Happy 2018 Gene Clark Fans! We're pleased to start a new year of Echoes!

NEWS

This month:

• Our "photo of the month" comes courtesy of VIRGINIA HOWARD, former assistant to Gene Clark during the Dillard and Clark years and this month's 5Q interviewee. Here Gene is pictured in the A&M recording studios during the sessions for the second Dillard & Clark album - Through The Morning, Through The Night. Thank you Virginia for this rare photo!

• Echoes is also pleased to present a Special Feature this month with IANTHE McGUINN, former wife of Roger McGuinn and author of In The Wings, My Life With Roger McGuinn and The Byrds.

"The [Reseda] Country Club. Forget who brought him. We asked if he would sing "Feel A Whole Lot Better" with us and he said "we'll see". We had a great gig. [We asked if he would come up] with the encore [and] he obliged. He was very warm to us. Remember him coming off saying "I never played it that fast!". We played it more "punk folk".
(Photo by Kevin Murphy. Thanks to David Ronald Beckey for the original post.)

Out on the Side

Other Gene Clark related news:

The Byrds perform "Turn! Turn! Turn!" on Shiivaree (Photo: Peter Fonda courtesy of Ianthe McGuinn.

Her book is a fascinating account of a young, independent Hispanic girl coming to LA on her own and meeting a young man who was about to become a part of one the most influential bands in music history. More than just a memoir of her relationship with Roger McGuinn, this book tells the story of a young woman’s journey at a time when the world and its culture was changing at lightning speed.

Who were some of your favorite bands/singers when you first came to LA?

I arrived in LA in 1962. The Four Seasons, The Ronettes and The Beach Boys all had great hits about that time. The Beatles, of course, stole everyone's heart in 1964. I always liked jazz: Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Miles Davis.

In your book, you mention going to Gene’s apartment, which he shared with Chris and Mike. Do you recall what the apartment looked like (furnishings, neat, messy, etc.)?

Gene's place, as I recall, was a wood-slatted, two-story house. He lived on the second floor, and you would go up an old, wooden staircase alongside the house to get inside the flat. There was a living room, kitchenette, and bedroom, all painted yellow. Two windows in the living room looked onto the street below. It was messy- clean, a typical guy's pad with a frumpy sofa and a coffee table with ashtrays full of cigarette butts—they all smoked nonstop—and strewn with teen magazines.

What was your impression of Gene when you met him? What was his personality like?

Gene was shy, quiet at first, with a nervous laugh that disappeared once he started to sing. He was never boastful. He had a tender, understanding quality that hid inside his tall, dark, handsome, good looks. His songwriting was pure poetry— he had an innate knowledge of expressing the boy-girl relationship with all its twists and turns.

Do you recall which songs the band worked on at Gene’s apartment?

“She Has a Way,” “Here without You,” and “You Showed Me.”

You saw the Byrds at work in the studio. Can you recall how the band worked together in the studio? Was there tension or did it seem like they were enjoying it?

At World Pacific Studios, the group was energetic, excited and hopeful. Of course, Jim Dickson was producing and laying the tracks down and he exerted his control. At Columbia Studios, they were more serious and worked as a quasi-cohesive team. David was the stickler for perfection, although Terry Melcher was in charge, and there was never any pot in the studio in those early days.
 

You toured with Byrds before they left for London. In your opinion, how did they get along/interact with each other? Was there friction between them?

On that first Midwest tour, they huddled together as if they were weathering a storm. They got along pretty well, only bickering about small issues like the food, accommodations, etc.

I understand from your book that you played a key role in one of the Byrds’ best-known songs. Can you tell us about that?

It was in fact on that Byrds’ first Midwest tour. We were sitting in the back of the bus and Jim was playing the acoustic guitar to help ease the boredom of the road trip. There was a small group of us listening and singing in the back of the bus.  I requested Pete Seeger’s “Turn, Turn, Turn,” which Jim had played for me in the past in his room at the Padre Hotel. It was in his repertoire, having recorded it with Judy Collins.  He played the Pete Seeger version, but when Gene and David started to harmonize  and sing along, the song morphed a bit, and there was magic in the air: everyone was captivated... and the rest is history.

The Byrds get ready to perform "Turn! Turn! Turn!" on Shivaree (Photo: Peter Fonda courtesy of Ianthe McGuinn.

Did you get to see any of their concerts from an audience perspective? How would you describe the Byrds live performances? What was the crowd’s reaction?

Indigo, I was always in the audience. The music was cosmic. The harmonies were angelic— Gene's deep voice strong and confident, and Jim's high register reaching, touching and melting the hardest heart. The twelve-string guitar and the bass set the mood for total elation and loss of inhibitions. Everyone had to dance.

Were you surprised by the rapid success they were having?

Absolutely—most bands struggle for years. The Byrds success was so immediate and that may be what tore them apart. The Beatles knew each other for years and relied on each other for strength and support during hard times.

What is the story behind the photos of you and The Byrds on your book jacket?

There are very few photos of me with the group. In those days, the women were on the sidelines. Derek Taylor snapped these pictures while the guys were waiting for Michael and the actual photographer to show up.

The Byrds (minus Michael Clarke) and Ianthe McGuinn photographed by Byrds publicist Derek Taylor, 1965.

What are your fondest memories of your time with Roger and those early days of The Byrds?

The little cottage on Woodrow Wilson Drive holds the warmest memories. Jim building these metal light boxes with Christmas lights… me cooking…great belly laughs (he had a wicked sense of humor)…the fragrance of patchouli after he shaved…the surprise visits from Dylan, Ginsberg, or George Harrison. I love the story I tell in the book about Gene dumping his pot in the toilet when the police came during a rehearsal. Our son, Patrick, was born there. It was pure bliss.

​​​​​​In The Plan

• “Gene’s Gear” – feature on guitars Gene used throughout his career - our first installment will be coming next month!
• “Gene Therapy” a Gene Clark podcast – topics & music specific to Gene’s career
• "Who's Who" List of people associated with Gene Clark
• Guest Blog Spot - Do you have a talent for writing? Have you always wanted to write about your favorite Gene Clark album, or share your interpretions of his songs? If you would like to submit an interesting blog piece about Gene Clark for our website, please contact Echoes at GeneClarkWebsite@gmail.com with your pitch, we'd love to hear from you!

1. When was the first time you met Gene?

I had just moved back to L.A. from New York and I had started working for someone who I believe had an office at this small recording studio on Santa Monica Blvd and at that time this was where Gene was doing some demos, we met, spoke and he hired me away. The adventure began.

2. What is your favorite Gene Clark story/memory?

One particular story that I love (there are more than one) comes to mind. This was the summer Dillard & Clark went on the road. Eddie Tickner (manager) said I could be the road manager; and no, I had never done that before.

As you know Gene was not a fan of flying, so we drove together, actually everyone drove and met in Chicago. We stopped in Norman, Oklahoma to pick up (or visit) Byron Berline and have dinner with his parents and the University of Oklahoma football team as it turned out.  The next stop was in Kansas to Gene's family home.  Just like in a book “it was a dark and stormy night’, it really was, hilly, no street lights, just a stop sign with bullet holes, it was an old Victorian house where his family resided and I remember there was some music and talking into the night.  Then out of nowhere there was a train whistle blowing and then the train passed so close it shook the house.  At that very moment I clearly understood where some of Gene's writing and music had come from, a defining moment as they say. Not one I would ever forget, I knew at that moment I would not lose this memory,

3. What do you know about Gene that you would want his fans to know?

The soft side of Gene who was thoughtful, he didn't forget birthdays and he was funny. His smile huge (he did have a rubber band mouth) and generous to a fault. He wrote from his heart and seemed to grab words out of the sky and he did not miss much. Maybe it took him a while, but he got it and would let you know.

4. Favorite Gene Clark Song/Album?

One of my favorites (I have others) is "Train Leaves here Tomorrow". Not because I was there when it was written (I still can see his handwriting in my mind), maybe it is the phrasing or the story, it wasn't my favorite at the start. This song is so visual; as standing on a train platform and it being night time, dark. Favorite album: The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard and Clark.

5. Complete the sentence:
I think Gene Clark should be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame because...

Because his songwriting catalog says it all! He wasn't just a writer, he was a singer and musician and poet.  He fits the bill.

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