Roger McGuinn Reveals He Didn't Want to Work With David Crosby

Posted on Oct 30th 2009 2:30PM by Pat Pemberton
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While David Crosby continues to plead unsuccessfully for a Byrds reunion, the band's former frontman Roger McGuinn tells Spinner he didn't want to be in a band with Crosby in the first place.

McGuinn first met Crosby back in 1960, showed Crosby a few chords on guitar and, as the two became friends, even had dinner with Crosby and his mother in Santa Barbara. But the idea of playing in a band with Crosby? Not so appealing.

"I just decided that I really didn't want to work with him," McGuinn says. When asked why, McGuinn softly responds, "No comment."

Eventually, Crosby presented an offer McGuinn couldn't refuse. "He came along and had access to a recording studio that we could use for free," McGuinn says. "So that was a strong incentive."

Aided by Crosby's trademark harmonies, the Byrds became a pioneering band of the '60s, winning fans like the Beatles, who once called the Byrds their favorite group. "It was just a really great feeling," McGuinn says of the endorsement. "We got to know each other and exchanged ideas. It was really something."

Later, the Byrds would influence the Eagles, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, who told an Orlando audience last year that he grew listening to the Byrds on a transistor radio. He then brought McGuinn -- an Orlando resident -- to the stage, where they performed 'Turn! Turn! Turn!' and 'Mr. Tambourine Man' with the E Street Band "I didn't realize he was such a fan of the Byrds until that night," McGuinn says.

The Byrds' music has been covered by numerous bands, including Springsteen, Tom Petty, Patti Smith and Husker Du. "It's always an honor when you write a song that other people want to cover," McGuinn says, noting that he especially likes Husker Du's punk-flavored cover of 'Eight Miles High.'

Today, only three original members of the Byrds are still alive (Chris Hillman, the third, performs solo). While Crosby has repeatedly tried to reunite the Byrds -- "He does that every couple of months," McGuinn says -- McGuinn said his refusal to get the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band back together is nothing personal. In fact, he still calls Crosby every year on his birthday.

"It's not problem with David," he said. "I just don't want to be in a band."
Fair enough.