Hi Bob-
Thought I'd check in -
First, Thanks to everyone who has posted on your Glenn thread. Very comforting in a very awkward and sad time.
I haven't done any media- period. It's not that I can't find the words, it's that there are no words. I've tried and all I have is a blank page. That's how I feel. That's how we all feel, Maybe later, I'll have something, but not right now.
So, Thank You for your kind and intelligent overview, and Thanks to everybody who also checked in.
I keep coming back to one of Glenn's favorite ways to sum things up:
"Ladies and Gentlemen........
Elvis has left the building"
Joe Walsh
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Bob,
Thanks for your incredible thoughts on one of America's great songwriters and influencers to the music world. I'm sure I speak for many of the concert promoters like myself who experienced the greatness and sheer enjoyment of presenting the Eagles for many years. How much better does it get to be a huge fan and promote a band that audiences LOVE?
I want to pay tribute to Glenn who was not only the most professional person in the room, but also the most congenial and warm individual as well. From small theatre shows to stadiums, Glenn would always be thoughtful and appreciative to all around him. I loved the fact that although he became a huge celebrity, he was very humble and approachable to everyone backstage. He created an environment that translated with ease on stage and made audiences feel welcomed, whether as an Eagle or with Joe Walsh on their gigs.
One quick story on one of those shows. We were opening Sandstone Amphitheatre in Kansas City. Glenn and Joe were the first show. A huge rain and wind storm came through and soaked their equipment right after sound check about two hours before showtime. It looked as though we would have to cancel the opening show of the venue. I went back to speak with Glenn's road manager to determine our options. Glenn chimes in and says, "get some hairdryers and let's dry our the equipment, so we can do this show." We literally bought 15 or 20 of them and blow dried our way to a show that started right on time. He was laughing about it the whole night.
What can you say when you lose a legend who related so well to others through his music with his easy to like demeanor? As a fan, I'm just glad to have been around to see the happiness that resulted each time he took the stage at one of those shows. Rest in peace.
Irv Zuckerman
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Bob,
As your first set of comments demonstrates, you nailed it with your Glenn Frey piece. In terms of musical and cultural impact Glenn was a giant. In terms of literati and digerati respect, he was somewhere between Jon Bon Jovi and Billy Joel. No disrespect to either of these guys, who have had outstanding careers, but this never added up to me.
I think the reasons for the lack of respect towards Glenn and the Eagles is simple: (a) they sold a ton of records; (b) they wore their hedonism and cynicism on their sleeves; (c) they clearly enjoyed their success and didn't play the aw shucks game.
I was never a diehard Eagles fan, but I had and have huge respect for both what they created and what they accomplished.
No single song epitomizes the 70s in America more than Hotel California. Cynical, but telling the truths that people didn't want to hear. How many people/groups write and perform the most important song of a decade? By definition, just one each. Glenn and Don did both.
I had a chance to meet Glenn through a mutual friend a few years ago. He was charming and incredibly funny. But still someone who told the truths people didn't want to hear. Made for a great conversation.
I once saw the Eagles play a small private show in Aspen associated with a big money conference. Glenn got on stage and opened by saying "Greetings, Fellow Millionaires." Then later in the show, Glenn said that the next song was dedicated to his ex-wife and how she used his credit card. The song? Take It To The Limit.
Rob Glaser
RealNetworks
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Hello Bob,
I got to know Glenn Frey a little bit over the years starting in the mid-'70s when The Eagles opened for The Beach Boys a few times, including a show at Wembley Stadium outside of London where both acts opened for Elton. Always friendly, welcoming and genuine, I'll most remember him for being the inspiration for me to get involved in charitable work vis a vis his association with The Grass Roots Aspen Experience helping young teens from the inner city - it opened the door for my future involvement with The Carl Wilson Foundation many years later. So thanks Glenn, for the friendship, the music and for showing me by example how I can better be of service to others.
Sadly,
Billy Hinsche
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When we were opening for them, they sounded PERFECT EVERY NIGHT. Even when I'd known for a fact that they'd been up until past dawn doing blow, etc. Consummate professionals. Always sounded just right.
Rob Meurer
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Beautifully written Bob...and so true. Plus you are correct about women...if the music is great and it speaks to us we own it...it doesn't matter what came before or who "has the right"... For us "girls" music ultimately does the talking!
Thanks.
Susan L. Dodes
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hey bob- thank you so much for so wonderfully, for me and I'm sure countless others, expressing what glenn frey and the eagles mean to us- in our house there is a sadness in the air of a loss of not just a person but of what glenn gave to us through their music and timeless harmonies- a gift that is timeless in our hearts- your thoughts and perceptions hit the right notes - thanks again for helping us pay respects to and cherish the gift of glenn and the eagles- you helped us show him "the best of our love""- sincerely ned coen
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Starting with Hotel California tour in high school...up to the History tour this past year, I've seen the Eagles and their individual members dozens of times over the years (all but solo Glenn! Just never worked out sadly...) mostly with my husband who recently passed away. Being able to attend Eagles concerts these past two years for the History Tour has been very bittersweet, but comforting at the same time. Thanks to the Eagles for helping me through a rough time.
The hardest part of losing Glenn is the realization that not only have we lost him, we've lost "The Eagles".
What a wake up call to all of us to enjoy seeing these acts when we can now, because we just don't know when it will be the last time. Leaving us grieving...
"What do I do when I'm still missing you...what do I do with my heart..."
RIP Glenn.
Suzanne Evans
PS Only band I can truly say that I have had their music in EVERY possible format! First it was vinyl for my turntable...then 8-tracks for the car. Then cassettes when those 8-tracks wore out...then CDs when the cars no longer offered cassettes...and now iTunes...and most recently, Don's Cass County on vinyl. And my original vinyl albums? Long since gone at a garage sale so my son gives me retro vinyl now for Christmas to rebuild my collection!
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Wow! Bob. Lotta love for Glenn Frey! No surprise there.
Here's a thought...... while so many other bands from the 70s were busy bumping along in the dark, live shows being a hit or miss prop, rhythms all over the place, out of tune, with feedback coming out of every speaker......Frey and Henley were out making sure every note, melody and harmony played perfectly, rarely missing a beat, showing max respect for the songs they wrote. It was hard work and not for the faint of heart. That registers as a major accomplishment unto itself.......and here's the catch........in today's world, where every sound is manipulated digitally to perfection........the Eagles did it with their will, talent and desire! Hats off the Glenn Frey.
It wouldn't be a stretch to say the sonic clarity and quality the Eagles brought to their music, predated what we hear in the country pop world of radio and records of 2016 by 40 years! That would be pretty far ahead of the pack!
Steve Chrismar
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Spring 1972 brought a series of life-changing events for me: I got a "real" road motorcycle, turned 16, got my driver's license, went to work at the job I'd work at through high school and college - and I heard the first strummed chords of "Take It Easy." I'd been a country-rock fan already, via the Byrds, Burritos, and Poco, but this was different. It blended country and rock in a way none of the others had. As Glenn said, it was the first song anybody ever heard by the Eagles, it was the first image anyone ever had of them. It embodied a lot of what Eagles were about and would become, and everything I wanted to be about: self-reliance, self-exploration, adventure, the wide-open spaces of the Southwest... Eagles became my favorite band the first time I heard those first strummed chords almost 44 years ago and have been ever since.
It's pseudo hip and cool to be down on the Eagles and Glenn especially because it was his concept and his band, and especially because "the Dude said so. It isn't a choice between them and the Burritos, Poco, or David Bowie or anyone else. It's a big tent. Being yourself and having the balls to say what you like is real hip and real cool, not the fake kind.
David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and others have trashed the Eagles because their live shows were so good - because they gave the audience a professional show. Walking out on time, no one passing out on his keyboard, no drummer falling off his stool, no guitarist knocking his mic stand over, no one barfing on stage. Others trash them because they were honest about making money instead of over-exuding faux modesty and histrionically saying "it's all about the art and I don't care about money" (go review the history of the CSN&Y 1974 tour). Glenn once told Cameron Crowe he wanted to make only enough to be comfortable and to make the kind of records he himself would want to buy. Some say they were too businesslike, but their professionalism helped improve the lot of starving artists everywhere, and helped keep them from getting screwed over right and left as earlier artists had been. The proof is in the pudding - and the sales, the concert attendance, the staying power. Art and
professionalism aren't mutually exclusive. When I was in business, I was equally motivated by the love of outdoor equipment and wanting to help my customers, and by being a professional at my business. It didn't do my customers any good for my business to be poorly-run or go belly-up. Artists have responsibilities to our art (whatever it may be), to the business of the art, and to others who toil in the same field.
Warm regards,
Keith Baker
Commander, United States Navy (Retired)
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Hey Bob,
Long time reader and fellow Boomer. Huge, overdue thanks for the time you spend helping us understand our crazy world. We miss you when you're periodically MIA.
In 1957, I saved my paper-route money to buy my first 78 (I'm Stickin' With You by Jimmy Bowen) to play on my grandmother's RCA Victrola gramaphone.
in 1958, we moved next door to Kenny Gillis, drummer for The Trend Styles, in Courtenay, British Columbia. He gave me a set of drumsticks which helped land me down here tonight on La Ropa beach, Zihuatenajo, where I'm getting in shape for my old band's 50th anniversary "Lock Up Your Grandmothers!" tour this summer.
My first rock show was Buddy Knox at the old Alberni Athletic Hall in 1962, with aforementioned Jimmy Bowen on guitar in The Rhythm Orchids.
In the late 70's my band warmed up Trooper around Vancouver and in the horrible winter of 1980, I scored the bus driver gig to take them on their first MCA tour to the US. We warmed up Head East and played Danny Seraphine's club, Beginnings, in Schaumburg, Illinois with Randy Hansen. Our routing agent had chemical balance issues.
The night John Lennon was shot, we were playing Bemidji, Minnesota, which that particular evening was announced as the coldest place in North America. In the world, we thought.
On that tour, the other bus driver took me under his wing, as it was glaringly obvious I was green to the Big Road.
His name was "Scooter." He told me that he had paid for his Eagle by driving the actual Eagles on their Desperado tour. He also mentioned that it cost him his marriage and eventually I had a similar experience. The price we paid to own Eagles, I guess.
We spent several nights in the back of his bus listening to a Poco (Footsteps Of A Fool cut) cassette that Glen Frey had given him. Scooter told me he really should get his pilot's licence because the Eagles would be "parkin' the buses and jumpin' on jets real soon."
As a lifelong songwriter, I am still unable to hear Desperado (song and album) without needing to go for a walk by myself and think about what a long, strange trip it's been. I never could deal with getting misty around dry-eyed people. But the little girls understand...
Thank you Glenn Frey for all the beauty you gave us.
Thank you Bob Lefsetz for keeping the diary of our lives.
Going for a walk now.
Peace, young man.
Barry Coulson
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Hi Bob, I am writing to you today like you are a secret therapist of some kind, an outlet for me to write one more time about Glenn Frey. And perhaps you don't give a damn but I will never know that so it feels good to write this down.
I posted 3 things this week on my Facebook page and I feel like I've exhausted my "friends" at this point so I have to bottle it up from this point on. One of the things i posted was your letter from yesterday to which I got a really positive response and maybe you won a few new readers from that. I don't know why exactly I'm in this strange place, sort of a Glenn Frey bubble that I can't get out of this week. I didn't know him and the music is still here so why am I so blue?
I have been in the music industry for 27 years, much of which was at the majors. I started at Island in it's heyday, the Canadian team - one of Chris Blackwell's favourite offices as we did great work. We worked U2 from the Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby and broke Melissa Etheridge, I hung out with the Pogues and Marianne Faithful and Burning Spear - it was the best time of my life.
From there it was A&M, BMG for a long time, then Orange (co-founded with your friend Steven) and I've now been in mgmt for many years and have a label with Warner. Throughout my label career I always made a point of not trying to just meet and greet artists who I was a fan of or idolized because it was such an empty experience. If I didn't get to spend some quality time with them, it felt too "germish" with a hard 'g' - a Nashville term that I love.
I was lucky enough to meet and befriend many an amazing artist. Two of my heroes that I have never met are Glenn Frey and Jackson Browne. Frankly I always worry that the ones you love the most might treat you gruffly or blow you off and tarnish a life long adoration that you felt for them. I once spent a week in Jackson's Groove Masters studio when Jann Arden was recording her first album with Ed Cherney. The studio manager knew I was a fan, he showed me the many master tape boxes that were on the shelves - songs I grew up savouring. He'd say every day - Jill I bet he'll come in today. But he never did...and maybe that was the way it was supposed to happen but I was so disappointed. Would he have blown me off? I'll never know. Part of me was worried that maybe Glenn wasn't a nice guy - you read such negative things from people. I am so thankful that your letter pulled such amazing responses from Glenn's peers, people I grew up listening to and loving as well like JD
Souther and Bernie Leadon. I've read so much this week that makes me love Glenn and his legacy even more and I'm really thankful for that knowledge.
I wrote this as my first post on Monday after the news of his death came out:
Over the past few weeks, I decided not to post about Ziggy Stardust being one of my fave albums of all times, or my crush on Alan Rickman because I didn't feel entitled to, if that makes sense. But last night before I went to sleep I got a text from my 18 year old son that he was sad, and that it sucked that Glenn Frey had died. That alone says a lot. I woke up this morning teary. Is it strange to cry about someone you didn't know? "One of These Nights" was the 3rd album I ever owned. I spent more time listening to The Eagles growing up than I spent with any single person outside of my immediate family. My turntables, tape decks, CD players, ipod and again, turntable have all been dominated by the voice of Glenn Frey. I grew up in a very talented musical family. This gift was not bestowed upon my sister and I, though I felt comfortable playing and singing with her 5 specific songs at family parties; Lying Eyes, Tequila Sunrise, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Take It Easy (ironically
co-written by Frey and my other fave male songwriter Jackson Browne) and Ramblin' Man. The first four are all Eagles songs sung by Glenn Frey. He had a beautiful voice and face and spirit, an epic talent. I truly feel loss and sadness that I will never hear him sing live again. Goodbye to one of my musical heroes and thank you for the gift you gave to my life. Listen to "Lying Eyes" if you have time, the first four 4 chords are iconic, happy, fulfilling, engaging, so full of memories for everyone, and then that voice, the voice of growing up, a friend. People ask - who was your favourite Beatle? Who was your favourite Eagle - mine was Glenn Frey.
Thanks for your article Bob.
Jill Snell
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Who cares what the critics say about the Eagles...look what critics said about Mozart. The Eagles were the soundtrack of my life. And every other boomer who will admit it.
Susan Nadler
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