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View Full Version : Don Felder's look then and now



OutlawManNJ
06-14-2016, 01:26 PM
Don Felder looks fantastic at his age. That said everytime I see him I cant help and think of the contrast of "WHAT" he looks like then and now. In the 70's with the long hair, dark circles under the eyes, mustache/beard....Felder looked like a dope smoking rock and roller. But ever since the Hell Freezes Over tour and more each year...while he looks GREAT....he looks like a late night infomercial salesmen or your local real estate agent. Nothing wrong with either...but every time I see him I think this lol.

I guess some rock and rollers decide to maintain the look (long hair etc) and others go "clean" to the point that it looks like you are selling Time Shares on late night TV. :)

WalshFan88
06-14-2016, 05:24 PM
Same here. I think it's obvious he's had some dental and plastic work done. Nothing wrong with that at all, but it's true. If I was in his position I'd do it too.

chaim
06-14-2016, 10:02 PM
And when did he start smiling all the time? I'm not sure if that smile is always genuine, because when he's talking to an interviewer his smile often lasts half a second and then it's gone.

But Glenn changed a lot too.

WalshFan88
06-14-2016, 11:57 PM
And when did he start smiling all the time? I'm not sure if that smile is always genuine, because when he's talking to an interviewer his smile often lasts half a second and then it's gone.

But Glenn changed a lot too.

Yes to both.

UndertheWire
06-15-2016, 08:36 AM
Thinking about Don Felder's style of dress, on stage and for promotional activities, there has been quite a change over the years. In the 80s and during HFO, he wore regular clothes that looked like they were bought off-the-shelf - jeans, t-shirts, plaid shirts. However, these days he's quite a sharp dresser. It's a simple formula of "jeans", shirt and waistcoat in mono-chrome (black, white, grey) but it looks custom-made and often has a touch of flash - rhinestones or leather trim. One thing remains constant and that's his liking for boots with a large heel.

Eagles7
06-16-2016, 02:51 PM
Felder was always flashing that smile on stage to Joe, Glenn, girls in front, etc. he always looked so happy. I don't think it's anything new.

Funk 50
06-16-2016, 03:40 PM
As much as they all go on about being musicians, they're in show business. It's probably worth the deductables they spend to look good.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that more column inches are taken up by how they look than how they sound.

MaryCalifornia
06-16-2016, 07:59 PM
Felder has definitely curated a wardrobe for himself that is more rock 'n roll than that of the other guys. He wears black leather jackets, a wallet chain, a fashion scarf, and big rings. I think he pulls it off. He looks great.

shunlvswx
06-17-2016, 09:03 AM
Don is a very sharp dresser today. Maybe he had to wear those plain shirts when he was in the Eagles. Now that he's not in the band anymore, he started to find his wardrobe that was suitable to the stage and personality. Kinda like Joe. He finally found the wardrobe that was him. Designs and picture on his t-shirt, leather like jeans and mostly black clothes.

As for his look. I don't know if he had something done or not, he looks great. I did notice he got rid of a mole he had on the left side of his nose. If you notice he had it until the Eagles got back together in the 90s. It was gone.

If you look at the pictures from the 60s, Don kinda looks like that today without the beard. When he grew the beard, his face did kinda look different.

Brooke
06-17-2016, 10:10 AM
I think Don looks great today. Actually, I think he's more attractive now than he was in the 70's. And I love his concert clothes too.

I don't care if they've had work done. Any of them. If they want to and can afford it, why not! I would!

shunlvswx
06-17-2016, 10:15 AM
I think Don looks great today. Actually, I think he's more attractive now than he was in the 70's. And I love his concert clothes too.

I don't care if they've had work done. Any of them. If they want to and can afford it, why not! I would!

I agree. Just as long as it done right and it doesn't look like you had work done. You don't want to have a bad work done and can't move your face.

NightMistBlue
06-17-2016, 10:15 AM
The smiling during interviews could be from shyness/awkwardness. That's my impression, he's a shy dude who's not very comfortable talking on camera.

He did well in the HOTE speaking segments though, in the sense that he got his point across and didn't do the nervous smiling.

In contrast, I wonder if the reason the HOTE interview segments with Randy are so much shorter - mere seconds, really - than his bandmates' is he was either too shy or too ill. But that's a whole other topic.

UndertheWire
06-17-2016, 10:51 AM
Back in the 70s, I think they were trying to show a certain attitude in publicity photos - "we're not laid-back, mellow people" - and so no smiles form Don Felder, although you can see plenty of smiles when he's playing.

He did some tv presenting in the 80s and probably had a bit of training in how to speak in front of a camera and I also suspect his current wife/fiance/girlfriend has played a part in the transformation.

He looks pretty relaxed to me in interviews, much more so than Glenn or Don Henley (Glenn developed that nervous "you know" tic). He said something about learning to treat the interviewers as friends.

shunlvswx
06-17-2016, 11:00 AM
I also get that vibe that Don is comfortable talking to interviewers. I think Don H was kinda the one who's nervous talking to interviewers. Glenn seems the most comfortable of all of them.

travlnman2
06-17-2016, 11:15 AM
No offense to the other guys in the band but Joe is the king of wardrobe and comedy remember his brick suit?

WalshFan88
06-17-2016, 11:29 AM
The smiling during interviews could be from shyness/awkwardness. That's my impression, he's a shy dude who's not very comfortable talking on camera.

That's basically it I think.

Speaking as a shy person myself, I smile when I do talk to let people know I'm not an @sshole because otherwise I'm pretty distant and reserved and definitely not good at small talk or conversation. I keep my in-person interactions with people I don't know short and sweet and that's how I like it. Just the facts and answer questions, say goodbye, and then run off to a secluded place. You gotta work to get to know me. I'm an introverted person also, I just prefer to be secluded (although it DOES wear on you after awhile). I'm not a partygoer (which is probably why I love uptempo party songs to live out that life through them lol).

I'm completely the opposite online. Outspoken, confident, chatty, etc. But in person I'm a different animal. I think part of it is the fact I don't have to do it face to face and I can show more of my personality without the social anxiousness of in-person interactions. People make me nervous, lol. I just prefer to only interact with those I know, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, and I smile to lessen my tension and thereby make others feel more comfortable as well.

chaim
06-17-2016, 11:45 AM
Yes, it's probably shyness and nervousness that are behind those quick smiles. But did he do that in the 70's? He may have been a bit more cocky then?

shunlvswx
06-17-2016, 12:06 PM
I'm that way too, Austin. Being an only child, I was very very shy. To truth about it. I really wasn't shy in school to think about it, but I also didn't have friends. When I got older I became shy and very nervous around people I don't know. I don't like talking to people I don't know. I'm usually quiet when I'm in a group. I'm not a huger. So I don't like a complete stranger or even somebody I know to come up to me and hug me.

I open up more when I'm around people I know and comfortable around.

I think Don got more comfortable over the years and it was probably Kathrin that helped him a little.

NightMistBlue
06-17-2016, 02:05 PM
He [Felder] did some tv presenting in the 80s and probably had a bit of training in how to speak in front of a camera. . .

Did he! What program was that?

UndertheWire
06-17-2016, 02:15 PM
I even ended up cohosting a music video program for kids called Fun TV or FTV. My kids loved it. They were much more impressed with that than anything I’d done with the Eagles.

Felder, Don. Heaven And Hell: My Life In The Eagles, 1974-2001 (Kindle Location 4106). Orion. Kindle Edition.

NightMistBlue
06-17-2016, 02:19 PM
Oh my! Imagine Felder on a kids' show, what a hoot. Maybe it's on YouTube.

Jonny Come Lately
06-17-2016, 03:50 PM
That's basically it I think.

Speaking as a shy person myself, I smile when I do talk to let people know I'm not an @sshole because otherwise I'm pretty distant and reserved and definitely not good at small talk or conversation. I keep my in-person interactions with people I don't know short and sweet and that's how I like it. Just the facts and answer questions, say goodbye, and then run off to a secluded place. You gotta work to get to know me. I'm an introverted person also, I just prefer to be secluded (although it DOES wear on you after awhile). I'm not a partygoer (which is probably why I love uptempo party songs to live out that life through them lol).

I'm completely the opposite online. Outspoken, confident, chatty, etc. But in person I'm a different animal. I think part of it is the fact I don't have to do it face to face and I can show more of my personality without the social anxiousness of in-person interactions. People make me nervous, lol. I just prefer to only interact with those I know, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, and I smile to lessen my tension and thereby make others feel more comfortable as well.

Austin, I can relate to how you feel - that sounds quite a lot like me.

I think sometimes smiling when you don't really feel that happy can be a mechanism for avoiding further awkwardness, a sort of easy way out if you like! I have no idea if that's why Felder does it, although I'd say he comes across as less extroverted compared to other lead guitarists. It's difficult to tell from musicians' public personas though, Randy (seemingly very shy and reserved) and Joe (seemingly much more extroverted and jokey) come across as a very different types of people but I remember reading about how both Joe and Randy got nervous about performing on stage, the difference was really was in their coping mechanisms.

WalshFan88
06-17-2016, 07:11 PM
I'm that way too, Austin. Being an only child, I was very very shy. To truth about it. I really wasn't shy in school to think about it, but I also didn't have friends. When I got older I became shy and very nervous around people I don't know. I don't like talking to people I don't know. I'm usually quiet when I'm in a group. I'm not a huger. So I don't like a complete stranger or even somebody I know to come up to me and hug me.

I open up more when I'm around people I know and comfortable around.

I think Don got more comfortable over the years and it was probably Kathrin that helped him a little.

I'm an only child as well. Spent most of my childhood in and out of hospitals. Then in school was bullied constantly and it caused PTSD and severe social phobia/anxiety and it basically ruined my social life for good.

OutlawManNJ
06-17-2016, 11:51 PM
Great point on his clothes..he def dresses sharp and rock and roll these days.

Eagle in the 90s with their wanna be grunge shirts looked horrible on all of them

Eagles7
06-19-2016, 12:05 AM
They had a female designer that did that look..shirt over tee shirt. I thought, does someone really need to design that? I wasn't into that look either!:shrug::shrug:

MaryCalifornia
06-19-2016, 01:34 AM
I don't know, Timothy looked pretty legit grunge with the plaid, goatee and long hair...he could have walked straight out of Soundgarden or Alice in Chains or Stone Temple Pilots. He looked like Matt Dillon in Singles. I'll take it.

I wonder if it was an attempt to look sort of country for Common Thread without going full country.

UndertheWire
06-19-2016, 05:11 AM
They were probably trying to look like their audience.

Freypower
06-19-2016, 07:35 PM
I was bored to tears by the shirt over T shirt look at the end, but I'd have it back in an instant if I could.

Felder on the other hand - I don't agree that he looks 'rock & roll' at all. Those ghastly tailored waistcoats (which Americans call vests).

I always wonder why whenever he does a show, there are so many photos.

travlnman2
06-20-2016, 08:15 AM
I accidently reported a post when I ment to post a reply :opps:

UndertheWire
06-20-2016, 08:58 AM
I always wonder why whenever he does a show, there are so many photos.
Because he has no camera restrictions? He needs whatever publicity he can get, so I don't see the probem.

What I object to is when people attribute his current good appearance to "karma" or him being a good/nice/righteous man. While he clearly takes good care of himself, health, genetics and possibly a little help from a good surgeon play their part.

In another thread, someone mentioned that Iggy Pop was only a year older than Glenn and he's just 4 months older than Don Felder. Robert Plant is 11 months younger than Don Felder. Clearly, Don is looking a lot better than either of those.

travlnman2
06-20-2016, 09:31 AM
Is it just me or does it feel wiredmseeing Joe without Long hair? I know he was almost bald because of his Alcholisom and Thank God for Hell Feeezes Over because of it never happend I don't think Joe would be here today. Alcholisim is a disease I mean look at Allen Collins of Lynyrd Skynyrd after the 77 plane crash and the death of his wife and unborn child he dove into the bottle and never came out Eventually he was Paralyzed from the waist down as a result of an86 Car Wreck in which he and a friend were drunk. He died in 90 at only 37 but he seemed so much older then that. I do firmly belive if hey reunited earlie then 87 Allen would still be here today

chaim
06-21-2016, 06:27 AM
Is it just me or does it feel wiredmseeing Joe without Long hair? I know he was almost bald because of his Alcholisom and Thank God for Hell Feeezes Over because of it never happend I don't think Joe would be here today. Alcholisim is a disease I mean look at Allen Collins of Lynyrd Skynyrd after the 77 plane crash and the death of his wife and unborn child he dove into the bottle and never came out Eventually he was Paralyzed from the waist down as a result of an86 Car Wreck in which he and a friend were drunk. He died in 90 at only 37 but he seemed so much older then that. I do firmly belive if hey reunited earlie then 87 Allen would still be here today

What do you mean by that? In every picture I've ever seen he's had all of his hair.

travlnman2
06-21-2016, 09:43 AM
There was one picture of Joe in HOTE Part 2 when he was it was his addiction years. It was Glenn saying how worried they were and he was almost bald.

Brooke
06-21-2016, 11:08 AM
I've never seen a pic of Joe almost bald? Can you find it for us?

travlnman2
06-21-2016, 11:20 AM
I will try. I think it was Joe. Alcoholism makes your hair fall out because of all the chemicals poising your body. My dads uncle who has the exact same name as him died of it before I was born and my dad told all the stories about it. I assume that's why Joe had very short hair in the 90s after rehab.

travlnman2
06-21-2016, 11:21 AM
Wow a Felder thread turned into the Eagles fashion thread it should probably be moved.

chaim
06-21-2016, 12:23 PM
True. A "Joe's hair" thread. Hair threads are popular on any KISS forum. :hilarious: IMO the shape of Joe's hairline makes it look like he's receding when you see it from certain angles. I thought his hairline was receding until I noticed that it has always looked like that.

Brooke
06-21-2016, 02:17 PM
A receding hairline is not the same as going bald. He may be eventually, but sure doesn't look bald to me now.

UndertheWire
06-21-2016, 03:35 PM
I remember his hair looking very flat and greasy in one f the photos but I assumed that it was just unwashed.

Getting back to Felder, he seems to have been able to recover from the bald spot he described in his book.

travlnman2
06-21-2016, 03:55 PM
A receding hairline is not the same as going bald. He may be eventually, but sure doesn't look bald to me now.

It was during his pre rehab phase.

The Silk Scarf Monkey
06-26-2016, 10:47 AM
I would say Don Felder looks the best now, I wouldn’t estimate him over 60. While back in the Eagles days he had such a dark look… still looking good by the way.
Bernie and Joe look OK, however Joe is like the Rolling Stones, just looking at their faces is enough to tell they have taken partying pretty far.
Glenn looked cool until the end, I might just be the only one but Glenn reminds me of the elderly Michael Corleone from the Godfather 3 (yes, that’s how cool Glenn looks to me). No wait… It’s the other way around. Michael Corleone makes me think of Glenn.
It took me a while before I got used to the beard, but now I think Don looks awesome. How he looks is so complementing with his low voice, the way he talks and personality.
I hate to say but Randy has aged most terribly.