Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Because of the ongoing legal battle over Gene's estate following his
death (he left no will and his estate was contested by his former
girlfriend), little Gene Clark music was reissued from 1991 until 1999
when the estate was settled (his sons control the estate and thus
Gene's music). Much more of it has come out since but for a long time
Gene was in serious danger of being forgotten by the CD-buying public
due to lack of product.
  

    



James Duseqwicz writes:




John, thanks! Glad to be here. I am as absorbed in MR.
TAMBOURINE MAN as I was with your other fine bio of
the Buffalo Springfield: FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH.

Do you know whether there are any plans in the works
to release domestically the other Gene Clark solo
albums(such as 'Two Sides To Every Story') Stateside?
And by the way, hello David Gans! I've been a Grateful
Dead fan for a number of years.

Sincerely,
jimd
crazyhjhd@yahoo.com


James  Dusewicz
  

    

(Hello, James!)
  

    
Hi James. Glad to hear you're enjoying the book. Response to it has
been wonderful. To answer your question, I have heard of no plans to
release "Two Sides To Every Story" at this point, Gene's magnificent
overlooked 1977 album that deserves reissuing. I did hear that the
Firebyrd album might be released again, although it's been flogged many
times under different guises.
  

    
Great answers, John, thanks!

If you don't mind, I'd like to drift a little into Springfield territory.
I'd be very curious to hear your opinions on the contributions of the 
Springfield to what became known as country-rock vs. the Byrds', and what 
you think has not yet been appreciated enough about the Springfield's 
legacy.
  

    
If you go right back to the Springfield's debut single in July 1966,
the B side is Stephen Stills' countrified shitkicker "Go And Say
Goodbye" so you've got to give that band credit right from the get-go
for integrating country with rock a full two years before the Byrds’
Sweetheart of the Rodeo album. It's pure country rock that song. Rick
Cunha of country/folk rockers Hearts & Flowers, who often shared
billings with the Springfield back in 1966, remarked to me, “When it
comes to integrating country influences in rock, for my thinking the
Byrds were close, but the Springfield were even closer because in their
live shows they did some country-style picking. It didn’t always get
to the albums, but they could play it.” Stills and Young could pick it
and Furay could sing it.

The Springfield would take those country influences much further in
1967 with Richie Furay’s bluegrass flavoured “A Child’s Claim To Fame”
and bring in pedal steel guitar for “Kind Woman” the following year.
They weren’t afraid to openly champion their appreciation for country
music. Richie and Jimmy Messina would, of course, go on to form Poco,
one of the most exciting country rock bands of the latter 60s.

The Byrds were integrating country influences as well, covering Porter
Wagoner’s hit “A Satisfied Mind” on their second album in late 1965
but weren’t yet writing their own country rock like the Springfield
quite yet. It would take until their 1967 Younger Than Yesterday album
for the group to create their own unique country rock, led by bass
player Chris Hillman, no stranger to country and bluegrass music
himself, with “Time Between” and “The Girl With No Name”. Chris claims
that’s when country rock really began but the Springfield were already
there, too.

The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo album is often cited as ground zero
for the evolution of country rock except that it’s not really rock.
It’s pure country done as if the band is dealing with an historical
artifact that can’t be tampered with. They’re a little too reverential
and respectful in their approach, something Hillman now admits. “We
were trying to do a traditional country album. I think we were sort of
playing at it. We were trying to imitate country, but not very well.”
It’s not groundbreaking on a musical level; on another level, though,
it is. It’s the first time a hugely popular pop/rock group had taken on
country on an album from start to finish as opposed to dabbling in a
few tracks or flavours. In that sense it’s daring. On a musical level
it plays it pretty safe. The Springfield, and later their direct
descendent Poco, took more chances musically by creating a wholly new
and original sound drawing on country and rock, innovative not
imitative.

As for the Springfield’s legacy I think the box set released four or
five years ago went a long way toward garnering the band due
recognition as monster innovators and superb songwriters (how many
bands in 1966 boasted three distinctive singer/songwriters other than
the Beatles?). In 1966 their debut album was all original material, all
of it strong with no filler. Not many bands could boast that, not even
the Byrds. During the Eagles Hell Freezes Over reunion tour a few
years back, at a concert in Denver, Glenn Frey pointed Richie Furay out
in the audience and said “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you”
and he meant the Buffalo Springfield influence. That whole Asylum
records/southern California/denim clad singer/songwriter/laidback
country sound of the mid 70s owes its very existence to the Buffalo
Springfield. In seminal California music it’s the 3 B’s: Beach Boys,
Byrds and Buffalo Springfield (and three of the Springfield were
Canadians. Ha!).
  

    


James Dusewicz:





John, once again. I've probably overstayed my welcome
and bugged you way too much. If I have, I apologize.
I've always considered Gene Clark, Richie Furay, and
Marty Balin the 'Mid-Western Romantics' of the 60's
through current rock 'n' roll era. While Richie and
Marty seem to have had enough sense to take care of
themselves, Gene did not.

But what I'm curious about is your opinion on all
three of mid-western origin. Do you see any
similarities and differences? If so, what are they?


jimd
crazyhjhd@yahoo.com


James  Dusewicz
  

    
I don't know enough about Marty to state an opinion but Gene and
Richie were very different in terms of character and upbringing. Few
similarities in my view. Sorry about that. Two talented
singer/songwriters, though, and visionaries in terms of breaking new
musical ground and singing from the heart. That they had in common.
Interesting to note that apparently Dewey Martin approached Gene (they
met when Dewey was in the Dillards touring with the Byrds) to join the
embryonic Buffalo Springfield in the spring of 1966. Wonder what kind
of band that would have been? Gene declined the offer. He and Dewey
would remain friends and drinking buddies.
  

    



Lucy D. Hakemack writes:




I read in a 2004 interview with Tom Petty that Petty loved the Byrds. He
stated in a Rolling Stone interview that the Heartbreakers were a cross
between the Byrds and the Rolling Stones and that he had been a close friend
of Roger McGuinn for over 25 years. My question: did Tom not have a
relationship with Gene especially since Gene was the composer of Whole Lot
Better? Was it just Mcguinn that Petty turned to for help in recording that
great song? What's the deal with Petty? 
  

    
Tom and Gene did not know each other well. During the brief time
McGuinn, Clark & Hillman were together in the latter 70s Tom would hang
out backstage a few times at gigs but his connection was to McGuinn,
not Gene, and that would continue. Tom also joined the 3 Byrds -
McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman - onstage at one of their "staking claim to
the Byrds name" concerts in the late 80s. But when it came to
selecting a Byrds song to cover, Tom knew who to choose from: Gene
Clark. His cover of "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" was well done but
close associates to Gene at the time maintain that the money the song
earned for Gene only hastened his demise because he couldn't handle it.
  

    
An amusing aside re: Tom Petty and Roger McGuinn. According to
McGuinn, Clark & Hillman road manager Al Hirsch: “Tom Petty was a real
groupie. I can’t tell you how many dressing rooms I threw him out of.
He was sending me music for years and I thought it was really good. I
played some of it for Roger and Roger thought it was him. He actually
said to me, ‘When did I record that?’ I was trying to get Roger to
record some Petty stuff because no one was recording his stuff at the
time and Roger wasn’t writing shit. I thought it would be a perfect
match.”
  

    
Excellent discussion so far, John.  As I've told you previously, Mr.
Tambourine Man is such a moving, enjoyable biography because it covers
so many different aspects of Gene's life and music from a wide variety
of perspectives from a broad spectrum of voices from every phase of his
life and career.  Through to the last page, the reader gets a complete
picture of the man and his legacy.

I had the good fortune to be able to interview Gene in the early '80s
at his home in Sherman Oaks.  When Jim Dickson set it up and gave me
Gene's phone number, he warned me that Gene might be a little *jumpy*
and reticent to get into parts of his past.  As it turned out, that was
exactly the opposite of how he was when we talked -- primarily about
the Byrds and his feelings about Crosby and CSN.  He was warm and
gracious throughout our mid-afternoon conversation.

In rereading parts of your book this week, I was struck by the number
of anecdotes you drew out of people that demonstrated what a decent and
caring guy Gene was.  Despite his periods of excess and
self-destruction, he seemed to have a genuine capacity for kindness. 
I'm curious if you have a favorite anecdote or two from your book that
you feel best captured this side of Gene's character.  
  

    
Hey Dave, wonderful to have you onboard! For those one or two people
who don't know, Dave Zimmer is an acknowledged authority on CSN and
CSNY having penned a few books and numerous articles on the group.
Whenever I need to know about CSN or Y I contact Dave.

One of the goals I kept in mind while writing Mr. Tambourine Man (the
book, not the song) was to balance Gene's excesses with his basic
goodness, integrity and honesty as a human being as well as his immense
gift as a songwriter so that the book does not wallow in some of his
darker side for its own sake. To avoid Gene's excesses and pitfalls
would not have served the voracity of the story but to emphasize them
for their own sake would not have served Gene's legacy. I think the
book offers a sympathetic and compassion portrait of a man who battled
several demons but despite these obstacles managed to create a
remarkable body of work that has stood the test of time.

Gene was a remarkable human being. There are some wonderful human
interest anecdotes in the book such as Gene defending Crosby and
McGuinn from some rednecks who were attempting to beat a few longhairs,
his Byrds-era humour on the tour bus regarding the lighting of
firecrackers, or the time during the Firebyrds tour of Canada when they
came upon a car crash and Gene went to comfort one of the victims,
staying with her for several hours then calling the hospital the
following day to check on her. Also, the time Gene helped out a friend
on a bad acid trip in Laurel Canyon, staying up all night to see her
through it. Mike Hardwick remembers Gene helping him load his equipment
and being struck by the fact that here was a Byrd, a legend, just
being one of the guys sharing responsibilities like everyone else. Some
funny incidents, too, like Gene signing "John Lennon" on a petition at
the Whisky to keep the Sons of Adam performing or the Harold Buttwad
story. Those who knew Gene well got to see the lighter side of him, the
broad grin and infectious cackle, that most never witnessed. It's too
bad he rarely showed that side in public.
  

    

Which of Clark's work/s do you find better standing the test of time?

Another question is, you mention that the Springfield had 3 Canadian
members, Stills as well seemed to be touring Canada back then. What
kind of folk / rock scene was going on up there that nurtured these 
creative spirits?  Also did any of the Canadian Anglo-folk scene 
there borrow any cues from the Franco-folk scene?

Lastly sounds like Clark might of done better in some sort of Brill
building environment, I mean just as a songwriter.
  

    
So great to see you here, Dave Z.!
  

    
Hi Darrell, thanks for your questions (sorry for the slight delay but
work got in the way - school would be so much more fun for teachers if
there were no students!). The folk music scene in Canada in the early
60s was thriving. It was not only alive in enclaves like Toronto's
Yorkville Village, a mini-Greenwich Village scene of coffeehouses and
flophouses, but also right across Canada and on TV and radio with
several folk music shows. Every city and town seemed to have a
coffeehouse or folk venue of one sort or another so you could cross the
country as a folk artist and find kindred spirits and a warm place to
play. The singer/songwriter tradition that was and remains so strong
coming out of Canada is rooted in that vibrant folk music community
that existed in the early 60s. Neil, Joni, Leonard Cohen, Gordon
Lightfoot, Murray McLauchlan, Ian & Sylvia, John Kay, Bruce Cockburn
all got their start on that circuit. Folk music in Canada wasn’t based
around the American folk music themes of civil rights, protest, human
injustice, and Mississippi prison songs – that whole Alan Lomax catalog
- but was derived more from country & western music (always big up
here with the likes of Wilf Carter and Hank Snow) and songs about this
great land and its gorgeous scenery (as Lightfoot said, "this verdant
country").

So when Stephen Stills travelled across Canada with his folk ensemble
The Company in the spring of 1965 he played the Fourth Dimension
circuit of coffeehouses where he met Neil Young at the 4D in Thunder
Bay (Fort William back then). Neil was already doing a form of folk
rock and Stills was suitably impressed. By the way, Neil had met Joni
Mitchell a few months earlier at Winnipeg’s 4D coffeehouse.

The French Canadian music community has always been an entity
exclusive of itself. Folk music did exist in Quebec but not to the same
extent that it did in Anglophone Canada. There wasn’t much cross-over
other than Leonard Cohen and he really wasn’t writing or performing in
French. The language barrier has always isolated French music and as
Daniel Lavoie, one of Quebec’s most beloved and successful
singer/songwriters (born in Manitoba, though) once told me, “If you
didn’t speak French it just sounded like silly music because it was so
lyric-driven.”

I’m not sure that the Brill Building environment would have suited
Gene Clark. While he was a skilled craftsman of song, he didn’t
necessarily hone it as a craft. It was more a gift that would suddenly
come to him, so sitting in an office from 9 to 5 forcing oneself to
produce songs may not have suited him (although, as your point assumes,
at least he could avoid the stress of public performance).

As Mike “Wickie” Hardwick (from Gene’s early 80s ensemble the
Firebyrds) once noted:  “I had come out of Austin and at that time in
Austin there was quite a singer-songwriter scene going on, kind of a
country-rock thing. So by being around Jerry Jeff, I was around Guy
Clark, B.W. Stevenson, Townes Van Zandt, Billy Jo Shaver, guys like
that, regularly. But Gene was on a whole other level. And it wasn’t
because he was a Byrd or was hooked up with the Burritos and that whole
scene or Doug Dillard. He just found the way, and he was doing it. His
songwriting was amazing. He would write songs real fast. He wrote a
song or at least finished a song while we were driving in the van going
to a gig in Texas. The song was called ‘Gypsy Rider,’ which has turned
out to be one of his classic songs. I was used to seeing guys working
on bits and pieces and taking a while to put it together. But it just
came out of him; it just flowed. I watched how those other guys wrote,
I was around them doing demos, but I had never seen anything like Gene.
And tell me where those melody lines came from? Completely original.
And the way he phrased and put the words together? This was from a guy
who had an incredible gift. I don’t remember him really reading
anything. We might have a newspaper in the van but I don’t remember
Gene reading. Yet he was a man of words. Where did it come from? It was
a gift.”

Duke Bardwell worked with Gene in the Silverados in the mid 70s and
had this to say about Gene's gift: “We had to haul our asses down to
Phoenix and it was that particular trip through the night where the
moon was shining off of all these buttes and rock structures. Words
started coming from him that were almost surreal. It was like he was
tapping into a part of songwriting and poetry that I never even
suspected, certainly in my own creativity. I would be driving and Gene
would be ranting. It would be out of the blue. He would come out with
these words and verses and it was like, ‘I don’t know what he means,
but it sounds so good!’ It was so amazing. To this day I would have to
say that I will never forget watching genius and insanity go hand in
hand like they did with Gene Clark.”
  

    
Totally fascinating stuff, John.  I never knew about Stills' "The Company" 
tour.

Another obscure bit of trivia -- Joni actually met Graham Nash in Canada
too, when he was on tour with the Hollies.  They became, as most people
know, quite the item when Joni migrated to Laurel Canyon somewhat later,
yielding songs like "Willy," "Blue," and "A Case of You" (from Joni) and
"Our House" (from Graham).
  

    
The Company were the reminants of Stills and Richie Furay's larger
folk ensemble the Au Go Go Singers based in New York. After the Au Go
Go Singers folded Stills put together The Company, a quintet from the
remaining members, and headed out on a folk tour across Canada. His
plan was to get all the way to Vancouver then going AWOL from the group
and head southward to California. Unfortunately one of the members of
The Company took sick in Regina (at the 4D there) and the group headed
back to New York. There Stills briefly tried out for the embryonic
Lovin' Spoonful on bass, then attempted to organize his own shortlived
folk rock group with Gram Parsons before heading out to California in
the summer of 1965.
  

    
Back to your question of which of Gene's songs have stood the test of
time, Darrell, I would have to say quite a few of them but if push
comes to shove I would suggest Gypsy Rider, In A Misty Morning, Full
Circle Song, I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better, Train Leaves Here This
Morning, Something's Wrong, From A Silver Phial, The True One, Kansas
City Southern, Silent Crusade, Past Addresses, Del Gato.......
  

    
Up in post #66 you name Gordon Lightfoot in your list of Canada's
seminal '60s folk singers who toured the circuit, and I appreciate
that.  Perhaps I've just not listened to or read enough opinions (a
strong possibility), but it has long seemed to me that Lightfoot has
never really got his due from the rock-critic crowd for the great
songwriter that he is. I've wondered sometimes if the commercial
success of a couple-three Lightfoot songs got in the way of
appreciation for his larger body of work. (I've also wondered why
nobody seems to have covered "Sundown" in the dark bluesy way the song
cries for.)  

Thanks for the opportunity to say that. Okay, back to Gene. 
  

    
John, my impression of Hillman is that he is an accomplished artist
who was very capable of dealing in the politics of a band.  My
impression of Gene is that he was genius who had great difficulty
dealing with the grind of day-to-day band dynamics.  It seems from your
comments that Hillman's attitude about Gene has changed over the
years.  Can you talk about the relationship between Gene and Chris
Hillman?

(I just want to note that, for me, this is the most interesting
Inkwell discussion I have ever read.  I want to thank John for being so
available and forthcoming and Steve for asking great questions.)
  

    
Hi Peter. I'm glad you're enjoying the dialogue. It's been fun for me.
Chris and Gene were very close in the Byrds days (although Michael
Clarke and Gene were closer, like brothers). Of all the Byrds, Chris
stuck with Gene through thick and thin (even when Gene left him at the
altar a few times) and played on just about every album he did. But as
Chris matured not only as a performer but as a person (he was 19 when
he joined the Byrds) he developed into a very professional, no nonsense
(in a good way) band leader. Some of that was borne from having to
take the reins from Gram Parsons in the Burritos as well as observing
Stephen Stills as leader in Manassas. Chris has always acknowledged
Stills as a mentor. Chris Hillman today is the ultimate professional.

You are correct in your assessment of Chris as someone capable of
dealing with band politics and individuals in a group and pulling
everyone together. I recall what ex-Burrito Brother Rick Roberts once
said about Chris:  “I couldn’t have asked for a better role model than
Chris Hillman. Chris was an elegant businessman, very directed, very
devoted, sometimes a little bit too stern about things but he had class
about everything he did. He was absolutely the leader of the band.
He’s like an older brother to me, a mentor, and I’ve turned to him for
advice many times over the years.”

Gene, on the other hand, had difficulty as a band leader and in taking
command of a situation. He just couldn't force his will on others or
achieve of level of authority. More often his bands were chaotic and
dominated by other more forceful personalities within the group and, as
a result, his groups often suffered. As Joel Larson once said of
working with Gene in a band, “Gene wasn’t sure what he wanted. He had
trouble getting his ideas across. We would rehearse every day and he
would try the same song we had been doing for a week, only now we would
redo it. He expected everything to happen as he had imagined it. He
had sat down and imagined a whole new thing and he would say ‘Here’s
how it’s gonna sound’ without really explaining what he wanted us to
do. He had some idea in his mind of what he wanted it to sound like but
he was terrible on showing it to us. I think McGuinn put together the
musical sound of the Byrds, not Gene.” That's accurate. Gene was a
creative genius who couldn't deal with the mundane or the day-to-day
well. McGuinn may not have had Gene's talent as a creative songwriter
but he could pull a sound together from the 5 Byrds.

I think Chris has mellowed a bit in regards to Gene. The death of
someone close can cause anyone to re-evaluate their actions or conduct.
That's only natural. Chris has put his relationship with Gene in
perspective and understands better now (even since reading my book
which he found a revelation) why Gene was the way he was and did the
things he did. 
  

    
Steve, getting back to your point about Lightfoot (I actually wrote a
longer reply but somewhere in the ether of the Internet it never made
it to the Well), yes I agree he has never received his due recognition
for his songwriting talent. I'm a dedicated Lightfoot fan so you're
preaching to the converted on this. He is Canada's poet laurette and a
national treasure (I can still get goosebupms every time I hear
"Canadian Railroad Trilogy" or "Early Morning Rain"). Incidentally,
Gene Clark recorded Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind" on his 1984
Firebyrd album and did a credible version. He was a Lightfoot fan.
  

    

It seems sad he just did not dump the entire band
idea and persist with what he could with his solo guitar,
and a few select well placed musicians to accompany him.

Dusted off my copy of Echos the other day and for all of the
arrangements on Echos his solo guitar songs [some on the bonus
tracks] sound fine enough, and in a way seem less ephemeral. I've got
'No Other' on order maybe I'll change my mind after hearing that.

Still though after seeing one of Gene's gigs in Malibu, must 
of been around 1988 or so...he had Clark on drums and too 
many other musicians [WTF were those other guys] on stage 
trying to deliver a big sound, it left the impression he 
was either not in his right mind/body or was being pushed 
overboard.
  

    
Those who were fortunate to see Gene live just as an acoustic solo
artist maintain that was the best live Gene Clark (various tapes in
circulation attest to this), unfettered by accompanying musicians and
band arrangements allowing the strength of the songs and his voice to
stand alone. Probably more stressful for Gene, though, as all attention
would be on him alone.

Ex-Dillard & Clark member David Jacvkson once commented, “Gene never
felt all that comfortable just playing regular music with regular
players. But I heard that much later on he was playing a little
coffeehouse by himself and would completely delight in sitting around
playing songs with anybody. That was a part of Gene I never saw. He
never seemed comfortable in front of an audience when I knew him. He
seemed to always be trying to get to that place in his personality from
which emanated the poetry. And that’s not always that comfortable with
an audience. They want to be entertained first or be allowed to arrive
at that place. And he would never allow them the time to get there, he
just started there. At the time that was okay I guess but today it
wouldn’t work at all."