Eagles Mentions in the Press (2006 - 2017)

[Freypower]

In terms of the way the Eagles operated, I think the Lennon - Frey and McCartney - Henley parallel is apt, in this case. I don't know about Henley and 'well meaning attempts to control' though. Even at the height of the period when he was singing most of the songs he still had to defer to Glenn in the end.

[AmarilloByMorning]

Aw, don't be so skittish! Around here folks disagree with no hard feelings... well, unless you tell them "Anybody who likes NMCD is a loser with no taste!" THEN, a few people might get pissed off.

I am skittish! The horses who flee danger live the longest, and with the most pronounced enjoyment.

When did the Eagles become "easy listening" (according to Sirius radio)? Have they not listened to "Those Shoes"? That song scared the hell out of me. I still have a hard time wearing heels. Whether that aversion derives from a genuine affinity for not toppling over on a regular basis or from the unconscious ramificaitons of the song's atmosphere are open to speculation. But how did Jimmy Buffet get his very own category (he's the only example provided for "beach music") while the Eagles are lumped with elevator music? Whoops, I mean Celine Dion. [How's that for not skittish?]

It's ironic because usually people make the opposite comparison - Lennon/Henley: More serious, more introverted, more concerned about what they want to say than what people want to hear; McCartney/Frey: More light-hearted, more interested in making music that people will enjoy rather than using it to teach them a lesson. Of course such comparisons are reductive stereotypes, but they're interesting to discuss.

People tend to gauge from the vast swatches of color their respective personalities have been reduced to. Knowing nothing of the Beatles (sorry!) and having no preconceived notions about any of them (except how much I personally dislike both "Imagine" and "Hey Jude"), ingesting an observation of their inner workings for the first time prompted immediate parallels. The one standout was that Harrison was the one who played the Henley role of wanting every track to sound perfect, spending hours mixing this or that.

But I think Frey's very interested in teaching people a lesson, actually. "Go home to your girl, get laid and lighten up" is a very laudable commandment to impart upon a generation ingesting tracks with such commendable implications as "go out, vent your anger by stabbing someone, have your way with a few random women and keep your apathy about everything at a simmer." But that's just my interpetation of the world I suppose.

In terms of the way the Eagles operated, I think the Lennon - Frey and McCartney - Henley parallel is apt, in this case. I don't know about Henley and 'well meaning attempts to control' though. Even at the height of the period when he was singing most of the songs he still had to defer to Glenn in the end.

Actually they made a point of that in the article... McCartney (Long Run-era Henley) would want everyone to push and produce because they had a legacy to uphold and deadlines to meet, then the rest of the band would feel controlled, so he would back off in frustration because Lennon (Frey) was ultimately the herd stallion. Not to employ horse terminology again.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Well I am both an Eagles fan and a Beatles fan, so I think this is an interesting discussion. Like Soda, I often draw the comparison between Lennon/Henley and McCartney/Frey based strictly on their personality traits. However, I very much agree that when you talk about their roles in their respective bands, the comparison of Lennon/Frey and McCartney/Henley is more applicable.

I don’t think there is any doubt that Glenn relinquished a lot of control to Don as the 70’s progressed. Even now, I believe that most of the band decisions are made jointly between them. However, I do also believe that Glenn is the band’s ultimate decision-maker if ‘push comes to shove’ - or as Soda says “It’s the Frey way or the highway”. For whatever reasons, Glenn has always seemed to have less of a personal need to continue the band than the others.

ABM, I agree with your comment about Frey being interested in teaching a lesson with his music as much as Henley, although I prefer to call it conveying a message. It’s just that he takes a more light-hearted and subtle approach with both the tone and content of his message as opposed to Don’s more blatant and direct style and heavier subject matter. Even with the Strange Weather album where Glenn tackled the heavier subject matters, his tone and delivery were generally more subdued than Don’s with a few exceptions. Now, given their personalities (extroverted, blatant Glenn vs. introverted, subdued Don), you would think the opposite would be true. I figure this is why artists use their music to communicate – they are able to express themselves or say things thru their music that they can’t ordinarily say.

[Freypower]

If as you say Glenn is 'extroverted and blatant' as opposed to Don who is 'introverted and subdued' why then does Don do all the interviews and sometimes put his point of view across in an extremely 'take no prisoners' way? Glenn, meanwhile, is silent or extremely cagy in what he says. I think on the whole Don is perhaps a more introverted, thoughtful person than Glenn but sometimes it doesn't seem that way.

[AmarilloByMorning]

If as you say Glenn is 'extroverted and blatant' as opposed to Don who is 'introverted and subdued' why then does Don do all the interviews and sometimes put his point of view across in an extremely 'take no prisoners' way? Glenn, meanwhile, is silent or extremely cagy in what he says. I think on the whole Don is perhaps a more introverted, thoughtful person than Glenn but sometimes it doesn't seem that way.

Don always claims to be shy and introverted but I'm beginning to suspect it's a mystique he has either acquired or specifically adopted. I'm supposedly 100% introverted according to Myers-Briggs (though that very admission seems contrary to the statistic) and would never, ever, ever disclose something so personal as the circumstances surrounding my father's death to a reporter, even if it colored every aspect of my existence, comprised the sole inspiration for all my songwriting, and would be immensely useful to convey a point. He has an ironclad opinion on everything, which he dispenses at will. There's a difference between having an aversion to standing onstage all alone and having an innate reluctance to engage with others for fear of criticism/critique/rebuke - he seems to lack the latter, which is a cornerstone of shyness. Also note that he has shared a great deal of his life with reporters, biographers and, well, random passerby, whereas we know next to nothing about Glenn's personal life. Perhaps Don was a shy little boy in Texas, but he certainly grew out of it to boast about having the prettiest girl in town on his arm (which, contrary to what movies would have you believe, almost never happens unless you're outgoing enough to approach and win her in the first place). Perhaps he enjoyed hiding behind the drums initially, but his stage fright seems to have abated. He can say whatever he wants, but there's a difference between enjoying trees and being introverted, and a crucial distinction between stage fright and shyness. On the Glenn end, I don't regard him as extroverted at all; certainly not introverted, but he's not running around spewing opinions and personal details, either. I think a lot of his "blatant" comments are meant to be humorous and people just receive them in the wrong manner. I've always considered him the gentler of the two when it comes to relationships, because for all his vociferous allegations of this, that or the other thing, he sure was quick to settle down when he found the right woman, and didn't use her as a marketing tool ("look at me, I got married to prove I'm a great guy"). Then again, I could be completely biased, given his comment about learning everything of import except music from women versus Don's RS admittance that he's never fallen in love with someone who wasn't absolutely gorgeous.

...Wow. Not sure where all that came from; it just kind of oozed out. Must be a Freudian something-or-other. Not going to proofread it in case there's something worth noting involved that I'll (in my shyness) panic and edit out.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

The confusion in misreading my comments here is a very common one. As someone who is certified to administer the Myers Briggs Type Indicator Personality Test, I have run into this many times where people often have misconceptions about introverts and extroverts - especially introverts . People tend to equate introversion with shyness and a desire for privacy all the time, and that is not always the case. All introverts are not shy or private. Introversion and extraversion stems more from where an individual derives there energy from. Here is an article and a link that describes it better than I can.

http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-p...troversion.asp

Based on my training and observations, IMO, Don would definitely be considered an introvert and Glenn appears to be an extravert. However, I'm not entirely convinced about Glenn. He could be borderline with tendencies of both. But regardless of where he falls on the scale, I do believe he is much more extraverted than Don is.

[Freypower]

I've always considered him the gentler of the two when it comes to relationships, because for all his vociferous allegations of this, that or the other thing, he sure was quick to settle down when he found the right woman, and didn't use her as a marketing tool ("look at me, I got married to prove I'm a great guy"). Then again, I could be completely biased, given his comment about learning everything of import except music from women versus Don's RS admittance that he's never fallen in love with someone who wasn't absolutely gorgeous.

I agree with a great deal of what you say here. But you seem to be referring to Don's reasons for getting married here. Please correct me if I'm wrong. It's an extremely harsh statement.

And Dreamer, thank you for the extrovert/introvert clarification.

[sodascouts]

Dreamer, your post about extroverts vs. introverts is very interesting! I think I must be right on the line. I love to talk to people and often get energized in a crowd. As you know, I will engage people I don't even know in conversation, especially if they look bored, lol. However, there are many times when I just want to be left alone and not worry about being entertaining, funny, attentive, considerate, etc.

But let me stop talking about myself and go to ABM's post, which I find very interesting.

Don always claims to be shy and introverted but I'm beginning to suspect it's a mystique he has either acquired or specifically adopted.

I found this statement surprising, because I don't remember hearing him proudly proclaim he's an introvert! I did go do a search and found this:

Henley: I'm basically a shy person-I'm not your Mr. Showbiz lead vocalist kinda guy. But I do have an acerbic sense of humor, sort of dark. It took a long time for people to even realize I had a sense of humor. Some days I don't. But I decided that I would have to say something, and it just developed out of the songs and things I would read in the paper or think about. The whole tour was a learning process for me. But I started to enjoy talking.

So, he seems to recognize the conflict between the idea of shyness of the idea of being outspoken, and accept it.

People are complex creatures, full of contradictions. I don't see an attempt to be dishonest here. Is there something I'm missing?

I'm supposedly 100% introverted according to Myers-Briggs (though that very admission seems contrary to the statistic) and would never, ever, ever disclose something so personal as the circumstances surrounding my father's death to a reporter, even if it colored every aspect of my existence, comprised the sole inspiration for all my songwriting, and would be immensely useful to convey a point.

You say that, but before you judge, remember that there are people out there who would say the same thing about posting on the internet. "I would never post any personal details about my life on a public message board for all to see." Yet, people who believe they are shy and introverted often thrive in an internet community, and find themselves confiding very private things to others... are those people cultivating a false image of themselves? Or are they affected by their environment to make different choices? I think it's the latter, and I think that's what happened to Henley, too. He says as much in the above quote.

He has an ironclad opinion on everything, which he dispenses at will. There's a difference between having an aversion to standing onstage all alone and having an innate reluctance to engage with others for fear of criticism/critique/rebuke - he seems to lack the latter, which is a cornerstone of shyness.

I don't think Don equates shyness with crippling fear, or he'd never want to be perceived that way! If indeed he does want to be perceived that way, which I'm not sure about. He seems more interested in talking about overcoming shyness than using it as a bragging point. If anyone has seen evidence to the contrary, feel free to correct me!

Also note that he has shared a great deal of his life with reporters, biographers and, well, random passerby, whereas we know next to nothing about Glenn's personal life.

This is definitely arguable. How are we determining this? Glenn's not exactly an open book, but neither is Don, and we do know more than "next to nothing" about Glenn. He's told us that he grew up middle class, that he's obsessed with sports, that he met his wife filming a video and that she's influenced his music, that he used music to speak to his daughter when she was having a hard time, that he's struggled with diverticulitis and now rheumatoid arthritis... We even know a bit about his family dynamics. Apparently he likes to watch sports on TV while the kids play on the computer. OK, that's not exactly astonishing, but still!

That's off the top of my head. Like I said, he's not letting the info flow out like a river, but neither does Don - at least, not to my knowledge. Admittedly, the fact that I have gone so far as to dedicate an entire section of GFO to Glenn's ruminations, I may know a bit more about Glenn than most! lol

Oh, and Glenn also allowed magazines to come in and take photos of his house and family not once but twice! (In the second one there is an adorable pic of the Frey fam!)

Perhaps Don was a shy little boy in Texas, but he certainly grew out of it to boast about having the prettiest girl in town on his arm (which, contrary to what movies would have you believe, almost never happens unless you're outgoing enough to approach and win her in the first place).

I've never heard/read him boasting about his wife excessively. Again, where have you gotten this impression?

Then again, I could be completely biased, given his comment about learning everything of import except music from women versus Don's RS admittance that he's never fallen in love with someone who wasn't absolutely gorgeous.

Well, be careful how much you base on that 30-year-old Rolling Stone article. He was young, hopped up on drugs, and absorbing the unconditional adulation of hundreds of thousands of people. That messes with your head. I imagine he's changed a great deal since then (or at least I would hope so).

Something about "cultivating image" that this made me think of: I've been on a Pride and Prejudice kick lately... probably because of Colin Firth's hotness in the BBC version. One thing that Austen wrote that struck me is that people often will be self-deprecating about traits that they secretly want others to like about them. It's a way to subtly invite approval. You hope others will find the "weakness" endearing rather than contemptible.

Is it being dishonest to do that?

I don't think so. I think it's being human.

Ah, people are funny!

[AmarilloByMorning]

Soda, Freypower & dreamer, I apologize if I offended. Freypower, the comment was a myopic commentary on Frey, not an attempted sideways slice to Henley; I apparently overlooked the potential of that interpretation. Anyway, I wholly overextended my rights, because the bottom line is I do not know any of them. One day I'll learn to just ogle pictures. [Waving white flag.]

[sodascouts]

ABM, you puzzle me. You are not afraid to give controversial opinions, but when asked to defend them, you back off apologizing for making them in the first place. I don’t understand that. You’re a lawyer! You must understand that if you express an opinion, you have to be prepared to deal with disagreement; it's not "hit and run."