Things were so special at the beginning of my career before I sold a single record. But when you add poison into that mix… I’m just glad I have my original personality back.”
He’s also been performing a number of one-off gigs in recent years, since retiring from the road in 2018. Earlier this year, he took the stage at the Kia Forum alongside Dawes, Mike Campbell and Graham Nash for the star-studded FireAid benefit concert. “FireAid helped me check and see if my thrusting and coagulating still worked,” he told the publication. “I’m getting a little more active now, so there’s a possibility [of touring again]. It depends on the kind of venues I can attract.”
Stills revealed that he’s working on a memoir, though he admits he’s “going one word at a time” and looking through old newspaper articles to help him remember life events. “I’ve looked at the issues from my birthdays throughout the years. That’s been very helpful since it puts you in that timeframe and suddenly your memories opens up,” he said. “Brain cells holding hands at this age is a challenge. Things pop in sometimes and you find out you’re a decade off. It’s been a great tool. But I’m puttering with the book. I’ve found that the more things change, the more things stay the same. And I must say, it’s a lot easier doing this now that I’m sober.”
The star’s next show is singer-songwriter Judy Collins’ 85th birthday celebration at New York’s Town Hall on March 8.
