Originally Posted by samo
Originally Posted by samo
I've got a peaceful, easy feeling
And I know Glenn won't let me down
Highlighted part: I love that, FP! And I agree with you about Felder playing for the money, just like any other band who is able to make money. Take it from me - with times being what they are, no band can afford to play for free.Originally Posted by Freypower
The "tears spurted from my eyes" part amused me too. My first sarcastic thought was, "Ag, shame", as they say in South Africa.
You're also quite right about Felder not once mentioning when he could've been at fault. There are at least two sides to every story, and neither Glenn nor Don have brought forth their side to the story. I'm sure that they made their mistakes, but Felder cannot possibly be without fault. There has to be a reason for Glenn and Don's attitudes towards Felder.
Felder should be careful - his halo is going to rust. All his sympathy seeking is becoming tiresome. For someone who is not interested in money, he has certainly picked a good time to promote his book - just as the Eagles embarked on their LROOE tour! How transparent is that?
I've got a peaceful, easy feeling
And I know Glenn won't let me down
Hi, my name is Tom. This is my first post but I have been lurking for a while. I have read Felder's book too and I attended a book signing. He was nice. I liked him.
I am confused why people are saying he never took responsibility for anything. He apologizes many times for things he should have done differently. He doesn't blame everything on other people. He says he is sorry about cheating on his wife for instance. Yeah he says temptation was everywhere but it WAS, that is him being honest. He also says it was wrong. He says he feels real guilty about it.
He isn't just insulting to the other band members. What about all the times he talks about how great Henley is at lyrics, do we really think that was all done to upset Frey? He compliments Frey sometimes too even though that ended so bad.
I'm glad Don Felder is still playing with his band. He is a great guitarist. It would be a shame if he stopped playing. I think it is nice of him to call his act 'The Don Felder Band' instead of just going out there as Don Felder. He knows how valuable his band is so he includes them in the name, that's the opposite of arrogant. He has to keep his name first so people know who they are getting. Why pick apart and insult everything he does??
I don't mean to argue but I want to stand up for Felder, seems nobody else is.
Welcome Tom!
You're right in that Felder apologizes for things and feels guilty for them, but I guess to me it just didn't ring true because of all the excuses he continually offers for his behavior.
Felder does compliment the guys sometimes. I think he must have a level of professional respect for them.
I don't mean to pick apart everything he does, but he put himself out there with this book. He had to know it would make him a target of fans who weren't impressed with his portrayals.
Regardless I am happy to discuss it and I recognize everyone has their own take on the matter. I'm glad you had a good experience with him at the book signing.
Hi Tom – and welcome. Glad you found us here on The Border. I’m also glad to hear your viewpoint about Felder and his book. It’s nice to have someone here to present another side because as you mentioned, Felder hasn’t gotten a lot of support here from the fans on this board, myself included.
I’ll try to address some of your comments from my perspective. First of all, you say you attended Felder’s book signing and he was nice. I do not doubt that he is very nice and gratious when you meet him. I have met Glenn Frey on several occasions, and I can tell you he has been extremely kind to me and my friends. I have also heard similar comments from friends I know that have met Don Henley and Joe Walsh. Unfortunately, I don’t think you can truly judge someone just meeting them as a fan. I'm sure that all of these guys can appear to be very nice. Unfortunately, nice people can disagree and not like one another. And I get the impression that there may be a mutual dislike among these guys. That doesn't necessarily mean that some of them are all good and some of them are all evil.
My complaint about him not accepting responsibility is because he constantly offers excuses for his behavior. But, I think the bottom line is that Felder believes that he should have always been entitled to the original agreement that he made when he joined the band in 1974. IMHO, I don’t believes he ever thought it was fair that his contract was restructured at the time of the resumption, and was continuously upset because he was not treated as an equal in the band. Here is a quote from him in his most recent interview: "Do you let your two partners screw you over and run off with the whole thing?" replied Felder. "Or do you stand up for what you agreed to do when we started?" Unfortunately for him, the fact of the matter is that he was not an equal contributor to the success of the band. Yes, he is an extremely talented guitarist, and yes, he co-wrote the band’s biggest hit – but that doesn’t make him equally responsible for the amount of money that this band has earned over the years. If that were the case, the band’s profits would have plunged after his departure.
I still maintain that if he thought he was being treated unfairly, then he should have never agreed to the restructuring of his contract.
And then, there is his final comment in his interview "All I really ever wanted to do was play the music." I’m sorry, but this is just disingenuous from a guy who just settled a 7 year lawsuit that he initiated. Again, it is just another example of how he views himself as a victim who was constantly abused by these men. I just think it makes him come across as spoiled, whiny, and ungrateful. I would say exactly the same thing if these words had come from Don Henley or Glenn Frey.
However, having said all this, I still maintain that all of the parties involved shares responsibility for what happened with the band. I don't believe any of them were angels.
"People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016
Welcome Tom and I appreciate your input. I see the sense in what you are saying but I'm afraid I must disagree with the part I have quoted.Originally Posted by Haywire
Yes, he praises Henley and that appears to be genuine. But I'd appreciate it if you could direct me to ONE compliment to Frey - ONE. I cannot remember any praise of Frey in the entire book. He's being honest here, I guess. The dislike was mutual and deep. Why should he say anything positive about a man he came to hate (and I don't think hate is too strong a word)?
Thanks for the welcome.
Freypower, he says Glenn was 'great at conceptualizing.' He credits him for the concept behind Hotel California. So he gives him credit even though he has bad feelings towards him.
I've looked at the book to find your reference.
This is going to sound like nitpicking and/or sour grapes on my part but praising 'conceptualising' as opposed to Glenn's actual musical, lyrical or vocal talents to me sounds like damning with (very) faint praise. He good as implies that Glenn has no talent for anything else. I note that he says that Glenn also had the 'concept' for both Victim Of Love and Life In The Fast Lane , but will he give Glenn any credit for writing music or lyrics? No.
He then drops the clanger about how Don H. said H.C. should be the single, which entirely ignores New Kid In Town.
Then I notice he makes a comment about the 'fun Glenn' that he did enjoy being with on occasion. OK, that is a couple of lines.
Welcome, Haywire! We're glad to have you here and hope you enjoy your time with us.
I'm glad you had such a pleasant experience meeting Don Felder when you purchased his book.
I'm sorry if our comments have come across as so negative, but I'm sure you can appreciate that it's not easy to continue reading negative comments about one's favourite artists. I'm a HUGE Glenn Frey fan, and each time Felder takes a stab at him during his promotional interviews, it's as though he's taking a stab at me. I can understand if Felder is hurt by any wrongs that Glenn may have committed against him, but in fairness to Glenn , he has never said anything against Felder in public. Neither has Don Henley. I'm a great believer in keeping private matters private. It doesn't matter whether you're a successful rock 'n roll star or a bricklayer (to quote Glenn ) - we are all people with feelings, and feelings need to be respected. The whole world really does not need to know all the bad things that happened within the inner circle of the Eagles.
We need to put ourselves in the shoes of "The Gods". They are mature now and have families. What are their children to think of the mudslinging going on in Felder's book? These are all things to consider.
We all make mistakes in life. If I were Glenn or Don, I certainly wouldn't want anyone to tell the world of my indiscrepancies or faults. We ALL have faults. All we can do is try to be the best we can be. Glenn and Don have repeatedly admitted to their faults, and have certainly improved their lives since the '70s. What more can they do? They cannot correct the wrongs of the past! They can only move on and "Get Over It". I suggest Felder does the same. If there wasn't an opportunity to make money by writing a sensationalist book, he would not have written one.
I'm sorry, but I don't suffer hypocrites gladly. I really feel strongly about this.
I've got a peaceful, easy feeling
And I know Glenn won't let me down
To me it seemed the story about Hotel California being a single was meant t o show how smart Henley was, to think of releasing such a long song as a single. It didn't take any guts to release New Kid in Town as a single so why talk about it?
'Mrs. Frey' I could tell you were a huge fan, if your name didn't tell me all those beating hearts would, you made your point!
I read the recent Rolling Stone interview and Henley took stabs at Felder in that. And Felder was even cut out of photos though I don't know if that was the Eagles' fault.
He did not contribute as much as Frey and Henley but he does not deserve to be cut out! He DID contribute to the band, that is undeniable.