Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young rocker David Crosby has opened up in a new interview about taking in Drew Barrymore when she was just 14 years old.
In an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, David Crosby spoke of the situation that lead to the previously troubled actress to live with him following her emancipation.
“Here’s what happened… We knew her because we were in recovery at that time, we were going to meetings probably three times a week, and I totally got sober,” Crosby explained.
“She was in a facility that was run by a friend of ours, and they said, ‘Oh, shit, her insurance is going to run out, we’re going to have to kick her out, and she’s not ready, she needs a safe place to go and it can’t be with her parents.’
Crosby continued: “And she came stayed with us for a while. We took her to school in the morning and tried to be a good influence. I think we were kind and loving, and it felt good to do.
“You try to do stuff, and you’re not sure how it’s going to work out, I think that one worked out. I think she became a responsible human being and is a nice person.”
When asked if he tried to take on the role of a surrogate father to Barrymore during that time, Crosby said: “No, it didn’t work like that at all. I go through all these different phases in my life, but this is not the party me, this is me in recovery, going to bed at 10 o’clock and behaving myself, so I was actually a pretty good choice right then.
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“I was really concerned with sobriety and living it completely, and you know, not like now. After it stopped snapping at my heels, my hard drug use, I started smoking pot after about 14 years of being straight.
“And now I’m definitely a pothead hippie, but when I was trying to help her, I was completely straight and going to meetings and behaving myself, and I think we were a good influence.”
It seemed that the singer’s kind gesture worked out for the best, with Drew saying she enjoyed her two months living with the musician and joining him on tour.
“He was an interesting character,” Barrymore said. “Pretty wild. But I got to go on tour with them, and I would freak out over Neil Young. I was just like, ‘That’s the coolest human being ever,’” Barrymore said.
“And I’m such a valley girl and he was probably like, ‘Oh God.’”
You can check out “Long Time Gone: The Autobiography of David Crosby” here via Amazon.
For more on this topic, head over to the Classic Rock Observer.
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