Discussion of Eagles Documentary "History of the Eagles"

[sodascouts]

Ooh, Soda, I like your av! It matches your sig, too!

Thanks! It's from one of Troub's documentary screenshots. I had my own screenshot like it, but it wasn't as good.

I may change it soon though - there are so many to choose from!

[Houston Baby]

It's really interesting how differently we can see things! I thought the limo bit was really funny. I didn't get the sense that either of them were being very serious. I thought Glenn's "You never know what those kids'll do" was deliberately exaggerated and amusing. I love it when Don tells the driver to lock the door and then realises he's not even there! "NOW lock it." Haha. I also find myself laughing when Glenn pushes in front of Don to get into the car and Don says in a deep voice "No, no, you first, I insist." I love their little humorous exchanges. It strikes me how little they have changed really... their personalities are still pretty much the same. It's clear to me now how passionate, driven and ambitious Glenn is, and always has been - and how impulsive and excitable he can be. He knows it, too. I liked it when he said to Joe "I get nuts sometimes and I'm sorry." We're all who we are! I didn't feel any ill will towards Glenn whilst watching the film. I can understand how people might think someone is an asshole for demanding more money or whatever (because most of us don't live in that kind of world) but I was surprised to find myself mostly agreeing with what Don and Glenn said. Not that I don't feel sorry for Bernie, Randy and even Felder... but I genuinely believe that whatever happened happened for the good of the band. Glenn said he began to sing less and less "because we had Henley". Glenn wasn't a hypocrite - he always did what was best for the band and he expected the same from the others. I totally respect that. The Victim of Love thing illustrates that point perfectly... I can understand why Felder wanted to sing it and, in some ways, of course it would have been nice to let him sing his song, but that's not what a meticulous and phenomenally successful band does. They HAVE to do what's best for the band - and there's no doubt that Don Henley singing makes for a much better record. Felder admits that. Don's analogy about Felder demanding to sing VOL being akin to him demanding to play lead guitar on Hotel California is totally accurate, and I don't think it's unkind. Put in that context, it makes perfect sense to me.

Back to the old footage, I love those sweet, humorous moments that come through in the clips. I really got the sense of the band being like brothers - just ordinary guys hanging around in often extraordinary situations. It made me realise how well Don and Glenn got on - it really was them against the world at the beginning. I know Don has had his wild moments, but I think it's really endearing that he's always been kind of quieter and more serious than the others - it's obvious how worried he was during the airport situation in the Bahamas (lol) and the fact that he was the only one who agreed with Glyn Johns about the 'no alcohol/drugs' rule in the studio says a lot about his maturity, even in the early '70s.

I just really enjoyed seeing all of that old footage and getting to know them as young men. It brings it all to life, for me - the passion, the arguments, the desire, the hard work, the fun and the silliness - and I can't get enough of it! I was a bit apprehensive about watching the DVD after all of the bad feeling generated from it, but I can honestly say that I have a new-found respect for the band. It's obvious how hard they have always worked and how each member put the success of the band as a whole at the top of their list. If Glenn really was an egocentric asshole, I'm pretty sure he would be demanding to sing much more than he does and that he and Don would have come to bitter blows a long, long time ago. The Eagles are so successful because the band is bigger than any of the individual members... and that's the way they have always wanted it.

Troub - you expressed my thoughts exactly! Thank you! I agree 100%! I loved these insights into their lives. Some of these exchanges between Don and Glenn really tickled my funny bone!

[Victim of Love]

Houston & Troub, I'll second (or third) what you said. Having watched it a few times over, I fail to find myself feeling any animosity toward any of them and have come to realize that back in the day those guys were essentially together 24/7 and given the demands and pressures of what they were doing I think it was probably inevitable that there would be some degree of in-fighting and it was bound to eventually escalate.

Glenn has always struck me as very driven and business-savvy. That he and Don would have felt they deserved a bigger cut of the $$ pie makes perfect sense...they gave birth to the band and wrote the lion's share of the music. And while I loved the original incarnate of the band, if they weren't able to agree on their respective percentages, the break-up and the new/current line-up had to be.

My only disappointment with the entire thing is that Timothy gets such a small share of recognition and input...but we all know he tends to stand back and let the others stand out. That humility is one of the things I find most endearing about him -- he is just so 'normal' and grounded.

All in all I'm really pleased with the end result. This documentary gives us some behind-the-scenes insights that we've all wondered about and I think it was very tastefully done. I also wonder how much ended up on the editing floor -- and wouldn't we all love see that!

[cmurf]

When I came home the other night, my significant-better-other-half (who likes Eagles music vs my obsession with the band) said : "Wow - I caught the first half of the Eagles documentary on TV tonight. It was really interesting and I really like the way Glenn Frey and Don Henley think". I was pleased/proud - and glad that he was on the same page as me (I have never really discussed this with him before).
Unfortunately, throughout the rest of the discussion, I had to keep correcting his "Don Feldman" references.

[GlennLover]

Troub, you have expressed my sentiments exactly! I was expecting the worst after reading many of the comments here as well, but I after watching it I discovered that my fears were unfounded.

I missed the fact that the driver wasn't there at first in the limousine, as did a few others, so I too have the arduous task of watching it again. I probably should watch the 2nd part again (& again & again) in case I missed some things in it too!

I have been meaning to post some of my impressions of the doc. It's late so I won't do it now though. Maybe tomorrow.

[Outlawman13]

It's really interesting how differently we can see things! I thought the limo bit was really funny. I didn't get the sense that either of them were being very serious. I thought Glenn's "You never know what those kids'll do" was deliberately exaggerated and amusing. I love it when Don tells the driver to lock the door and then realises he's not even there! "NOW lock it." Haha. I also find myself laughing when Glenn pushes in front of Don to get into the car and Don says in a deep voice "No, no, you first, I insist." I love their little humorous exchanges. It strikes me how little they have changed really... their personalities are still pretty much the same. It's clear to me now how passionate, driven and ambitious Glenn is, and always has been - and how impulsive and excitable he can be. He knows it, too. I liked it when he said to Joe "I get nuts sometimes and I'm sorry." We're all who we are! I didn't feel any ill will towards Glenn whilst watching the film. I can understand how people might think someone is an asshole for demanding more money or whatever (because most of us don't live in that kind of world) but I was surprised to find myself mostly agreeing with what Don and Glenn said. Not that I don't feel sorry for Bernie, Randy and even Felder... but I genuinely believe that whatever happened happened for the good of the band. Glenn said he began to sing less and less "because we had Henley". Glenn wasn't a hypocrite - he always did what was best for the band and he expected the same from the others. I totally respect that. The Victim of Love thing illustrates that point perfectly... I can understand why Felder wanted to sing it and, in some ways, of course it would have been nice to let him sing his song, but that's not what a meticulous and phenomenally successful band does. They HAVE to do what's best for the band - and there's no doubt that Don Henley singing makes for a much better record. Felder admits that. Don's analogy about Felder demanding to sing VOL being akin to him demanding to play lead guitar on Hotel California is totally accurate, and I don't think it's unkind. Put in that context, it makes perfect sense to me.

Back to the old footage, I love those sweet, humorous moments that come through in the clips. I really got the sense of the band being like brothers - just ordinary guys hanging around in often extraordinary situations. It made me realise how well Don and Glenn got on - it really was them against the world at the beginning. I know Don has had his wild moments, but I think it's really endearing that he's always been kind of quieter and more serious than the others - it's obvious how worried he was during the airport situation in the Bahamas (lol) and the fact that he was the only one who agreed with Glyn Johns about the 'no alcohol/drugs' rule in the studio says a lot about his maturity, even in the early '70s.

I just really enjoyed seeing all of that old footage and getting to know them as young men. It brings it all to life, for me - the passion, the arguments, the desire, the hard work, the fun and the silliness - and I can't get enough of it! I was a bit apprehensive about watching the DVD after all of the bad feeling generated from it, but I can honestly say that I have a new-found respect for the band. It's obvious how hard they have always worked and how each member put the success of the band as a whole at the top of their list. If Glenn really was an egocentric asshole, I'm pretty sure he would be demanding to sing much more than he does and that he and Don would have come to bitter blows a long, long time ago. The Eagles are so successful because the band is bigger than any of the individual members... and that's the way they have always wanted it.

I agree with this 100%!!!! LOL I love the humour of Glenn and Don and it just makes me want to crack up so hard. I love this band and of course every band is going to have their disagreements!!! Everyone in the band (then and now) has so many talents to bring to this wonderful band!!! That is what got me into loving the Eagles again!!! I haven't seen the 70's footage until this came out on Showtime. I had a lot of catching up to do. LOL

[Thirsty&Hot]

It's really interesting how differently we can see things! I thought the limo bit was really funny. I didn't get the sense that either of them were being very serious. I thought Glenn's "You never know what those kids'll do" was deliberately exaggerated and amusing. I love it when Don tells the driver to lock the door and then realises he's not even there! "NOW lock it." Haha. I also find myself laughing when Glenn pushes in front of Don to get into the car and Don says in a deep voice "No, no, you first, I insist." I love their little humorous exchanges. It strikes me how little they have changed really... their personalities are still pretty much the same. It's clear to me now how passionate, driven and ambitious Glenn is, and always has been - and how impulsive and excitable he can be. He knows it, too. I liked it when he said to Joe "I get nuts sometimes and I'm sorry." We're all who we are! I didn't feel any ill will towards Glenn whilst watching the film. I can understand how people might think someone is an asshole for demanding more money or whatever (because most of us don't live in that kind of world) but I was surprised to find myself mostly agreeing with what Don and Glenn said. Not that I don't feel sorry for Bernie, Randy and even Felder... but I genuinely believe that whatever happened happened for the good of the band. Glenn said he began to sing less and less "because we had Henley". Glenn wasn't a hypocrite - he always did what was best for the band and he expected the same from the others. I totally respect that. The Victim of Love thing illustrates that point perfectly... I can understand why Felder wanted to sing it and, in some ways, of course it would have been nice to let him sing his song, but that's not what a meticulous and phenomenally successful band does. They HAVE to do what's best for the band - and there's no doubt that Don Henley singing makes for a much better record. Felder admits that. Don's analogy about Felder demanding to sing VOL being akin to him demanding to play lead guitar on Hotel California is totally accurate, and I don't think it's unkind. Put in that context, it makes perfect sense to me.

Back to the old footage, I love those sweet, humorous moments that come through in the clips. I really got the sense of the band being like brothers - just ordinary guys hanging around in often extraordinary situations. It made me realise how well Don and Glenn got on - it really was them against the world at the beginning. I know Don has had his wild moments, but I think it's really endearing that he's always been kind of quieter and more serious than the others - it's obvious how worried he was during the airport situation in the Bahamas (lol) and the fact that he was the only one who agreed with Glyn Johns about the 'no alcohol/drugs' rule in the studio says a lot about his maturity, even in the early '70s.

I just really enjoyed seeing all of that old footage and getting to know them as young men. It brings it all to life, for me - the passion, the arguments, the desire, the hard work, the fun and the silliness - and I can't get enough of it! I was a bit apprehensive about watching the DVD after all of the bad feeling generated from it, but I can honestly say that I have a new-found respect for the band. It's obvious how hard they have always worked and how each member put the success of the band as a whole at the top of their list. If Glenn really was an egocentric asshole, I'm pretty sure he would be demanding to sing much more than he does and that he and Don would have come to bitter blows a long, long time ago. The Eagles are so successful because the band is bigger than any of the individual members... and that's the way they have always wanted it.

I agree Troub!
I'm telling you...all of these quirky little things in the doc are what made me fall even more in love with the band and brought me here to the Border!

I did not have a favorite Eagle before I saw the documentary, and didn't know much about the band at all before apart from the music, but Glenn quickly lit up my radar regardless of all of these things that seemed to make other people loathe him. Some people here have mentioned it, but I'm mostly referring to tweets and article I read where people hated on Glenn and Don Henley.

[zeldabjr]

Troub...I also agree with every word you said!

[Thirsty&Hot]

OutlawmanNJ said something about how Glenn seemed to be acting in this scene & then Thirsty & Hot said he seemed to be hamming it up.

When I eventually see this I intend to make up my own mind although I have enjoyed most of the comments here.

yes
this was the exchange:

Dont know if this came up yet, but one part I kind of cringed in the film is when Glenn and Don run into the limo after the DC show early in the film...is it me or does every word that comes out of Glenns mouth as he enters and sits in the limo seem exagerated for show?

First hes huffing and puffing looking out the back window trying to make it seem like he was being chased (like if he was a Beatle)....then he tells the driver "lock the doors"...and then he says in a John Wayne voice"You never know what these kids will do".....it just seemed so forced and for show. Henly saved the scene with "Shit don't float". Its like I can tell when Frey is "reading a line" and acting. Just like when he says "Well why don't we start from the begining" which to me seemed like a scripted moment and not said naturally during the interview.

and I replied:

I noticed that too, but it didn't upset me because ...THAT's Glenn! He has charisma..he's like the class clown...he is a ham. So when there's a big ol' camera in his face, his plays it up. It's not news. Glenn went on to try his hand in acting. He knows how to work a crowd.

In case you couldn't tell from my post, I meant it in a positive light!
I loved the part in the limo. It was really cute. As others have pointed out, it was clearly all joking around. That part would be less interesting without all of that witty banter!

[Thirsty&Hot]

Must be my NY sense of humor, but I don't think any of it was funny

I am a born and raised New Yorker myself TK, and I thought it was funny...so that can't be it haha

it's ok to have a different sense of humor though!