Felder's "Heaven and Hell" Discussion Thread

[UndertheWire]

Thanks.

Don Felder has frequently said that his book come out of a journal he was keeping as a form of therapy to help him cope with the double-whammy of the end of his marriage and the end of his place in the band. I've tried this kind of writing and for me it works best when I write down everything that's bothering me, no matter how petty. The idea is to clear out all those little things so that you can move forward. Whilst that's great for therapy, an autobiography is going to have quite a different audience. What Don needed was someone to go through and check that he was giving the impression that he intended and maybe remove a sentence or add in a better explanation.

Here's a pre-Eagles example. When touring with David Blue, he gets the chance to play with Crosby & Nash, too. He notes that he was paid double which was very welcome as his wife was expectingbut he also mentions that the tour was saving money, too, because they were only paying one lot of per diem expenses. So as someone who deals with employee expenses, I'm thinking, "Great. It's win-win." Except he goes on to say that he "didn't complain". What? What grounds did he have for complaint and why is he still remembering it more than thirty years later? I switch from enjoying his good fortune with him to focusing on his pettiness in just one sentence and I doubt that's what he intended.

Essentially, I'm saying that if he'd had a good editor, I'd probably have liked him a lot more and been more sympathetic when it came to when he really was treated badly.

[randymeisnerrocks]

When touring with David Blue, he gets the chance to play with Crosby & Nash, too. He notes that he was paid double which was very welcome as his wife was expectingbut he also mentions that the tour was saving money, too, because they were only paying one lot of per diem expenses. So as someone who deals with employee expenses, I'm thinking, "Great. It's win-win." Except he goes on to say that he "didn't complain". What? What grounds did he have for complaint and why is he still remembering it more than thirty years later? I switch from enjoying his good fortune with him to focusing on his pettiness in just one sentence and I doubt that's what he intended.

He could be an ass or he could have meant nothing by that at all. We really don't know how he meant it. Just maybe he meant that in a "tongue in cheek" kinda way, like when someone asks how you are and you reply "Well, I've been worse!" even when you are really happy. How can we be sure?

I'd like to remind everyone that when reading words in a book or on a computer screen, you cannot hear inflections in the speech, expressions in the eyes or sarcasm in the voice, which are the non-verbal conversational clues that signal intent. (In fact, that's exactly why so many people get their dander up online. When you can't be sure what someone is implying, it's easy to take offense when none was intended. Maybe he should have put an "LOL" after the sentence! LOL)

Look, I could be completely wrong. I have forgotten a lot of the book and am now re-reading my copy but I haven't gotten to that part yet. I do know that we can be awfully quick to jump on Felder, especially considering he was there (for all of the Eagles experiences) and we were not. JMO...

[randymeisnerrocks]

Well, not ALL the Eagles experiences...

[UndertheWire]

He could be an ass or he could have meant nothing by that at all. We really don't know how he meant it. Just maybe he meant that in a "tongue in cheek" kinda way, like when someone asks how you are and you reply "Well, I've been worse!" even when you are really happy. How can we be sure?

That's kind of my point. One poorly-crafted sentence can make a difference to the way a story is perceived. Of course, I could be the only one who saw it that way.

[randymeisnerrocks]

That's kind of my point. One poorly-crafted sentence can make a difference to the way a story is perceived. Of course, I could be the only one who saw it that way.

Point taken.

[UndertheWire]

"I guess."

... being an example of a small comment being blown out of proportion.

[sodascouts]

It does come off like an overreaction for many people who weren't there (like me). I can only assume it was a "straw that broke the camel's back" scenario.

I bet there were a lot of people reading the book (or watching the documentary) who went, "That's it?! I thought at least there would be a fistfight!" lol

[Springbo]

It does come off like an overreaction for many people who weren't there (like me). I can only assume it was a "straw that broke the camel's back" scenario.

I bet there were a lot of people reading the book (or watching the documentary) who went, "That's it?! I thought at least there would be a fistfight!" lol

I'm sure there would have been a fistfight, if Don F. hadn't gotten away so quickly, LOL.

[The Thrill Is Never Gone]

Fist fights are not a good thing when your occupation is playing guitar. A broken hand would put a damper on things.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Fist fighters are not a good thing when your occupation is playing guitar. A broken hand would put a damper on things.

If bad enough, could end a career!