mcguinn interview

Many people claim that you first discovered the 12-string guitar after
seeing George Harrison play his Rickenbacker?

Roger McGuinn: The first 12-string guitar I bought was probably around
1957. I was influenced by Leadbelly, Pete Seeger, Bob Gibson and a lot
of the folk singers. In the late 50s, I was in Chicago and went to the
Old Town School of Folk Music. That's where I learned about Leadbelly.
Leadbelly's guitar is in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.
I went to the south side of Chicago and got what I thought was a
Stella, but it had a spruce top. It was a nice sounding guitar. I got a
12-string very early on and it wasn't my main instrument, but
something that was certainly part of my repertoire.

On your Limited Edition CD, you pay tribute to George. Was he a friend?

RM: Yes, we were friends. He was very reserved. A really sweet guy, he
loved his music, loved his family. Not much to say. We went to his
house in Hyde Park and he was kind enough to show us around. He let me
play his Rickenbacker that he played on A Hard Day's Night. Showed us
around his studio and we all went out to dinner. Early on the Byrds
went to see A Hard Day's Night, a kind of reconnaissance trip. And we
took notes on what the Beatles were playing and bought instruments like
they had. We got a Gretsch Country Gentleman and the Rick.

You recorded "Turn, Turn, Turn" before forming the Byrds?

RM: I was sort of a sideman. I was a studio musician in New York. I did
quite a few sessions with Elecktra Records. And around 1963, Judy
Collins was doing a session at the time. So, Jac Holzman (Founder,
Elektra Records) had me recording on a Judy Collins album and I started
playing on that track. I ended up coming up with a lot of ideas and by
the end of it she gave me a nice, very generous, credit as Musical
Director.

What songwriters have influenced you or you've enjoyed over the years?

RM: Songwriters, hmm. Let's see, I loved Lennon and McCartney, Pete
Seeger, love his work. Bob Dylan, loved his songwriting. You mentioned
Fred Neil earlier, I like his work too. People like Leonard Cohen and
Joni Mitchell.

click on link above for more