If you look at the portrait photo of Chris Hillman in the inner cover of his new album, you can see a handsome man resting in himself with thick white-grey hair and walrus schnauzer. The beloved guitar is enthroned on his lap. The country rock legend, who turns seventy-three years old on the fourth of December, uses the record to take stock of her exciting musical career, which began in the early sixties. On "Bidin' My Time" long-term buddies Hillmans meet David Crosby, Roger McGuinn and the Heartbreakers. Their boss Tom Petty, who died in October, produced the record. In the interview, Hillman shares his views on friendship and death. And about US politics in times of Donald Trump.
eclipsed: On your new album you reinterpret "She Don't Care About Time" with Roger McGuinn and David Crosby, and with "Here She Comes Again" you record for the first time a title you wrote with McGuinn in 1979. So can we speak of a kind of Byrds reunion on this record?
Chris Hillman: No, you mustn't. Some of my old friends helped me out, if you will. But only on a few songs. I called them, they had time and desire to spend some nice hours together, to make music a little together. It already was. "Bidin' My Time is a flawless Chris Hillman record.
eclipsed: What's her title all about? "Bidin' My Time" can be interpreted as "expecting its time", among other things. Does the record deal with age?
Hillman: Not at all! The song of the same name, which can now be found on the record, was written in 1978. At that time I certainly didn't think about age and death. In fact, there is a lot of nostalgia in it, without this having anything to do with morbidity. I'm definitely not waiting for death. He'll be here soon enough.
