Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life and Legacy of The Byrds' Gene Clark

As a kid I was a huge fan of the Byrds, as well as many of its later iterations (CSN…andY, Flying Burritos, etc.) But early on I was too young (and dependent on AM radio) to really distinguish between the personnel and politics of the group. As an unfortunate result, Gene Clark the artist was never on my radar screen. Now as I listen to my Gene Clark station on Pandora, and scour youtube for un-released demos and interviews, I realize what a tremendous missed opportunity that was for an impressionable young musician who was into exactly the sound and material that he was generating.This book is a sad tale of unfulfilled promise. As a result of unbridled egos and jealousy among several of his band mates, a young, sensitive artist of incomparable talent was isolated and obstructed to the point of emotional and mental distress. Did George and Ringo break up the Beatles because John and Paul reaped the extra reward of their unique talent and writing abilities? No, they cooperated and ultimately shared in the unprecedented success. Not so, Crosby and McGuinn. If they had displayed a modicum of patience, they would have learned from a master (…already, at 21!), honed their own writing skills and they and the entire world would have been richer for it. One has only to listen to Clark’s 1967 release, “Echoes” to understand just how big the Byrds could have become if they had only acted with a bit more maturity.And while Einarson attempted to moderate and downplay it, David Crosby comes across as a complete jerk, and probably the chief instigator in Clark’s departure from the Byrds and ultimate disappearance from the public’s awareness. Manipulative and self-serving, it’s little wonder that he himself was fired by the band a year later. From watching old videos, one can see that Clark was professional and considerate of the others. When it was time for McGuinn to carry the lead vocal, Gene would fade into the background and give him the stage…a very astute understanding of stage etiquette for a young artist armed only with a tambourine. Conversely, while McGuinn was singing lead, Crosby can be seen mouthing the lyrics off the mic…a real no-no, especially. on national t.v.There is no excuse for Clark’s abuse of alcohol and drugs in the ensuing years, esp. given the fact that the effect on his personality was to turn a quiet, soft-spoken country boy into a snarling Mr. Hyde. But the permissive, coddling star culture of Southern California did him no favors. He was afforded way too much leeway by everyone because he was “Somebody”. How many times did law enforcement merely send him home after some outrageous offense that would have landed a normal human being at least in long-term rehab. And certainly, some timely psychological counseling could have helped with his irrational fear of flying.He does seem to be somewhat of a victim of poor management and representation in his career, however. Listening now to his stunning body of work, he should have been one of the most successful artists and influences of the 60’s, 70’s AND 80’s.

One thing I can say is that this book was too short! LOL!! I'm a big Byrds fan and Gene Clark's story is very interesting to me. If you want the "bigger picture" of Gene's life & death pick up Johnny Rogan's most recent book, "Requiem For The Timeless 2: The Lives & Tragic Deaths of Gene Clark, Kevin Kelley, Michael Clark, Gram Parsons, Clarence White & Skip Battin" for the full story on Gene's tragic last years. Overall, Einarson did a great job of telling Gene's story.

While I was listening to the radio a week ago, I heard the Byrd's, I'm Going to Feel a Whole Lot Better." It was a totally Proustian moment for me, and I was suddenly transported back years to when I first heard that wonderful song. I thought about the handsome singer/ writer who wrote it, and suddenly wanted to find what I could about him, and the Byrds. I found this wonderful book, and read it in one sitting.Gene Clark wrote that tune, and many, many others. He was one of the founding 5 members of the Byrds, a group that was often referred to as the "American Beatles" when they starting performing in the mid 1960's.Clark left the Byrds dramatically after just a couple of albums, both because of internal problems within the group, and because of emotional problems of his own. (i.e. His notorious "fear of flying," made ironic in a group called the Byrds.)In this book, Einarson argues that Clark was probably bipolar, and may have improved given proper medications. But at that time, on his own, with all his fame and money, he self-medicated himself with drugs and booze. Lots of booze.Although he wrote so many wonderful songs, because of all of his problems Clark was unable to turn his genius into commercial success. As you read the story of his life, you can't help but feel frustrated with his string of bad luck, but more so with his behavior that caused him to burn so many bridges and sabotage any chances he had.This is a terrific biography, and highly recommended for anyone who has wondered about what happened to Gene Clark. One small complaint is that I would've liked to have seen more pictures of family and friends. Einarson is obviously a big fan, but he did extensive interviews and did a lot of research to give us as accurate a portrayal as possible. Gene Clark had a lot of faults, but you come away from this biography with an absolute respect for his musical gifts.I hope this book gets a lot of attention, and that Gene Clark finally gets the critical and public acclaim that is his due.

This is what a rock biography should be. Having recently endured two horrible examples of the art in the sixth form philosophical babble of Katherine Monk on Joni Mitchell and the cliche ridden agony of Paul Rees's tome on Robert Plant it was a joy to come to this book. John Einarson's exhaustive biography of the late great Gene Clark is a very satisfying if rather sad read. It chronicles the story one of the key founders of the Byrds, possibly the most important American band of the 1960s and someone who ranks alongside Gram Parsons as the founder of Country Rock. This book offers chapter and verse on the late singer songwriter leading his friend Chris Hillman to write that having worked alongside Clark for years "I never really knew him until I read this comprehensive study"Like many stories of the counter culture generation Clarks is one of tragedy and yet throughout his troubled life he managed to produce a series of country masterpieces not least one of the greatest albums in the whole canon 1974's "No Other". It is typical of Clark that it also includes one of the ugliest album covers on any famous record. Gene Clark had psychological hang ups so severe that they emotionally and professionally crippled him. His love life was tumultuous and often chaotic, but even worse for a performer his stage fright was legendary in its debilitating impact. His friends and family give eloquent testimony in Einarson's book of the agonies which he went through especially if any song went wrong which would see him turn to copious amounts of booze and pills leading to anarchic performances. Equally problematic for the writer of "Eight Miles high" was a fear of flying which meant that he couldn't venture out into the wide open spaces of the US and effectively tour and promote his albums.Thus the brightest star in the Byrds was in the words of Hillman not equipped to survive particularly as drugs and the rock n roll lifestyle took their toll. His exploits for example with his country singer drinking partner Doug Dillard around the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles were the stuff of "Lost Weekend" legend including driving motor bikes directly into the bar and generally making a royal prat of himself. Einarson sympathetically charts the horrible predictability of Clarks extended twilight throughout the Seventies and Eighties, of false career starts and the painful outcome of his unsustainable lifestyle. In 1988 he underwent surgery during which much of his stomach and intestines had to be removed and from thereon he declined to a mere 130 pounds in weight. Yet the Byrds checks kept coming in not least a substantial amount of money from Tom Petty's superb cover of his anthem "Feel A Whole Lot Better". Petty hero worshipped Clark but in another cruel twist of fate some of Clark's fair weather friends took him on an extended month long binge with this money where as Einarson states he disintegrated to the point of death. Clark eventually died in 1991 after the years had taken their toll. Yet he left a musical legacy which stars such as Tom Petty, Alison Krauss Robert Plant have developed with the utmost care. Plant's covers on "Raising Sand" of Clark's "Polly" and "Through the morning, through the night" are the tip of the iceberg of in terms of his huge output. Sadly as Einarson states "Clark never escaped the long shadow of the Byrds" He ended up as as "a cocaine fuelled visionary....a Southern gentleman on the one hand and a belligerent drunk on the other". With Gene Clark you must learn to love the contradictions.

Into gene?- go get

Gene Clark not only made great music, he also had a complex and often tragic life story. John Einarson's meticulously researched biography makes compelling reading. The story is also told on film in the new documentary, 'The Byrd Who Flew Alone', which is available from Four Suns Productions.

Really, there will probably never be a better book on Gene Clark, and unlikely with as much involvement from friends and family. The only possible flaw could be maybe skirting some negative detail, but no more so than any good biography of a complex individual. Loaded with detail and insight into all the songs (even unreleased) and recording sessions. The childhood years really put a deep perspective on his work!

L'auteur propose là un livre très documenté sur le fondateur ( avec Roger McGuinn qui tint le groupe jusqu'à la fin ) des Byrds qu'il quitta pourtant le premier après le deuxième album et sa collaboration sur « Eight miles high » sur le suivant.Nombres de détails dans cette biographie : du premier biberon à la dernière bouteille de vodka.Vie abrégée ( 1944 -1991 ) par un certains nombres d'abus et d'incohérences.Le genre fait qu'il y ait un peu trop de bio' et pas assez de musique.Mais là les disques suffisent : une bonne demi-douzaine de disques sont excellents : d'Echoes à Roamaster en passant par The virgin ou No Other, je me porte même humblement en faux contre l'avis de McGuinn, cité par l'auteur indiquant que seuls Crosby et Hillman ont transcendé l'appartenance aux Byrds.Du point de vue musical sinon commercial, c'est Clark qui a produit une « œuvre », son exceptionnel talent mélodique, ses textes gagnant en maturité, sa voix si prenante lui permettaient.Mais que d'influences néfastes, d'excès pour affronter la scène et encore moins y réussir, d'hésitations à s'accommoder du « milieu » et se le mettre à dos et en avoir besoin, faire seul son chemin et ne pas y parvenir malgré toutes les qualités qu'il possédait.tout cela est fort bien relaté dans ce livre très dense.« Le don et le gâchis » ou... « le poète ( qu'il était aussi ) et Hollywood ».Ses disques restent.