The Issue with “The Eagles”
Disclaimer: The views and opinions reflected in this and all other entries are mine and mine alone and are not being stated as “matters of fact”. Strictly opinions with which you can choose to agree or disagree. In short, don’t take it personally.
Now, if you’ve ever seen me perform anywhere, the introduction is always largely the same. ”My name is Brian Ripps, this is Patrick McDermott and we are called The Turn. We will play just about anything you want, except The Eagles”. Now, while I’ve alluded to and addressed the reasons why a handful of times in passing, I’ve never quite gone into detail, so allow me to do so.
First of all, if you’ve never seen The Big Lebowski, then go do that. If you have, then you’ll know that I’m joking around at least a little bit, maybe 1%. The truth is, I don’t think The Eagles “suck” at their instruments, or at writing songs – that would just be silly since they are obviously more than competent and proficient at both of those things. My problem is solely with their aesthetic and the fact that a group of such talented musicians got together and elected to make the least interesting, least inspiring, most accessible easy listening shit I’ve ever heard in my life. The Eagles sound to me like a living room in California in 1982 filled with characters from Boogie Nights, standing around drinking something or other, probably using cocaine and laughing about their stock portfolios. That’s not really my scene, and truly I don’t think it’s the scene of anyone I’d want to spend time with either.
I arrived at a gig not too long ago to find that The Eagles Greatest Hits were playing on a stereo in advance of our performance. Pat obviously thought it was hilarious, and I was predictably nonplussed. The extent to which I feel like they were copping out and trying to appeal to the largest number of people possible without offending literally anyone other than me just kind of sickens me. It’s clear that they were capable of doing something more challenging and the fact that they willingly submitted to creating such edgeless crap offends my sensibilities as a musician and as a human being. I have trouble believing that any of them enjoyed actually playing the music and got off simply on their renown and widespread appreciation. Like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I can’t say a word about the success they’ve realized, but that doesn’t mean I agree with it.
