It seemed quite shallow of Felder, but maybe I shouldn't have been surprised.
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https://www.foxnews.com/entertainmen...bum-glenn-frey
And here's more of the same! Sigh.
Where does he discuss "working with Glenn Frey"? I couldn't find it.
Incidentally, when did (co-)writing HC become such a big thing? Was it after Don wrote the book that he started touring the world giving lectures about it or was it a huge issue already? I remember listening to a radio show about the album in the 90's. Glenn was interviewed and he discussed every track briefly. I think that was the first time I heard that Don F came up with the initial track. Glenn mentioned it as one fact among others. Not a big deal. Today it's almost like a religion and that house in Malibu is like a religious shrine or something.
So, when did it become such a huge issue?
(To be fair, Don is also asked about it all the time.)
Honestly, I think it became a big deal after Felder's firing. And certainly with that book.
He clings to Hotel California honestly because I think he in his heart realizes he wasn't as important to the band as he'd have liked to have been. He wasn't a good singer or songwriter in the terms of arrangement and lyric composition. He was a great guitarist, that's all. He didn't have the power that Glenn and Don had. That bothered him. I think he sees that as his crowning achievement (and again, HC is my favorite song and Felder did play great on that and came up with the chord progression that started it, so there's his props for that). I think it's a form of validation for him. He certainly wasn't going to get it as a lead singer.
To me this all started when he was booted because he needed to remind everybody, but most importantly himself that HE started what became Hotel California - the Eagles biggest song. And depending on when you ask him, he may even take more credit for HC than he deserves, lol. He still sometimes claims that the band wanted the track to be just like his demo tape, and Walsh had to learn his solo that Felder said he created for him to play on it! But in a guitar documentary he clearly states how Walsh was the one responsible for the triads in that outro solo and that he did his own thing. I think he can exaggerate at times.
I think Don still has a lot of insecurity issues after all these years, and probably some regret towards his own ego and behavior in the 70s, and definitely the HFO period that led to his dismissal from the Eagles. He had an ego problem in the HFO period, but really at the heart of that is always the opposite, which is insecurity and poor self-esteem. He probably felt like he didn't get enough praise from "The Gods". I think it really hurt his pride to have to call Glenn to ask for his job back and he still isn't over it. He is/was a great guitarist, but that's where it stops. He wasn't multi-faceted and he certainly wasn't and still isn't a singer. He didn't want to play second fiddle to Don or Glenn. He wanted to sing songs and stand in front. He gets to do that now in his own solo band, much to my chagrin. I think he'd be so much better served by finding a singer who can do the material better and let him do what he does - which is play great guitar. I don't think he will ever do that though because I think he's still too proud after all this time, which is a shame.
In a way, I still feel bad for Felder and the firing thing. He did bring a lot of it on himself but he just never seemed happy. And I genuinely mean that. For years I denied it was mostly his fault, and while I've become more wise about what went down, I still feel bad for him. I think he needed the Eagles, and unfortunately it wasn't reciprocal. Unfortunately there is nothing anyone could have done to help him.
Makes sense and it's possible. I'm still wondering when and why everyone in the media business became so obsessed with him (co-)writing HC. It seems that for years everyone in the world has wanted to discuss it with him and it's like every interviewer's favorite song ever. I remember when it used to be just a great Eagles song.
Truthfully, I don't think the media has much more to discuss with him. And, in all fairness, he gets asked about it in every interview. Same with the "I tried to reach out to them" line. That does get on my nerves. He says that when he knows they were under a court order not to contact each other. I wish he would just say "no comment" or "that was a long time ago" and move on with his interviews.