Byrds Gene Clark home video of a great interview

[Music] when I was in my 20s I wrote a book about experimental carburation and when I go out on my lecturing tours and book signings I'd take care of my own press I would arrange for the newspaper television and radio interviews to take place on the one day that I planned on being in town in 1988 when I still had carburation technology some friends of mine decided to get into the concert promotion business they asked me because of my past experience with the press if I could contact the news media to set up interviews with a performers to promote the upcoming concert I was glad to help and as it turns out it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience the talent for the concert was Jean Clark in the birds and the Roberts Meissner man Jane Clark was the only remaining original number of the birds and the Roberts Meisner ban was made up of Rick Roberts from Firefall and Randy Meisner was the original base for the Eagles and the weeks that preceded the concert I sent out press releases to the newspaper and set up interviews for the promoters to discuss the upcoming concert I arranged for a limousine and on the day before the concert I picked the guys up at their hotel to take him to their interviews I just bought my first video camera which in 1988 was kind of a big deal so since I was going to be riding around all day in the limousine with these guys and sitting through their interviews I asked him if they would mind if I rolled some tape so on that day I got some pretty fantastic video of gene Clark Rick Roberts and Randy Meisner the fact that Jim Clark passed away three years after this video was made makes it even more precious the video starts out with a little candid banter between Jim Clark and Rick Roberts on the way to Casey okay [Music] it was gonna make it I know that this year there was on my hot nuovo Nicole though those were it to the world and they were taken to Italy [Music] let me get some pretty good reaction to that sure exactly takes time now do the same our first stop was k ZL k in Seattle to be interviewed by Phil Shriver cuz I was at QD after five years yeah I know I've after I left I realize it turned out I had bought a house out in LA anyway and it has been sitting vacant for a year and when I left firefall at the same time the house I was living in I was renting and the guy had managed to sell it so I had to get out of there anyway I was leaving the band so it seemed to me a perfect sense to go back there life started out thanks Mac we're first what I didn't know was about the legal situations I was gonna be running into about fire pole if you're gonna keep me from starting you clear that was later musica confiscated by law yeah well interesting music in the music business is one word that's business that would actually be a good Avenue talk all those ways to music business was in 65 and 66 when a lot of a lot of you as a result I know a reference got taken advantage of but that didn't change by the time I got anything that way but it's not as prevalent as it was in those days I mean in those days entertainers literally had no protection so you know there's something wrong jack bruce was Tommy - that he not only doesn't did get any royalties from the past I've never seen a penny of royalties in the way of mechanical is from the fire photos I've made a lot of money off the publishing laws but but the rest of the band has never seen even if anyone I mean we operated in the red to Atlantic the entire time when we did that watching the interviews was fascinating but it wasn't until we moved on to KBS G that they became extraordinary a friend of mine Ron Eric was the program director of KBS G at the time he lined up Joe Michaels to interview gene Clark and Randy Meisner Joe took his assignment seriously and he researched these guys biographies way back to where before they were famous gene Clark commented that it's one of the best interviews he's ever had first it was a trio in the very beginning actually it was a duo at first it was roger McGuinn in myself and then it was david cross we came into it we became a trio and at that time we didn't really know exactly what we were gonna do yet we were a vocal trio we knew we had something going for sure and so we were looking around for songs and we kind of got with the manager at that time Dixon knew Bob Dylan and also knew Alberto Salinas managers they said we'll look what I try and find something that doing is with that is really known yet you guys could do an electric version of it at that time we were really starting to form the band you know Michael Clarke will coming into it so you know we got a demo record sent to us from Dylan of family man and of course we immediately really tripped on the song I really liked it and came up with an arrangement and that's really how it came out and what did that did that song establish you or was it the concerts that you were doing down the strip and everything else that was really making you an aim in that well we were already very popular in LA as a matter of fact we we were you know lines down the street kind of thing but when the record came out I guess the time was just right because it went immediately to number one first single so five and a half million copies they instantaneously almost which was really in those days phenomenal record sales you know and so it was all a you know we already had a scene going in LA but then when the record came out it became international really fast I think it was number one in 26 countries or something like that so it was you know pre immense success at the time how did you go about finding turn turn turn and recording it that was really interesting McGuinn came up with that idea he came to Crosby and myself and Chris and Michael when Danny said look I've got this song Pete Seeger adapted the lyrics ecclesiastes in the Bible and I think I got an idea of how to do it and we go wrong c'mon I don't know about that but then when he plays it it made sense and so we worked at a band arrangement went in and it was very hard song to record because of the harmonies and amount of lyrics involved and the rhythmic different things that we were doing with it I think that it's like the first album was real easy because we've been playing these songs on stage for a long we just set up what we were on stage and cut the first album with no effort at all the second one when we start on the second when we didn't have that much material yet so we were having to take song by song and work on I think we just 86 take some trying to turn or something before we finally got that magic tape yeah did that song spiritually lift you at all when you were playing it absolutely absolutely it did you know we got into that kind of spiritual feeling with it and definitely had that vibe about it too so there was definitely a spiritual energy going on in those days with the group - what about you of course wrote feel a whole lot better and that was that was a song that seems to come back around it it seems like it's a hit but it never really got the exposure that it needed yeah that's what I have it on that well actually what happened to that song I mean in the first four albums including free flight actually I wrote called Li half the material that the birds did at that time and a month I was my first really big hit you know but feel a whole lot better was almost too big yet but what happened is the record company was very confused on whether to do all I really want to do which was the other side or feel a whole lot better so they ended up it was kind of a war going on because once they both sides were hit but they instead of leave one of the sides being a really big yet they both were moderate hits and that's really kind yeah sure kind of entered into that - yeah she did we we had the first version but then she got hers out just a little ahead of ours and it was already if then they tried to turn the record over and promote feel a lot better but at that time by that time it kind of lost a little bit of its steam you know a lot of people as a quartet feel a lot better to it Josh I hear I don't know how many recordings there are now but just you know a couple of years ago juice news and putting on one of her albums along with a host of other people that have done it yeah was there a particular person in mind that you wrote that song not really you know most songs a lot of songs are written in dreams - which is very funny I know a lot of writers that say that you'll be having a waking dream and you get the song in your head I realized that it's nothing you've heard before and you're right that was kind of the case was feel it wasn't written really about anybody just you take an idea and you work on it yeah what are those what are those dreams come from one of those where those songs come from do you think I don't even know I don't know whether it's something I'm sure it's an energy being channeled to you but I don't know what kind or where it is but I have a lot of those new ones like that right now you know that wake up Michael Wow weird yes yeah run out the training tape recorder on pick up the consarn player what I least puts in my mind of it but if I don't catch it right away it goes away you know you'll forget it tell me the story of eight miles high eight miles high started well we had just been to England met the stones and the Beatles and had a incredibly great trip over there for a month this was in 65 August of 65 is another thing and we came back to the States the stones came back over we went he did some touring with them and on that tour right I was hanging out with Brian Jones and we were eating dinner one night and having a couple of drinks and just talking and I got this idea from the conversation because we were talking about the whole trip for New England and how weird the people were about us yet at the same time love this you know and I started writing down lyrics to it mm-hmm and I got a melody and took the basic outline of the song to to McGuinn and crosby while we were on the road and they both liked it a lot and started working on an arrangement and we worked on the razor for a couple of months and that's how I came out really what was it about I mean was it about all of it it was about everything it was about the drugs it was about the airplane flight it was about the the coldness of the people that was about the warmness of the people it was about all of it really there's one thing about good poetry the most good poets that I've ever read it heard in my life leave they don't come and make the point real clear they leave a lot to the imagination and in this case I think I succeeded with that in the lyrics of it because a lot of people ask that question they say what is it about it's really what you want it to be about or what you can relate it to being about I related to that particular trip at that time you know some people related to LSD and drugs you know I mean if they want to that's fine that really wasn't totally what was in my mind but that did have something to do it when you talk about poets anybody in particular inspired you well I you know that's hard to say because I like all the classic poets but then again I would say that modern poetry probably inspires me I you know um now for some reason my mind went like I'm trying to think of the man's name the Irish poet George Bernard Shaw no not Foster no Dylan Thomas don't really really inspired I mean the guy is yeah in my mind one of the greatest poets that ever lived because of his great descriptiveness and obviously inspired Bob Dylan as well and I got inspired by Bob Dylan and John Lennon both extremely because I was right at that right age and they were happening and and the kind of writing those guys were doing was different but yet both of them had any really incredible and unique approach to everything and I think to John Lennon's poetry is still today as some of the best I've ever heard you knew John yes well we all knew each other I mean Dylan the birds the stones the Beatles we all knew each other is kind of a clique at that time because we were the people that were kind of cut out by the public to be in that position and so we all knew each other you know some of us were closer than those I liked John are awful lot I thought it was really a brilliant man so you know as as I do David Crosby I think David Crosby is a brilliant man you know and roger McGuinn to to in certain areas that man is unbeatable with his creativity you know so it was a mutual respect thing that we all had for each other we like to get together when we could Sting's ideas and and for some reason I hated to see that die when it happened but after the mid 60's want to cut into the late sixties thing you know with the advent of the heavy psychedelic drugs and all that a lot of that seemed to fade away so you keep in contact with any of those guys yet well not for a long time except for the bird guys yeah I still have many prospered yeah I see David quite often as a matter of fact and and I said I just recently had communication with Roger and Chris but it's fair and Michael I talked to just yesterday isn't that a fact the day before yesterday excuse me so you know I mean we do stay in touch but you know from time to time it's sketchy yeah how about McCartney what would impressed you about him when you met him Paul I knew the least I knew George Ringo and John much better than Paul they they were more friendly and open actually Paul was a little more he was always gone in the area he was there but not there you know the thing I remember best about him is that how much he would work at his art you you know lucky go into the house and not be around or something and then he hear us guitar coming from the bedroom is just working you know and I think at the time that this particular thing is working on paperback writer or something like that you know and you know that it was just bad it impressed me with him was their unity and their their incredible dedication to their art what about the birds after you left what did you what were you thinking when you heard songs like my back pages and well my back pages is a total classic I mean I I would have loved to have been part of that record even though that was wrong I am on some of the records after I left even though my name isn't on it is it is that right what were you want well I think I'm going back and and if you really cuts like around that period of time but it you know what I thought of it I thought I liked it a lot I mean the Elmo's like fifth dimension younger than yesterday things like that I thought were great albums you know of course I was real into at that time starting into the contemporary country thing this was a little early for it yet because it hasn't really caught on it's a way later I saw you with Doug Dillard in the Golden Bears right yeah Gilligan Clark and then and of course that was even before the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Eagles and everybody else's where poco that finally followed suit yeah now you you recently wrote a tune for heartbroke was that yours hydro no no I don't believe that didn't you read it didn't you have a country song it was a number one - not too long ago no actually I didn't wrote that song for Ricky Skaggs no not myself uh-huh that might have been our guy Clark maybe that's my vision Clark a thirty divided family Guy Clark okay alright okay so how did you get this group of guys together as the birds this just happened I got kind of kind of dumped in our laps really we were out with the members and firefall the band and people like that on a tribute to her for 20 years of classic rock right and then dank one Manuel went back to the band and a Rick well this went back to the three-piece got now but I was left with the guys were just really good players and people would keep calling say what would you a bird's come play and I said war not really the first I saw yes you already sound exactly like the birds like there was a demand for the music and that's how it came about to to really tell you how long lived it'll be is very hard to say because at this point I'm quite honestly there's discussion about the original group reforming what you're supposed to see in your mind about this huh you know some people want to do that I mean you can't argue with fat I love that one how did you feel the first time you heard a record that you recorded on the radio when it caught you by surprise and and you didn't know that obviously that you one of your songs was coming on when you first heard yourself on the air in a none stage setting what's really exciting you know the first time you hear yourself on there ready go what you think I just just really exciting you know you want to call your folks and say that they're gonna play it you're gonna be hearing it oh this what was the first song oh let's see probably I don't know if they ever made a nationwide oh I've got a way back when you first moved out here from Colorado but let's see I guess the first one probably was with poco I guess or actually no I was uh Rick Nelson I know that was after that was after but you're in the Stone Canyon ban yeah I so much got stomp Canyon down together with Rick and seen polka plays troubadour quite a few times and when he found out too that I had he had called me up and learned enough I could get a band together so it turned out to be is the guys that I came out with all the sole survivors from Denver and so they were still in LA and didn't have anything really going on at the time and so I went and grabbed a man that was Allen camp and Pat Shanahan Internet can I and we beyond together that wasn't the same guys that had expressed where your heart'll is Lee no no they were the sole survivors of the amber they had got a little head back there in Colorado during that time did were you once you talk a little bit about Rick Nelson what kind of a guy was he here's a sweetheart I mean just couldn't find a nicer guy to work with I worked with him Oh probably two two years and then I gave up music for a while and came back and I think it was really this feel good about it done last time I was said I went back to Nebraska cuz at the time I was narrating we had twins and I needed to give back there and take her like his and then he had called and I needed a bass player his entire was anybody who weren't fun in the right part oh I flew out I think it was kind of just to get me back in the band so I did that album with him and then nationally a friend of mine from Pennsylvania I was going to school in the ground duck came out with me and he had a high voice and so when I went my son Durant's dad to join the Eagles I replaced him and so Rick wasn't left in the cold without a bass player all right off the bat and then they went on to uh what's his song Canada garden party garden party yeah you weren't on that oh no no that was Steve love my friends Oh where'd you one that she belongs to me uh yeah yeah I think so we did the White Album at the troubadour the first one and then there was the what I think I was ready to maybe it might not have the others yeah I haven't seen in a while I found out the other day I'd given all my albums way I had to go to memorabilia store to get them every time so he comes over you know friends or somebody at gosh I don't have that album so I'd always give it to him because I never listened to it home once I'm making all them yeah so I was looking around ready I didn't have not at one of my albums I had to buy used ones anyway what other songs from the Eagles were you on that became hit well let's see as far as on my own leads a peg to the limit was probably the only limit which was nice about that it was never really promoted it was the radio people chose it without you know pushing it a lot of times you'll push this angle but this one just it was on demand that it was being played so much that they had to really sit on a single so that was actually a real nice feeling and every time we would play it live it would always be a house and they're like D song and it still works pretty good uh I'll see I don't know if you feel comfortable talking about that any thoughts come to mind when I mentioned best of my love great song they still hold a lot right that's my way of it yeah they'll play em and they sound good peaceful easy feeling that we got fun to play anyone oh you had a fun fun song employers like where the the more up like one of these nights in Hotel California and that kind of music myself the ballots are okay but as far as playing base to them and singing in background it's you know pretty much boom-boom not much you can say about that ya know if I had been singing lead on it I might have had a different feeling about it you know already gone I like you know I like more of the rock and roll stuff yeah any words about Eagles getting back together and in any kind of haha no I really I kind of keep in touch I talked to Don Felder and Henley quite a bit I think Joe office has done a national now and I'm not sure I think Glenn's just finished a new album and Bernie was playing a snitty Gritty Dirt Band that I think is a lot of don't know what I've seen for a while it's one Hana our one hand one song I wrote that I think Felder well I wrote the lyrics is called too many hands I just want them like I'm glad I was involved and they able to ride it because it's almost coming true you know destroying our Mother Earth and what I don't like about destroying it Oh maybe that'll be a classic someday yeah there's nobody here to play it so how did you get connected with Rick Roberts sounds like you guys have been friends well yeah well a you've brought just about everybody everybody's name that lives in LA and that oh we got a real well in London there in poker games remember we finally oughta poker with the Eagles but I had played on my Rick's albums before the Eagles and we just kind of know any chiming through the crowd and the way this band came together I was just more or less doing some riding with a friend of mine Andy Fisher and just doing some demos and just kind of kicking around and I just happened to see Rick and a restaurant in LA and he was putting a band together and at the time I had short hair and was wearing glasses and he didn't know who I was in mark Andy's is Athena is player for heart so Rick scene yeah looking for a bass player and so mark standing behind me pointing down at my head didn't know what he meant many places Alyssa's Rihanna so from there it was like I wasn't doing anything and I could already have the band kind of started so I hadn't played bass and probably six years or something like that when I went on my own I started playing acoustic to singing and so it was like starting all over again which is really fun and actually I'm enjoying this more than I did you know when I was younger like the traveling and stuff I'm thinking of different things yeah what was it like to be with the Eagles when they were you were there there's pinnacle of their career it was I'm pretty crazy it was a lot of fun I mean it was another kind of lifestyle sure you know every night there is a what the third encore the top floor of the hotel every night parties and a lot of fun and a lot of I don't know what you call it you've got I don't know after well that's basically I kind of took off after a while I got a little bit too much for me the Taliban used every night and it was driving me a little crazy I had to get away from it it works on you after a while well I think that's and but you know what it was too far away from the business too far away from all the contacts and communication and it ended up being like hey are we gonna get back any of this I'm gonna have to get back into the city where it is you know yeah at all there's hey you got to do it I have a couple of friends and you're going through it now and they live a little too far out to really be in touch with it they're going man I wish I could get this I said we know it's real weird but if you're not available even children and jet planes are not being available would that be there physically that's weird but that's later do you like my I mean there's this thing about you know well no in those days I was a little over dosed with it and plus with that kind of success in being 19 years old you know that kind of success in being a historian air and all that crap of those with it and not having a moment's peace basically no you don't have experience man it's like oh you're watching night air and you're a big star I mean it's like international and you're going on know I'm there women this is me I know everybody wrong here always dreamed about this but now it's here and I don't know how to deal with it and there was so much we're traveling all the time and of course in those days everybody's doing psychedelics and that was [Applause] you

Channel: Larry Wagner

Views: 98,324

Keywords: Byrds, Gene Clark, Eagles, Randy Meisner, Firefall, Rick Roberts, The Byrds, the eagles

Id: Mzt_BDRnCLE

Length: 28min 40sec (1720 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 28 2011