Roadie Report 29 - July 2007 - Roger's Bday and Concert in NJ, with John Sebastian

Fernandina Beach, FL (Photo by Camilla)

There were two upcoming events that made driving out of our driveway a special adventure. We were on our way to Ocean City, New Jersey for a concert with John Sebastian as the co-bill. I have previously written about Roger’s first meetings with John and John’s influence on his life in Roadie Report 25. This was going to be one of those wonderful rock’n’roll re-unions. The other special event was the celebration of Roger’s 65th birthday.

We arrived in Fernandina Beach, on Amelia Island in FL just as the sun was setting on July 12th. In 1861, Fernandina Beach was the home of Florida’s First Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico railroad. The old train station is now the offices of the Chamber of Commerce. (Photo by Camilla) The town has the romantic architecture of the turn of the last century. It also has the beauty of sunrises and sunsets. There is just one small problem which has probably kept it from being Florida's northern Key West -–it is the home of a paper mill. We have been there only once when the acrid odor reached our senses, but the charm of the town outweighs the overwhelming presence of an industry that we all cavalierly use everyday.

Over the years, I have arranged a few large birthday celebrations for Roger, but his favorite celebrations are the ones where we quietly toast the day with a few friends or just the two of us. I felt 65 was a milestone, or at least if is with our government, so I searched the Internet to see if there was an unusual stopping place during our trek north on July 13th, the big day.

I considered taking him to my hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina. He has always enjoyed walking those streets, but as I was looking for a cozy but elegant setting, I found a plantation 30 minutes away from Charleston, in Summerville. I studied their web site and the when I saw the line, “A step ahead in luxury and a stepback in time,” I knew I had found the place to celebrate a romantic birthday evening, The Woodlands Resort and Inn.
Photos by Camilla


Afternoon tea was sent to us as we settled into our room. That of course, is ice-tea. We are in the South. A chilled bottle of wine was in the room and a sense of deja-vu. The armoire was of the same design as the one in our bedroom at home.

Roger checked the Internet access and I went to check the table for his birthday dinner. The dining room was lovely and the Maître de very accommodating. I chose the perfect table, then skipped backed to the room very excited about the upcoming evening.

I was right to be excited. The meal was amazing. The chef even prepared Roger one of his favorite dishes, even though it wasn’t on the menu.

Interstate 95 is a good road for the truckers to get where they need to be quickly, but when we have time, we like to leave that road for the truckers to enjoy. Our planned route was to head over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, up the DelMar Peninsula and catch the Cape May-Lewes Ferry to New Jersey.


The concert with Sebastian was part of a Summer Monday Night series held at the Ocean City Music Pier. The theater seats over 800 people. John and Roger’s show was the first sell-out of the Monday night series.

It didn’t matter to either Roger or John who opened the show, but John had a 4 hour drive after his performance, so he entertained the fired up audience first. John did stay awhile in order to join Roger with his harmonica for three songs: “You Got Me Running,” “St James Infirmary Blues" and “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” After the songs, John quietly slipped away into the night.

Later at the hotel, Roger and I were reminiscing about the concert and I mentioned to him that I noticed his performance had a slightly different relaxed attitude than the relaxed one I was used to seeing. He congratulated me on my perceptive observance then told me that he had sat on the side of the stage during John’s show. He was inspired by John’s amazing musicianship and his loving attitude towards the audience. I could tell that John’s inspiration was reflected in Roger’s performance. There is a proverb, "As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens man.”

Tuesday morning, we drove to the Sheraton Suites On The Hudson in Weehauken, NJ. Gary Trust, from Billboard magazine, had emailed me earlier in the week and asked for a copy of “Live From Spain” for their archives. I told him that we would be happy to drop one by the office since Roger was scheduled to be in New York for an interview.

We caught the ferry right out the hotel door, stepped up onto the free Ferry Bus and got off three blocks from the Billboard offices. (We are big fans of public transportation when it works.) After chatting with the staff for a while, Roger looked at me and said, “Time to go.” I had forgotten to tell him, that Gary also took this opportunity to arrange an interview. I do need to remember that sometimes, Roger can’t read my mind.

While Roger was sequestered with Jonathan Cohen. Gary took me to the Billboard library.

Billboard magazine is a trade paper founded in 1894 for the billboard industry. It grew into one of the most important music industry trade papers. When an artist hits the top of the Billboard Charts, they are considered a success. Once that happens, the record company presidents sometimes take their calls. Gary invited me to view the original issues of the magazine.

The Billboard library is a small space with piles of the magazine piled in heaps on every available surface. The oldest copies are stored in heavy duty file cabinets. While Gary was busy looking for the early issue, my eyes glanced down at the bottom of the three foot stack of magazines that were next to me. Sticking out at an angle was a cover from June 1973 and I recognized a face on the cover. It was the album cover from Roger’s first solo album titled Roger McGuinn. The original photograph hangs on my office wall. I couldn’t talk for a moment while my mind went over the probability factor of me standing in that spot in the Billboard library, in the midst of hundreds of magazines and seeing the face of my husband. I pointed to the picture and asked Gary if he knew the person in that photograph. He didn’t. His mouth dropped too when I told him it was Roger.
( 1973 Billboard)
A short visit that happened just because of an email request, turned out to be a shot heard around the world. The interview went onto the web the next day and Roger’s quote about not wanting to do a ‘Byrds’ reunion was picked up by Rolling Stone and news outlets around the world. When the August 4, 2007 hard copy issue was released, on page 65 was a picture of Roger and the photo next to his was one of Diana Ross. She was in the photo next to Roger in the 1973 issue too. We didn’t notice that tidbit until I asked Roger to scan the cover for this blog. Some people would say this so called co-incidence was stranger than fiction, I say it was a smile from God.
(2007 Billboard)
Wednesday was another trip down memory lane for Roger. Bob Dylan’s “Rolling Thunder Review” was one of Roger’s all time favorite tours. Jeff Rosen asked Roger to come to New York and to spend a couple of hours talking on camera about that incredible “band of gypsies” that would slip secretly into a town and announce from a radio station, “there is a show in town tonight.”

The mirrored armoire in the hotel suite, the touching concert with John Sebastian, the jaw dropping events at Billboard, the memories of the visionary tour from our modern day Shakespeare were all beautiful wrappings for Roger’s birthday. But there was still one more ribbon.

We woke up early, planning to retrace our path back south. I didn’t make reservations for the Cape May-Lewes Ferry because I wasn’t sure when we would get to the terminal. Often during the 140 mile drive, Roger offered to drive, but I felt compelled to keep going and not to stop. I drove up to the ticket gate, handed the man my credit card and was told there might be room on the noon ferry, if not the next one was at 1pm.

There were a lot of cars towing big trailers. The traffic director approached our van with his walkie-talkie in hand, shaking his head, “The size of this van will probably keep you off this ferry.” We waited holding our breath. It was no big deal if we didn’t get on, but we were just one car away and our hope had flowered into childlike eager anticipation. I gnawed on my lower lip, then the walkie talkie crackled, “Send in the van.”
(The last place on the ferry!)

Tommy Makem Tribute

Hi, this is Roger McGuinn.

I first heard Tommy Makem sing with the Clancy Brothers at the Gate of Horn in Chicago in 1958. He played the 5-string banjo like Pete Seeger and sang like nobody I'd ever heard. His enthusiasm was overwhelming! The punch he got on lyrics amazed me! It didn't matter what the song was about, Tommy devoured it and made it his own.

In 2001 I had the pleasure of recording with Tommy and his sons The Makem Brothers for my CD "Treasures From The Folk Den." We decided to sing "Finnegan's Wake" because it was one of the songs I'd heard him perform with the Clancy Brothers at the Gate of Horn.

Tommy passed away on August 1, 2007. We will all miss him and be grateful for his wonderful legacy of music.

Here's a video from the "Treasures From The Folk Den" recording sessions. Tommy's voice was so loud that he had to stand three feet from the microphone to blend with my vocal. I was just inches away from the mic.

Roadie Report 28 - June 2007 in NYC with The Rock Bottom Remainders

Greg Iles, Stephen King and Roger at sound check. (Photo by Camilla)


The sound of the train speeding to New York City added to the excitement of our joining the Rock Bottom Remainders for their 15th “Still Younger Than Keith” Anniversary Tour. Webster Hall was hosting the charity event and the tickets were sold out. Over the last 15 years the band has raised over $ 1.5 million for various literacy charities. Just like the Astronauts, these authors have given of their time and money, to support and encourage young minds to expand into the inner depths of knowledge and creativity.

I wrote about the Remainders in the August 2006 BLOG, so I won’t go into the history of the group again, but for newcomers to mcguinn.com, I will reiterate a few points.



Kathi Kamen Goldmark, founder of the Rock Bottom Remainders (Photo by Roger)

This rock’n’roll group, The Rock Bottom Remainders, was the brainchild of Kathi Kamen Goldmark. While she was working with various writers on their promotional tours, she heard a common thread – they all secretly aspired to be rock stars. She took their secret dream and turned it into reality for a group of best selling authors including Amy Tan, Dave Barry, Roy Blount, Jr., Matt Groening, Ridley Pearson, and Stephen King. Mitch Albom, Greg Iles, Scott Turow and others joined in as soon as they found out they too could be “rock stars.”

Roger was invited to join them for one show in 2000. We had so much fun that the band hasn’t been able to hide from us since. Now as the train was speeding through the sultry South, we were laughing. We knew the fun was about to continue and all for a good cause.



Every time the band members are interviewed, they let Dave Barry make his humorous remarks about how inept they are as musicians. Roger is the voice that always refutes their deprecating humor, insisting they are good musicians….most of them. When the sound check ended at Webster Hall, Roger smiled and whispered to me, “They’ve been practicing!” The band always kept a beat because professional drummer Josh Kelly was the heartbeat, but this rehearsal had a tight groove. Maybe they were hoping to impress the new girl in the band, Lesley Gore.

The show was fun! It was the first time I had stood at the back of the stage looking out onto the faces in the audience. Watching the smiles and hearing the voices singing along with the all the songs, reminded me that music is a wonderful way to make people happy and to help them forget their troubles for a moment in time.

Our return train reservations to Orlando were for Sunday afternoon, so we had a day off in the city. When we have the occasional day off, we love to explore cities. New York is a great city - makes you want to put on your walking shoes.

New York City Dog in his walking shoes! (Photo by Camilla)


We began the day with an early lunch at the Italian Café Fiorello located on the West Side of Central Park. After lunch we walked through the park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art so we could visit the work of some of our favorite impressionist artists. On the walk, Roger realized that even though he had lived in New York, he had never traversed the park on foot. The weather was beautiful on this warm summer day. There were musicians playing, children dancing, baseballs flying, and a June bride gracefully walking in her flowing gown, gently holding the arm of her beloved. Central Park (photo by Camilla)

The rain began to pour when a taxi dropped us at our hotel. We enjoyed a quiet dinner at a nearby French sidewalk bistro while we watched raindrops create ripples in the puddles.

In the morning, I called Amtrak to confirm the departure time of our train. That was a very good idea. The night before a train had derailed and ours had been canceled. Amtrak reservations are very hard to get in the summer and we couldn't be rescheduled until Tuesday. We had to spend an extra day in New York City…oh shucks!

Minetta Tavern on MacDougal Street (Photo by Camilla)


On Monday we headed to Greenwich Village for lunch at Roger’s old haunt, Minetta Tavern. Later in the evening we joined Ted Habte-Gabr, the Remainders Tour Manager, for dinner at the Ethiopian restaurant, Ghenet in Little Italy. Ted knew just what to order- he spoke the language. New York City is better than Epcot Center for a quick trip around the world.

Roadie Report 27-Astronauts Hall of Fame by Camilla McGuinn

Vehicle Assembly Building (photo by Camilla)

In 2004 Roger was invited to perform for the Astronauts Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The space program captured both Roger's and my attention from the first television broadcast of Alan Shepard’s flight as commander of Freedom 7 on May 5, 1961. His 15 minute, 28 seconds flight successfully put the first American in space and sent our young imaginations soaring.

When John Glenn orbited the earth in 1962 in the Friendship 7 spacecraft, Roger was working in Las Vegas. I was in Mrs. Ritter’s fourth grade class, sitting on the floor watching the black and white television that she had hauled into the classroom for her students to see history in the making. History was not only in the making, heroes were.

In 2004 we were both awestruck and nervous when faced with the reality of Roger performing for our heroes. We were invited for the whole weekend’s events and to join the astronauts at all the various functions. I have never found myself so speechless.

One of the songs Roger performed was “Draggin.” He thought that because so many of the astronauts were pilots that they might chuckle at the premise of two pilots racing across the USA in their jets. At the informal dinner the next night, we were sitting at the table with astronaut, Bob Crippen. Bob laughingly told us: "We used to do that! We really did race each other across the USA in our jets."

Linn LeBlanc, the executive director of the Astronauts Scholarship Program, has invited us to the all the ceremonies since 2004, but unfortunately we'd usually had concerts scheduled for the first weekend in May. This year was different! Our schedule was clear and we readily accepted the invitation.

(Photo by Camilla) May 4th was the gala dinner for the Astronaut inductees and the major fund raiser for the Astronauts Scholarship Program. We were invited to ride on the astronaut’s family bus from the hotel to the Apollo/Saturn Visitor Center. The tables were assigned and we were thrilled to find ourselves at Table 13, sitting next to Apollo 13, Astronaut Jim Lovell. It didn’t take long for my tongue to become untied, because Jim is one the sweetest men who ever circled the Earth. Through out the evening, Roger and I would give each other those, “I can’t believe this" looks every so often.(Photo by Camilla)




Jim was inquisitive about our work and when I told him that Roger is active in archiving Folk Music, he lit up. Folk music became our common bond and fortunately I had slipped two copies of “The Folk Den Project” into my suitcase. I knew from our last visit that this was the weekend of Scott Carpenter’s birthday and I had purposely brought a copy for him. Now I knew why I brought two copies. Roger gave Jim a copy the next night.

After the gala, we boarded the buses for the ride to the hotel. We decided to be “flies on the wall” and just soak in the wonderment of being around our heroes, so we went to the back of the bus. That night, at the back of the bus, we met one of the inductees into the Hall of Fame, Jeffrey Hoffman and his wife Barbara. I'm embarrassed to admit, that I didn’t recognize him but maybe that was a good thing. Barbara and I began talking like old friends and throughout the rest of the weekend we often sought each other out in the crowds. Jeffrey is now a professor at MIT and we’re looking forward to seeing them when Roger performs in Natick, Masschusetts in September.



(Photo by Camilla) Jeffrey is an astronomer who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope. They invited us to sit at their table for the last dinner of the weekend and I found myself asking deep questions - “Do you dream about space?” Roger’s questions were more technical and a bit deeper.


At the hotel the fun continued. Astronauts know how to have a good time. Maybe it's working in life and death situations that spur a desire to live every minute to the fullest. There was a hospitality suite for the group and we all gathered there each night after the official festivities. Roger brought his 7-string guitar.

Hoot Gibson playing the 7-string. (Photo by Karl Ronstrom)

Years ago, the working astronauts formed a band and named it “Max Q” after the term for the point of maximum dynamic pressure - the point at which aerodynamic stress on a spacecraft in atmospheric flight is maximized. Brewster Shaw and Hoot Gibson were members of the band and they shyly strummed Roger’s guitar for a few chords but quickly gave it back to him. I doubt Roger would give back the controls of a space craft so fast, but then again, they would never give them to him.




Scott Carpenter and Roger relaxing in the hospitality suite.(photo by Camilla)

Roger, John Glenn and Wally Shirra in 2004. (Photo by Camilla)

There was one person missing from the hospitality room – Wally Shirra, one of the original Mercury Seven Astronauts. We were looking forward to hearing his humorous stories again, but he died suddenly just a few days before this year’s induction ceremonies.
(Photo by Camilla)

A tour of Kennedy Space Center was arranged for the Astronauts and their families on Saturday morning. Roger and I took familiar seats in the back of the bus and found ourselves next to another inductee, Michael Coats. Michael is currently the Director of Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. He suggested we tour the VAB, Vehicle Assembly Building, where the space shuttle was being repaired after a recent hail storm caused major damage.

The experience of standing next to the space shuttle with astronauts that had flown in space, in the VAB has been added to our list of “some of the most memorable times in our lives.”
John Glenn and the McGuinns. One of the few times I wanted my picture taken!(Photo by the willing hands that I thrust my camera into.)

After the tour, we went to the Visitor Center for lunch and the induction ceremony. Before we were taken to our seats, Roger and I looked from the balcony of the VIP lounge were the luncheon had been served, at the people milling around the exhibits below. How blessed they were to explore these marvels of technology and to be next to people who were history makers.

The Astronauts Hall of Fame was the fruit of the Mercury Seven Foundation. Six original astronauts from Mercury Seven and Betty Grissom, the widow of Virgil (Gus) Grissom established the Astronaut Scholarship Program in 1984. They each contributed to seven scholarships of $1000 each for college students who exhibit motivation, imagination, and exceptional performance in the science or engineering field. The foundation now awards annually 19 scholarships each worth $10,000. To date, the foundation has awarded more than $2.3 million in scholarships to 211 deserving students. The Astronauts Hall of Fame not only recognizes the brave contributions of the astronauts who have changed our world, but also supports this foundation. Brave souls went to uncharted space. Many returned and those who returned have continued to help mankind with small steps to help others make large leaps.

Tickets to The Astronauts Hall of Fame induction are available to the public. Hope to see you there in the future!

Roadie Report 26-The Winter of 2007 by Camilla McGuinn

For years we have eschewed the opportunity to drive north in February, but in 2007 we opened our schedule to driving everywhere in spite of the weather because the American roads are kept pretty clear during adverse weather conditions. We packed a couple of warm coats and we were ready for a winter adventure.

Our arrival in Fairfield, Ohio on February 2 was greeted with a blast of cold arctic air. Everyone was talking about the weather but the weather couldn't keep the fans at home. People remembering where they were in 1965 and people not even born then, warmed the Fairfield Community Arts Center.

Farm Niente was on our way home. Linda and Bill greeted us for an overnight reunion. It snowed that night and it was cold enough to crack the S.Pellegrino bottles in our van. Those winter coats were being put to good use.

The weather was warming up in March, so we thought the winter was going to sleep. While on our second winter adventure of the year, a surprise snow and sleet storm woke us up on Friday morning in Littleton, Massachusetts. I called the promoter and arranged for him to have someone pick us for the concert. The show was sold out and in spite of the icy roads, most of the seats were filled.

Snow was still coming down when I peeked out of the hotel window early Saturday morning. It looked peaceful, but we had hundreds of miles to drive before another concert that night. I put on my coat, pulled a hat over my ears and headed out the door to see if the van was buried in snow. It wasn’t buried, but I was sinking up to my knees in white powdery snowflakes.

While Roger was packing the guitars and equipment onto the hotel cart, I decided to shovel the snow. Amazingly, I had just bought a snow scrapper for the windshield that had a small shovel attached. For the first fifteen minutes I laughingly shoveled and enjoyed some else’s weather but it didn’t take long for me to quit seeing the humor in the situation. We had miles to go and the parking lot was much too big for me to shovel. Drastic measures became necessary. I went in search of the hotel maintenance office and pleaded for their snowplow to get us out of the parking lot.

Roger arrived with the equipment minutes before the snowplow. I left him to pack the van and I went to check out. When I got back to the van, we were ready to go. Even though the snow was unrelenting, we were on a mission to make it to Fairfield, NJ in time for our day-of-show lunch at 2pm. Our snow and mud caked van slid into an icy parking lot just in time for that welcomed meal.

We had a few days off before our next concert at Monmouth University in Long Branch, NJ. After we found a much-needed car wash that could handle our high-top van, we headed to the Sheraton On The Hudson to spend a few nights and to hop the ferry for some appointments in New York City.




While at the Sheraton, our first shipment of “Live From Spain” was delivered from Oasis CD Manufacturing to our hotel suite. Our record label’s (April First Productions) third CD is a live show which was recorded for radio broadcast from the Azkena Rock Festival in Vitoria-Gasteiz Spain on September 10, 2004. The master of the recording sat on my desk for over a year and it was during a “Creative Saturday” moment that I picked it up and took it to Roger’s studio for him to analyze. He immediately put it on and before I could get back to my office, I stopped, turned around, went back to his studio door and stood listening with my mouth slightly ajar. The recording is of a very high quality because it was for radio broadcast and the show has an interesting flair since Roger had targeted it for the Spanish audience. There is even a rare guitar solo on one of the songs. When we heard the solo, we simultaneously said, “I didn’t know that was there!”

Then the fun began. I called Oasis CD Manufacturing and arranged for quotes and a design team. Roger and I had the same vision for the cover - an Old World map of Spain with flames. The Internet and the wonderful art department at Oasis made it possible for the cover and contracts to be completed within the week. Roger asked me to write a Roadie Report about the trip to put on the inside cover and then with an overnight delivery of the master, the finished product was scheduled to be in our hands during the next tour. All I had left to do was to arrange the publishing licenses for wonderful songs written by Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Jacques Levy, Goffin and King, and other gifted writers.

We gave the first copy of "Live From Spain" to Roger’s son, Patrick, at dinner that night.

Roger was not only performing a concert at Monmouth University; he was also presenting a lecture about his experiences in musical history and about the advantages of computer recording. We went to West Longbranch a day early to sing some songs live on WBJB radio and to help with their fund raising. The weather was still cloudy and cold.

The sold out concert in Albany in the Swyer Theatre at The Egg, had a few technical problems before the show could begin. I seriously thought about beginning a career in comedy while we waited for the equipment to be fixed, but I could hear Roger's voice in the recesses of my mind calling with a Cuban accent, “Luu..cy! What are you doing?” The equipment got fixed just in the nick of time. Not only was the audience patient, they were appreciative.

The weather had cleared in the morning when we headed to Beacon, NY to Pete Seeger’s house for a BBC radio interview about the song, “Bells of Rhymney.” We drove past patches of ice banks along the long rutted driveway up to the Seeger home. Roger had recorded Pete at his mountain top house in 2000 for the Grammy nominated CD “Treasures From The Folk Den.” Walking through the front door into the arms of Toshi and Pete was like another homecoming.

Toshi and Pete Seeger found their mountain acres in 1949. They met in NYC at a square dance and because of empty pockets, they started looking north of the city for a place to live. They found their homestead and built their house with their own hands and with the help of everyone who came to visit. Pete tells of having a hammer ready for every pair of hands that shook his hand.

Pete told me that Toshi was the quintessential pioneer woman. With a baby on her hip, she would walk down to the creek for water. Her small frame stands taller than the highest mountain tree and she is my hero. As she was heating water for tea, I asked her if she still drove up the long steep, driveway to their house. She replied, “Everyday.” I mentioned I was glad to hear that because I wondered how long I would be able to drive the roads as Roger’s roadie. Toshi smiled and said emphatically, “ You will do it as long as you need to.”
Disciple and Teacher

We drove down the mountain and headed for Buffalo late that afternoon with our emotions deeply touched by two of the inspirations for both of our lives, Toshi and Peter Seeger.

Coxsackie, NY is home to another amazing couple, Mary and Bob Irwin. Bob and Roger met while working on the first Byrds Box Set in 1990. He and Mary formed Sundazed Music in 1989. The label is a meticulous labor of love. Bob loves music and searches for rare jewels to encase in supreme packaging from vinyl to compact disc. We stopped by for a quick hello which turned into a lunch that lasted all afternoon. By the time we left, Bob expressed a desire to package “Live From Spain” on vinyl. You never know what a day may bring forth.
Bob, Mary and Roger


A day off between concerts is always an opportunity to explore. Such were the days before the concert at Rockwell Hall on the Buffalo State College campus. We had visited Niagara Falls before, so while reading about the area, I discovered a small town called Niagara on the Lake in Canada. We set the GPS and found ourselves spending the day and evening in a charming quaint town surrounded by vineyards. We had no idea the Canadian wine country existed and we can’t wait for another opportunity to visit and thoroughly explore the area.

The previous time we were in Buffalo, Roger and I were walking through the Walden Galleria and heard the sound of a wonderful voice drifting our way. The mall was celebrating something, as malls often do, with a stage and music. An attractive woman was standing bravely on stage by herself singing her heart out to shoppers passing on their way. We stood by a store window and listened to her last song. Roger loved her voice. I approached her and asked her name and contact information telling her that my husband would someday like to have her as his opening act.

Later in the evening at Rockwell Hall, I mentioned to Jeff, the promoter, that Roger would like to have Maria Sebastian open for him the next time he played the venue. Jeff was familiar with Maria and made a note of Roger’s request. When this show was scheduled, Jeff arranged for Maria to be on the bill.

I opened The Buffalo News on March 30 looking for advertisements for Roger’s show. The headline that I saw on the front page of the entertainment section was, “THE WEEK: Maria Sebastian is a storyteller with a guitar.” Mark Sommer, a reporter we have worked with for years, interviewed Maria about how she became the opening act for Roger McGuinn. She told Mark about the day a woman approached her about opening for her husband but she didn’t recognize the musician's name. That night she Googled him and was shocked and embarrassed. She wasn’t the first one to be caught unaware by this quiet troubadour.

Maria was the sparkling local celebrity singing to happy hometown crowd at Rockwell Hall on March 30, 2007. Roger enjoyed listening to her through the speakers in his dressing room. I enjoyed musicians coming to my “lemonade stand” and letting me know when they would be performing at the mall. There were a lot of smiles leaving the venue that night.

The Buffalo show was followed by concerts in Indiana, Pennsylvania and the beautifully restored State Theater in State College, PA. It was at the State Theater that we celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary on April First. We enjoy celebrating special occasions while we are working at what we love. Mike Negra, director of the theater, and Wanda, his wife, filled the dressing room with special refreshments to take back to our hotel room for a wonderful quiet party after the concert .

We stopped in Hershey, PA on our way to The Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA. We often pass by the exit signs for Hershey and I had always thought of it as a tourist area built around a chocolate bar, but with a few days to get south, we decided to see if there was anything unusual about the town.

The Hershey Hotel is a grand old place, maybe a little too old. There was a mold problem, but we loved the view of the grounds from our room for one night. The hotel had a television channel continually playing the Biography Channel’s story of Milton Hershey. We were amazed at the heart of this man who built a city with chocolate. The model community he designed for his factory workers did not exploit them, but provided for their happiness and welfare. We wondered if Mr. Hershey inspired Walt Disney. Had Walt lived, would he have been able to make EPCOT a working living community just as Milton Hershey had done?

Driving through the town brought a smile to our faces. The lights that illuminate the streets are in the shape of Hershey Kisses. Chocolate Avenue meets Cocoa Avenue.

Our hotel room rate included tickets to the Hershey Gardens and to the Hershey Museum. It was too cold for the gardens, so we went to the museum. The town has a big amusement park but luckily for us it wasn’t the season to be open, so the traffic was very light on the small streets.


We also went to Chocolate World. I wanted to go into the factory, but that opportunity no longer exists. Chocolate World has a ride that takes you through a mock up of the factory. It spills you out into a store filled with all the chocolate Hershey makes and as I was typing this, I realized some of that chocolate was still in our refrigerator, calling for me to leave my computer and to share a bit of it with Roger. After all, “Creative Saturday” ends at 2pm.




All photos by Camilla McGuinn


If you enjoyed reading this - email the roadie at mcguinnroadiereport@gmail.com

Roadie Report 25- Jim McGuinn with Bobby Darin, Art & Paul, Judy Collins, Dion and John Sebastian in Greenwich Village in 1963 by Camilla McGuinn

New York Library (photo by Camilla)

1963

It was a summer’s morning in 1963 when Jim McGuinn stood looking up at the number on the door of the Brill Building and comparing it with the address on the slip of paper Bobby Darin had given him. He wasn’t familiar with the history of the Brill Building at 1619 Broadway; it was just the place Bobby was setting up shop.

The building was constructed in 1931 and named after the haberdasher Morris Brill who owned the building’s ground floor clothing store. The Brill Building was the home of the publishers' empire, “Tin Pan Alley.” Publishers nurtured and owned the works of Gershwin, Joplin, Berlin and other prolific composers. These were the last days of the publishers' bastion and Jim was walking into those halls now graced with new writers: Neil Diamond, Burt Bacharach, Neil Sedaka, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Carole King and Gerry Goffin.

Mr. Darin had a large office at the south end of a hall where he talked on the telephone until lunch time. Then he would call his stable of writers out of their five by nine stalls to join him for cheeseburgers and Dr. Brown’s cream sodas. The nine to five work day for Jim was tedious compared to all the adventures he had enjoyed on the road.

Jim was instructed to listen to the radio and to emulate the songs he heard. He kept three radios playing tuned to the top three stations: 1010 Wins, WABC and WMCA. After listening to repeated hits by the Beach Boys, Jim teamed with Frank Gari and wrote a song they called, “Beach Ball.” When they played it for Bobby, he called the Brill Building demo studio and booked it that hour.

The three-track recorder was switched on while Bobby Darin played drums, Frank played piano and Jim played guitar. After the instrument track was recorded, all three stood around one microphone and sang the song in harmony. Capitol Records released the single under the group name, “The City Surfers.” None of these city boys had a love affair with a surfboard, but it was the wave of the times.

“Beach Ball” was played by the New York City radio stations, but it was a recording of it by Jimmy Hannan in Australia that sent the song to the top ten on the “Down Under” music charts. Harmonies on the song were sung by a group of brothers named Gibb. They later became known as the Bee Gees.

The Brill Building’s intense requirements for hit songs and its daily grind was stifling to Jim. It was the evenings in Greenwich Village that gave him a release and hope for his music. The Village was teeming with venues for musicians and comedians in which to practice their art. Café Wa?, The Gaslight, The Bitter End, Israel Young’s Folklore Center, The Village Gate and Gerdes Folk City were showcasing Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, Bob Dylan and the unofficial mayor of Greenwich Village, Dave Von Ronk.




















The Café Playhouse was the venue for the unsigned itinerant musicians - John Sebastian, Richie Havens, Peter Tork, Tiny Tim - and that’s where Jim would go to get in front of an audience as Bobby had tutored him to do.

On November 22, 1963, Jim gathered with a group of friends at Bob Carey’s apartment and stared with shock at his black and white television while they listened to the news reports of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. In his grief, Jim turned to his source of comfort, a guitar. As he strummed the music to the old folk song “He Was A Friend of Mine” these words came to him as he sang:

He was a friend of mine
He was a friend of mine
His killing had no purpose
No reason, or rhyme
He was a friend of mine

He was in Dallas town
He was in Dallas town
From a sixth floor window
A gunner shot him down
He died in Dallas town

He never knew my name
He never knew my name
Though I never met him
I knew him just the same
Oh, he was a friend of mine

Leader of a nation for
Such a precious time
He was a friend of mine

He finished singing, laid down his guitar and held his aching head as tears dropped to the floor. Bob gave him a tranquilizer and told him to lie down.

In the morning, he walked the streets of the Village joining the wave of despair that had engulfed the City and the nation. He ended up sitting at the bar of Minetta’s Tavern, nursing a beer and thinking about meaning of his life. Folk music seemed more important than ever to him. Songs were still a way to carry the news, the pain and the hope of people. Songs were a way to make a difference and differences were on the way. Jim seldom went back to his stall in the Brill Building.

John Sebastian was born in New York City and raised on MacDougal Street. Jim and John applauded each other’s performances at the Café Playhouse – music was their bond.

One night in front of the Café Wa?, John showed Jim a pair of small oval-shaped sunglasses with cobalt blue lenses. John suggested he try them on and lift his eyes upward toward the streetlight. Jim loved the effect and vowed that as soon as he got some money he would get a pair with prescription lenses. At the moment, he was wearing only one contact lens. He had lost the other one and everything was very expensive to him.

Electra Records producer, Paul Rothchild would often scout the Village for new talent. Sebastian introduced him to Jim. Paul was impressed with Jim’s guitar technique and arranged for him to do some recording session work. One session was with the duo, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle. They called themselves, Tom and Jerry. They had wanted to use their first names, Art and Paul, but Jim’s former Los Angeles roommate, Art Podel along with his partner Paul Potash had already taken the name.

Rothchild recommended Jim to Jac Holzman, the president of Electra, to play guitar and banjo on “Judy Collins #3” album.
Jim would go to Judy’s West Village apartment to work with her on arrangements before the studio time was booked for the recording. He arrived at her home always on time, wearing a suit and tie. Bobby Darin’s tutelage remained evident in Jim’s life. Judy, a consummate professional, was open to all Jim’s suggestions, which included non-traditional folk instruments such as cellos and strings. They were both influenced by Pete Seeger and working on Pete’s “Bells of Rhymney” and “Turn, Turn, Turn” was a treat for Jim. Jac Holzman and Judy gave Jim a “Musical Director” credit on the album.

This time in the village was a homeless one for Jim. He migrated from one friend’s apartment to another. One drifting night, he got off the bus near Washington Square and walked through the park to the Earl Hotel. The hotel was beautifully situated for a folk musician. The folk clubs were close and every Sunday the sounds of 5-string banjos, 12-string guitars, 6-string guitars, mandolins, fiddles and tambourines flowed around the circular fountain in the middle of the park.

Shawn Phillips, a folk singer from Texas, smiled at Jim as he struggled through the door into the lobby of the Earl Hotel burdened with his guitar, banjo, portable record player and suitcase. “Hey Jim, looks like you’ve got all your worldly possessions. Are ya checking in?”
“Thinking about it. Do you know how much the rooms are?”
“The one I just checked out of was three dollars a night and its got a great view of the park.”
“That sounds good. What’s the room number?”
“707, like the plane, man. I know you’ll like it. I was there for a month.”

Jim walked into room 707, laid down his gear and opened the window to let in the winter’s night air. He had given the hotel clerk half of all his money for the weekly rate of fifteen dollars.

Money wasn’t important to Jim – music was. He made a beeline to the record store on the corner of Eighth Street. He had to get the new album “Meet the Beatles,” and analyze their style as he had done years before with Elvis Presley, Bob Gibson, Scruggs and Flat, and Pete Seeger. He loved the sound of the Beatles because they were using folk music chord patterns with modal forth and fifth harmonies, and combining it with elements of jazz, blues, Bossa Nova and rock 'n' roll. He was amazed at their innovative approach to music and decided to incorporate their “Beatle Beat” into his folk repertoire, much to the chagrin of the Village folkies.

Joe Stevens, the proprietor of the Café Playhouse, offered Jim a steady job, which meant he got paid by passing his hat around to the customers. Joe liked Jim’s new musical style so he put a sign on the sidewalk - “Beatle Impressions.” Jim hated the sign but the gig sustained his room rent and his daily meal of a twenty-five cent piece of pizza.

Michelle and John Phillips lived in a suite at the Earl Hotel. Jim had met them a few years earlier in San Francisco, so it was natural to spend time in their suite sharing songs, drugs and their better view of Washington Square Park.

Bobby Darin was still watching out for his protégé and sent Dion Di Mucci to the Earl Hotel to audition Jim for his next touring band. Dion listened to Jim’s “Beatle Beat’ repertoire, then invited him to lunch. It was a welcome invitation. Food was always on Jim’s mind and seldom in his stomach.

They walked to Jim’s regular pizza stand on MacDougal Street and ordered two sausage sandwiches. Dion paid with a five-dollar bill. Five dollars was a lot of money to Jim and he thought that “Runaround Sue’ and “The Wanderer” must have made Dion rich.

Walking back to the hotel, Dion asked Jim, “What do you think it’s all about?”
“What do you mean?”
“Life. It isn’t about money and it isn’t about being a rock star. So what is it about?”
“Well… not sure. I don’t have money. I’ve never been a rock star. I don’t know, maybe it’s just about getting high.”
Dion paused, then said quietly, “Your style is really interesting and I think you should stick with it, but you’re not exactly what I need for this tour.”

The long winter was coming to an end and Jim was ready for a change when Bob Hippard called from Los Angeles. Bob was Hoyt Axton’s tour manager and he had convinced The Troubadour’s owner, Doug Weston, to let Jim open for the three week engagement of Axton and Roger Miller. Bob told Jim to get on the next plane to the coast and he would meet him at the airport. Jim had no money for the airplane ticket, so this time his parents fronted the cost.

Bob almost didn’t recognize Jim as he walked toward him from the airline gate. This 21 year old who had toured two continents, played Carnegie Hall, been on national television, performed with world renowned musical artists, recorded on hit records now looked like a vagabond. His hair was long and combed forward, his big black crumpled raincoat looked huge over his thin frame and his pale skin was a sharp contrast to the warm southern California sun … but there was a glint of expectation in his eyes and in his walk.

2006

We did what tourist always do in New York City on Thanksgiving. The night before we made a pilgrimage to watch the parade balloons blow up to the size of small buildings.
The next morning, we braved the wind and cold to watch the parade from a sidewalk covered with a sea of umbrellas. We then found warmth and shelter in two different restaurants - one for appetizers and one for the tradional meal. Patrick, Roger's son and New York resident, joined us and we all ate more food than we should have before catching the ferry back to our hotel.


The photos of the venues and parade were taken in 2006 by Camilla

Roadie Report 24 - Bobby Darin by Camilla McGuinn

Photo by Camilla

We had a week to unpack and answer a month's worth of mail before we hit the road again. On November 17, Roger was scheduled to perform at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, PA on the same bill with the legendary Doc Watson. Nothing like playing on the same stage graced by a legend, to get your adrenaline pumping. We were both excited all evening. I was delighted to hear people tell me after Roger’s show how surprised they were at his guitar technique. The audience was packed with Watson fans who came to see the fingers fly.

Saturday night we spent a quiet evening with our friends, John and Mary Ann, then arose early Sunday morning for a trip to New York City. Roger had an interview with Dave Marsh on Sirius radio. It was so close to Thanksgiving and because of the heavy seasonal traffic, we decided to stay and enjoy the holiday atmosphere of the City.

Dave Marsh and Roger at Sirius Radio. Photo by Camilla


One of our favorite hotels is the Sheraton On The Hudson in Weehawken, NJ. The view of Manhattan from this all suite hotel is incredible and when you want to go to the City, the ferry is easy to catch - right out the front door. The ferry docks after an enjoyable 10 minute cruise across the Hudson River at the West 39th St. terminal where there are free buses to transport you all around town. It is a real Epcot Center adventure - in the old days, I would have said it was an “E” ticket. Thanksgiving spent in New York is so much fun that we invited our friends to join us there for the celebration. Michael, the hotel concierge, arranged for us all to have rooms close together.

The view of the Ferry and City from our hotel room. Photo by Camilla

Two of our friends, Pat and Theresa, arrived earlier than the others because we promised them a “Roger McGuinn's 60’s Flash Back Tour of Greenwich Village.” On Tuesday morning, we all boarded the ferry and Roger began telling the story of how he ended up living in Greenwich Village.

1962

After The Chad Mitchell Trio finished their opening show for Lenny Bruce at the Crescendo, Jim ( Roger) stood backstage smoking a cigarette leaning against the wall in the hall. Two men approached him and the shorter one began the conversation. “I’m Bobby Darin. This is Steve Blauder my manager. I liked your act up there tonight kid. Can you sing harmony?

Jim nodded.

How would you like to work for me?

“Well, I’ve been thinking about joining the New Christie Minstrels.” Jim replied as he slowly stood a little straighter and lowered his cigarette behind his back.

Bobby shook his head, “You don’t want to do that. You’ll get buried in a group that size. How much are these guys paying you?”

Jim felt like a kid talking to the principal so he reluctantly told him, “Two fifty a week.”

“I’ll double it.” Bobby said very pragmatically.

It didn’t take long for Jim to realize that he was standing in front of “The Bobby Darin” who had just offered him a job for a lot of money. He dropped his cigarette on the floor, extinguished it with his foot, looked Bobby in the eye and asked, “When do I start?”

“Be at my house tomorrow morning at seven. Steve will give you directions.” Then Mr. Darin turned and walked away.

Jim walked in the front door of the house he was sharing with Art Podell and was handed a joint by Bob Hippard. Jim got a beer from the sparsely stocked refrigerator then joined them in the haze of smoke. Later they remembered Jim had been working that night so they asked about his gig. He told them about the Bobby Darin conversation. As he talked it all seemed unreal to him, especially the 7am directive to be at Bobby’s house. It was already past midnight and he usually watched the sun rise in the eastern sky before he closed his eyes for dreamland.

Art didn’t like the idea and kept reminding Jim that he’d joined the Christie Minstrels for the cover photo of TV guide. Bob took a different approached and encouraged Jim to go bed and to get up early. This opportunity was too good for a nineteen year old musician to sleep through.

Jim knocked on the door of Darin’s Sunset Plaza Drive house promptly at seven in the morning. Bobby opened the door, dressed like a business man, and directed Jim to the dining room. His authoritative manner made Jim feel very young even though Bobby was only a few years older.

Bobby told Jim to help himself to coffee and sweet rolls, then disappeared. The coffee was what Jim craved but it added to his apprehension. He didn’t dare move from the dining room, but he kept his eyes glued through the door to the rest of the house. Sandra Dee, Bobby’s pretty young wife, walked through the living room wearing a red sweatshirt and white shorts, obviously oblivious to the guest staring at her. Finally Bobby returned.

“Okay, Jim, this is what I want you to do. I’m going to add a folk segment to my show. I’ll do fifteen minutes with the band then I’ll bring you out. Then just the two of us will do a couple of folk songs. You’ll sing harmony and play your 12-string. You even get your own spotlight. We start rehearsals at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas next week. Charlie Mafia will take care of all the arrangements. Write your phone number on that pad over there.”

Jim was stunned. He had brought his guitar to the house for what he thought would be an audition and walked out feeling like he had just been adopted by a rich godfather.

A week later, Jim boarded a plane with Bobby’s rhythm section bound for Las Vegas. He was still the youngest musician in the band but he had worked Vegas before with the Chad Mitchell Trio, so he had a little confidence. Rehearsals with Bobby were on time and intense. Darin was a perfectionist who didn’t tolerate sloppy habits. Jim was always on time with his black mohair suit pressed, his shoes shined and his guitar tuned.

On opening night, just before he was about to walk on stage and join Bobby, stage fright tapped Jim on the shoulder. He checked his guitar tuning and was horrified at the out of pitch strings. His nerves were distorting his sense of pitch and he frantically tried to get the 12-strings in tune before his entrance. Bobby began taking off his jacket, which was the cue to walk onto the dark stage. Jim tentatively moved to the center stage microphone and began playing “It Makes A long Time Man Feel Bad.” Miraculously the guitar was in tune. The song’s opening lick was fast and intricate. It required so much total concentration that the “stage fright monster” was forced out the back door.

Bobby walked over to his microphone. Two spotlights illuminated the two lone figures on stage as they sang the song together. Jim’s dream of singing and playing as a professional entertainer came to fruition that night. The audience exploded into applause.

In the audience that night, Sandra Dee was sitting with Peter Fonda, her co-star in “Tammy and the Doctor.” I wrote about that meeting in Roadie Report 8.

Jim became Bobby’s apprentice and followed him everywhere. Bobby was very generous with his mentoring and Jim wanted to know everything Bobby knew - from performing to everyday living. Bobby was always on the search for talent and Jim tagged along the night Darin saw the Newton brothers in a hotel lounge. Bobby told Jim that he was impressed with Wayne, but not the combination with the brothers.

Darin told Jim that the most important thing about performing was to get in front of an audience every chance you could. He said it didn’t matter how good you were in front of your mirror at home, you had to test it under fire. He also told him that the future was in rock ‘n’ roll.

Returning to Las Vegas as part of Bobby Darin’s show elevated Jim from accompanist to performer. One night after the Flamingo show, Jim went over to the Sahara to see Don Rickles’ show. Don recognized him and decided Jim would be a good recipient of one of his famous insults. “There’s a kid back there who works for Bobby Darin. He’s been in the business about two weeks and he goes around saying ‘I’m a star, I’m a star!’” Darin’s spotlight on Jim had brought him into the big arena.

Bobbie was very disappointed in Jim when he turned down the role of the banjo playing character in Jackie Cooper’s “Petticoat Junction.” Jim couldn’t see himself playing a Hollywood hillbilly. Bobby also gave Jim a lecture about showmanship. One night, after Jim’s part in the show, he joined his friends at a table to watch the rest of Bobby’s act. They had a riotous good time and Bobby noticed. After the show, Charlie Mafia, tapped Jim on the shoulder and told him to report to Bobby’s dressing room. Before he got in the door, Bobbie was yelling, “While I was on stage you were laughing and talking. You were showing me no respect!” It was a lesson Jim never forgot and to this day he is very careful when he is a member of an audience. He always listens and says very few words while someone is performing.

Jim toured with Bobby until the doctors told Darin he needed to slow down because of his heart condition. Trying to slow Bobby Darin down was like trying to stop a train. He needed to be working so he decided to move to New York City to concentrate on his publishing company, TM Music. He invited “skinny mcguinny”, his moniker for Jim, to join him in the famed Brill Building for the guaranteed fee of $35 week.

Bobby pointed out that even though it was a big cut in pay, he could do session work and play the folk clubs in the Village. “ You can buy a lot of cheeseburgers.” Those words were the only encouragement Bobby gave him to take the job. Once again, Jim took the job offered to him and Bobby Darin payed for his airplane ticket to New York City.

2006
Just as Roger finished telling the story of how he ended up living in the Village, the Ferry Bus stopped at Minetta Lane and the memories continued as we walked the tree line streets.

To be continued….
Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. Photo by Camilla