I found this article from 2004. It's long, but quite inspiring to read how Joe finally came to terms with his addiction, and is now helping others to do the same.
http://www.nzedge.com/features/ar-denis02.html
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I found this article from 2004. It's long, but quite inspiring to read how Joe finally came to terms with his addiction, and is now helping others to do the same.
http://www.nzedge.com/features/ar-denis02.html
That's lovely, quite inspiring. Thank you for that, I'd never seen it before.
Somehow I think Joe's performance of Desperado there would never upset Glenn and Don. He's gone from drunken renditions that make people cringe to meaningful renditions that change lives. Poetic.Quote:
Joe said, "This is a special place, and it is very special to me. It was here on a visit many years ago, up on the hills, that I had a moment of clarity. I don't understand it, but I reconnected with my soul, and I remembered who I used to be�I admitted I had problems and I had to do something about it. It was the beginning of my recovery from my addiction to alcohol and drugs and when I got back to America it gave me the courage to seek help. Methamphetamine is evil. If you are involved in bringing it into the country, or selling it, or manufacturing it, your ancestors are not at peace with you. You will eventually be responsible for people's deaths, and when you go to meet your God, it will be a burden on your shoulders. I have tried it. It is a dead end. It goes nowhere. It's a demon and it eats your soul from inside you. If you are doing meth I say to you, no matter how awful things are they will get worse beyond your wildest imagination. But you can come back, as hopeless as it will look. It was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do but it can be done"
And, as at each venue, after he had spoken Joe turned to play his guitar and then the keyboard, and as he did so, he vested the lyrics with a personal message for each listener.
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you before it's too late
Desperado 'The Eagles'
And, at each place in turn, it was simply stunning to behold. People looked inside and made personal commitments to change. People looked at each other and made mutual commitments to change.
He worked no miracles
He sat on the ground playing his guitar
James K Baxter 'The Maori Jesus'
But something miraculous did happen at Otatara - or near to it in my experience. As the last notes of 'Desperado' rang around that ancient site a body of men moved forward to pay tribute to the bard and began the rhythmic slap of the Ngati Kahungunu haka 'Tika Tonu'. And, here's the rub, amongst their number, fuelled by the discussion between Joe and their respective leaders the previous night, were men dressed in red and men dressed in blue, members of two competitive gangs, fully patched, battle regalia on, yet side by side, united in their Maoriness, united in their humanity, these responses catalysed by the love and humility demonstrated by Joe Walsh.
This was a long read indeed, but also a very good read. Thank you for posting this article, GEF!
I'm so glad that Joe is sober for a long time now. And look at that picture, he's looking so good, so much better than during his last years of addiction.