Does Steven Stills have a speech impedement?

[moonrock]

or has he had a stroke or something? Just curious.

[GuitarsFromMars]

why do you ask ?

[flyingvees]

I think so because I heard him in an interview heavily slurring his words and I figured it was a health issue since he is getting up there in age. Although he could just be drunk off of nitro due to all the awesome guitars he owns...

[greggorypeccary]

I recently read an interview with them and something happened, in terms of a health issue, but I forgot what...

[weezy]

No speech impediment, he just talks funny ;)

He did have prostate cancer last year I believe... He had surgery and is doing fine. I have always been a big fan of the Stillsmeister.

[Taylor 339]

I saw CS&N last August here in Houston and they were incredible. Stills was rock solid with both his playing and vocals. I believe he wears hearing aids but they didn't do much talking. Just sung beautiful harmony for 2 1/2 hours.

[GOLDENSTRAT]

I heard something about alot of dental work at one point.

[Jon C]

his voice is a mere shadow of what it was (one of the great voices in rock IMO) though the RRHOF25 concert was the best I've heard him sound in years ... he hasn't exactly taken care of himself over the years.

[moonrock]

why do you ask ?
I could detect something when I saw him on the RRHOF concert, seemed "thick tongued", for lack of a better way to describe it.

[greggorypeccary]

I heard something about alot of dental work at one point.

I think that's what it I read. Coupled with hearing loss.

[slopeshoulder]

I noticed it in the interviews he did in the Neil Young documentary. He's had dental work, he's getting older. It happens, or something else does, to all of us eventually.

[musicofanatic5]

I always thought he had some rotten looking teefs.

So nobody thinks any problems he may be experiencing are due to the bales of coke he has consumed in his life?

[Calloway]

Yeah I noticed the same a few months back when he was on the Howard Stern show. I've always liked him best out of all the CSN guys. Its interesting how he was in a band with Don Felder of The Eagles when they were kids then just vanished. They wouldn't run into eachother again until Stills sat in w/ Graham Nash and Felder was his guitarist...small world.

[Marshalls Law]

I recently wondered the same thing.

He was on Howard Stern and his speech was affected in some way..he has some issue with it.

He also SUCKED solo on guitar and his voice was HORRENDOUS. He clearly needs the other guys.
:band

[doublee]

I always thought he had some rotten looking teefs.

So nobody thinks any problems he may be experiencing are due to the bales of coke he has consumed in his life?

No way!

[Baxtercat]

That's the trouble. The calender keeps going on...
I saw him at Winterland on New Years 1968—between Sons of Champlin and the Dead or something. Just him and his Martin acoustic, just way too good. He was singing and playing better than anybody.

[nmiller]

A variety of rumours have circulated in the last few years about why his speech is slurred. My understanding is that he's just gotten fat. I'm not sure the weight gain is totally his fault, either, as it's probably a result of him kicking various dependencies.

It's disappointing that his voice is unreliable at best these days, but he still plays as fiercely as ever. I've seen various combinations of CSN&Y and heard tapes dating back to the '60s, and their concerts in the last few years have been the most inspired they've done in decades.

[anibas]

he is practically deaf, that can affect your speech.
Exactly-I saw an episode of "Nightline" or some other news show around the time that his signature Martin D-45 came out,and he talked about having congenital hearing loss that ran in his family,and that his would only get worse with age.While he's lost a good deal of his vocal abilities,his electric lead playing is probably better now than ever.

[bopplayer]

He sounds like he's smoked 6 billion cigarettes and joints. I don't know...I still think the guy is great.

[Jon C]

his electric lead playing is probably better now than ever.

while I would like to agree with that as a HUGE STills fan in the 60s & 70s, I just can't agree with that at all ... nothing I've seen in the last 25 yrs. can compare to his work prior to that.

[chrisr777]

He had prostate cancer but he recovered. He said that there were some neurological effects.

[telecopter]

He's definately in my top three player/songwriters of all time.

[TNJ]

Love the voice.
Love the songs.
Love the career/band history.

As for the man...dont know him at all.

I saw CSN 10 years ago...and almost walked out.

I hope he's better now.

S.
j

[tonemeister20]

I always thought he had some rotten looking teefs.

So nobody thinks any problems he may be experiencing are due to the bales of coke he has consumed in his life?

Somebody should post a before and after pics of his dental work. he did not get the monkees gig because of his choppers and now it would seem he is having issues with his poly grip. Still a great player and I will always enjoy his vocals. So he can't talk like a normal human being but I got a grandma that sounds just like him. I love her too but still hate finding those teeth in the morning on the kitchen counter

[keefsdad]

I am a big fan of the man but have heard he drinks a bit too. But you hear a lot of things. All the best to him, in any case.

[getbent]

man, I'd die if I read this and I was the dude.... dang.

[DC1]

man, I'd die if I read this and I was the dude.... dang.


:agree

He has contributed so much amazing work in his life.

Cut the guy some slack. Everyone gets old, everyone gets sick.


dc

[Rumblefish]

There's a whole generation or two of folks that just love the man and wish him the best.Long live Stephen Stills!!

[Captain Midnite]

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/6769f17552a3148ca2b9d879acc355ad/17494.jpg

[thewhit]

His speech issue has been something I have been curious about for some time, as well. It's almost as if his tongue gets in the way and doesn't move correctly to properly form words when he speaks. I hope that it's only a bad bridge or something related to dental work but I know he has taxed himself with particular substances in the past and I'll let it go at that. I hope he's not suffering residual effects as I have a lot of respect for him and his music.

I saw his show about 2 years ago in conjunction with the " Lost Tapes " he had done very early in his career. Half the show was him playing some of his Martins and doing a very good job on vocals and guitar. A few vocal notes were missed but mostly on and then the band joined him and finished out a second set which was great to hear.

I only wish him the best and he's an icon as far as I'm concerned. I found out in the last year or two that he was a good friend of Jimi's. I wasn't aware of that.

[bayside]

I think his speech problem is the same as Merl Haggard had. I know Merl's dentist and have met Merl at his house and I know this problem plaques more than a few singer.
It's has to do with singing thru your denture, how one handles dentures during the sing and talking process. Merl told me he would fight, with his tongue, to keep his denture's up and not get that sort of whistling sound. My friend was doing implants for Merl and he was real happy with the results.

[mrbungel]

Somebody should post a before and after pics of his dental work. he did not get the monkees gig because of his choppers and now it would seem he is having issues with his poly grip. Still a great player and I will always enjoy his vocals. So he can't talk like a normal human being but I got a grandma that sounds just like him. I love her too but still hate finding those teeth in the morning on the kitchen counter

Missing out on the Monkees was a blessing for Stills, I'll bet he would say the same thing. I've also heard, as others mentioned, that his bad teeth were a major factor. If he had joined the Monkees, he would not have had the respect that he's received since those days. Hey, I was bit of a Monkees (songs) fan too, but the Monkees vs CSN? No way!

Stills has his demons, like most great artists, but I have always been a huge fan. I still enjoy his singing and guitar playing, his contributions to rock and roll are many.
The lost tapes CD is one of my faves, just Stills and his Martin doing some great tunes.

They didn't call him Captain Manyhands for nothing.

[Tycho]

I have been going through a huge reappreciation of Stills for the past few months. CSN, the solo stuff, Manassas...it's all so good.

That said, I found it a bit painful to listen to his recent interview on Sirius XM because of the slurred speech. But what the hell, he's still Stephen Stills and no one can ever take away the brilliant work he's done over many, many years.

P.S. I may have the story wrong, but I thought he was offered the Monkees gig and turned it down because he knew it would keep him from working on his own music. The producers said to him: "Well, do you know anyone who has the same look as you?" He called his buddy Tork and said: "Get down here ASAP!"

[James M]

As others have mentioned, it's his hearing loss. He says he's pretty nearly deaf.

[FirstBassman]

I always thought he had some rotten looking teefs.




The story is that he got turned down for a role as one of The Monkees because of his teeth.

[mrbungel]

The story is that he got turned down for a role as one of The Monkees because of his teeth.

Already been discussed in this very thread.

[Wombat]

So he's deaf, but he and CSN are opening for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers next month? :huh

[wstsidela]

My BFF is on the road with CSN. I sent him this thread. :crazyguy

BTW I saw CSN a month ago. Stephen still has a great voice. It doesn't project like David's or Graham's but it still sounds awesome.

[mmonagan]

Just watched him sing a song "Johnny's Garden" at an NPR website and talk about Neil Young and he definitely has some kind of speech impediment. His tongue seems to be all tied up. Boy, his singing was awful too.

[SteveO]

So he's deaf, but he and CSN are opening for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers next month? :huh

100 watt in-ear monitors!