Felder Tweets

[UndertheWire]

That's nice in three ways. First, he has taken the trouble to stop someone having a go at Glenn. Second, forgiving should help him move on. Third, he shows some understanding that Glenn had his own reasons.

Don Felder said some nice things about Glenn soon after Glenn died.

[New Kid In Town]

TLR - That is the FIRST TIME I have ever seen Don tweet anything like that. Usually he fails to respond and lets his followers/fans go on and on saying such things as Glenn deserved to die. I have to say it is nice he responded and said something positive. I am shocked he responded.

[Pippinwhite]

I'm glad he responded, too. I know when Glenn died, he said he really wished he had picked up the phone and called him to straighten things out. I've never thought he was a bad person, but resentment can make people do ugly things. As an old saying goes, it's like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

As for his fans saying Glenn deserved to die, how sad. I wouldn't wish RA and its attendant issues on my worst enemy. And this man never did a thing to them. How juvenile, petty and shallow.

The really sad part is, if Felder tried to tell these people to knock it off, they'd probably turn on him, too. I've seen it happen. Sometimes, all you can do is just not feed the trolls.

Having said that, if he would make a point of responding to positive tweets with other positive tweets and ignore the negative ones, then eventually, the trolls would probably leave.

In my many years at a daily newspaper, I learned many things, and a few were very important. Here's one: there is NEVER just one side of the story, and rarely are there only two sides. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

I think it's interesting that I've rarely, if ever, seen any Glenn fans actively wish evil on Don F. I know it's happened, but not very often. They might wish his fans would take a permanent vacation, but not the man himself. I've heard very few Glenn people say anything but good things about what Felder added to the band musically. That says something to me, right there. I'd say some of these people who call themselves "fans" are just interested in someone who has a bone to pick (real or imagined), and they feel slighted and mistreated by other people themselves, so they gravitate toward others who discuss their slights publicly.

[Delilah]

Thank you for your interesting thoughtful post, Pippinwhite. I do get the impression Don F wanted to make peace with Glenn and Don H; he's said so a number of times ("I've reached out" etc.) If no one wants to talk to him, how can he ask for forgiveness, as some suggest?

I would point out that Felder is the most active Eagle on Twitter (and not even that much, I don't think). B/c of this his every response and non response gets heavily scrutinized. How would Glenn have handled twitter? Would he have responded to all the Felder bashing or chosen to ignore it (and yes, I have seen Glenn fans bash Felder--they just didn't have the twitter/FB outlet). How would Henley handle it? We don't know b/c Glenn and Don H didn't/don't connect to fans that way. Felder does and it leaves him open to criticism, fair or not. Twitter and other social media can bring out the worst in people and I agree that handling the criticism can be a delicate balance between trying to be open/tolerant and trying not to encourage the trolls. Glenn and Don H never had to deal with striking that balance via social media.

What warms my heart is seeing the overwhelming positive messages responding to Felder's tweet. Most of his fans don't say horrible things about Glenn and it's unfortunate that the negative stuff seems to be the what some people zone in on constantly. I sense that's b/c some Glenn fans feel like any criticism of him is 100% Felder's fault.

I have read Don F complimenting Glenn since 2001. I think what Don F has tended to emphasize more though, is the teamwork aspect of the band--that everyone contributed. Joe and Randy have also pointed out in interviews how everyone contributed to the music so it's not just something Don F made up.

I agree there is never just one side to a story.

[Pippinwhite]

...he's said so a number of times ("I've reached out" etc.) If no one wants to talk to him, how can he ask for forgiveness, as some suggest?

Thanks for your insight as well! And this is very true about forgiveness. It cuts both ways. Sometimes, you just have to say, "Well, I forgive the person whether they forgive me or not," and it seems that Don F. has done so. It's my fervent hope that Glenn let go of those things, too, but maybe just wasn't able to tell DF about it. I tend to think that may have been the case. People who are looking at end of life situations often make these better choices.

(and yes, I have seen Glenn fans bash Felder--they just didn't have the twitter/FB outlet).

Then shame on them, too! I predicated my response mainly on what I've seen of the two sides reacting to each other on YouTube, which is, no doubt, a cesspool in the comments section.

Twitter and other social media can bring out the worst in people...

Oh, mercy yes. As my husband says, "The Internet is a blank wall and everybody has a can of spray paint... or a bucket of poop."

What warms my heart is seeing the overwhelming positive messages responding to Felder's tweet. Most of his fans don't say horrible things about Glenn and it's unfortunate that the negative stuff seems to be the what some people zone in on constantly. I sense that's b/c some Glenn fans feel like any criticism of him is 100% Felder's fault.

And that warms my heart, too. I'm so glad the response has been so positive. Yeah, we don't like to admit the objects of our fandoration have feet of clay. But we all do.

I have read Don F complimenting Glenn since 2001. I think what Don F has tended to emphasize more though, is the teamwork aspect of the band--that everyone contributed. Joe and Randy have also pointed out in interviews how everyone contributed to the music so it's not just something Don F made up.

I agree completely. There's no question everyone contributed. So many, for example, tend to laud John Lennon and Paul McCartney as the absolute reasons for the Beatles' fame. But what of George Harrison's shimmering guitar work, or Ringo Starr's power behind the drum kit? It doesn't work without them.

So, too, the Eagles didn't work with only Glenn and Don. It took Randy, and Bernie, and Joe, and Don F, and Timothy to make the Eagles' sound what it became. You don't have "Already Gone" without that incredible bass line Randy plays. (Ever noticed it? Masterful.) You don't have "One of these Nights" without Don's moody lead guitar intro. It's just not the same song.

It's just a shame Glenn and Don F didn't make that reconciliation before it was too late. I think I mentioned on another thread that it's a lesson in making sure you don't leave behind unfinished business, insofar as it depends on you. It's certainly an example for me, albeit a somber one.

I wish Don nothing but health, happiness, and peace, which is what I wish for all these guys.

[WalshFan88]

Good on Felder.

Personally, I think it's cool he is active on Twitter, however there are times where he shouldn't have posted, like complaining he wasn't in the KCH and comments that made his first statement after Glenn's death seem less believable. And talking about Glenn off and on and leaving it open for his fans to throw mud, basically, as Pippin described. I personally feel like it's a very tough place to be in.

I don't blame him at times for NOT saying something as it's a damned if you do damned if you don't. You don't want your fans to think you are a pushover, but if you don't do anything, Glenn fans (which at times I feel the same way), feel he is almost encouraging it by leaving it open and not at least trying to stop the hate.

As far as the KCH thing, it wouldn't have been right for him to be there. Love it or hate it, he and Glenn did NOT end on good terms and that's why it just wouldn't be right to stick him up there. It would have been an insult to his family. I feel the same way about him joining the guys now. It just wouldn't be cool considering how their relationship was at the end of Glenn's life.

Me personally, I was upset at his comments so soon after he made a believable at the time positive statement after Glenn's death to throwing a hissy fit and making comments again. It really showed me a side of him I didn't like. It was very eye opening and disheartening to say the least. You can look it up here, I was a very outspoken Felder-can-do-no-wrong supporter for the longest time but after Glenn died everything changed for me when it comes to this band and my viewpoints. And I felt gutted he wasn't Mr. Innocent as in my head I had dreamed he was afterall. But that's just it, Glenn wasn't perfect either. Henley wasn't. None of the guys are/were. But when you have this image in your head of Felder is the victim/was mistreated, you can blindly and honestly ignorantly on my part, support the man as if he caused no internal problems in the band and it was all mean old Glenn. I was wrong. The fact is, both weren't perfect and the other fact is, Glenn booted him. I might feel it still was a poor decision, but a part of me has learned to respect Glenn's place in the band, as much as I hated to. I remember when HOTE came out, how mad I was at Glenn for his portrayal of Don's firing. I thought how dare he! He must be a hateful, spiteful bitter old man. I was wrong.

[Funk 50]

An interesting comment from Mr. Felder this evening:

https://twitter.com/donfelder/status/901936427386101760

(For those who cannot see the above, Felder says with regard to someone's assertion that Glenn did him wrong 'I forgive him. He did what he had to do in his heart'.)

I think that's the first time I've seen Felder say something remotely nice or warm about Glenn since 2001!

Thanks for sharing the comments and link thelastresort.

I don't know what's going to happen in the future but the estrangement of Felder is an ugly chapter in the Eagles story and anything that suggests that it could be confined to the past is welcome information.

PS - That's a great "I was wrong" post WalshFan88. Thanks for posting it.

[chaim]

That is nice. As usual, it has attracted a lot of "you're a true class act, Mr. Felder" comments, but it's hardly his fault. If he's being genuine, he didn't do it to polish his image.

[New Kid In Town]

Austin - Thank you for your always interesting posts.

Pippin & Delilah - I am happy Don F. made the comments he did. However, I have to disagree in that I never read or saw any interviews in 2011 onward until Glenn died where he mad positive comment. He made those "I tried to reach them" comments in just about every interview when in fact at least part of the time there was a court order against all communication between the parties. And, he was still pursuing legal action until at least 2013.
And, Don had numerous chances over the years to tell his FB/Twitter follower to stop with the nasty comments - particularly after Glenn died. The comments left by his fans at that time were vile and hateful. He could have put a stop to them by posting a message saying such comments would not be tolerated, or, he could have closed the comments. He failed to do so. This is just another example of Don F.'s passive/aggressive behavior.
However, I think Felder's contribution to the band were what took them to the band they became. He is an incredible talent and it is really a shame things turned out as they did. Pippin, you are right - there are three sides to every story, yours, mine and the truth which is somewhere in between.

[chaim]

Austin - Thank you for your always interesting posts.

Pippin & Delilah - I am happy Don F. made the comments he did. However, I have to disagree in that I never read or saw any interviews in 2011 onward until Glenn died where he mad positive comment. He made those "I tried to reach them" comments in just about every interview when in fact at least part of the time there was a court order against all communication between the parties. And, he was still pursuing legal action until at least 2013.
And, Don had numerous chances over the years to tell his FB/Twitter follower to stop with the nasty comments - particularly after Glenn died. The comments left by his fans at that time were vile and hateful. He could have put a stop to them by posting a message saying such comments would not be tolerated, or, he could have closed the comments. He failed to do so. This is just another example of Don F.'s passive/aggressive behavior.
However, I think Felder's contribution to the band were what took them to the band they became. He is an incredible talent and it is really a shame things turned out as they did. Pippin, you are right - there are three sides to every story, yours, mine and the truth which is somewhere in between.

Yes. I believe I have said this before, but for example a few years ago Bruce Kulick (ex-Kiss) made it clear on his social media page that Simmons/Stanley bashing won't be tolerated on his page when such comments started to appear.

And yeah, Felder's musical contributions were amazing. Even something like New Kid In Town, which isn't exactly a Felder showcase, contains guitar parts that have to be played like the original or else there's something missing.