When The Byrds started country-rock, we had no idea there would be such a thing. We were just trying to honor the music. We started listening to country radio. We went to Nudie's and got cowboy clothes. Roger McGuinn More Quotes by Roger McGuinn More Quotes From Roger McGuinn He blew his mind out in a caaaar. Roger McGuinn mind Scotty Moore plays one of the first really amazing riffs in rock history on Heartbreak Hotel with Elvis Presley ... it was dangerous, it scared everybodys parents, which was part of the attraction then - as it still is now... it totally blindsided me and made me want to get a guitar and do that. Roger McGuinn rocks guitar music Now, you can just get a laptop, get some software, put a microphone on it and make a record. You have to know how to do it. It does help if you've had 35 or 40 years of experience in the studio. But, it still levels the playing field so artists can record their own stuff. Roger McGuinn laptops artist years If there's anyone in space, what they'll learn about the human race will be listening to us talking on the car phone. Roger McGuinn phones space race Man has tried his suicide with bigotry and hate, but in the end he'll kill himself with nothing but his waste. Roger McGuinn hate suicide peace How many years will you crawl through this castle, so satisfied and still wanting more? Roger McGuinn castles philosophy years Well, I guess that early 12 string. The first Martin I bought. I bought it around 1957 with money I earned as a janitor assistant. I bought brand new. I still have that. Roger McGuinn strings assistants firsts Im not attracted to expensive things. Roger McGuinn expensive Leadbelly's guitar is in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. Roger McGuinn rock-n-roll rocks guitar But in my imagination this whole thing developed and I started mixing up old folk songs with the Beatles beat and taking them down to Greenwich Village and playing them for the people there. Roger McGuinn imagination song people I don't really collect guitars. Roger McGuinn guitar Once I've written a song, I sometimes refine them. Roger McGuinn written song sometimes The first 12-string guitar I bought was probably around 1957. Roger McGuinn strings guitar firsts I play a couple basic folks songs and break them down. I did that on a six string. I can't recall all the songs on it. There's some finger picking on it. Roger McGuinn couple play song ... Andres Segovia literally created the genre of classical guitar, which hadn't existed before around 1910. There was flamenco, which he borrowed from, but he actually arranged the works of Mozart and other classical composers for guitar, something that had never been done before ... Segovias' style is not slick or contrived, but it's still very clean and his timing is impeccable ... it's got a feeling of casual elegance, as if he's sitting around the house in Spain with a jug of wine, just playing from the heart. Roger McGuinn music wine heart I'm happy with the Byrds as a good memory. Roger McGuinn good-memory memory good happy That's one of the things I like best about folk music is the beautiful melodies - and the harmonies - that exist in it. And of course, some of the stories, the story songs. Roger McGuinn story best music beautiful One of my favorite albums is Bob Gibson and Bob Camp, 'At the Gate of Horn.' It was a really dynamic album, almost like The Beatles, and way before its time... around 1960 or so. Roger McGuinn gate like time way I was raised a Roman Catholic and had to go to the eight o'clock Mass every morning and have communion and wear a tie, kind of like a restricted life style. Then in the '60s, we got wild and let it go and started looking in other places to see where God really was, and I came back to the Christian thing. Roger McGuinn style god morning life I've got an electric little motorcycle that I go to the supermarket with every day, and it's powered by the solar panels, so it's really got a zero carbon footprint. Roger McGuinn every-day day go motorcycle
