There was another influence on how the band's attitude changed, one that I'm reluctant to mention, but one that had a serious effect.

During the time of Desperado, the drug of choice was pretty much pot and beer, with maybe some mushrooms or lsd or other psychedelics thrown in. But then, the cocaine started showing up - a LOT of cocaine on an everyday basis.

Which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows anything about the music business of the 1970s. I first saw coke in 1970, when I began doing local shows around L.A.; by maybe the middle of '72, you had to fight off people who wanted to stuff some up your nose. It was a Big Money, Big Fun drug. Weed was cheap (back then), and, other than making you relaxed and hungry, left no lasting damage.

But coke was different - way different. It changed people. You HAD to have it, and when you didn't, things could get ugly. As for me, I could take it or leave it (mostly took it), but I'm not a substance addict. Other people, though - people with massive pressure to be successful, like members of a major rock band - found that blow rounded off the corners, or so they thought.

Coke was a serious drug - serious money, serious personal changes. People got very serious about it, to the point of being so paranoid that they'd start carrying guns around and getting into physical fights. And these were musicians, who were supposed to be all about good vibes and peace and love, etc.

There was plenty of Bolivian Marching Powder around The Eagles, which I suspect will not be a surprise to most of the folks here. I admit that I was one of the parties who made sure the group never went without - all of us on the crew did. It was part of the job description.

And so I believe that the influence of cocaine had much to do with the changes I observed in this band (and with our society in general). The cost, in dollars, was astronomical; some groups had million-dollar budgets exclusively reserved for buying dope. Which just added to the pressure.

And so that's one of the reasons that, at a certain point in the '70s things got a lot more serious...