There was a time that I listened to Gene Clark a lot, and I am really happy to know that a few of my fellow travellers here(the usual suspects) feel the same way I do about him--

I remember seeing McGuinn, and Clark, then McGuinn, Hillman, and Clark, and finally McGuinn, Hillman and Clark with David Crosby sitting in   at various venues in Northern California, back in 1977-78, with the the final "reunion" at the Boarding House---wonderful showsand exciting show--and not just for sentimental reasons--It seemed for a very short time that they were really going to take off again--

Gene Clark was a great creative talent --sad that people forget that he wrote some of the Byrds most memorable songs--He left the Byrds early in the game, though, the reason given at the time was that he didn't like to fly. They were never quite the same without him.

As to his being treated shabbily, his personal demons undermined his reliability as a performer, and that can create a lot of friction in a working band. McGuinn and the others did reunite with him several times, so it's not like they didn't try--still, when you look at some of mediocre talent from his time that have gone on to become wealthy pop icons, you can't help but think that he deserved a lot more than he ever got----