Hot Burritos: The True Story of The Flying Burrito Brothers Review

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Hot Burritos: The True Story of The Flying Burrito Brothers ReviewLet me first admit something- the Gram Parsons myth has grown far too big for its britches and continues to grow at rapid rates. When I first gravitated to the genre known as "country-rock" a few years ago, I was hard-pressed to find any albums by Parsons or the Burrito Brothers. But a little later, not only did I begin to notice previously unavailable CDs at my local music stores, but vinyl re-releases, myriad books, and even a full-length movie about the self-destructive southern boy (the mildly amusing "Grand Theft Parsons"). And they were all popping up within months of each other! Somehow, Parsons finally found favor with the rock and roll gatekeepers and, boy, were the floodgates opened!
It goes without saying that fellow travelers on these country-rock backroads were gradually reduced to footnotes. Case in point: the ever-meticulous, self proclaimed "professional" musician Chris Hillman, a man whose odometer has logged more miles as a country-rock "pioneer" than any other. So with the help of veteran country-rock writer John Einarson, Hillman has set out to inject truth into the bloated "Parsons myths," at least during his stint with the Flying Burrito Brothers from 1968-1970. The duo even go as far as to call the work "the true story" of the Burrito Brothers- and since five former members offer their sentiments, my response is "fair enough."
So how is the book? Quite good, actually. Unlike Einarson's "Desperados," "Hot Burritos!" is well organized (chronologically), flows easily, and beautifully printed on high quality paper. Where "Desperados" read like a dry honors thesis, "Hot Burritos!" is an inspired and lovely account of a mediocre live band that put out one very good studio album and a handful of clunkers. The Burrito Brothers are nothing if not interesting, though, and "Hot Burritos!" succeeds in engaging the reader's curiosity.
BUT...
Einarson and Hillman may have gone a little too far in the opposite direction. Beyond illuminating the story of the Burrito Brothers with factual empiricism to contain the Parsons myth, one gets the sense that Hillman at times seems to create his own myth. Not only was Parsons a self-destructive songbird who couldn't stay out of his own way, as Parsons biographer David Meyer openly admits in his spectacular "Twenty Thousand Roads", Hillman seems to suggest that, beyond his vocals on "Hot Burrito #1" and "Hot Burrito #2", Gram did not contribute a single musical work of merit. In other words, besides those two tracks, Gram Parsons was useless, according to Hillman.
He never explicitly states this, of course- it's more of a subtle, gradual build-up. But it's there. Hillman dismisses both the International Submarine Band and Parsons' solo albums "GP" and "Grievous Angel" as if they were the work of some out of tune, high school garage band. I guess this is a matter of taste, but the enthusiasm with which Hillman rejects these works (which are often dubbed classics in their own right) is surprising. Personally, I couldn't help but laugh when reading his take on the Parsons original "$1000 Wedding," which read something like this:
"I hated $1000 Wedding. That's when I stood up and said 'This is not a good song.' [...] We all hated that song." (page 215, by the way)
Strong stuff, Chris. And Einarson CONCURS- "the song later appeared on Parsons's second solo album [...] it's not one of his finest hours" and the demo on the 2007 release "Avalon Ballroom" album "confirms Hillman's view of the song." Now, I beg the reader to read the spotlights of these tracks on [...] reviews of their respective albums and at least realize how diametrically-opposed these statements sound. This tune (and the Parsons solo albums as wholes, of which Hillman thinks little) is far from an agreed-upon throwaway.
Don't get me wrong- this is a great book! But Chris Hillman, take note- be sure to caution your sense of realism without showing the "sore lieutenant" syndrome that Meyer points out in his book!Hot Burritos: The True Story of The Flying Burrito Brothers Overview

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