Find tour dates and live music events for all your favorite bands and artists in your city! Get concert tickets, news and more!

  • Analytics
  • Tour Dates

Op Ed: Glenn Frey – Bob Lefsetz Plus Comments


He lived the American Dream.

You know, wherein your wits, smarts and pluck, never mind the gleam in your eye, take you from nothing to everything, in this case not only accumulating riches, but influencing the culture.


And there were those who hated him for it.


They lionize Steve Jobs. And Mark Zuckerberg. The techies that changed the world.


But they hate Glenn Frey and his flock of Eagles for being so damn successful, for worming their way into women's hearts. And let me be clear, it's always guys complaining about the Eagles, girls loved them. Because females are not into pecking order, not married to the past, they can embrace that which truly satisfies, casting preconceptions aside.


And the preconception was that you had to be English, with bad teeth and little education, or American and challenging cultural commandments, or else you didn't matter. Gram Parsons might be the father of country rock, but he could never compose a song that penetrated the public consciousness to the point that radio stations could not stop playing it and none of us could ever forget it.


Like "Take It Easy."


That acoustic guitar came out of the speaker in the dashboard and in the summer of '72 all of America felt good. It was a different country back then, divided for sure, but we still believed we were winners, that if we put our minds to it we would come out on top. We were never gonna be here again, so we opened up and took across this great country of ours, lived life to the fullest, with the radio blasting all the while.


And despite the hit single, it was the era of album rock. So upon hearing the mellifluous tune you went out and purchased the Asylum LP and…you played it over and over again. Thirty seven minutes long, the debut had no clunkers, it begged to be heard. Take that modern music.


But the follow-up was a commercial dud. "Desperado" got no traction, not the LP nor the title track. The press had primed us for it, back when "Rolling Stone" was the bible of a generation, but without a hit single "Desperado" faded in an era where music dominated and we couldn't afford to buy all we wanted.


And then "Best Of My Love" went to number one. Credit a deejay, who rejected the two authorized singles in favor of it. Suddenly, the Eagles owned the airwaves.


Of course Glenn would tell us they were called "Eagles," and was unhappy that everyone appended the "the," but he and the rest of the band were thrilled with the attention and the dough. They were rock stars. Raising funds for political candidates and partaking of the goodies that accompany the success. It's one thing to be rich and famous, it's another thing for it to be based on your creativity, your art. These are the people we exalt. The Eagles were at the pinnacle, especially with the following year's "One Of These Nights," they were a stadium act, the biggest band in the land.


And the hatred ensued.


But unlike today's wimpy musicians, the Eagles barked back, owned their talent and success. Funny how we give Kanye a pass, despite not having made memorable music for years, but we excoriate the SoCal band that was bigger than the rest.


But no one was prepared for "Hotel California." When you dropped the needle on the record you heard a sound foreign to the catalog. The guitars screamed and if they were big before, the Eagles were now America's band.


It was "Life In The Fast Lane." A term every baby boomer knows and said for decades, when they snorted coke, when they did what they should not do. The Eagles blasted open the highway and then we drove right down it.


And now Glenn Frey is gone.


I felt he would make it. It had been weeks, he'd made it through the dreaded holiday period, but then he passed.


And America was shocked.


The press didn't know how to react. Because they had to be cool, they couldn't attest to what data tells us, that the Eagles are the biggest American band in history.


Their "Greatest Hits" jockeys with "Thriller" for number one. And unlike so many albums of the past, it still sells. It's not in the rearview mirror. The strange thing about the Eagles is they never went away. They inspired the country pickers and they still own the bars and the radio. That's what you get what you're that damn good.


And there's no one better.


I know, I know, you'll cite artists breaking convention, your favorite player, but the truth is writing catchy songs with meaning and singing them with exquisite harmonies is damn hard to do, it's just that the Eagles made it look easy. Hell, half of Nashville walks in their footsteps, but no one's done it nearly as well, and so many of those stars don't even write their own material.


But the Eagles did. With help from J.D., Jackson and Jack Tempchin. But they weren't guns for hire, but members of the club, a roaming group of musicians who owned the hearts and minds of America throughout the seventies, and didn't let go thereafter.


So you're either sad or you're not.


But if you are…


67 is way too young. And although Don Henley had more solo success, it was Glenn's band. He started it, he guided it. And every group needs a driving force.


So it's the end of an era. And it's a great loss. You'll never be able to see the Eagles again. But if you did…


The sun would be setting behind the stage.


And at the appointed time, with no wait, they would take the stage and Glenn would say…


They were the Eagles from Southern California.


And the guitars would strum, the bass would pluck, the drums would pound and as the sound washed over you you'd become your best self.


America runs on California. That's where the innovation begins, where you go to test limits, where there's no ceiling on either creativity or success.


And people hate California the same way they hate the Eagles.


But what they really want to do is get on board.


And we all got on board with the Eagles. Even those who say they do not care. They only wish they were standing on that corner in Winslow, Arizona, with a girl checking them out.


In a flatbed Ford, made in Detroit. Where Glenn Frey emanated from.


But he remembered his roots.


And built upon them.


Want to be successful?


Need it. Study. Make friends. Seize opportunities.


And take no shit as you ascend into the stratosphere.


That's what Glenn Frey did.


You cannot make a big enough deal about his death. Because what once was is now gone. Doesn't mean we can't create something new, but so far we haven't minted stars as big as those from the seventies, never mind create music as memorable.


Glenn Frey was here for the long run. He got stuck in the Hotel California and he wasn't eager to get out. But we all meet our demise, his as a result of side effects from arthritis drugs, he just didn't want the pain.


None of us want the pain. We're self-medicating every day.


But years ago the music was enough. We just turned on the stereo and a smile crossed our face.


Glenn Frey took us there.


Now we don't know where to go.


Emails to Bob


Bob,

There will be a lot said about Glenn in the coming days and I’ll be saying some of it but this tribute will be hard to top. Thank you for getting the essence, power, and influence of my first songwriting partner and best friend in LA.
Perfect.


JD Souther


__________________________________________


hey bob-


Nice tribute to Glenn and the band. I am bummed, but very grateful that I got the privilege of participating in the History Of tour for the last two years, and play the music again, with Glenn and Don, Timothy and Joe. And I have stayed in touch with Randy Meisner and Don Felder as well.


There is a song that Glenn wrote before the band started, which he played for us at the very first rehearsal at S.I.R in L.A in late summer 1971, when the original four Eagles first strapped on instruments and played together as a band. The song was "Most of Us Are Sad", which the band recorded on the first album, titled simply "Eagles".


Randy sang the song on the album, and very well indeed. But it was Glenn's song, and when I first heard it, I thought it was a very good and insightful song, as this was a guy saying that, back when guys didn't admit weakness much, or vulnerability. That song was an album cut, never got airplay, and we didn't play it on stage, since we already played several waltzes, and couldn't do more mellow songs in the show. But listen to it now, and it might make you feel better, knowing that we're not the only ones sad today.


One thing I learned over the years about a songwriter expressing very personal feelings, is that it turns out that since all humans feel essentially the same feelings, but that most folks don't know how to express them, that when a songwriter talks about something very personal, it turns out to have universal appeal, because everyone can say "yeah! That's how I feel! He understands me like no one else!" So in a very counterintuitive way, its not the large general statement which has universal appeal, but rather the most intimate and personal which does.


I am very proud of what the band achieved, and grateful for the opportunity to be part of it, both from the first rehearsals and show, to the very last one on July 29 in the Shreveport suburb of Bossier City (with a 38 year gap in the middle…..). At the end of that last show, after the first encore Hotel California, as we were preparing to return to the stage for the last three encores (Take It Easy, Rocky Mt. Way, and Desperado), Glenn gave me a big hug, said "This isn't the end", and another big hug. We hit the stage, took our bows, went out the back to our vehicles, and off into our separate lives again. So I am very grateful today that this was my last interaction with Glenn, and that we did achieve what he said he was aiming for, to "go out on a high note".


None of us could quite hit the same high notes that we could in the 70's (except maybe Henley still can…..), but it was only down about a half step, which is pretty good. Glenn was such a trouper during the History tour, as I fully realize now with my better understanding of the physical challenges he was battling every day out there. Like you said in your commentary, "they hit the stage with no delay". The only delay there ever was on the History tour, was to maybe hold the curtain for 5 or 10 minutes, to allow more of the audience time to get seated. Then we promptly started the show, which lasted 3 and a half hours, every night.


The truth is, as you said, that Glenn was the primary energy behind the Eagles success, as he was relentless. We all had a lot of energy and drive, but Glenn was pushing it and us all the time. So hat's off, Glenn. Job extremely well done. Millions of people have been positively affected, cheered up, supported. May your wife Cindy and your kids take comfort in that realization, and may we all be grateful as we continue to live our lives, accompanied by your soundtrack.


Vaya Con Dios
bernie leadon


__________________________________________


Bob, It was 1981 and my band, Jack Mack and the Heart Attack was playing every Thursday night at the Club Lingerie on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood. Even though by law the place held 325 people, we packed it with 900 hot sweaty bodies all of which were grooving to the great Soul Music played by this amazing powerhouse band.


It's strange how unfortunate circumstances can turn out to be fortunate. I was in a car accident on Dec 31, 1981, breaking 7 ribs in half. One of the band members good friend Josh Leo subbed for me while I was recovering. As it turned out Josh was playing on Glenn Frey's solo record at the time so one night he brought Glenn down to the club to check out the band. Most people thought of Glenn as a country rocker but he was deeply rooted in Soul music having grown up in Detroit. Glenn loved the band and decided instantaneously that he wanted to produce a record on us. Soon after, he called a lunch meeting with our lead singer Max Carl, myself and his manager, Irving Azoff. Glenn basically, over a salad, told Irving to sign us and so Irving said of course and put us on his Full Moon /Warner Bros. label. Within one week we were at Wilder Bros Recording Studios in Century City making our first album, Cardiac Party which we released in 1982. http://tinyurl.com/zhxl78e. The record contract
had not even been drawn up yet but with Glenn a handshake was good enough. Glenn even paid for all of it out of his own pocket until the record label money kicked in. He brought in his Eagle guys, Norton, Tommy Nixon and Alan Blazek to be there every day and made sure the studio was stocked with cases of long neck Budweiser's and a complete array of Deli food and beverages.


He was a very regimented guy. Every day we would start recording at exactly 1pm. He would say, "1 for 2", meaning get there at 1 and start playing at 2. We had written 10 original songs and we had been performing them every Thursday night so it wasn't a matter of learning them It was more about getting the right performance. Glenn always wanted a first take on each song so he wouldn't let us play the songs more then once. After each take we would go out back and shoot hoops or eat or something before attempting another take. I still have a weird knuckle from jamming a finger in one of those games. He would never let us record with any echo or reverb, everything had to be super dry and so if you listen the record you will hear how dry it is. He had his way of doing things and there was no bending the rules.


One day our trumpet player John Berry (JB), was recording a track with our infamous Heart Attack horns and his horn was falling apart so Glenn, knowing we were broke musicians, offered to buy him a new horn. When JB came in the next day with a beautiful new trumpet Glenn realized the rest of us might be resentful so Glenn announced that we should each go out and buy an instrument of our choosing and he would pay for it. I found a 1959 Fender Stratocaster which to this day is still my favorite guitar. In another act of generosity, at the end of the 6 weeks of recording Glenn tossed me the keys to his house in Kauai and said, "go have a good time". He really did have a big heart.


Glenn was like no other. He was a sport fanatic. He gave all of us what he called our monster names. I think mine was Dave. Your monster name was your alter ego. It was who you became when you were mind was slightly altered. Glenn had several; Duane, X and probably a few more. X Came out after midnight. He was super smart and funny guy but man you didn't want to be around him when he was pissed off. He loved to get high and had everything timed. One thing at 2pm another at 5pm another at 11pm.


I will never forget something Glenn told me. He said, "every song should have a hero, someone to route for". I still think about that when I write. I will never forget those 6 weeks in the studio with Glenn. I learned so much from him. I think of him every time I pick up my 59 Strat which he bought me. Glenn was generous, and gave us a shot when no one else would. He left the world too soon. His legacy will be his timeless, great songs


Andrew Kastner


__________________________________________


Hey, Bob…


"I hate 'Hotel California'," said a friend of mine. "If they play the song in a bar, I'll walk out, even if I've just ordered a drink."


And now there’s a video making the rounds where Glenn Frey rants at Jeff Bridges because he said he hated the Eagles in THE GREAT LEBOWSKI.


I never saw the Eagles in performance, leaving Los Angeles in 1971, the year they formed, and by 1976 I was in Hawaii, listening to steel guitars. But I sure do know the Eagles' music and when I hear "Hotel California" in a bar, I order a second drink and buy one for a friend and if there's no friend, for a stranger. There are Eagles songs I prefer – "Take It Easy," "Tequila Sunrise," "James Dean" – but I'll take anything that band delivered. And I treasure the telephone calls I got from Glenn in Hawaii. Why did he call? I'd written a book about Elvis, published the year the Eagles were born, and he just wanted to talk about him. So we did.


Guitar Player magazine credited Elvis with making it cool for guys to play the guitar again and by the time Glenn and his friends came along, the guitar was the key to getting laid. The Eagles were not only deservedly praised for their songs and country-rock harmonies, they were one of the greatest guitar bands of all time. They had everything. So, sure, some guys hate them. I love the great Lebowski, but that dude was envious, too.


Good column, Bob. Thanks, Jerry Hopkins


__________________________________________


God knows I've got some Eagles stories, but one of my favorites comes from 1973, when I did a show with them at Michigan State in 1973 (with Gram Parsons opening!), a few weeks after the Desperado album came out.
As everyone knows, Glenn was from Detroit (Royal Oak, to be specific). So, when they played at the school, Glenn's Mom drove the 90 miles to East Lansing to see her son play. At the time, she was a waitress in a diner called Suzie Q on Woodward Avenue, a few miles north of 8 Mile Road between Royal Oak and Birmingham. That's the kind of world Glenn came from–middle class, blue collar-ish.
Anyway, she and I were standing at the back of the stage watching while the band sound checked.
She said, "This is really great."
I said, "Yeah, headlining the MSU Auditorium."
And then she looked me straight in the eyes and said, "No, you don't understand. Glenn tried to go to school at Michigan State and couldn't get in. And now look at him."


Hugh Surratt


__________________________________________


My friend Steven told me a great story today. In his middle teens he hung around with the band and was a sometime roadie when they were in SoCal. Irving hooked him up with All Access passes.


He was standing on the stage next to an amp stack waiting for the show to start when Glenn slides up next to him and says "Hey kid, do me a favor. Walk out to that center front mic and stand there for a second and then come back over here".


So Steven walks out and before he can get to the mic the building erupts. After a second he walks back and Glenn is just standing there grinning and Steven realizes he's just been given a gift he will never forget.


Jim Urie


__________________________________________

I was born in February of 1960 and grew up glued to the radio. I played guitar in folk mass in the Catholic Church and when the Eagles busted out on the scene me and the other folk mass pickers would strum our out of tune guitars to Take It Easy. I was 12 years old. Holy crap, I got so into it that I'd play it over and over and over. All of those songs are in my DNA and they taught me all I needed to know about how to sing harmony.


Last night I played a show in St Petersburg Florida because that's what I do. I travel from town to town to town on a tour that never ends and sing my songs. I've done it for years. So last night I was playing on stage with my pal Grant Lee Phillips and out of nowhere we busted into Take It Easy. We didn't plan it nor did we rehearse it- it just happened. It was almost Pavlovian. I started strumming the chords and Grant Lee immediately joined in and our harmonies just happened as if we were programmed. It was almost like The Manchurian Candidate as the song began and we both started playing from our subconscious. We smiled at each other and then as I looked up every single person in that audience joined in and raised their glasses high in the air and screamed "it's a girl my lord in a flat bed ford slowin down to take a look at me" at the top of their bloody lungs.


It was beautiful.


Thank you Glenn Frey. Rest in peace.


Cheers,
Steve Poltz


__________________________________________

When we – the Christopher Cross band – opened a tour for the Eagles back in ’80, when we were a brand new act, Glenn was the one who welcomed us with open arms. He treated us newbies like part of the gang, and was always ready for a hang, some laughs, and some good old R&B.


Glenn was an open-hearted, decent guy. When i ran into him decades later, at a high school musical that his daughter was in, he was all hugs and grins and just as warm as all those years before.


I’ve done a lot of incredibly fun work with Jack Tempchin over the years, and still do, playing their songs, and I don’t like thinking of no more Glenn. My experience with him was of a kind and gracious man.


Rob Meurer


__________________________________________


Watching our contemporaries who led the charge and played such roles in our lives slip away is painful. The music is still there but everything around it seems to be fading as if it were all done with disappearing ink. Some things just won't be possible anymore and it almost brings into question whether what we lived through ever even happened.


As an East Coaster, the Beach Boys were alien, you had to go to California to get it. Not so the Eagles. They are the closest thing to the Beatles we've ever produced as a country. In the end they were not only uniquely ours, but they belonged to world as well.


It's been a really crappy year so far.


John Brodey


__________________________________________


My life will never be the same. He was "Eagles". It's Your World Now…


Garrett Squires


__________________________________________


It was tough last week losing Bowie…but what a shock losing Glenn Frey today. I've been a southern Cal boy my whole life and they were my rock band in the 70's.


Hotel California and The Long Run summed up the excess of the 70's, and they foresaw the even more craziness of the 80's.


Great songwriter….one of the best bands to come out of SoCal. He could take a off-hand statement, "Lyin' Eyes", and turn it in to a great song.


Kent Black


__________________________________________


Thanks for this, Bob. I cannot believe the cheap cracks people are making about Frey and Henley. As I told the journalist Ed Baumgardner: It's fine to dislike the Eagles. It is NOT fine to revise rock history to meet some asshole hipster condescending revisionist view of rock history. Sorry, kids, but like them or not, they were a hugely important band. Hell, all of contemporary country is a tribute to them…. And Frey is central to that…. props where props are due, what I say, to paraphrase Faulkner….


Jim Booth


__________________________________________


Hey Bob. I read everything but rarely reply. I'm in the Long Ryders, one
of Gram?s bastard sons of LA country rock. We spent a lot of time trying
to protect his legacy and vision and are still true believers. The Eagles
took what they wanted then flipped it all on its ear and wrote big mother
fucking hits. And you are so right about how much the girls loved them. It
was cool being a band the critics dug, but I ended up with a day job.
Being in a band that had huge hits, got the girls and defined a moment in
time is something to tip your hat to. Right on Glenn and RIP.


Greg Sowders


__________________________________________


I grew up when it was cool to hate the Eagles.


I don't hate the Eagles. I hate how great they were and how they set the bar so high.


Bobbo
The Fallen Stars


__________________________________________


I totally and completely agree with every syllable here.


Wally Wilson


__________________________________________


Imagine the luxury of working up the set list when you can pick from dozens of gems.


Jim M.


__________________________________________


Right on, Bob.
– an English punk rocker aging gracefully.


Hugo Burnham


__________________________________________


I'm listening to the Eagles while reading your beautiful words and it makes me sad that I was too young to experience them and their incredible music at their height and not rich enough to be able to see them in their reunion tours haha. I'm a child of the late 70's and my earliest memory of Glen was hearing his solo work like "The Heat is Gone" when my dad would listen to top 40 radio stations. It also makes me mad that my parents weren't cool enough to be listening to the Eagles so I didn't get that exposure when I was young. At least we can take comfort in the fact that the music is still here for us. Thanks Bob.


Rob DiFondi


__________________________________________


I remember loving The Eagles when I was a child and all my friends and I loved them a lot!


As I got older and went through college and grad school they were in the rearview mirror as we learned about other groups and musicians!


When I got into my 30's I started listening to them again and certain songs resonated with me like Desperado and also Lying Eyes! I would play them in my car and teach them to my children and my kids would love them! I went to their shows and also sold a shitload of tickets to them even as they jacked up the prices! Now he's gone! If you didn't see them then now you can when hell freezes over. It's upsetting that Bowie died but it also bothers me more that Frey is gone! We were all blessed with them and I am so happy for that! My 17 year old daughter tells me that we had all the good music and the music of their times suck! I couldn't agree more!


Even you belong to the city was/is great! Smugglers blues! It makes me want to put on my pink jacket and shades like we did in the 80's when we were kids trying to be like Miami vice with Glen Frey in the background! I have to go put kids to bed! "The heat is on"
Goodnight


Jac Berman


__________________________________________


Early 1973, living in Minneapolis, where I naively thought I would get into radio and work at some progressive FM station, only to find that a radio license would put me in Bemidji, or Mankato, reading livestock futures and playing a heart-stirring selection of Mantovani and Perry Como. The cool job at the cool station never panned out, but while there, I got to see some great shows. Eagles (OK, Glenn, no "the") were second on a bill with Gentle Giant and Yes. Imagine a promoter willing to put such a grab bag together now. Not gonna happen-you don't want to shock anyone with real variety when the big bucks are on the line. This was the original line-up with Bernie and Randy on board, and they took no prisoners that night. Gentle Giant was nothing if not theatric and dynamic, so then, on come these guys that looked as out of place as galoshes on a super model and they smoke the place. I like to think they relished challenges like that-winning over a possibly hostile crowd waiting for
a band they had little in common with-and they did. They opened with Chug All Night, but it was Witchy Woman that finally pulled the lever. Great early show, and I saw them a few other times in the 70's, but that one stayed with me. It was new, like a mix of Byrds/Burritos & and Beach Boys, and one listen to the album I bought the next day (instead of Close To The Edge-yup, we always had to choose back then) told me that these guys were the real deal. It's still my favorite, and when I moved to Phoenix, you know I had to spend the night in Winslow, Arizona, and yes, romantic dork that I am, I stood on a corner and waited for that flatbed Ford to drive by.


So, Glenn has stormed off the mortal coil, and some people still can't let it go. Yes, they were huge, and yes, the earned every drop of success they got. Why should that ever be an excuse to berate a real artist? Love 'em, like 'em, or hate 'em, they were a force unto themselves and no snarky rejection can change what they accomplished together. Nobody really hates them anyway, because down deep, you can't deny great songs and great musicians. Hating the Eagles is just a hipness accessory that no longer has any glow.


Jim Morrow


__________________________________________


I grew up in North Carolina and this music made me want to move to California since I was twelve years old. We will always have the music, but I will miss Glenn. Thanks for your words.


Stanton Kellam


__________________________________________


Great, he was a true son of Detroit that brought the California dream to the airwaves.


Greg Thompson
Capitol Music Group


__________________________________________


I'm very sad. Glad I saw them two times recently. When I first started loving music they were heroes to me. And cute guys in faded jeans with gorgeous harmonies. Swooning at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic NJ. What more could a 14-year-old girl want?


Laura Grover


__________________________________________


I love the Eagles. I grew up listening to my dads many Eagles vinyl albums and I learned to play drums to Don and learned to sing and play guitar all guided by the Eagles. The songwriting was simply incredible and you cannot have the Eagles without Glenn Frey. A legend of legends.


Gordon Burke


__________________________________________


Didn't know the man personally but I will always refer to him as just Glenn. I feel like I did know him and he knew me. Glenn dished out the sound track to some of the best times of our lives. I will not recover from this loss. I didn't realize it until now, It is going to be very difficult to suffer through the many losses we have ahead of us.


Kevin Knepper


__________________________________________


Don’t forget Seven Bridges Road, written by Steve Young. How many bands would have had the nerve or the ability to sing that extended acapella intro? Not one of their catchy top 10 hits, just a great song.


Dick Weissman


__________________________________________


So sad, end of an era, way too young….


Bill Diggins


__________________________________________


I saw them March last year – not knowing that was the last date I would go on with my husband ( we split a few weeks later). For me Hotel California was the soundtrack of my teens here in Godzone and I honestly believed the world was my oyster. Their music had never been lost over the decades – we always go back to it because everything else out there is crap and The Eagles always make you feel so damned good about yourself.


Michelle Turner


__________________________________________


I've been crying since Monday like so many people. It's also incredible how many generations of fans the Eagles have. My aunt was an Eagles fanatic and dragged my mom to one of their shows in 1994 and my mom was hooked. Then they introduced me and I fell in love with them. And there I was, at the age of seventeen spending hundreds of dollars, (probably around 5 paychecks at the time) to buy my mom and I front row seats for their show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. It was an amazing night that I will never forget. Probably the only night of my life that I ever really spent bonding with my mom.


The date of that show was January 21, 1995. We're on the 21 year anniversary and now Glenn is gone.


Glenn's death is gut wrenching on many levels. One being that this is the end of the Eagles and two, it's another reminder that we're going to be losing everybody over the next 10 years. All the rest of the legends from the 70's. We're already seeing it with Bowie last week and now Glenn.


And of the 100's of shows that I've attended over the last 20 years, I believe that Glenn is the first to die of all the artists/bands that I've ever seen live.


And I know it had to happen at some point, but it doesn't make it any easier. There's a lot to mourn here. Not only an incredible songwriter and musician, but also the greatest American band of all time and ALL the many memories we have tied to them. The memories we made at their concerts and where we were as we listened to their songs.


And though there are plenty of musicians out there with talent, it's a different time and place now. I live in Nashville where it seems much of the town can play an instrument and can carry a tune, but those who truly blow me away, are very few and far between. The Eagles blew me away.


I only hope that somehow Glenn can see all the flowers and candles left on the corner of Winslow, AZ. I hope somehow he can see the outpouring of love across social media. We're all still in shock, processing this loss and dreading who will be next. Our favorite musicians are like family, we've had them in our homes for so long…and we're never ready to say goodbye.


As Henley says, "One day they're here, the next day they're gone."


Karolyn Marie
Nashville


__________________________________________


Well said… Never been an Eagles hater. Always been one of my favorites since I was introduced to them in my sophomore year of high school in '91. A time when Vanilla Ice ruled the airwaves I was drawn in by beautiful harmonies and ACTUAL songwriting.


He was too young… Music has a gaping hole in its heart.


-mike Scheuchzer


__________________________________________


I was a kid, a year older than you, headed out on the upper midwest road band circuit when the Eagles hit. They were a game changer compared to prior "country rock", i.e. Nashville Skyline, the Band, rocked up country and of course Flying Burrito Brothers.


In the jukebox world in which I lived (a young bass player moving gig to gig across upper WI, MN, and the Dakotas was not buying anything but cigarettes, gas, and hamburgers), I heard a lot of Tequila Sunrise and Desperado. They were both in heavy rotation.


Regards.
Dave Petersen


__________________________________________


Bob, thank you for putting my thoughts into words.
I am, a nearly 69 year old Australian, who has been mostly on the biz side of music since the mid-60s.
Glenn and (the) Eagles songs spoke for many of us here, as well.


Cheers
David Bland


__________________________________________


I have spent the last few days defending my love of the Eagles, especially after reading that article in the NY Daily News. But I realized it's music. You either like or you don't. And I love the Eagles. And the more I read about them and the more I listened, the more I wanted to be them. Their strive for perfect harmonies over a perfect pop tune with a perfect dynamic blend of instruments gave me insight into what I wanted my material to emulate. It still does to this day. I never saw them in their hey day, but when the Hell Freezes Over Tour happened, I stood in line for hours at Tower Records to get tickets to the show. Even my shitty standing in the lawn tickets at an impossible ankle tearing angle were worth it!


Thanks for sharing your generous and provoking thoughts. I wanted to be in a band where chicks were all about the band and the Eagles showed us that it could happen!


RIP Glenn Fry your music will live on.


David George


__________________________________________


Thank you for putting this into such eloquent words. The passing of Bowie cut, but the passing of Frey is the dagger. Thanks to your writing I can get my finger on it: Glenn Frey was ours, and The Eagles are America. They were the soundtrack of my youth in the 70's, and has the man himself said in History of the Eagles, thanks to classic rock radio in the 80's, they never really went away when the broke up.


Thank you Frey for the songs that will never die. See you on the other side.


Dean Marone


__________________________________________


He and Henley were Americas answer to Lennon and McCartney. Unbelievable songs and recordings. Still inspirational to me.


James Lee Stanley


__________________________________________


Great article. I love the Eagles. They were fantastic song writers. Every time a truly great star dies I pick up my Yahama acoustic and go through their hits. Last week it was Bowie, this week it was Glenn Frey.


I was playing ' Taking it Easy' and my wife was cooking the chicken curry in the adjacent kitchen humming along. I was singling out loud imagining I was in Southern California under a setting sun (actually -10 Deg C in rural Scotland)


'I love the way your silver ear rings lay
Upon your skin so brown
And I want to sleep with you in the desert tonight
Under the stars all around'


You are absolutely correct the Eagles songs connect with women and also provide the spirit of America


Oh I wish I could write songs even as close as good as theirs!


Cheers
Ed Gardyne


__________________________________________


The guitars sparkle on hotel California song. The multiple tracking overdubs make them glisten and you can imagine the studio sessions even now. They weren't comped and tuned, compressed into tiny digital 000s and 111s, they were just epic.


It makes me sad i never got to see them. But we are working on making music that speaks to people, like these guys did. Your letters give us something that evens out our days, that harks to a period we never really got to live through or properly see; we were both born 20-something years too late, but that doesn't matter, because you bring it to life now. We came to California because this is the land where we thought we could really give music a go. Times have changed but that dream still lives on. Thank you reminding us how to keep that Alive.


Best wishes
Max And Esmay Luck
From london acoustic music duo, The Luck


__________________________________________


I was just knee-high when "Take it Easy" was on the radio, but when I was old enough to lob few hundred dollars across the counter at Tech Hi-Fi, and unwrap to that new stereo system, Hotel California was "what was on the radio".


It was on the radio so much I figured that's what radio must be… That and Bruce Springsteen.


I always laugh when my musician friends, some successful and some not, bust on the Eagles. If they can nail any of those guitar solos, note for note, then I'll stop laughing (briefly), but to me those guys: rocked. They wrote great songs and they could play the hell out of those guitars.


They played stadiums and they had a plane with their name on it.


I thank the stars I ponied up more money than I wanted to to see them at the Garden last year. I commented more than once how hard those guys were working – the show was 2 1/2 hours plus. Unbelievably tight and perfect, perfect harmonies. Guitar sounded so good you could cry. I would have never known that Glenn was sick or that he wasn't feeling "up to it" I guess that work ethic you've mentioned.


I'm heartbroken I won't get to take my own son (11): I almost brought him to the Atlantic City stop last summer but the timing wasn't right. I wanted him to see one of the hardest working band in show business and hear 2 1/2 hours of some of the best that American songwriting had to offer.


Bowie broke my heart but in truth I'm a New Yorker and many of us knew he was not well. This was from left field and I can't even go on social media this week – there's gonna be a heartache tonight – and for a long while.


Matt Peyton


__________________________________________


They were like a bad automobile accident, I didn’t want to look, but I couldn’t help myself. The History Of The Eagles was the most fascinating rock doc ever, I hated them, but I wanted to be them!


One other note, Bernie Leadon was the Izzy Stradlin of the Eagles. No one noticed him when he was there, but they weren’t nearly as good once he was gone.


Michael Kimball


__________________________________________


"Another thing about The Eagles is that I hate them" – Robert Christgau. Why? Because they could actually play more than three chords, write intelligent rock and roll, understand the complexities of vocal harmony, respect and revere the history of the genre, and take it to new limits and beyond – unlike the shitty art-college /trust-fund-baby bands from NYC who could neither play, write, nor matter in the lasting scheme of things? Glenn Frey contributed more to music in his one line in "Take It Easy" than all of your worthless typing over the years, Christgau. Asshat.


David Allgood


__________________________________________


God Bless Glenn Frey……well said. End of an era and the biggest chapter I my life.


Les Horne


__________________________________________


They were a "lousy band?" really? I bet there are 100 million people who disagree. but it's more than that, they were iconic, something we grew up on and whose songs still make us smile. RIP Glenn Frey


Mike Farley


__________________________________________


As an 80's baby growing up in Detroit, I was raised on the local boys/bands done good – Glenn & The Eagles, Cooper, Seger, Grand Funk, Iggy, MC5, the list goes on. This experience helped me gain an appreciation for music at an early age.


Thank you for taking the time to write this, It's refreshing to read something meaningful and from the heart.


All the best,


Jay Hudson
MD/Afternoon Drive
89X CIMX Detroit/Windsor


__________________________________________


I visually remember the first time I heard those opening acoustic measures of "Take it Easy" that summer of '72. I was captivated immediately and remain so. It sounds as fresh today as then. That's writing!


You are so right… The 17yr old kid ran out, bought the album and wore it and several more copies through.


It's a gut-punch to know what was, is no more. I have that same, but maybe not so deep a feeling of loss, as when John Lennon went down. (The Beatles never got back together as the Eagles did). Still it seemed there to have been potential for so much more.

Thanks again for the post.


Mike Bizanovich


__________________________________________


Thanks Bob. That was a beautiful tribute to Glenn (and the band). Made me cry. So damn sad.


Cathy Goodman


__________________________________________


No link, from memory:


When Douglas Adams and team created the original radio version of "Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy", the theme music featured a haunting space-cowboy guitar whine. According to Adams, people besieged the station / him / etc asking where they could get ahold of the music.


Adams enjoyed telling them that THEY ALREADY OWNED IT because it was very likely they'd bought Eagles' "One Of These Nights" and the H2G2 theme, Journey of the Sorceror, was the last cut on the "other" side of that album, the side that almost nobody played!


Now Adams has gone, and everyone knows what the H2G2 theme is because you can search YouTube, but a good story from the days you evoke so well, the days when we had to buy the LP.


Best from


Jules Chatelain


__________________________________________


I heard the news and was stunned.
The next morning, I cried.
Because I knew.


Scott Sechman


__________________________________________


I never understood why people had such a problem with the Eagles. Well, guys anyway, as you correctly point out. All I know, is that when I put on their music and it makes me happy.


Danny Cooper
VP Promotion
RCA Records


__________________________________________


Remember the day I was sitting in my ABC Burbank Office and a friend came by from WEA with the fresh off the press new Eagles single New Kid In Town. put a big ole smile on my face, could relate to the lyrics and the music was slick as ice. Thought it could have been the Everly Brothers if they were doing music in the 70's, only better. Still listen to Hotel California, from time to time, to take me from Texas, back to California, and will continue to do so.


Barry Pollack


__________________________________________


As the leader of weekend warrior bands for many years, I related to Glenn Frey. Sometimes you got to be a bastard to make things happen and someone’s always going to whine about it. But he made things happen. Henley has a great voice, but it was always Frey’s songs that I wanted to sing and play on the guitar, (got me laid too).


Bowie was amazing. But he was this weird, English guy who wore a lot of makeup and that made him harder to relate to. Glenn and the Eagles were the guys you wanted to be. They were just like us, but better – more talented and way cooler!


Not too many public figure passings impact me. But this one hurts. A lot! It’s a big loss for a man who could still do it all. And way too young¦


I know when Jackson Browne goes I’ll feel the same way because these guys write and sing songs that touch your heart and they become part of your life.


Life just got a little sadder for this kid of the 70’s¦


Patrick Whitaker


__________________________________________


Few of my true musical heroes gone in a short period of time, but for some reason this was indeed a heartache.
The world is a bit emptier now, but thank God the music lives on.


Morten Dahlgren


__________________________________________

One of the privileges that the band I am in has, is to have been doing an Eagles tribute for the last 6 years. It takes 9 of us to do it, but we can cover all the parts. Many musicians dismiss Eagles music as easy to do, bla bla bla.
Of course they have never tried to do it faithfully.
I have to say that after 6 years, we can still go round and round to the same venues and do these shows to sold out houses. It absolutely amazes me.
I will also say that you can never do Eagles material and have it become second nature. Every time we start up a run of shows, I have to go back and go over all those guitar and vocal parts. Nothing stays the same throughout an entire song.
They truely knew how to craft a pop tune.
Everyone did their part in the Eagles, but to me Frey was the voice, soul, and drive of the band. RIP Mr. Frey.


Bill Scherer from MN.


__________________________________________


I always liked the Eagles but was aware of how the critics – all men –
love to dis them. Even Robert Baird at Stereophile couldn’t comment on
Glenn Frey’s passing without throwing a punch.


But Baird only reinforces your comments: critics resented them because of
their success. Too bad.


I have always been taken by bands who could put on a harmony, and the
Eagle did it is spades. Frey’s vocal arrangements were the band’s
trademark, and never better than on ?New Kid in Town.?


Thanks for the thoughts.


Peace,


Paul Malkoski


__________________________________________


Hey Bob- I waited painfully for your post because I couldn't find enough news on Glenn's passing to satisfy. Like more words could make it better. So much news on Bowie, an otherworldly cat….living, dreaming and creating from a place we could all only pretend we understood. And with a parting gift of afterlife music to boot…Genuis! Glenn all these years writing and performing stuff about us regular folks yearning, learning, lying, drugging, cheating, loving, aging etc…Almost every song of his tapped into every human emotion that you (or at the very least someone you knew) had ever had….Genuis!


I clearly remember at around age 14 standing in Shillito's with my Mama and trying on clothes when Lyin' Eyes came on in the store. I immediately asked for complete silence from not just my mother but everyone else in the changing stalls. I listened so intently. I knew that this was an amazing full on "story" I was hearing and I also knew that it was also past my own understanding of relationships. It was thrilling. I got that twisted feeling you get deep inside when you are being moved by something….and the opening notes of the song still do it for me every time. While I deeply ached to be old enough to be that woman, I also instantly knew I would never be that woman. I would never find myself lonely and trapped. It is probably why I waited so late in life to marry (and predictably to a songwriter). In fact, I could still to this very day walk into that store 40 years later (now Macy's) and stand in the exact spot where I was when that song came over the store's speakers. I was
sold on the Eagles. I was sold on music. In a way it cemented my future in this biz.


Was at just the right age in the 70's to see every band that came anywhere near Louisville so was blessed to see them many times when they and I were still young and then again three times in the past 15 years where I swear they got better with each passing performance. So grateful that Glenn and the boys could still make my stomach tight and my eyes well up all these decades later and to remind me that that woman child was still inside. And to now know he was doing it while fighting an unforgiving illness?
Thank you Thank you Thank you Glenn for continuing to share your gift with all of us for so long. So generous!


Patsy Sermersheim


__________________________________________


I have contended for years (and taken much abuse) that NOBODY could sing live like the Eagles (and that includes you, CSN). Everybody hates on this song, but anyone who has or has imagined standing on a stage playing songs that you actually wrote without any auto-tune, just listen to what these guys could do: https://youtu.be/VUW_sGwMECc.


Sorry about Weiland, Bowie and Buffin, but losing Glenn Frey is like losing an intimate friend.


Ted Doyle


__________________________________________


A number of icons (Nathalie Cole, Alan Rickman, David Bowie) passed in rapid tempo the past few weeks. We mourn them all, but when I heard the news about Glenn Frey, it was as if I was physically hit in the stomach.
You have said it exactly the way it is. Thanks for that.


Cora Romein


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


____________________________________________


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


____________________________________________


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


____________________________________________


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


____________________________________________


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


____________________________________________


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


____________________________________________


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


____________________________________________


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!


____________________________________________


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


____________________________________________


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)


____________________________________________


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


____________________________________________


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


____________________________________________


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


Hi Bob!

I was so very fortunate to be a friend of Glenn Frey's back in the
Aspen days.


He was a man of passion, fierce determination, HUMOR and the ability to
communicate in a most authentic way.


We shared time skiing, "playing" golf, and sharing our musical passion
that still inspire me to this day.


I was at Glenn's home the evening that he first had his wonderful wife
Cindy over for a dinner. He asked me to come out to the house to hang
with him and meet Cindy as he was so very nervous to meet her. Cindy
may not even know this but, this is also a view into the Glenn's
incredible humility. He was so excited that this new beautiful energy
had come into his life and did NOT want any form of celebrity to
diminish the potential to present himself as "just a real guy that
happens to do what I do." Not an ounce of ego in sight, just truth.


I was also present the night that "Hell Froze Over" in a small club in
Aspen. As he introduced the "mystery band members" late in the evening,
you could hear the incredible pride and passion in his voice to be with
his Brothers again. As Mr Henley walked out on that tiny stage and took
his seat behind the drums, the place came apart. As the first few notes
of Desperado took form, everyone could feel the magnitude and
importance of what was taking place. Hope reborn. Passion in flight
once again. Come on man!! THAT was what it was all about to Glenn. The
absolute synergy between everyone on that stage AND in the crowd. He
was the enzyme that created the action potential all around him. That
IS what the great ones do.
He had such great pride in his family, friends and his music that it
was infectious to be with him and feel that wave form radiate from him
and only hope that some of it would carry through in our own lives


Thank you Glenn for sharing your time and truth with me and the rest of
this planet! I also thank Cindy for showing Glenn that LOVE IS REAL!!


With Humility and GREAT Respect,


Dr Michael Bathke


_____________________________________


Hi Bob,


It's my first time writing you, although I read and absorb all of your
work. Thank you for being so thought provoking. There are times I want
to jump on a plane and fly out to LA and kick your ass and other times
when I want to give you a high-five, or in the case of your Glenn Frey
piece, a man-hug.


Pardon in advance my, what I am sure will be, rambling. I'm doing this
more for the cathartic aspect than anything else. Feel free to
paraphrase and publish what you'd like, or just read and hopefully
enjoy by yourself without publishing. Like I said, this will be
cathartic and I need that right now.


I do indie promotion for Top 40 and Hot AC and have been doing so since
the mid-80's. I have never promoted an Eagles single, although I have
worked several solo records by Glenn, Henley and Timothy.


I first met Glenn at a TJ Martell golf tourney in LA in 1992 around the
time that MCA released his "Strange Weather" album. We hit it off
immediately and I asked him if he'd consider coming to Chicago to play
in the Martell golf event that I was chairing in conjunction with the
old Hitmakers conventions. He said "I'll do almost anything if it
involves golf, but I'll only fly to Chicago if you come to lunch with
me and my wife Cindy." I said "Anytime" and he said, "Right now." We
jumped in his minivan and went to Dr. Hogly Woglys BBQ, somewhere in
the LA Valley. The three of us and their infant daughter, Taylor.


We became fast friends. Like super-fast. So fast that it was kind of a
"why me?" moment in my life that I'll never forget.


I was honest with Glenn when I told him that I wasn't a huge Eagles fan.
In what I would learn would be Glenn's great sense of humor, he
replied, "Me either" and laughed that unforgettable laugh/cough of his.
But I had seen (The) Eagles in concert twice and certainly respected
them…and of course both times were on dates with babes that wanted to
see the shows more than me. But what really hit me immediately was how
fucking cool Glenn was. Here I am sitting in a dingy BBQ joint and this
guy just wreaked of cool. Even driving a minivan. He defined cool.


Although I had Glenn's contact info I felt it would be more appropriate
to ask Bruce Tennenbaum and Mark Gorlick at MCA to help facilitate
Glenn's participation in the Chicago Martell event. I can still
remember Tennenbaum…"Are you fickin' crazy? He's an Eagle. There's no
way he's gonna fly to Chicago." I asked Bruce to at least make the
effort. He called me back the next day and in disbelief said that Glenn
was looking forward to being our celebrity host. And he did it two years in a row!


Timing was everything, as far as my luck was concerned. Glenn was
touring in support of the "Strange Weather" album and I took advantage
of our friendship and visited radio almost everywhere the tour
played…and of course had PD's ecstatic about meeting Glenn and
getting a picture with him. Often he'd say, "I'm gonna make you look
good tonight Cooper," and he'd dedicate my favorite song on the new
album to "My buddy Cooper and his radio pals here tonight." The song
was "River of Dreams." Never a hit. But a song I loved as my friendship
with Glenn continued to grow and I learned what had inspired him to write it.


Glenn was in Chicago doing a corporate gig for GD Searle (big pharma
company) on a polar-cold Saturday night in late '93 or early '94 when
he told me, "Hell's freezing over on Monday." What? He said there would
be a press conference and that the Eagles were getting back together.
He told me it was going to be a drug and alcohol free tour in respect
to Walsh and said, in his own inimitable way, "Cooper. I have no idea
how long this tour will go or when and where it'll end. But whenever it
does, I want to walk off the stage and see you standing in the wings
with a bottle of 1976 Chateau Lafitte Rothschild in one hand a big fat
doobie in the other." I complied.


"It's gonna be huge! Irving's got a 727 that seats 210-people that¹s
being reconfigured to seat 51. And we're gonna have police escorts to
and from every venue. If you think we've been having fun the last
couple of years, wait 'til you fly on EAGLE ONE." The first time I did,
I was blown away! Wide-eyed and amazed at the precision of the police
motorcade, motorcycles blocking entrances to the interstate and then
passing our van, sirens wailing, leapfrogging with each other to get to
an entrance ramp a few miles up and block it for us. And when we got to
the airport, Glenn turned to me and said, "Cooper. Watch what we do
when we pull up to the jet." The line of vans made three complete
circles around the big 727 before pulling up under the tail where we
boarded the plane. I asked Glenn why they did that, and his
response…"Because we can." Typical cool!


I couldn't be at the last show of Hell Freezes Over, but on the next to
last show in Little Rock I did when Glenn had asked me to do. It blew
his mind! "You didn't," he said with the biggest smile you can imagine.
He then asked Cindy to make sure there were wineglasses in their
compartment the next night for their flight back to LA. Whether or not
he ever fired up that joint on the plane, I may never know. But I do
know that he loved that bottle of wine.


I have dozens of stories about how cool Glenn was. Dozens! But as
Andrew Kastner wrote to you yesterday, Glenn's generosity was unequaled
by anyone that I've known. It went far beyond gifts, expensive wine and
dinners, always footing the tab for golf, etc. Not even watching him
give every single employee in a big Emeril-owned restaurant in New
Orleans a fifty and wishing them a merry Christmas surprised me. Every
worker from the servers to the dishwashers to the valet parker…and we
didn't even drive to the restaurant! That was Glenn. He was charitable
beyond his generosity. He asked me several times over the years which
charity meant a lot to me at given points in time and he'd make a
donation, in my honor, to that charity…as long as it benefitted kids. He was a mensch!


Glenn loved to visit Chicago and when he was here, Gibson's, a
well-known, see-and-be-seen, celebrity hangout was where you could find
him along with his sidekicks I'd affectionately refer to Tom & Jerry
(Nixon & Vaccarino). He loved their steaks. During Eagles tours he
would intentionally base the band in Chicago for up to a week at a time
and they'd fly out to shows in the Midwest, usually about an hour's
flight away. I'd rarely dine at Gibson's unless Glenn was in town.
Dining there without him will be strange, to say the least.


Up until just the past year and a half or so, Glenn rarely texted me.
He had on old flip-phone and I guess it was cumbersome. But when he
finally caught up with technology, it was always great to hear from
him. He'd end each text session with me with "Pax, Elvis" (sometimes even "Elvoid").


When my mom passed away in August '14, Elvis texted me, "Heard about
your mom. Lost mine last Sept 9. It's a tough one. On tour but will get
to Chicago in the next week or two so we can grab dinner and toast to
the fine ladies that brought us into this world. Pax, Elvis" A week
later he texted me to pick a restaurant for dinner…"Just the two of
us. Maybe not Gibson's. Too loud. Somewhere we can talk. Elvoid."


As always, Glenn controlled the conversation and had me laughing. When
the conversation shifted to my mom's passing, I realized that while
Glenn had come to Chicago to help comfort me, he was also trying to
comfort himself, since the one-year anniversary of his mom's passing
was just a few weeks away. I saw a side of Glenn that I had never seen.
Vulnerability. It was telling. My rock star friend and I alternated
attention drawing laughs, but also needed to have our napkins replaced
so we could wipe our tears away. He gave me great advice on how to help
me help my dad deal with losing his wife. It was truly the most
precious couple of hours I had ever spent with him. And he still
wreaked of cool all the while.


I sent Glenn an "inside joke" via text about an unnamed rocker back in
early October. His reply was typical Elvis.."Goofball in any medium.
Definitely a red state guy." I replied with the pre-pubescent "LOL" and
told him I'd be in NY in November to see Hamilton and asked if he and
Cindy wanted to join for the play or an early dinner. His reply cut
right through me. He said he'd been in LA for two months and that he
was "very sick" and described his illness. He said it was not life
threatening, but demanded, "Tell no one" and even said "I repeat, tell
no one." I texted him on his birthday a month later and never heard
back. I knew it was more serious than he had thought.


I know how many millions of lives Glenn touched through his music. But
he touched mine in a way that only a certain kind of man could. While
we would only see each other occasionally, our genuine friendship never
waned. My life has been enriched because my friendship with Glenn Frey.
And not because he was so fucking cool. Because he was truly a great man.


Rick Cooper


_____________________________________


Dear Bob,

Thanks for providing such a heartfelt forum for both Bowie and Glen.
Folks of our times see our heros and inspirations passing and, through
the memories of our generation, reflect on the beauty and wonder of
those times.
It was a smaller world back then. It seemed like eventually everybody
met everybody at gigs and nights in the canyons and we would recognize
the spark and share the joy in each other's art and success.
I sound like the old fart I am but, as all the old farts say, ya had to
be there!
Thanks for the memories, Bob.


Charles Haid


_____________________________________


Bowie's death was hard, but Glenn's was personal.


I have a quick story about how much the Eagles and Glenn Frey impacted
my life at a critical moment.


In late April and May of 2012, I was finishing up my time at Berklee in
Boston. I had a great, great band with a killer vocalist who decided, a
week before graduation (aka to most 21 year olds the time when "real
life" begins, whatever that means), that she was going to leave the band.
I was devastated, lost. I had a plan, and then with a few words, the
rug under my feet was gone. My world was turned upside down, and it was
the Eagles who made things right again.


Each year Berklee gives various musicians and music industry people
honorary doctorates for outstanding contributions to music. The year
that I graduated, the Eagles were amongst the honorees. I always liked
the Eagles, but it wasn't until I was chosen (somehow, out of over 250
eligible guitarists, I snuck into that lineup of five killer slingers
and
me) to be in the student band to play several Eagles songs in an arena
for my peers, family, and the Eagles themselves that I became a devout
follower.


I was forced to focus on these Eagles songs for close to two weeks
straight with rehearsals every night spanning from four to eight hours.
And if it weren't for Glenn and the gang, I promise you I would have
lost my head. I'd have been drowning in my own sorrows, but I didn't
have the time to do that because I had to do these songs justice. The
songs of Glenn (and Don and Joe and the rest) saved my life. Or at the
very least, gave me something to focus my energy into.


So, thank you, Glenn, for making one 21 year old girl's toughest times
(at that point) a lot better. I will miss you, but your music lives on
forever.


Thank you, Bob, for the great tribute to Glenn. And for telling it like
it is.


Best,
Amy Mantis


_____________________________________


You talk about the age of the artist and how that's evaporated. I grew
up listening to the Eagles and they kept me sane at during an insane
time. I was an instant fan of Glenn Frey for some reason he was our spokesman.
Just as we used to say a class act. His death was like a look into
mortality. I feel as sense of loss that I have not felt. He will live
forever in our memories and in the music. Thank you Glenn Frey and
thank you to the Eagles.


Sincerely
Allen Miller


_____________________________________


In the venue management game we don't have to go to/sit through every
show. With the Eagles I always did. Man they were sooooo damn good. The
songs, the harmonies, the perfect sound and the audiences always loved
them!. We last hosted them March 2/4/6 here in Sydney fully expecting
that they will be back at some point. Now we live with the knowledge
that they won't, not like that anyway.


Hope you are in good health and doing what you love.


Cheers from down here,


Don Elford


_____________________________________


Hey Bob, it's great to see all the comments and history that is Glenn
Frey.


I'll never forget at the Melbourne 2003/4 show (that was filmed for the
DVD) he said: "this song is about my credit card and my wife, it's
called Take It To The Limit"


Always loved his humor, his songwriting, (even though i only became a
fan from Hell Freezes Over)


I teach my students Take It Easy when they all reach the open chord
changes fast enough level.


Glad I saw them when I did.


Best,


Neville Kaye


_____________________________________


As a younger twenty-six year old, this tribute moved me. The historical
picture behind the Eagles and Glenn Frey was not something I was aware
of. We "millenials" are rightly accused of misunderstanding – or just
not knowing – history.


I never saw the Eagles, but was lucky enough to see Glenn Frey in 2008
somewhere in central Minnesota during the summer. I had recently
graduated high school and desperately wanted to hit the road, for lack
of a better or less clichéd phrase. I was with some friends at a cabin.
The parents there said we should come along to the show, so we did.
Being 18 and full of youthful gusto, we snuck in some vodka in water
bottles and enjoyed the hell out of the show. Glenn had to stop playing
at one point, because of a massive thunderstorm that briefly passed
through. After the rain, he and his band came out and started again with "Take it Easy".
Soon after was "Hotel California" and some of the other major hits. But
what stands out the most, was seeing the parents and other older folks
there. They looked like my friends and I did when we would go away for
weekends of music at Alpine Valley. I had not seen this before, and for
the one of first times, was truly aware of the power of music.


It is clear to me now, that the Eagles and Glenn set a tone that has
yet to be distorted.


Thanks for the great tribute.


David Reiersgord


_____________________________________


Hi Bob,


Thanks for your Glenn Frey post. When I heard the news on NPR driving
home from work, I reached down and started playing the Desperado CD.
That CD seemed to find it's way to my player often over the past many years.
It's my favorite Eagles album, though my cell phone ring tone is Take
it Easy. Love that song.


Could you forward Bernie Leadon's reply to your post?


Thanks


Doug Thompson


_____________________________________


I understand that I¹m late to the party and you may be all Glenn Frey
tributed out, but I¹ll still give my bit.


I, too, am an 80¹s kid, and it wasn¹t ³cool² to still like the Eagles
when I was in high school back in Ohio, but I did. I didn¹t care ¬ I
just loved listening and drumming along to it.


So, coincidentally, just last week before Glenn passed, when making
another of what seemed to be an endless series of trips to the doctor
and hospital for my son, I needed to cheer up. I wanted to just open
the car window and sing and drum along to something good.


For some inexplicable reason, I decided to search for Glen Frey on
Spotify and listened to the entire ‘Solo Collection.’ And I opened the
all my windows and the sunroof, drummed the crap out of my steering
wheel and sang my lungs out. And it *was* good.


Thanks, Glenn. RIP.


Greg Heibel
Menlo Park


_____________________________________


Dear Bob,


I miss Glenn Frey. Mind you, I've never met the man. But I miss him.
Badly. Real grief. Real bewilderment about what to do next. I have
always loved the Eagles, but I didn't realize the almost intangible
depth their music has had in my life. I can't be alone.


I grew up in the standard 70's home. Shag carpet, divorced parents, no
small amount of desperation about what tomorrow held. But when my
sister and her boyfriend pulled into the driveway in his Grand Am with
an 8-Track of "Take it Easy" blaring, everything was ok. In fact, it
was better than ok. I just knew listening to all those songs that I
didn't even understand yet that life was gonna be ok.


When life gets rough today, I go back to that place. Maybe it's
arrested development, I don't know. But it wipes the slate clean for me
– those songs. I used to sit on my sister's bed and stare at the album
cover for One of These Nights ¬ feathers and horns and wings and shit.
I had no idea what that artwork meant ¬ It was just cool. And when my
sister put the record on and kicked me out of her room, I didn't care.
I could still hear Glenn Frey singing "Lyin¹ Eyes" through the walls.
Like some kind of beautiful, musical Prozac. The whole world was out
there, and I was ready. Confident.


In 1995, I bought tickets to the Hell Freeze Over show in Little Rock.
Somehow the ticket dispenser at the record store kicked out 5th row
seats. Never happen today. Won the lottery. I took a girl with me on
our first date. A full moon rolled over War Memorial Stadium. One of
those rare moments that ¬ even if given the opportunity to trade for
any other moment – you wouldn't trade for anything. Perfect! We've been
married now for 20 years. I feel like Glenn Frey was our best man.


We've lost dozens of cultural icons over the past several years. Always
will. But this is different. This isn't just sad. This hurts. Thought
you might understand. Thanks for your work.


Paul Leinhardt


_____________________________________


Thanks for the notes you made on Glenn and his passing. You struck a
major chord with me about Glenn and I had to write back.


The Eagles were in the Cali arc of time from Sweetheart of the Rodeo to
around Running with the Devil. Glenn Frey was there guiding the finest
ship to sail these waters. It's easy to forget the war of escalating
guitar sounds that was playing out in the top 100 in the 70s. They went
from Take It Easy to Hotel California in just a few years. That
transition in style was instinctual for this band and never felt
contrived. They could make me cry in my beer one moment and the next
tune, jump to my feet to bang my head and pump my fist. That said, I
always wished they would get back to the Cali country roots in a new
record, but now my hope is Buck Owens has other plans for Glenn.


Of the many talents that one needs to be a legend in music, Glenn was
probably not the worlds best at any of them. He just possessed a wider
range and combination of the many talents needed to succeed in the
music industry and continued learning new skills later in life. A Man
of many talents. I think his longest lived songwriting will be the
early Eagles material so long as country musicians continue to want to
ply their trade. In many ways, modern country owes more to the Eagles
than even Buck or George or Hank. That had to be written. I hope the
thought someday embarrasses a bigwig in Nashville, but these days,
money covers up shame.


The sad thought I had when I got the news is there will not be another
Tequila Sunrise. The hangover from the 70s has long faded.


David Fink
___

__________________________________


I went hiking today and found myself on top a ridge looking out over a
valley and mountain range, played Lyin Eyes over and over and over and
thought Glenn would have liked that setting and maybe a great location
for cover shoot. In a way I wish they was more public about his
condition over the last 6 months so he could have seen just how huge of
a presence he had and how loved he was.


John Rotella


_____________________________________


Springsteen put up a free Chicago concert this week to make up for his
NYC show being snowed out.


His version of Take It Easy acoustic with the crowd singing along will
make you cry:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6sC66RNK68


Joe in PDR


_____________________________________


One of my favorites is Glenn's answer to a question in a 60 Minutes
episode in 2007 about "why were the Eagles so successful?"


http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-enduring-popularity-of-the-eagles/


To quote Irving from History of the EaglesŠit¹s all about "song power"


Brad Moist


_____________________________________


A profound tribute to Glenn Frey … reads like an Eagles tune.


Nancy Kauffman


_____________________________________


Lyin' Eyes is my favorite Glenn Frey song. Since he died I have been
watching the live performance from the 70s on my iPad all the time.
Today I was driving and switched stations and as it came through the
speakers I began sobbing. So much is lost, so much time has passed. It
was damp and grey like the northeast and I recalled my college
depression. All these years later and I'm still back there. I managed
to make it through to tonight, but for me January 18, 2016 was the day
the music died.


Wendy Morris


_____________________________________


I hope that Glenn is looking down and smiling. So many heartfelt things
have been shared now that he is gone. I hope he felt all the love while
he was here – the impact he had on people not just as an Eagle but as a
person.


It reminds me how important it is to share love and respect while the
people I care about are still here to hear it.


Thanks for all the great music Glenn.


Kim Garner


_____________________________________


Mr. Lefsetz,


Your Glenn Frey blog was spot on perfect. Well said, well done. I
agreed and cried with every word. Every single word. Sometimes the
clear truth does indeed bring me to tears.


Thank you, thank you, thank you!


Mary Lou Peterson