Chris Hillman

BYRDS, BURRITOS AND BEYOND Chris Hillman Remembers His Life and Faith in a New Memoir

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

IN ADDITION TO HIS PLACE IN the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Chris Hillman is also credited as a cornerstone of the country-rock and Americana movements. As co-founder of The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers and the Desert Rose Band, Hillman helped create a unique hybrid of roots and rock. His career and life are the subjects of Time Between, a new memoir to be published this month by BMG. In the enthralling and inspirational journey, he candidly recounts the major victories and heartbreaking tragedies of his seventy-five years of existence. Music fans of several generations will appreciate his insights on his time with The Byrds, his difficult relationship with Gram Parsons in the Burritos and encounters with many of the architects of modern songcraft. But music is only a portion of the story. The singer-songwriter also offers a rare look at his childhood and family and details how his spiritual journey opened his mind to forgiveness. INsite spoke with the legendary musician by phone from his home in Ventura, California.

After touring for most of your life, how does it feel to be off the road for a while? I’ve got a few shows planned for January, but who knows? I’m not sure what will happen. But I’m staying busy here. My wife hands me a list of things to do every day and I do them. Right now, I sort of enjoy not leaving the house. But I see my grandchildren a couple of times a week because they live about fifteen or twenty minutes away, so that’s good.

You created classic music during some of the most unsettled times of the ‘60s. Now here we are in the middle of another time of upheaval. Do you think great art will come from this era like what happened during the Vietnam era for example? It’s such a different world now, but we’ve had crises all along. In the book I address 1969 for example and Altamont and the Manson murders and all the horrible things that happened in that period and so much came from that time. As for now, I’m sure it will - but we might not even know about it for a while. Somebody may be in their house writing a beautiful symphony, but no one will hear it for a while, until there’s a way to market it. But I’m sure we’ll be able to see it or hear it or enjoy it at some point in the future.

In the ‘60s, people could rally around a song nationally or even internationally. The Byrds’ version of “Turn, Turn, Turn” is a good example. With everything being so segmented now, is it possible to have a unifying anthem anymore? People have changed and gotten so far apart. When you see the news, it’s like God isn’t in the mix anymore. But for me, I’ve had a redemption, coming from darkness into a path of light. So I hope everyone can have that sort of unity. But the human condition and technology is all very different too, so it’s interesting to see if we could ever have an anthem for a generation at this point. You mentioned God. Your faith plays a major role in your life story. I do address it and I hope it can be helpful. I hope everybody likes it, but I don’t know. All I know is it was a great experience to tell the story. It was cathartic and there were some things I had to leave out because it was a seven-year labor of love.

Take us through the process. Well it started out just as a fun idea and then it got serious. When you get a legitimate deal on the table to publish it, you have to get real serious. I had too much stuff initially and I had to actually leave stuff out. But I had a great editor and it was his idea to open the book with the fire we had out here in 2017. That was a bad Fall. I was in Nashville and Tom Petty died, then my house almost burned up. But the thing is, we survived it all - because we always do. At this point in my life, I’m praying that my children and grandchildren can make it to 75 and have their own story to tell.

There’s a lot of joy in the book but also write ‘Gram Parsons was a drug addict’ and a lot of pain. You had to relive a lot of so on. I didn’t need to do that and I didn’t emotional highs and lows to tell this story. even want to do that. He was an incredible Some people might have glossed over some talent who was seduced by dark things. of the more wrenching moments. He made great music so why condemn or Well I had to come to grips with it. My judge him? father’s suicide is a good example. I was so angry with The high road is always best. him for half of my life. But I forgave him. I firmly believe God had a hand in that, too. So it wasn’t that hard to talk DO LOVE TO PLAY MUSIC BUT I’M NOT CHASING A I think so. But some people might say, ‘Oh what a wimpy book, you didn’t tell the real story. He doesn’t tell about about it for the book. I’d forgiven him, so I was able to talk about it honestly. He was really a good guy but in 1961 CAREER ANYMORE. I’M JUST A VERY BLESSED MAN. being this or that.’ But I wasn’t that. I wasn’t the kind of person who followed the whole rock and roll lifestyle thing. he wasn’t able to embrace inspiration she was to me. I didn’t need to God or his roots in Judaism. Exactly. And speaking of Therapy wasn’t as popular then, either. threads, a thread of country music winds throughout your entire musical history. A surprising thread in the book is the lack Yeah, that was what I loved, even as a of sensationalism. Everyone gets a firm kid. I’ve never lost it. But I do have some and fair treatment. regrets, who doesn’t? When I was in The That was intentional. I don’t make a habit Byrds, from ’64 until 1969, I didn’t even of reading autobiographies, but I did read own a mandolin. So I had to play catch-up Linda Ronstadt’s book. I loved how she when we did the Sweetheart of the Rodeo wrote it. She never denigrated anyone; she album. I really had to play catch-up on that talked about the music. I said, ‘Now there’s thing. Still am! I love blues too. But I’m not the pathway!’ I wrote her a note prior a blues guy, I’m within my comfort zone to editing my book, telling her what an with country music. It must have been a shock to you, as a country fan, when the decidedly countrytinged Sweetheart album was met with resistance from some fans and peers. Well yeah. There were a lot of inconsistencies in the way people accepted it. It wasn’t my favorite record, but we had a great time doing it. We weren’t trying to cross over or anything. The Byrds weren’t saying, ‘Ok we’re going to Nashville to be a country band now.’ We were The Byrds and we were gonna make a country album and still be The Byrds. I had no idea that it eventually generated such acceptance. It didn’t sell that well back then. It does now but people really glommed onto it. When we did the reunion tour a while back to celebrate the 50th anniversary of it, we had sell-out crowds. I could not believe it! So again, you just never know how things will be perceived until some time has passed. It works that way every time so who knows what will come from what we’re all doing now. In a few years, I think we’ll be hearing and seeing something truly incredible.

What is your plan for next year - or whenever things may be back to normal? I don’t know! I don’t have any songs right at this minute. I’m not really thinking about that. I think I’m still on Rounder Records. My wife says that yes I am still on Rounder. But I’ll tell ya, the last conversation I had with Tom Petty, I told him I really appreciated him producing my last record. He said, ‘What are you talking about?’ I said, ‘You know.’ He said, ‘No, I don’t know. What do you mean by your last record?’ He said, ‘I’m not done with you. I want to do a rock record, a country record. We’re not done here.’ I said, ‘Well ok.’ He thought I still had music to do, so I guess we’ll see what happens. I do love to play music but I’m not chasing a career anymore. I’m just a very blessed man.