DON HENLEY ON KHOW, DENVER
 [Transcribed from interview on 9/24/04 by Seattle Fan]

[Note: the ellipses show where the host interrupted Don]

[NOTE: I missed the first part of the interview (I had the bad luck of my boss coming into my office to train me on something – damn!), but I recall Don saying a few things before I started taping this; such as saying that “liberal” has been made into a bad word; and that “conservatives” are not conserving anything. They spoke about healthcare for a little, and he mentioned that this week was the anniversary of his Mom’s death, and that cancer was oftentimes a preventable disease (said his mother didn’t eat right or exercise much). He also said that he needed a hearing aid from being on stage with Joe Walsh for 30 years.]



KHOW: We’re talking politics in America today and where the change comes. Again, Don, now that you’ve had a chance to go for a 5-mile run and cook breakfast . . . where do you think the change happened in the American political scene?

DH: I don’t know if I can pinpoint a year, but I think it started happening in the 70’s – maybe the early 70’s/late 60’s and continued on through the 80’s. I’m still trying to sort it out. You know I don’t have the answers as to what happened to the American political scene and there are a great many books about it. But I think, again, that we’ve got our parties confused – that people need to dig a little bit deeper and learn more about the history of each party and what they were originally all about. I want to commend you by the way on your book drive . . .

KHOW: Oh, you’re kind. Thank you.

DH: I think this is something that both parties can agree on. My Mom and Dad were big advocates of education and reading. We have lots of books in our house. We do book drives here in Texas.

KHOW: What book influenced your life the most?

DH: The most?

KHOW: Yeah.

DH: Oh brother. Uh, I don’t think there’s any one book that influenced my life the most. I’ve read hundreds of books. I’ve got enough books that I’ll never be able to read in my lifetime. But my Father never finished the 8th grade. He had to go home . . .

KHOW: My Mom didn’t either. Neither did my Dad.

DH: . . . in the days leading up to the Great Depression he had to quit school and go home and work in the fields with his brother and sister and pick cotton.

KHOW: And that’s why those guys loved Roosevelt so much.

DH: Yeah. Exactly . . .

KHOW: My Grandma did.

DH: . . . and plowed with a mule. And he wanted me to have a better life than he had. And that’s what it’s all about.

KHOW: And that’s the wonderful part of Lynden Johnson in the early part of his career. He really knew that stuff.

DH: Yeah.

KHOW: And he connected to it.

DH: Yeah.

KHOW: He loses his way eventually, but he really did. He understood that whole mentality that you’re talking about. And that was really the root of the Democratic Party.

DH: That’s right. And he did some pretty unsavory things, but he did some good things.

KHOW: Are there people – and we talked about this because obviously you and your colleagues in the Eagles have influenced so many people – and you certainly have influenced me.

DH: Well . . .

KHOW: And, legitimately – and for good ways and good reasons. But then I turn to you and say: “Okay Don, who influences you?” and then ask you about the future – where you think this is all headed.

DH: Well. First of all, I think any kind of influence that our music has on people is more of a personal nature. I’m not one of those people that thinks – I don’t think our music or anything that we say or do can influence anybody as far as how they vote.

KHOW: I agree.

DH: And that’s not necessarily what we’re trying to do here. We’re just trying to raise some money for a guy that we believe in.

KHOW: What did somebody once say: “Nobody can take you anyplace you don’t want to go.”

DH: Yeah, somebody said that. And, you know, I have no delusions about rock & roll music – I mean I lost those delusions back in the last 60’s/early 70’s. You know – about changing the world with music. That ain’t going to happen.

KHOW: I agree. I totally agree.

DH: As much as I love music . . .

KHOW: I wish I could talk to you . . . I think that rock & roll really did play out the civil rights struggle in this country and a lot of other issues.

DH: It helped to. It provided the soundtrack and the background for it. But as far as making any lasting changes about who is in control of this world, I don’t think rock & roll has played a very big part in it. Mainly because rock & roll artists are so naïve and detached from what’s really going on in the world.

KHOW: Yeah, yeah. I think so.

DH: Much to my frustration.

KHOW: Constantly.

DH: They don’t even understand what’s in their recording contract – much less the big picture as far as politics goes. But we’re trying to change that. We’re in Washington all the time now trying to educate Congress about how the music business works. But a lot of people had influences on me. My parents, of course; people like Bill Moyers who is a friend of mine and grew up about 30 miles down the road . . .

KHOW: Now he’s a Texas guy.

DH: He’s a Texas guy. I used to work for (tape got garbled), wrote speeches for him.

KHOW: Absolutely.

DH: Jimmy Carter. You mentioned Jimmy Carter. I think he’s gotten the worst rap or the most unfair rap of any president in U.S. history. And I think that history will bear out the fact that he’s a great man . . .

KHOW: A decent man.

DH: He’s done – I don’t know if people are familiar with what he does at the Carter Center. But he has literally changed the world – done more than any president has done in office, probably.

KHOW: I’ve met him three times and he’s incredibly decent.

DH: He’s about to turn 80 years old.

KHOW: Yeah, it’s amazing. Isn’t that? Wow.

DH: I think that history will judge him kindly . . .

KHOW: I do, too.

DH: . . . as time goes on.

KHOW: I agree with you.

DH: And, you know, a lot of writers have had influences on me. Tolstoy, Henry David Thoreau – of course . . .

KHOW: I know you saved Walden.

DH: . . . Emerson. Oh, I’m still trying to save Walden. I’ve still got a lot of work to do up there. But we’re doing ok. You know, the list goes on and on.

KHOW: Where does it go? People were talking about projections: if this happens, if that happens. Where are we headed?

DH: We’re headed for a very different world – you know – unfortunately. We’ve got terrorism to deal with. We’ve got climate change to deal with. I was talking about water earlier in this conversation. Water is going to be the major issue of this century you know – especially in states like Colorado. It’s going to be a bigger deal than oil eventually – probably – because as population increases and the industrial demand for water increases – we’re going to be fighting wars over water, probably. There are already people in court, you know, about water.

KHOW: You know the history of the West, they actually did fight.

DH: Exactly. And history repeats itself.

KHOW: Absolutely.

DH: Always. So, I’m concerned about renewable energy – as is Ken Salazar – that’s why I like him. He’s got predicable values. He cares about agricultural uses. But he’s also a forward-looking man. He cares about alternative sources of energy like (missed this word), wind power, and things like that. And those are the kinds of things we’re going to have to be thinking about. The leaders we elect to run this country are going to have to be forward-looking people to think about renewable sources of energy because we can fight wars till we’re blue in the face, but the fact is that there’s a limited amount of oil in this earth. And we’re gonna run out of it. As they say, production of oil peaked in the early 70’s – or the amount of oil that we could get. So, someday we’re not going to have oil to fight over anymore. And we’re going to have to start thinking about what we’re going to do after that. And how we’re going to run our cars and how we’re going to get electricity, and things like that.

KHOW: Need to have a break again. So you can have lunch.

DH: Ok. (Laughs).

KHOW: Wake the kids up.

DH: I’ll go out.

KHOW: You can go out and come back. Don Henley from the Eagles, kind enough to stay through the break. Tuesday the 28th they’re at the Fillmore, benefiting Ken Salazar.

BREAK

KHOW: On the line, from Texas, and he’ll be here the 28th at the Fillmore. Don Henley – and what a morning for me. We have limited time, Don, and I’d like to ask you: what is the number 1 issue you think facing our country and what do you think this year and the next year will bring?

DH: Oh boy (laughs). Well, I am sure a lot of people have their opinions about what the number 1 issue is. But I think the number 1 issue right now is security. What is currently called “homeland security.” How are we going to keep ourselves safe? And following closely behind that is what I talked about a minute ago, is energy. And the environment. Our whole economy is based on exploiting the environment. And I think we’re going to have to get used to the idea of limits, and to get used to idea of living differently – both in terms of security and in terms of energy. And we’re going to have to tighten up.

KHOW: We have a minute. What one thing would you like to tell our audience?

DH: Well, I want to recommend two books, as long as we’re having a book drive. The first one is what I mentioned earlier in this conversation, which is “What’s the Matter With Kansas?” Everybody in this country needs to read “What’s the Matter With Kansas?”. The other one is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It was first published in 1996, and it’s called “Home From Nowhere.” For all the people who are out in their cars right now struggling to get to work, and in traffic jams, and living in an urban or suburban environment, this is one of the best books ever written. “Home From Nowhere,” by James Howard Kunstler, “Remaking Our Everyday World for the 21st Century.” It deals with how we live every day. And I just want to say thanks for people supporting the Eagles for 32 years. And we’ll be back with “Farewell II” next year, perhaps.

KHOW: Hell freezes over again.

DH: (Laughs)

KHOW: I’ll tell you what. The first time I ever heard “Desperado” it was like that song Hank Williams “You wrote my life story.” How did you guys know that?

DH: Thank you.

KHOW: I’m a big fan, Don. And thank you for taking time out this morning and being with us.

DH: My pleasure.

KHOW: Don Henley of the Eagles.

 

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