I found another interview with Don regarding the new album etc.. There are some very intersting parts to it.
http://www.independent.ie/entertainm...y-1213885.html
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I found another interview with Don regarding the new album etc.. There are some very intersting parts to it.
http://www.independent.ie/entertainm...y-1213885.html
Hmm, this is interesting.... noot always in a good way! But thanks for finding it. :)
Some comments:
Starbucks again. ;) Don doing nothing harder than claret - he's come a long way!Quote:
Henley and I have met in west London ahead of a rare club show by The Eagles at the indigo2. Dressed all in black, and fortified by a Starbucks takeaway, he is less curmudgeonly than billed and even smiles a bit. Asked how he celebrated turning 60 in July, he says he went surfing with his nine-year-old son. "All the debauchery stopped a long while ago, so I'm in pretty good shape. I still like a glass of claret, but that's about it."
Great, here we go again. Not only complaining about "Mr. Frey" but about Joe and Tim too. Lovely.Quote:
Many critics have suggested that the new record would have worked better as single album. Interestingly, Henley agrees: "I strongly opposed a double album", he goes on, "but Mr Frey wanted a double record and he's the boss. Everybody thinks I'm the boss, but I'm not. Part of it was band politics, of course. When you have four lead singers you want everybody to be represented. I wrote 'Do Something' with Timothy, and Joe sings a Frankie Miller song ['Guilty of the Crime'], and he wrote 'Last Good Time in Town' with J D Souther. Frankly, Joe and Timothy didn't bring in a lot of stuff. We were waiting for it, but it never came."
I'm glad to hear more about this. I was curious as to Hollander's reaction!Quote:
Some killer, some filler it may be, but the good songs on the new album are very good indeed. Witness "No More Walks in the Wood", a harmony-rich, part-a cappella showcase with words adapted from a work by the US poet and Professor Emeritus at Yale, John Hollander. Henley came across the poem (then entitled "An Old-Fashioned Song") while perusing The Oxford Dictionary of American Poetry. Having set it to music and made a demo on which he sang all four harmonies himself, he asked Hollander, now in his seventies, for his blessing. "He sent back a very cordial note saying that we could do the song. I said, 'Great! Go and get yourself a good lawyer, because this is the music business!'"
Well, at least he doesn't appear to have given up on the band entirely!Quote:
But what of his Eagles band mates? Are they still friends? Do they see each other socially? "I'd be lying to you if I said there weren't still difficulties in this band," says Henley, "but anybody who plays in bands will tell you that they are all about compromise. You have to remember that there's this thing out there called The Eagles that's much bigger than the individuals concerned. Some days I feel like going, 'F**k it!' But what can you do? None of us is going to change now."
I wish Don could be a bit more positive about the album. After all it's gone in at number 1 in the US, UK and Australia simultaneously in its release week, and he's going to reap the benefits. Perhaps it's just the perfectionist rising up in him.
I certainly agree that Don could be more postive. I get the feeling he really needs to take a break from "being an Eagle" for a bit.
In terms of this comment....
I don't know whether Joe has been writing for the band or not but I do know for a fact that Timothy has submitted a signifigant amount of material for the Eagles album (Timothy has talked about this in various interviews and diary entries over the last few years). Granted much of his writings obviously weren't used, but Tim was trying none the less.Quote:
Frankly, Joe and Timothy didn't bring in a lot of stuff. We were waiting for it, but it never came."
I guess what Henley should've said was that Schmit didn't bring anything he and Frey thuoght was good enough for the Eagles. Seems to me like they don't like Schmit's work unless he gets help from them. The only songs he's had with the Eagles, all four of 'em, were either written by Carrack or co-written with Henley and Frey, or now even Henley and SMITH! So Stueart Smith gets more co-writing credits than Schmit in the Eagles catalog, 5 to 3. Hell, so does Jack Tempchin, who also has 5, but at least he's been around since 1972 so that's easier to swallow.Quote:
Originally Posted by timfan
Well ICTYW was a song that Timothy had started before he joined the Eagles and I believe he had a good portion of it completed at the time he presented it to Don and Glenn.Quote:
The only songs he's had with the Eagles, all four of 'em, were either written by Carrack or co-written with Henley and Frey, or now even Henley and SMITH!
And Glenn has said that's one of his favorite Eagles tracks ever.Quote:
Originally Posted by timfan
I have always been under the impression that most of ICTYW was written by Glenn.
Thanks for 'Mr Frey is the boss', Don, as if anyone had any doubts. He could have been more gracious about it. The comment about Joe and Tim's contributions appears very unfair.
This is probably a token post by me as I doubt I will be around much due to my problems connecting to the site. :cry:
Oh no! I'm sorry you're having such trouble FP. Hopefully that will clear up.
Thats a pity FP :( . I hope you get them sorted soon. I love the pics that you put up in FF particularly. Thanks
If you listen to this interview with Mark Hudson http://www.idigbig.com/pages/markhudson.html at about the 7 minute point Tim talks about ICTYW and how he "came to Don and Glenn with this piece of music and it was all set"Quote:
Originally Posted by Freypower
It's quite disappointing that Don makes such comments about his bandmates: I keep thinking Tim and Joe did a great job on this album and contributed to the "eagles sound".
What does Joe do on this album apart from sing lead on his two token songs? I assume he plays the solo on the title track. What else does he do? He does not appear to sing any backing vocals.
I don't subscribe to the 'blame Glenn Frey' theory. I believe it was a courageous decision to go with a double album. Perhaps he realised that if it were only mainly Henley songs with a couple of his, his songs would get drowned out. Perhaps if he had made more of an effort to match Henley lyrically, write something more substantial, there would not have been this stuff about 'superfluous' songs.
The sad thing is that both YANA and IYWN are probably very meaningful songs to Glenn, even if they are not deeply serious rants about politics. I initially thought that Don believed IYWN was one of the 'important' songs. If he still does, he isn't saying so.
Tim's vocal definitely are contributing to the Eagles sound. Joe's songs do as well but otherwise... for some reason, he seems to not be utilized to his fullest potential, to say the least.Quote:
Originally Posted by Claire
He may not even play lead on the title track. Apparently Smith has taken over as lead guitarist for the Eagles on Don's songs, at least, such as Frail Grasp. Don't ask me why. I saw Joe play with the James Gang and he can still rock. Personally, I think it's wrong to shove him aside for Smith - even live at the CMAs!!! What were they thinking? Joe could have handled the solo for How Long.Quote:
Originally Posted by Freypower
More of an effort? I think Glenn is doing what he wants to do, not doing what requires the least effort! And I don't believe his songs are "superfluous." That's Henley's opinion. I think his censure also applies to some of Tim and Joe's material - at least that is implied here.Quote:
I don't subscribe to the 'blame Glenn Frey' theory. I believe it was a courageous decision to go with a double album. Perhaps he realised that if it were only mainly Henley songs with a couple of his, his songs would get drowned out. Perhaps if he had made more of an effort to match Henley lyrically, write something more substantial, there would not have been this stuff about 'superfluous' songs.
Well, Don HAS said the he feels the lyrics "Be a part of something good; leave something good behind" are the most important lyrics of the album.Quote:
The sad thing is that both YANA and IYWN are probably very meaningful songs to Glenn, even if they are not deeply serious rants about politics. I initially thought that Don believed IYWN was one of the 'important' songs. If he still does, he isn't saying so.
You answered your own question about why Steuart played the How Long solo at the CMA Awards. He plays it on the record. The video is a repeat of Felder miming the ICTYW solo. I'm baffled by why Steuart has suddenly been elevated to lead guitarist and why Glenn apparently complied with this.
When I said 'make more effort' I meant from Henley's perspective in terms of writing 'substantial' songs. But a couple of Glenn's songs are very short, and they appear to have been swamped.
I wonder if Glenn foresaw that when he allowed Don to record on his own that Don would only promote Don's half of the album.
Dang, I hadn't thought of it that way... ouch!Quote:
Originally Posted by Freypower
Yeah - as much as I love Don - I do wish that he would refrain from making these types of comments in public. It really does make him appear petty and difficult, and certainly must not serve to improve relations with his band members. Seems to me like he's insinuating - hey, if the album is a flop, it's not my fault.
Lots of good questions and speculations here and I'd like to add my 2 cents.
I love the album. Really, I couldn't be much more happy with it. Of course, I don't love every song. But that's a given.
I'm very disappointed that Don seems to have abandoned the drums. He is the Eagles drummer and he should play them more often than not. I wonder if he plans to play them on any of the new songs at all? He never mentions his "bad back" in any of the interviews, although, I don't think any of the interviewers have asked him about it. I understand that he might want to do something a little different once in a while, but still.
I'm also disappointed that Joe has been sidelined and Stuart has taken over as lead guitarist. Maybe Joe just can't cut it anymore as far as writing and performing new songs. Maybe the old ones are all he can handle these days. They are so ingrained in the memory that they are second nature to him. Yes, I know he put on wonderful shows with the James Gang last year, but did he do anything new? I hope it's not the case, but why else? I also wonder why Glenn doesn't do more leads. Are they just going to let Steuart take over, even though he's not an Eagle? He's fantastic, but are they just being lazy?
It really irritates me that Don thinks it's fine to make such nasty comments about some of the songs. How hurtful to his bandmates. As far as him thinking his songs are so much more important, that's not what I look for in a song. The overall melody and voices are what interest me most. It can be a political rant or sappy love song, or wild, funny song from Don, Glenn, Tim or Joe, or anyone.
I guess if Glenn, who's supposed to be in charge, doesn't care about all this stuff, who am I? He seems to have given Don the go ahead to promote as he sees fit! :?
I've already stated elsewhere that I'm a bit miffed as to way that Don has already commented on this album. On the Nicky Horne interview, Glenn is so upbeat and complimentary about Don and the others, I feel Don could lay his misgivings aside and be a bit more upbeat. This is an album to be proud of, and will be listened to in 20, 30, 40 years time, which is more than can be said for much of the stuff churned out today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooke
This is the only one I can comment on. During the two shows last August, Glenn played way more lead guitar than I've seen him play. At one point he sat at the piano and joked about not being used to it as he shook his hand. Then he turned his hand up and made it "complain" at him. Later, I mentioned to Scott Crago (we ran into him in a lounge) how much I had enjoyed seeing Glenn play and he said they, too, had enjoyed it as he usually doesn't. It wouldn't be surprising if these guys find it a bit painful to play these days. Thirty-five plus years of playing would give anyone carpal tunnel or any other repetitive use injury. Using the foot pedals on the drums likely sends shooting pains thru Don's back. I, too, have a back injury and the kind of motion required for drumming would do me in.
I think part of the price Glenn pays for the leadership is allowing Don to do interviews and say what he likes. Glenn, meanwhile, maintains dignified silence.
Regarding the drums I agree with Brooke. Don is credited with drums & percussion. He should be playing them. I at least would like to know which tracks he played on. He played drums in both the HITW & How Long videos. He is capable of doing it.
Glenn doesn't play lead guitar. He just doesn't. I don't know why either, but that's it.
No, Don's songs are not more 'important'. But a lot of the times they SOUND more important, whether they are or not. And because Glenn's songs are so simple and low key.... well....which songs will gain attention. Some things have always been the same.
Don seems to have allowed his new partnership with Steuart to suddenly develop at the expense of the band and it appeared that Glenn let this happen, because the once great 'Henley-Frey' partnership is now in name only.
Glenn never was a lead guitarist per se, but he did play lead on at least one song on every Eagles album right on up through HFO. He may play some lead on the new album as well, but I really can't pick out anything distinctly belonging to him. I do hear some nice R&B riffs on some of his songs though so he's not only playing acoustic everywhere.
As for Don's songs being more important, as a huge GF fan, I played LROE for the first time with much trepidation. I was really afraid that Glenn's music would be either minimal in quantity or substandard in quality and I was really pleased on both accounts. While I have to say that I think Don has two of the best songs this time around in LROE and WITW, I think he also has some of the worst. Glenn's music is to a large degree different from what I was expecting. The instrumental is just beautiful and his guitar playing on it is far from shabby. It kind of reminds me of something Randy Newman might compose in parts.
As for the others, YANA is more folky than country which is different, SOMEBODY while not a classic, is one of the album's best rockers. I really can't say that I'm disappointed in anything he turned in. However, I will concede that I wish he would go for more upbeat material generally. He has been pigeonholed as a lightweight by many because he does mostly ballads. There's nothing wrong with that, but I think if some of the Eagles more radio-friendly songs were rockers sung by him, he'd be more respected. Just a hunch...
Well, what I meant about Glenn not doing more lead guitar parts was (and I'm showing my ignorance here :blush: ) was more "lead guitar solos". Sorry for not clarifying that. And maybe he does more than we know. The liners in the new cd just don't tell us much. Sadly. I wonder how we will ever know just who does what where? Maybe Glenn steps back to let the other guitar players have their day in the sun since he is, after all, one of "The Gods"! :wink:
Oh, and welcome scottside! Thanks for your input!
I didn't realize that about Glenn doing at least one lead on each album, although I do remember him saying something one time about the bassists always wanting him to play lead on their songs, lol. I agree that Glenn's work here is top caliber, but that it would be nice to hear more rockers. He has said somewhere that his voice is more suited to ballads, but I think he underrates his own ability to rock. Heartache Tonight, Smuggler's Blues, Heat Is On - these were all immense successes. Obviously he's got somethin' goin' on there.Quote:
Originally Posted by scottside
P.S. Welcome, scottside! Glad you've started posting!
Apparently Don now sees drumming as a tiresome obligation. Kind of sad.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooke
I'd hate to think Joe has "lost it" - and I really don't think he has. Even if he's not songwriting like he used to, I find it very hard to believe that he can't even play a short, relatively simple solo like that on How Long.Quote:
I'm also disappointed that Joe has been sidelined and Stuart has taken over as lead guitarist. Maybe Joe just can't cut it anymore as far as writing and performing new songs. Maybe the old ones are all he can handle these days. They are so ingrained in the memory that they are second nature to him. Yes, I know he put on wonderful shows with the James Gang last year, but did he do anything new? I hope it's not the case, but why else? I also wonder why Glenn doesn't do more leads. Are they just going to let Steuart take over, even though he's not an Eagle? He's fantastic, but are they just being lazy?
I think he probably cares, and Don did say something about not wanting to be specific about which songs he thought were not up to snuff because it would "break up the band again." I just think that Glenn takes care of these matters in private... as I wish Don would.Quote:
I guess if Glenn, who's supposed to be in charge, doesn't care about all this stuff, who am I? He seems to have given Don the go ahead to promote as he sees fit! :?
Thank for the welcome....glad to be here!
A few other points of interest: I missed Glenn when he played in New York state this past summer, but did I not hear something said about an R&B cover that he was going to put on his next solo album? I thought that he had commented on that during one or more of his shows. I just wonder why he didn't do that with the Eagles since he essentially sings three covers of his eight contributions anyway....and it would've been upbeat!
As far as lead guitar, Glenn probably defers to the others because they are more acccomplished in that department than he is. Not to diminish his talents as a lead player because I've always loved his solos, but that's probably why the Walshs and Felders and Smiths will do most of the fancy fretwork.
Joe probably plays a lot less than we all expected he would because most of the music is more up Steuart's alley, I'm sorry to say. It's not that Joe couldn't play that stuff because he could. I think he is just a real team player (much like Glenn in that respect) and would get the country guy to play the stuff that calls for that kind of sound. The fact that there's not a whole lot of rocking going on this time around more or less puts Joe in the rhythm guitar role. Glenn seems to mostly be playing acoustic parts which he's been doing more and more of these days.
Yes - he's played a song called "I'll Come Runnin' Back to You" for the past two years now, starting with the 2006 "Prelude to Obscurity" shows. At Niagara Falls, he said that he would like to record it for an album, but that it wasn't going to make it on to the Eagles album. Apparently it was in the running for a spot, but was ultimately rejected. He joked that he could release it onto his own solo album called "Prelude to Obscurity" as well, lol. Recently, there was talk of him doing a big band album as his next solo project though, so I'm not sure the song will ever see the light of day outside of his concerts.Quote:
Originally Posted by scottside
That's true. It's just that seeing Joe kind of standing there while Steuart played the solo at the CMAs was a bit of a shock to the system. I wonder how much he'll do live when/if the Eagles tour?Quote:
Joe probably plays a lot less than we all expected he would because most of the music is more up Steuart's alley, I'm sorry to say. It's not that Joe couldn't play that stuff because he could. I think he is just a real team player (much like Glenn in that respect) and would get the country guy to play the stuff that calls for that kind of sound. The fact that there's not a whole lot of rocking going on this time around more or less puts Joe in the rhythm guitar role. Glenn seems to mostly be playing acoustic parts which he's been doing more and more of these days.
Welcome from me as well, Scott. Glad to have you here on The Border.
With regard to who plays what instruments on the album, I do wish that there was more detail included about this in the album credits. Maybe they didn't include this because it would highlight how much of the instrumentation was provided by non-band members. As far as Don playing drums or Glenn and Joe playing guitar solos/leads, even if they did play them on the studio version of the songs, of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that they will play them live. However, I will add this. I definitely don't understand Joe's seemingly reduced role in the band nowadays. I saw him in Atlantic City this past August, and trust me, the man can still play the heck out of a guitar. :headscratch:
I think it's unfair to assume that because Joe is not playing lead he has "lost it." Like scottside says, perhaps he is simply letting Stuart do what he does best, Joe doesn't need to have himself as the centre of attention all the time.
I've only just read this Henley article/interview - thanks for posting, TF - as well as everyone's valid and interesting comments.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ive always been a dreamer
Highlighted text: Dreamer, you seem to have got the same impression as I did. I made almost the same comment in another thread in response to yet another Henley put down of the album and his bandmates.
I am a fan of Don's as well, but as I said in the other thread, he should remember that the idea of the interviews he's giving is to encourage people to buy the new album - not only existing fans but new fans, too - and he certainly won't do that by putting it down. I come from a difficult band environment myself, albeit it not on the same level as The Eagles, and I know it can be tough when one doesn't see eye-to-eye with one's bandmates, but a level of discretion and professionalism must be maintained at all times when facing the public. The idea is ALWAYS to promote the band as a unit, and to show a UNITED front. Don is not doing that, and after all the years he has been in this business, surely he has learnt the public relations game. What he is doing is really tactless, I'm sorry to say.
Glenn :heart:, on the other hand, ALWAYS exudes positive energy. He ALWAYS heaps praise on ALL his bandmates. Back in 1992, when he was being interviewed by Bob Costas to promote his "Strange Weather" album, he was at pains to point out what a big contribution Don Felder made to The Eagles, despite the history between them. Why can't Don Henley show the same respect towards his bandmates?
Bottom line: it really isn't pleasant for Eagles fans to constantly read such negative comments. We love the band as a whole: we may have our favourites, but The Eagles wouldn't be The Eagles without any one of the guys, and everyone contributes to the music we love so much.
As for Don's comment about "Mr Frey" being the boss - well, he is, isn't he? As far as I know, it was Glenn :heart: who approached Don about forming a band in 1971, not the other way around.
There has been much talk about Joe taking a backseat in the band in favour of Steuart Smith. Well, as much as I admire Steuart's skill, I also think Joe is simply brilliant, and should be given more guitar duties, if that is the case on the new album (I'm still waiting for my copy). I would also have preferred seeing Joe perform the "How Long" solo on the CMA's - I thought he did it on the record, seeing that he appeared to be doing so in the video for the song.
I am also of the opinion that Glenn :heart: should sing more rockers, as well as play more guitar solos. I simply love him doing both - two of my favourite solo songs of Glenn :heart: are "Partytown" and "Love in the 21st Century". His vocals are fantastic and so are his guitar solos. I can barely play those songs enough. It was a tough choice, but "Heartache Tonight" is my favourite Eagles song (Glenn :heart: lead vocal on a rocker), and my favourite parts of "Get Over It" are Glenn's :heart: blistering guitar intro and solo.
There are many of you who know much more about The Eagles than I do and have seen them live in solo shows and as a group, which I haven't, but on the strength of seeing their DVDs, listening to their albums, and watching the great videos on this site, I have formed my opinions. And they're just my 2c worth.
JF, yeah, that's true. Maybe he enjoys just sitting back and strumming along when he's with the Eagles and is "saving himself" for more of his own solo shows. I guess I just have always expected that with the Felder dismissal Joe would take over where Felder left off. That does not seem to be the case.
I think most of us expected that. JF, in another thread, you expressed disappointment that Joe wasn't more visible. As Brooke has said, her speculation is just a result of that same disappointment. I think the vast majority of Eagles fans recognize Joe's brilliance on guitar and when it's not utilized, we grope for reasons.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooke
Thanks, Soda, for refreshing my memory. "I'll Come Runnin' Back To You" is the song I was referring to. I'm not familiar with it, but I love it when Glenn does those types of songs. Way back in 1982 right after NFA came out, I got the chance to see him play locally. He was great and one of the highlights of the night was a sublime version of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On." My wife and I got a brief moment to speak with him after the show and told him he should record it. He seemed humble about it, but never pursued it unfortunately. Anyway, I wonder the Eagles rejected "I'll Come Runnin'..."--I'd have like to hear him do that one.
Dreamer, I imagine the detailed credits for each song were omitted because in most cases, the music wasn't made as the Eagles. I think both Don and Glenn did a lot of the songs individually in their own studios using the hired hands primarily. Particularly on Glenn's songs, I get the impression he did a lot of the work himself as he was prone to do on his solo albums. Don appears to have teamed up with Stu and they played much of the music on the songs he brought in. The Henley/Smith partnership seems to have taken precedence over the Henley/Frey one. I really believe that there are only Henley/Frey songs on the cds because they felt they needed to do that, not because that's what they would've preferred.
One other thing: I think it's great that Glenn has the same number of songs as Don this time around. It should've been that way all along, but I can't help thinking that part of Glenn's increased productivity is the result of him not having any plans to release another solo album any time soon and he wanted an outlet for some of the things he's accumulated the past several years. Just a hunch...
With regard to MF's post, I was trying to figure out Don's behavior - I do think Don's comments come across badly, but maybe he doesn't think it will discourage people from buying the album. He does say some nice things about the album, he just qualifies them. Maybe he feels he owes it to the fans to warn them? (OK, I guess I'm reaching there). Anyway, I really admire Don and so I like to think there must be more to it than just chafed ego because "Mr. Frey" always gets his way - but to be fair, that can't be fun for someone like Don who's used to being the one in charge in his own solo career.
I hate to think that, but I did wonder about it. I was encouraged by the talk of the big band album, but I have to admit that it's something that sounds like a big "Maybe" rather than a definite.Quote:
Originally Posted by scottside
I agree that Dreamer is probably right in her speculation about the album credits. I think they realize that it would look bad.
I was thinking about this also.Quote:
Originally Posted by scottside
I think you're right and it makes me sad that that's the only way they could manage to get an album out. But I know that with their family commitments as well as other obstacles it would be very hard to get it done any other way. I can't imagine the life of a musician myself!Quote:
Originally Posted by scottside
I've been reading some of the comments about Don's "negativity" in this article presumably mainly from the passage above. Well, I'll admit upfront that I'm very biased toward Don so I might not be very objective about this, but am I the only one who finds nothing wrong with his statements here? He sounds like the perfectionist that he's always been. If he thought that the album would've been better off as a single album, well that's his prerogative to say that. Evidently, Glenn thought otherwise and it looks like he got his way (and aside from one or two songs, I'm glad he insisted on the double album). I don't see how Don is being negative about anything. He's just expressing his feelings. As far as the dearth of songs from Joe and Timothy, well, with all due respect to Joe and Timothy, Don and Glenn have always been the primary songwriters and lead singers going back to their first album, so what would be different nowadays? I think by now, Joe and Timothy get that! If they don't, well, then they are pretty obtuse. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy hearing Joe's and Timothy's songs, but if they didn't deliver, they didn't deliver. To me, Don's just stating facts, not necessarily opinions on their songwriting skills. Okay, I'm stepping down from my soapbox now...Quote:
Many critics have suggested that the new record would have worked better as single album. Interestingly, Henley agrees: "I strongly opposed a double album", he goes on, "but Mr Frey wanted a double record and he's the boss. Everybody thinks I'm the boss, but I'm not. Part of it was band politics, of course. When you have four lead singers you want everybody to be represented. I wrote 'Do Something' with Timothy, and Joe sings a Frankie Miller song ['Guilty of the Crime'], and he wrote 'Last Good Time in Town' with J D Souther. Frankly, Joe and Timothy didn't bring in a lot of stuff. We were waiting for it, but it never came."
Katherine - IMO, the issue here was not whether or not Don was right or wrong. The bottom line to me is that it was unprofessional and unclassy of Don to publically diss his bandmates. Thankfully, he seems to have mellowed considerably in his more recent interviews.