help needed ...! re: please do not read if you hate the byrds.

Hillman's the drummer? Ask him if he regrets ironing his hair to straighten it out.

err, rephrase - questions from people who know who the byrds are and what instruments they play...!

Was he bass then? WHICH ONE IRONED HIS HAIR GODDAMNIT!?

Hillman was bass and ironed his hair.

Ask him if he ever burned his ear.

I haven't read the J.Rogan book, so I don't know if all this stuff has been addressed before, but :

a)how did CH suddenly start writing on Younger than Yesterday. Were his songs rejected by Mcguinn/Crozzer etc before or didn't he write.

b)Why did he leave

c)What was his opinion of the direction that the Byrds went after he left given that he went in a similar direction with the FBBros. Why not do it with the Byrds? Or had McGuinn become too difficult to work with.

d) Does he think that the FBB achieved GP's aim of a 'unified american music' or was it in the main ho-hum country rubbish (my opinion).

e)What was Crozza like to work with - was he as insufferable as reputed? Does he have a view on Mind Gardens.

ask him about his unusual bass playing style - were its intricacies developed as a reaction against playing with the 'king of 4/4' michael clark?

ask him if he feels his records were mondo freakout potsmoke fantastic, like the tyde's are. ;-)

1) In a recent live show in London CH said he liked playing with Herb Pedersen because he wasn't as nuts as some of his previous collaborators (or words to that effect). Who was the nutsest? How and why? Who was nuts in a good / bad way?

2) Does he think his later work (e.g. Desert Rose Band) as a continuation of his earlier stuff? Has he been trying to achieve a single thing through his career? Has he always had a certain ideal sound in his head (equiv of Dylan's 'wild mercury')? Was folk-psych-rock era Byrds an aberration in CH's career? If so was it a useful aberration?

3) Is CH's reputation as the nicest one of the Byrds justified?

4) Which phase of his career has been the most rewarding financially (I'm guessing the Desert Rose Band but I don't know)?

5) Has Dr. C ever been as wrong about any music as he is about the Flying Burrito Brothers?

feckin' ace questions. i really want him to do this interview. thanks guys...

my roger mcguinn interview was all about the moog and his use of electronics. so hopefully he will do the interview. i think as long as it doesn't retread boring old ground chris will be up for it.

Wow! I'd love to play a part in this, the Byrds being one of my all-time faves. But I can't think of any interesting questions, and I'm sure CH is sick of talking about events of nearly 40 years ago. And I'd be more inclined to ask questions of McGuinn. ("So, tell me: why'd you choose 'Roger'? As opposed to, say, 'Ralph' or 'Randy?'")
So I've nothing to offer, but thanks & congratulations all the same!

One thing you could ask mcguinn, that I've always wondered about - there's this fairly well-known story that when mcguinn bought the moog modular, he asked for a manual, or tech assistance when he got stuck w/it, and moog's reply was that if he didn't know how to use it, then he shouldn't have bought it! Can you ask him if this is true, and what the actual story is if so?

I can't think of anything to ask Chris Hillman, except how the fuck did you get that awesome bass tone on "draft morning". Dr C's questions seem really good, though.

i already sent off the moog questions - just about how he came to focus on it, space-rock pioneer, gary usher, why all the resistance, the mythical moog album, secret origins, aware fo united states of america, etc. hopefully he answers them. that was nerve wracking.

Damn. Here's what is says in the booklet from "Never Before":

"....The use of the Moog synthesiser on this track resulted from an interesting adventure in itself. McGuinn first encountered the Moog at the Monterey pop Festival during the summer of 1967, and, duly impressed, purchased one of the early models from the inventor, R.A.Moog, for around $9000. The only hitch was that the machine came without instructions...Mr Moog opined that if one didn't know how to use it already, one should not own it in the first place. Fortunatley, Roger was able to figure it out for himself..."

How did Hillman go from being a fantastic bass player in the Byrds to a boring one in the FB Bros?

he gambled away his extra notes in crazy and deeply legendary poker games with gram and the boys

ask hillman about buying a $25,000 mandolin off my dad.

Ask him if he's pissed off about Black Rebel Motorcycle Club stealing their schtick

a few weeks ago i asked my dad what kinda stuff he listened to at my age (he's been playing bluegrass since the 60s in berkely) and his number one choice was Hillman. i sent this question off to him to see if he had any requests.

thanks jaxon..!

i was going to say: hillman is very into bluegrass, i saw him play a solo bluegrass show in santa barbara about 8-9 years ago.

ask him what he thinks of the summer hits reissue.

Ask him what he thinks of Big & Rich.

that's funny, gygaX!
i should ask them all about the summer hits reissue.
am doing a joey stec interview in november. wow oh wow!

Myonga Von Bontee asked:
"So, tell me: why'd you choose 'Roger'? "

As far as I remember he wrote to his guru and was sent back a list of appropriate names to choose from. He chose Roger because of its link with aviation which was one of McGuinn's big interests.

so unfortunately my dad is a weird, nonhelpful man. and he always types in ALL CAPS. maybe he should go to the n0iZe PicKle board. here's our IM conversation.

ME: a friend of a friend* is doing an interview w/chris hillman, and hillman said "he would do an interview if i didn't get tedious and ask stuff that's been written about 1000x over." do you have any questions that you've ever wanted answered?
DAD: ABOUT WHAT?
ME: music i guess, i dunno
DAD: LIKE HOW MANY GIRLS HE SLEPT WITH?
ME: haha, just figured you've liked him. i just thought i'd throw it out
DAD: HE IS A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE
ME: oh really?
DAD: I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM. WE SWAP STORIES ALL THE TME
ME: how do you know him? guitar trading?
DAD: I FIXED HIS WRIST.**
ME: oh
DAD: AND SOLD HIM A $24000 MANDOLIN
ME: i know about the mandolin. did he have wrist probs from playing guitar?
ME: ok. i'm gonna go get lunch. if you can think of anything the music public should know, let me know
DAD: DO A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET ON HIM ABOUT HIS MUSIC. HE IS A BIG HITTER
ME: i know who he is. and this guy is a journalist and a HUGE fan of the byrds but he just doesn't want to ask same-y questions

* i didn't want to say someone i "know" from the interweb
** my dad is a Joint Rehabilitation, Prolotherapy & Sports Medicine doctor

so, he didn't give me any straight answers (like usual). maybe ask if his wrist problems are from playing guitar and if it's bothered his playing or creativity. or just ask him how many girls he slept with.

JaXoN:

"DO A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET ON HIM ABOUT HIS MUSIC. HE IS A BIG HITTER"

I wish your dad was on ILM, this reply alone would clear up so much confusion and settle so many debates around here.

i know, what the fuck? my dad's like the Geir of real life