As a teenager, Roger McGuinn (who was born Jim McGuinn, but changed his name after a brief conversion to the Subud "spiritual path") began to earn a reputation as a musical prodigy. After training at the Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago, McGuinn moved on to Los Angeles and session work with, among other groups, a pre-fame Simon & Garfunkel. But he achieved his greatest fame with The Byrds, with whom he found common territory between folk and rock 'n' roll, then gave that territory a signature sound via his trademark jangly guitar work. The sole constant throughout the group's career, McGuinn led The Byrds through nearly as many stylistic as personnel changes. As original members Gene Clark, David Crosby, and others departed, McGuinn had the good fortune to find memorable replacements like Gram Parsons and Clarence White. Though the band achieved its greatest popular success early on, thanks to hit singles like "Eight Miles High" and "Mr. Tambourine Man," its later efforts, particularly some pioneering country-rock albums, had nearly as much influence. After The Byrds disbanded in the early '70s, McGuinn worked as a solo artist and with fellow ex-Byrds Clark and Chris Hillman. When that lineup fell apart in the early '80s, McGuinn quietly phased into a touring career. His sound, however, could be heard everywhere, particularly in the work of Tom Petty and R.E.M., who took his jangle in different directions. Induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame drew attention back to The Byrds in the early '90s, and in 1990 McGuinn released a new solo album, Back From Rio. Since then, he's returned to his roots: Via the rogermcguinn.com web site and mp3.com, he's launched the Folk Den project, releasing a new recording of a folk song each month since 1995. Treasures From The Folk Den compiles McGuinn's favorite selections to date, and features guest performances by Pete Seeger, Odetta, and Judy Collins, among others. McGuinn recently spoke to The Onion A.V. Club about the Folk Den, the definition and preservation of folk, and The Byrds' legacy.
The Onion: How did you get started on the Folk Den project?
Roger McGuinn: About six years ago, I was listening to a folk album, and I thought it was great stuff. And I realized I hadn't been hearing it on the radio, or anywhere else. Even the new folksingers were all doing their own material. I thought, "Who's going to keep these traditional songs alive when the old guard is gone?" Pete Seeger is 81, and Odetta's 82 now. I thought, "Well, the Internet would be a great way to preserve these songs, because kids get into it, and a whole new generation could find out about them." I know they're available at the Smithsonian. If you want to dig them up, there's a Library Of Congress archive that you can find them in, but most people don't even know that. I thought I'd do my bit in keeping them alive by putting them up. I recorded them in my home studio and transferred them to RealAudio or MP3 format, and put them on the Internet, one a month.
O: You've been doing this since 1995, so you're something of a pioneer in the medium.
RM: Yeah, I've been doing it a long time. I got into computers back in the early '80s, so it was a natural progression of learning about e-mail in the mid-'80s and getting into the Internet when it opened up in the early '90s.
O: What goes into your song selection? How do you choose what song to put up each month?
RM: It's just songs I love. I really don't know from month to month what I'm going to do. I have one due in a couple of days, and I'm not sure what it will be yet. It's just what hits me at the time. There are songs that I love. I went to school for folk music back when I was a teenager, and learned hundreds of songs.
O: You're not really doing research, finding lost songs or anything?
RM: No, the songs I do are pretty common. People who are familiar with traditional music know these songs, for the most part. But I like these songs. I just do the ones I like. I like the melodies, I like the stories. It's usually the melody that grabs me.