Don Henley's Heartache
Social problems fill the musician's mind and lyrics
Author: Marco R. della Cava
Publication: USA Today
Date: December 15, 1995
Abstract: Henley talks about the issues in his music and life.
Don Henley is a mercenary, a musical wordslinger who targets what ticks him off. Dirty Harry with a rock 'n' roll song.
He has attacked the media (Dirty Laundry) and rescued a pond (Walden). Some critics call Henley grouchy. Others say he's a latter-day sage. But neither label flusters the Eagles co-founder; he's too busy re-loading.
"When the record company (Geffen) heard the new single (The Garden of Allah) they said, 'Ah, we were hoping for a sparkling ballad,' " he says. "Well, I'm sorry. I'm not in a sparkling mood."
Garden premieres on Henley's recently released greatest hits album, Actual Miles. The song has been dubbed a '90s sequel to Hotel California, the Eagles classic about '70s West Coast decadence.
In Allah, an old-fashioned devil pops into Los Angeles to rail against a bankrupt society and reminisce about the past, when good and evil were easily distinguished.
This year, notoriety got all confused with fame/And the devil is downhearted/Because there's nothing left for him to claim.
Calling from Melbourne, Australia - a stop on the Eagles world tour - the musician/activist expounds on the environment ("The bottom line issue"), the music industry ("It's colder today") and how he gets up in the morning ("With a lot of hope").
This is one heavy guy.
"I've taken some lumps for being this way. I'm looking at a review right now, and the headline is 'Prophet of Gloom,' " he says. "But these are dark times. We're living in the most brutal age in human history. Simple human decency, dignity and civility are going out the window."
So he writes. After being "sickened" by the O.J. Simpson trial, Henley worked it into Allah. "I was reluctant to do so, because that includes me in the circus. But there's a difference between intellectual commentary and sleazy opportunism."
Henley defends his criticism as constructive, born of concern. "I say these things because I love my country. Listen, I could buy an island and just say to hell with it."
Not likely. The profitable Eagles tour is going so well that Henley says the group will play Europe this summer. And soon he signs a new recording contract, choosing between "a few great offers."
No lie, says David Adelson, editor of HITS magazine.
"Record companies find Don Henley extremely desirable. He is a treasured commodity in an era of disposable artists," he says.
Ensuring his bankability is hit solo work (The End of the Innocence, The Boys of Summer) with a following.
The singer is a "core" artist at VH1, which will air a Henley interview Monday. "His voice is a big draw," says vice president Wayne Isaak. "Don's a wise man of rock 'n' roll, and that really intrigues our audience."
That also allows Henley freedom of expression, something he feels is threatened by a recording industry that has gone uber-corporate.
"I suppose being owned by a big conglomerate is good business, but it makes an artist feel like a commodity, like pork bellies or soybean futures," he says. "I would hate to be starting out (in music) right now."
He finds comfort in the company and socially conscious work of friends such as Bruce Springsteen, whom he admires "a great deal." Appalled that the country is turning into "a nation of spectators," Henley lends his name, time and money to environmental causes.
"Sure, crime and the economy are important issues." His voice rises. "But neither will make any difference when you no longer have any clean water, clean air, or any fish in the oceans."
His voice is hard, the words weighty. You can almost picture the songwriter loading his barrels with ink. Any chance he'll ever, ah, lighten up?
Henley laughs hard. "No, I'm not done. I'm still pissed."
