Chris Hillman had heard all of the stories. The legends, really, of what it was like to be in music groups like The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. After all, Chris was there and he saw what was happening. He felt that there were misconceptions and misunderstandings about those days so he decided to write a memoir to provide his perspective on what has been a long, fruitful musical journey while attempting to set the record right about some of the things that he considers to be inaccurate.
In "Time Between - My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother, and Beyond" Hillman takes readers backstage for behind the scenes snapshots of pivotal moments in his career. One of my favorite insider anecdotes is about the time The Byrds were asked to appear on that premier 1960's TV showcase, The Ed Sullivan Show, and the antics of the mercurial David Crosby nearly got the band unceremoniously tossed from the studios.
Over the years I have interviewed a lot of musicians. When I asked Chris Hillman's publicist about scheduling one with Chris he arranged it. I asked about scheduling an interview that would last 30 minutes and was informed that Chris would give me 15 minutes. That was it. When I asked for an exception to be made in my case to obtain a longer interview I was rebuffed. I was OK with that but still, Chris has had such an incredible career and his memoir is so captivating that I knew 15 minutes would barely allow us to scratch the surface. When I called Chris to record the program I started off by clarifying my understanding that we had 15 minutes, that was the arrangement. Chris laughed and said: you can have 20, or 25, or even 30 minutes! His kind, generous response really put me at ease. Thanks, Chris!
The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, and Wright Memorial Public Library.
