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Post by LongPlayer on Jun 5, 2014 18:05:01 GMT -5
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Post by DannyA on Jun 7, 2014 21:56:26 GMT -5
I am a huge fan of Don Henley's work (and "The End of the Innocence" is among his greatest) and I totally agree with him that OR's version of it not only sucked balls but changed the lyrics significantly, which is blatantly illegal. The fact that Henley himself went after this rather than his publishing company shows how much Don cares about his art and protecting that. It wasn't about money.
That said: I'm one of the few interviewers that Henley actually likes (after one interview he overnighted me two books -- his own copies, with his handwritten notes in the margin -- that he thought I'd enjoy based on that chat). I will also say he has treated me very poorly at times. But I do think he's one of the best songwriters out there, and that everyone from Springsteen to Westerberg to (obviously) Okkervil River would agree.
I'm a total sap for songs like End of the Innocence, Last Worthless Evening, Dirty Laundry, Johnny Can't Read, Heart of the Matter and plenty more -- and that's not counting his Eagles stuff, especially The Last Resort and King of Hollywood. And especially Get Over It.
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Post by Merc on Jun 9, 2014 3:07:28 GMT -5
Very good of him to be so good to you, Danny. Personally inscibed books sent to you is pretty cool. And I like all the songs you mentioned; they're authentically good.
Another part of me sees why punk and post-punk here and in the UK really wanted rid of "rock stars" of his era , by the 80's. But one you didn't mention, "Boys of Summer" might have been the most powerful song he did, and still sounds great. The (lightly homoerotic, stylishly B&W video inspired by Bruce Weber and Herb Ritts , photography-wise: well it was all over MTV at the time.) I'm not sure, but that video was probably directed by David Fincher or Ridley Scott. Too lazy to look it up. And, the moving shot of a businessman at his desk seriously prefigured Mad Men, and possibly inspired it. Breaking a pencil in frustration. The 80's looking back at the 60's.
Now we are even further from both of those eras. Sorry for rambling, just thinking aloud. "Boys of Summer" is a great song.
"Get the widow on the set"- Dirty Laundry was a pretty disturbing song when I was a teen. "It's interesting when people die" is both true and sad. Thanks to the Internet we now are aware of every atrocity in the world, in the way we weren't when the song was new. "Bubble-headed bleached blonde" pretty much describes women anchors or appearers on Fox News, though!
(Edited for terrible typos.)
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Post by DannyA on Jun 9, 2014 16:48:32 GMT -5
In my first interview with him in the '90s I mentioned that Dirty Laundry seemed shocking at the time -- "Is the head dead yet? Get the widow on the set" and "it's interesting when people die" in particular. By the '90s that was standard operating procedure. He chuckled and agree that he didn't think it was going to be an outdated song so quickly.
And on the issue LP brings up, maybe I'm more sensitive to it because I've had people steal my work, and I can see how Henley would see this as a theft even if Okkervil River had the best intentions, which they did.
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Post by slider on Jun 9, 2014 22:34:36 GMT -5
If I was Henley I'd be pissed too. I don't think he should shut up- those songs are his creation.
Seems like copyright is on its way out. Everything is fair game anymore. Changes...
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Post by boots on Jun 10, 2014 12:55:16 GMT -5
I'm not a huge Don Henley fan- nor Eagles fan for that matter- but I though tthis was pretty funny
Oy the snark!
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Post by DannyA on Jun 10, 2014 23:18:07 GMT -5
Except Plant is wrong. Henley and the rest of the band are bored out of their minds doing the same sets every night (even if they changed it up with Bernie Leadon this year). Henley told me he was bored years ago. But how do you turn down "Do you want to make $2 million tonight and be treated like a king?" Even if you've already got, say, $100- or $200-million?
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Post by LongPlayer on Jun 16, 2014 20:13:37 GMT -5
Let's agree to...not totally agree, then.
I haven't met Henley, and I'd rather not. He seems like an arrogant dickhead to me, that's all I'm saying. And respectfully, I disagree it's not always about money. Somewhere in there, it's about money. Otherwise, Don would be out hunting with his kids instead of earning $2 million a night to be bored with people he doesn't really like.
There's all sorts of contradictory information in ALL of these statements, so the bottom line is, someone's being a hypocrite, and not telling the truth. Maybe it's Frank Ocean, maybe it's Henley. Probably it's both of them. They both are calling each other "arrogant" though, and on that count, I'd say they're both telling the truth.
I don't think there's anything wrong with Will Scheff (who is quite complimentary throughout much of his essay) calling Henley out on his "You don't go into a museum and paint a moustache on somebody else's painting. Nobody would think of doing that." comment, that's what I was saying Henley should shut up about, not his copyright.
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Post by Duck on Jul 27, 2014 14:35:04 GMT -5
In that Eagles doc that HBO ran last year, Henley comes in at best a distant second in the 'biggest asshole in the group' contest.
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Post by Darren on Jul 30, 2014 8:59:49 GMT -5
Yeah, and who knew Irving Azoff was such a mild-mannered, soft-spoken saint?
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