Glenn to be Guest at Songwriters Hall of Fame Master Session at NYU

I thought I'd revive this thread on the two year anniversary of Glenn's NYU lecture. Soda, Va and I were fortunate enough to attend and it was an evening we will never forget. If you haven't read through this thread, you should make some time to do so. It describes Glenn's insightful and personal account of his songwriting technique and progression throughout his career.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I'll never forget -- plus it was the first time Soda or I had met VA. How time does fly!!

I wish I would have known everybody then cause I would have SO been there for this. What a special night! It would have been amazing to hear Glenn talk about songwriting! :heart:
And if I remember the postings correctly, Glenn's mom was there?
I am totally pea green with envy!!

My memories of this event were that jahh and I had gone to the Borgata a few days before to see joe walsh w bb king to celebrate our anniversary and that was the first time we met soda, dreamer and hh and her dh and we all went out after the show for dessert and drinks and this event was the talk of the table...(besides the show of course).Hard to believe that it was two years ago ...just a great band and a great group o f people talking bout this awesome event coming up ...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Henley Honey

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I'll never forget -- plus it was the first time Soda or I had met VA. How time does fly!!

---

HH has been trying to get rid of me ever since!!

Thanks for reviving this thread, HH. BUT - I have to say that you almost gave me a heart attack when I saw this ... I thought, OMG, Glenn's coming back to NYU for another guest appearance and NOTHING will keep me away this time. So when I read your post, I have to admit that I was mildly disappointed. However, once I snapped back to reality, I enjoyed your reminiscing. I will never get over that I missed this, but I have to agree that you all gave such incredible details of Glenn's Q&A that I almost felt like I was there. I am very grateful to you all for that and would agree that this thread is very interesting stuff for any fan. You won't be sorry if you take the time to read it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ive always been a dreamer

Thanks for reviving this thread, HH. BUT - I have to say that you almost gave me a heart attack when I saw this ... I thought, OMG, Glenn's coming back to NYU for another guest appearance and NOTHING will keep me away this time. So when I read your post, I have to admit that I was mildly disappointed. However, once I snapped back to reality, I enjoyed your reminiscing. I will never get over that I missed this, but I have to agree that you all gave such incredible details of Glenn's Q&A that I almost felt like I was there. I am very grateful to you all for that and would agree that this thread is very interesting stuff for any fan. You won't be sorry if you take the time to read it.

---

Sorry, Dreamer!!! But if he were coming back I'd be right there with you!
Detailing the event for the board was a labor of love! It was my pleasure.

What a great thread. I learned so much from Glenn.

Isn't it interested that what Glenn said at this session is also what he said in the documentary. Who would had thought he would say this same thing 2 years.

Thanks ladies for sharing experience with us. I know I'm years late, but thanks for bumping this post back up to the front for the 2nd year anniversary.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by shunlvswx

What a great thread. I learned so much from Glenn.

Isn't it interested that what Glenn said at this session is also what he said in the documentary. Who would had thought he would say this same thing 2 years.

Thanks ladies for sharing experience with us. I know I'm years late, but thanks for bumping this post back up to the front for the 2nd year anniversary.

---

He has a habit of repeating things on several occasions & I am not just talking about his jokes during concerts. For example when he was doing the After Hours interviews he always talked about piano singing as opposed to guitar singing. He made the same comments more than once. So whatever he said at this event that he repeated in HOTE, it would be no surprise that he did.

Soda sent me a text earlier (I was kinda busy at a hockey game and then the long ride home) that today (I guess it's now technically yesterday) was the three year anniversary of Glenn's appearance at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Master Session at NYU. Besides having the excellent opportunity to hear my favorite musician talk about songwriting, I met Soda and HH that night. It doesn't seem like it's been that long since that night, because I still remember it like it was yesterday!

Ah yes ... Regrets? I've had a few and missing this seminar is certainly one of them! However, I must say the amazing detailed recaps of this that the three of you gave us certainly helped take some of the sting out of not being there. Many thanks to you for that! :angel:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ive always been a dreamer

Ah yes ... Regrets? I've had a few and missing this seminar is certainly one of them! However, I must say the amazing detailed recaps of this that the three of you gave us certainly helped take some of the sting out of not being there. Many thanks to you for that! :angel:

---

ITA - they did an awesome job! :yay::yay::yay:

Hh tanos for sharing . I love trips down memory lane

I would have loved to have had the opportunity to be at this but it would never have been possible, thank God those who were at it were to able to give such a wonderful account.

It's great to read back through the detailed reports. One thing I noticed was that some of the stories are almost word-for-word the same as in the documentary. I'm guessing he filmed some of his interview segments around the same time as this event.

I'd just like to add my thanks - merci beaucoup, ladies, for sharing Glenn's songwriting wisdom with us poor wretches who couldn't be there!

I took a songwriting course at the University of Miami about 10 years ago. One of the songs we studied was "Peaceful Easy Feeling"; the professor used it as an example of matching the flow of the music to the lyrics, i.e. the sustained notes in the chorus illustrate the peeeeaaacefulll feelings described :)

I got a link to this thread in another thread. I have completely missed this. I read about nine pages, and someone had a very good point when he/she mentioned that he/she was expecting more specific methods to songwriting. I wasn't expecting instructions since I'm a hopeless case lyrically, but I sort of felt that way too. But then I remembered...Whenever I've heard/seen an interviewer ask a songwriter how his/her songs are born, the answer has ALWAYS been "there's no formula". It's always the same. Sometimes it's a title. Sometimes a chord progression that inspires you to take it further etc. I think Glenn's main message was the following: "Don't wait for inspiration. Work at it. (This is how Randy Newman does it) If there's a bit that destroys the flow, replace it."

My wife always tells me about images she sees in her head when she hears music, and I must say that the older I get (and the more I listen to my wife!) the more I respect Glenn's talent for seeing "the big picture" and having a "vision". An example: Who wrote the LITFL riff? Joe. Who wrote most of the lyric? Probably Don H. Who kept his ears open, got a cool phrase from a friend and recognized a riff that along with the phrase would be the basis of a perfect story? Glenn. IMO this is true leadership (in songwriting). A leader doesn't always come up with everything him/herself, but pays attention and brings together different stuff different people do. Like Miles Davis. I'm not saying that "Glenn is the greatest", but this is something I recognize more and more as I get older. It's not only about riffs or good lyrical lines (although they are important), but also about the big picture and "overseeing" the overall process. Glenn is a guitar player himself. He could have written a guitar riff for the phrase "life in the fast line". But he didn't. Again he listened to what was happening around him. "That lick is Life In The Fast Lane!" Maybe Randy was "the ribbon in the package", but Glenn was certainly "the glue".

Well said, Chaim. One thing that has always impressed me about Glenn is his sensitivity to the things around him, as you mention. It helps that he seems to have a great memory. He can store a cool phrase in his mind and maybe even forget about it until something like a guitar riff reminds him and he puts it together.

To me, songwriting is an art that doesn't get nearly enough credit. I know I never gave it credit until lately. You get an idea or even just a mood and with words (that rhyme, because why make it easy), melody, harmonies, background instruments, timing, verses, bridges, and volumes create a story in generally 300 words or less, six minutes or less, and do it so well it can bring tears to your eyes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VAisForEagleLovers

Well said, Chaim. One thing that has always impressed me about Glenn is his sensitivity to the things around him, as you mention. It helps that he seems to have a great memory. He can store a cool phrase in his mind and maybe even forget about it until something like a guitar riff reminds him and he puts it together.

To me, songwriting is an art that doesn't get nearly enough credit. I know I never gave it credit until lately. You get an idea or even just a mood and with words (that rhyme, because why make it easy), melody, harmonies, background instruments, timing, verses, bridges, and volumes create a story in generally 300 words or less, six minutes or less, and do it so well it can bring tears to your eyes.

---

What a wonderful way to put it.:nod:

That's why they call him the Mighty Arranger. :)

Chaim (and anyone else who is interested), the University of Sheffield offers a free online course in songwriting that is very good. I learned things I've never even heard of before, and it is very specific information for the most part.

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/...ing/1/register

I read through most of this thread again yesterday and the bit below has stayed with me. It's a clear contradiction of the acusations of "phoning it in" or "only doing it for the money".

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sodascouts

Instead of going to another question, the interviewer asked Glenn to talk about his "rules" of songwriting, especially his most important "rule" which was "Be Honest."

[Note from Nancy: I found this part to be the more revelatory of the evening.]

Glenn replied, "Somebody once asked me in an interview back in 1973 why I was in the music business, and I looked her in the eye and said, 'For sex and drugs.'' [audience laughs] "But it was only because I felt that that person didn't deserve to know the truth. That's not why I was really in the music business.... which was because I had something inside of me that wanted to get out. I wanted to make people feel good. I wanted to communicate. Music goes so far beyond the spoken word. I was just watching the George Harrison documentary on HBO and Robbie Shankard (?) was saying, 'Music transcends all the speeches you can give about God and religion... it's a feeling; it's a language unto itself.'

"The one thing I know about the Eagles and the one thing I know about myself is... whether you like the Eagles or you think we're pretentious country-rock snobs or whatever you feel, we have never spent a dishonest moment on stage, or in the studio, or sitting in my living room with two legal pads, Don and I staring at each other going, 'What do we do?' It's not something that I strive for; it's just the way we are. We have to be honest. And I think these things show through. I really believe we're transparent. I really believe that if you see somebody walk onstage and say, 'Geez, it's really great to be here tonight, ladies and gentleman! I wanna sing you a song that I really love. I wrote this a long time ago - originally it was called Brandy but Clive Davis told me to change it to Mandy, I really love this'... which he did...or so he says he did. But, you know, people can tell if you don't want to be there. People can tell if you're insincere. People can tell if you're fakin' it, if you're just going through the motions.

"And it's about your reputation. It's about something you have that you don't want to soil. You want that to be part of who you are. Bob Dylan.. honesty. The Beatles... honesty. They're not trying to fool anybody. They're just doing what they do because they love it. I think that comes across; I really do."

---

I also found it interesting that when he wanted to hold an interviewer at bay in the 70s he resorted to the glib "sex and drugs" quote (though isn't it "sex and narcotics" in the original?) that has become infamous. That reminds me of the doc when he's asked about his frustrations and he comes back with "I haven't been getting laid." How many of his smart-arse comments are just a defence? He's said about learning to make people laugh so as not to get beaten up in Detroit. Does he still do that with journalists?

He's a funny guy, and it is handy to have humor and sarcasm at the ready for any time a person asks a question you don't want to answer for whatever reason!

What I find interesting about our guys, and I'm not sure this belongs here, but since Glenn did talk about it that night (being honest and not phoning it in) I guess it's appropriate, is that while they do what they do for the money at a high level. They might think about doing a show or two, or even a whole tour, and they do it for the money. They make sure the tickets prices are appropriately high, even if they leave some in the upper regions of an arena at a very affordable price. To some extent it's more than money, it's the ability to say they're still commanding a certain price.

What I really love about our guys is that once that decision is made, they work their @$$es off to make sure the fans get their money's worth. They make sure to deliver a high quality show, and this is what I really like, because they really do appreciate their fans, they want to be there. Maybe they don't when the event is first set up. Maybe they don't when they're traveling to it and missing something one of their kids has going on. When they walk out on that stage, though, they're all in, and it shows. It very definitely shows.

I find it amazing and interesting that they can carry off such a conundrum, that of doing it for the money, yet giving the fans what they want and doing it so well. I don't think there's a lot of people out there that could carry that off and have it all be so 'honest', but perhaps I'm wrong.

I get it. I've seen it with actors on the promotional rounds. Some are completely miserable and you can tell they'd rather be anywhere else, whereas others get into it - they play the part of someone who loves doing those interviews and in the process they become that person.

I'm reviving this thread to acknowledge the 4th anniversary of Glenn's appearance at this NYU lecture.

It is bittersweet for me because I had to cancel my plans to go up there because of stupid work! However, Soda, HH, and VA were there and did a superb job of documenting Glenn's remarks in this thread. It was a very interesting symposium, so I would definitely encourage anyone who hasn't done so to read through this thread - very good stuff!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by UndertheWire

I get it. I've seen it with actors on the promotional rounds. Some are completely miserable and you can tell they'd rather be anywhere else, whereas others get into it - they play the part of someone who loves doing those interviews and in the process they become that person.

---

I think it's called professionalism! :) But yeah, some artistes want to be honest so they let you know when something (or someone) is far beneath them.

Actually, that's how Cameron Crowe began his 1975 Rolling Stone article on the band: they were being interviewed by a radio DJ somewhere, and the guys were really tired and barely responded to the DJ - except for Glenn, who stepped up the energy level and did his best.

I loved Glenn's discussion of songwriting. I put all his remarks from these pages into a Word document a few months back. Then subsequently lost said document [cringe].

Well, somehow I managed to miss this thread. I enjoyed reading it. It's nice to read about songwriting and the songs from Glenn's perspective!

Happy 5th Anniversary to this event. Its sad Glenn didn't get to go back to this before he died. I think the professor was going to ask Glenn back to another class this year. Those students were soo lucky to hear from Glenn those few days he was a guest lecturer and of course this special.

Wow. 5 years ago. It seems like so much longer now.

I wasn't there but heard great reports from Soda and others who were there. I vowed to get beck to the next one if he ever did something like this again. Sadly it was not to be

I don't know if Soda was going to do this later or not, but I'll jump start the revival of this thread to acknowledge the anniversary of Glenn's appearance at this NYU lecture.

Sadly, one of my deepest regrets is I was unable to attend this because of work. Fortunately, those who did go (Soda, HH, and VA) did a phenomenal job of capturing Glenn's remarks for us. Once again, I would encourage everyone to read through this thread if you haven't done so previously - it is a very interesting read. Enjoy!

With a lot of the history dates gone, I forget what anniversary is coming up.

I enjoyed the write up on this.

Wow. Just... wow! Despite this being one of our busier times of the year here are work, I started reading from the beginning of this thread and just couldn't stop. So much to read and so much to say... and so much to comment on. But I'll leave that to others.

Thank you to HH and Soda and Va for reporting back and for delivering such great notes! I need to save this thread for future perusal.

So great!

I had only been in Niagara Falls 2 months previously so I was never going to make this, but looking back I'm sorry now that I didn't make the effort. It was a fabulous occasion and Soda, HH and VA did a wonderful job reporting on it.

Please, others, feel free to comment! I love to hear new perspectives.

I don't know if I've admitted this elsewhere in this thread but the reason I was able to be so detailed was that I recorded it. How I treasure that recording now, especially since it includes a recording of him playing "It's Your World Now" acoustic - which, despite that little hiccup towards the end, is absolutely beautiful.

He was fascinating to listen to, and I'm so glad I got to go.

It's so cool that you all got to go to this! And to have a recording.....awesome! :heart:

I came across this link today:

https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/glenn...master_session

I think this is the same event being discussed here. There are a few photos.

(And, even though I shouldn't have, I took the time to read through this thread again... so fantastic! Thanks for the reports from those who were there.)

https://content.screencast.com/users...WriterTalk.jpg

Thats amazing - Beautiful pic!

I loved reading that thread ! Soda - It is so cool you recorded it ! Now you have that to listen to forever. Wonderful memories for you, HH, and VA to treasure !

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by New Kid In Town

I loved reading that thread ! Soda - It is so cool you recorded it ! Now you have that to listen to forever. Wonderful memories for you, HH, and VA to treasure !

---

Yes - although it's kind of bittersweet listening to the recording of him doing "It's Your World Now" live now. Makes my heart ache a bit.

I know what you mean, Soda. It's still very hard for me to listen to that song without choking up. Not to be morbid, but I have decided that I want this song played at my funeral.

But, how fortunate we are to have all this wonderful stuff documented so that it can be shared with fans everywhere.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ive always been a dreamer

But, how fortunate we are to have all this wonderful stuff documented so that it can be shared with fans everywhere.

---

Hear, hear, Dreamer! I consider the Border a depository of "all things Eagles" -- an invaluable resource!