Hello everyone, welcome to another issue of Echoes! |
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First up we have another fine photo of Gene from photographer Danny Lanka. This photo of Gene was also taken at The Rainbow, in Denver, CO while Gene was performing with McGuinn,Clark & Hillman. Thanks again to Danny for sharing this with Echoes! |
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I'm very excited and honored to announce that I've been asked to do an interview about the #GetGeneIn campaign to induct Gene Clark into the Songwriters Hall of Fame! The interviewer is one our most loyal supporters (and all around nice guy), Dick Altavista, host of "Both Kinds of Music" on CKCU FM out of Ottawa, Canada. Dick also hosts "Can I Have A Word?" and yours truly will be on that show Wednesday, August 2nd at 4:30pm so please tune in! If you can't catch it live, both shows (and others) are available "on demand" to listen at your convenience. |
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For those of you who live in the Bonner Springs/Kansas City MO area, The Bonner Springs Historical Preservation Society is having another viewing of The Byrd Who Flew Alone: The Triumph and Tragedy of Gene Clark from Four Suns Productions. The screening will be held at the Bonner Springs Library on Saturday, August 26 at 2:30 pm. If you haven't seen this documentary yet, it is a must for Gene Clark fans and has insightful interviews with the surviving members of The Byrds and Gene's family and friends. (An upcoming issue of Echoes will feature 5Q with film maker Paul Kendall.) For information on this event and more, visit the newly added events page on the website. |
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Sierra Records has a new compilation CD of different artists including Clarence White, Gene Parsons and Gene Clark. This “CD Sampler” includes the Chris Hinshaw mix of “In A Misty Morning” and is only available with membership to the Sierra Records Silver, Gold or Platinum Club. For more information and to hear samples of the songs, play the YouTube link below. |
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Would you like a chance to win the groovy T-shirt pictured here? We’ve partnered with our friends at Colour Is Sound, makers of some really unique, hand-made T-shirts inspired by great bands. Next month, we will be giving away one of their Byrds inspired "Mr. Tambourine Man" designs. For a chance to win, simply sign up for the Echoes newsletter (if you've already subscribed, you're in!). One name will be selected at random at the end of August and the winner will be announced in the September issue of Echoes. Good luck! Keep in mind, if you don't win, you can always buy one for yourself! Just be sure to sign up for their music blog The Underground Playground to receive a 10% discount on your order. Their T-shirts are "as handsome as Gene"! |
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If you haven’t checked out the excellent blog “The Clarkophile: an appreciation and celebration of Gene Clark”, you should! The blog is written by Tom Sandford, a Toronto-based writer whose many writing contributions include two articles about Gene for Shindig!, ("Icarus Descending", Shindig! #10 and "Keep On Pushin", Shindig! #34) and the digital liner notes to High Moon Records’ 2014 re-release of Two Sides To Every Story, "Backwoods Gothic: Survival in the Rock 'n' Roll Wilderness". Tom’s blog features interesting and insightful posts spanning Gene’s vast catalog of released (and unreleased) work. This month he will be featuring an exclusive interview with Johnny Rogan, author of the newly released Byrds Requiem For The Timeless Volume 2: The Lives of Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, Kevin Kelley, Gram Parsons, Clarence White and Skip Battin. You can find the interview along with new and previous blogposts on The Clarkophile blogspot here. Do you have a special story to tell or photos you'd like to share of seeing Gene in concert? I'm interested in running a feature for this newsletter consisting of memories from fans who either saw The Byrds with Gene in concert or Gene solo. If you are interested in participating, please send an email to: GeneClarkWebsite@gmail.com with the subject line: memories. Text submissions should be no longer than a brief paragraph or two. Photos should be attached to the email with a brief description and a photo credit. I hope to hear from you! We hear...that there were two book launch events for Johnny Rogan's newest tome Byrds Requiem For The Timeless Volume 2: The Lives of Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, Kevin Kelley, Gram Parsons, Clarence White and Skip Battin. The first sold-out event held on July 10 in London by Word In Your Ear was a discussion on The Byrds with Johnny Rogan and Sid Griffin. You can listen to the podcast of this event here. |
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The second book launch was at The Betsey Trotwood in London on July 19. This sold-out show had Johnny Rogan reading excerpts from his book with live music performed by Tony Poole and Iain Whitmore from Starry Eyed & Laughing and Robin Bennett of The Dreaming Spires (see photo). The audience was treated to songs by Gene Clark, Gram Parsons and The Byrds and also got to hear the debut of Starry Eyed & Laughing's new song "The Girl In A Gene Clark Song" which will be coming out soon (we're looking forward to hearing it!) |
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Out On The Side... Other Gene Clark related news: - Shindig! has a new issue featuring The Byrds on the cover. The issue includes:
The Byrds 1967: a year of highs, lows and artistic triumphs Deep Cuts Reaching to the skies with The Byrds To pre-order online click here - Last month we told you about Chris Hillman’s upcoming release Bidin' My Time. The album, due for release in September, has a cover of Gene’s brilliant song “She Don’t Care About Time” which Chris says "is one of my favorite Gene Clark compositions". Read the full article and hear the complete song streaming on Rolling Stone Country here.
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Only Yesterday's Gone...Did you miss a previous issue of Echoes? Not to worry! The archive of previous issues can now be found on the Gene-Clark.com website in the News section here. That's all for now. Until next time, keep on Clarkin'! |
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This month we are pleased to present 5 Questions with music author, historian and critic JOHNNY ROGAN. Johnny has written several tomes on musical giants such as Van Morrison, Neil Young, Ray Davies and The Byrds as well as contributing to numerous magazines, album liner notes and anthologies. He also appears in the Gene Clark documentary The Byrd Who Flew Alone: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Gene Clark expressing his expertise and insight on Gene's musical career. His long-awaited new book, Byrds Requiem For The Timeless Volume 2: The Lives of Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, Kevin Kelley, Gram Parsons, Clarence White and Skip Battin, focuses on the lives of each of these individuals who were at one time members of The Byrds as the band evolved and changed personnel. |
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1. When was the first time you met Gene? I first met Gene Clark at the end of April 1977 in Europe. This was the famous package tour which also included McGuinn’s Thunderbyrd and the Chris Hillman Band. Gene was considered an enigmatic figure at the time partly, if not largely, because he hadn’t visited these shores since the 1965 Byrds tour. I spent a fair amount of time with him and Thomas Jefferson Kaye. They took me on the tour bus where I first met several of his Mendocino pals. I interviewed Clark and Kaye, but I also had to interview McGuinn and Hillman at greater length so it was all pretty intense. I’d started working on the book Timeless Flight which was quite an ambitious idea at the time. In Requiem For The Timeless, Volume 1, I detail that tour pretty extensively. It was very important at the time and it ultimately led to the formation of McGuinn, Clark & Hillman, although you wouldn’t have predicated that from seeing their interaction. I don’t recall them socializing on that tour, each of the three Byrds stayed with their own entourage and travelled in separate coaches. I interviewed the three of them again while they were finishing the recording of the first MC&H album. Heady times. Later, interviewing Clark in the 80s, I was struck by how much had changed. |
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2. What is your favorite Gene Clark story/memory? Perhaps my fondest memory is attending a launch party at a plush venue in London’s Mayfair. Gene and Tommy Kaye were in their element that night. I’ve reminisced about this many times over the years. I wore a Gene Clark T-shirt to the event and towards the end of the evening Gene stood up on a table and toasted me in front of everybody, which was kind of funny. I feared he might fall off the table. He was in great spirits that night, in every sense. I recall confessional calls in the 80s where Gene was talking about his sobriety, his regrets, his hopes and thoughts about writing a biography. |
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He was in touch with Jim Dickson a lot at the time and was hopeful of doing so much. It seemed like a fresh start for him. Maybe my most enduring visual image of Gene was being with him when he was preparing to perform [Summer,1977]. Backstage in his dressing-room he stared into a mirror surrounded by light bulbs. There were still hints of the old rock star vanity as he inspected his hair and shirt. |
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Below: Gene wearing "that coat" photo ©Ed Caraeef, courtesy of High Moon Records |
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He was wearing that coat – the same one seen on the cover of Two Sides To Every Story. He treated it like some protective uniform. He appeared fragile, probably nervous, but retained an air of mystery. I caught his eye movements and noticed a brief blankness, as if the man reflected in the mirror was a puzzle. Like a teenager preparing for a date, he reinspected his reflection for a moment, then hesitated. His short sentences were punctuated by long silences which became longer as showtime approached. |
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Perhaps it was stage fright. He seemed in constant need of reassurance like someone who wanted it all back but somehow wasn’t quite sure. After the shows, he was still slightly edgy but found comfort among his musician friends. Tommy Kaye was ever present, regaling onlookers with tales of Gene’s exploits and offering in-joke allusions that only they fully understood. Tommy spoke of his friend with respect and showed awe for his artistry, as we all did. A shy grin returned to Gene’s face. After a few beers he became merry, sometimes mumbling to himself, seemingly happy that the show was over. |
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3. What do you know about Gene that you would want his fans to know? Lots – but most of it is in Volume 2 of Requiem. He was a complex man in many respects. As always, I’d want people to know about his music and how much of it remains unearthed. Perhaps we should be thankful that many seemingly lost records did, in fact, survive. The recent Sierra release (Gene Clark: The Lost Studio Sessions 1964-1982) confirmed as much. 4. Favorite Gene Clark Song/Album? Favourite album: No Other. Selecting a single song from his vast repertoire is less easy. ‘Lady Of The North’ was always a personal favourite. ‘Echoes’ looms large and, from the Byrds, ‘Set You Free This Time’ is a powerful memory. I was very excited that Gene was given an A-side but they reversed the sides the following week. Still for that brief time, Gene’s song was played on the radio and I bought my copy the day it came out but I didn’t have a record player or any electricity in the house so hearing it was that much more special. 5. Complete the sentence:
I think Gene Clark should be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame because... he was a unique songwriter with an attractive literary style and a fearlessness in embracing different musical styles. |
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