EXCLUSIVE: Eagles Fans Angered by New Documentary on the Band

The Eagles then... 

As a longtime Eagles fan and singer-songwriter who proudly recorded an album with Randy Meisner, a founding member of the legendary band, I was eagerly anticipating History of the Eagles, the authorized two-part documentary that recently debuted on Showtime. But the film, which is directed by Alison Ellwood and co-produced by Academy Award winner Alex Gibney, shines a surprisingly harsh light on Glenn Frey and Don Henley, the group's chief songwriters and self-appointed leaders. 

While accusations have circulated for years that Frey and Henley are dictators who berate their bandmates, I've repeatedly dismissed these charges as misguided critiques from clueless outsiders. I've repeatedly defended Frey and Henley as misunderstood perfectionists, not bullies.

But it's clear from this film that I've been in denial all these years. And I'm not the only Eagles fan who feels duped. While the movie is getting mostly rave reviews and there are many Eagles fans out there who love it and have said so on Eagles fan sites and social media, a number of Eagles loyalists I've interviewed tell me they feel angered and betrayed by the new doc, which includes rare concert and off-stage footage as well as new interviews with all current and former members. 

The Eagles now...

"I've heard the rumors about Glenn (Frey) and Don (Henley) being jerks, but I always thought that was just coming from people who are jealous of their wealth and fame. I guess I was wrong," says Lyle Givant, who's seen the band in concert "at least 20 times" over the last four decades. "Frey and Henley come across as two guys who have zero regret over how badly they've treated people over the years. It was hard for me to watch this documentary at times because I've loved the band for so long. I'm sure it wasn't the director's intention, but she made Frey and Henley look pretty bad. They clearly still live by the motto that the end justifies the means. If it's supposedly good for the band, screw it if people get hurt."

Leonard Novarro, another longtime fan who thinks only the Beatles are a better band then the Eagles, agrees with Givant.

"I was taken aback by this film. They (Frey and Henley) seem very egotistical and arrogant," says Novarro, who suggests that Henley and Frey acted "childishly" toward bandmate Don Felder. "They never should have fired Felder."

In one particularly troubling segment of the film, Frey and Felder almost come to blows on stage. "Felder's firing meant the end of the battling guitar duo of Felder and (Joe) Walsh, which was the greatest in rock," says Novarro. "Any musical group, rock or otherwise, is organic. It flows because of all of its parts - the songs, the instrumentation, the harmonies. To assume that because you are the person doing most of the writing that everyone else is diminished in their worth is the height of hubris. Is George Harrison worth less because his body of songwriting wasn't as extensive as Lennon-McCartney?"

As a musician, I certainly understand that no band is a true democracy. There often has to be a leader, or leaders, or things can and often do go astray. But that does not justify being a cruel tyrant. Nothing does. Meisner, who abruptly left the Eagles after the Hotel California album, was clearly affected by Frey and Henley's behavior. But Randy rarely talks about his former bandmates. In my conversations with him he's never said an unkind word about them, which I think speaks volumes about his character. 

As the film chronicles, Meisner was having trouble hitting the high notes on Take it to the Limit, one of the band's biggest hits, during his final tour with the band. Instead of being understanding and supportive, Frey and Henley evidently berated and intimidated him, and ultimately Frey, who comes across in the film as even more of a heavy than Henley, apparently just went off on Meisner, who subsequently quit at the height of the Eagles' fame.

Laurie Chatley Montgomery, an Eagles fan since the 1970s, says that while the documentary brought back many good memories for her, "I was disappointed. It seemed like Glenn (Frey) was obsessed with the power of being the leader. Joe Walsh mentioned several times Glenn did 'what was best for the Eagles,' and yet Glenn let his personal feelings get in the way when it came to Don Felder, who was great for the Eagles. After watching this documentary, I was left with a feeling of sadness because the band has such great harmonies and sings such wonderful songs together. It's sad that such hatred and jealousy can exist among them."

Of course, Felder did not go quietly after he was fired. He filed two lawsuits that were later settled out of court, and wrote a scathing tell-all book. What does Felder think of the documentary? He told Billboard recently that there were "a lot of things that weren't discussed, a lot of issues that aren't brought to the forefront. It glorified Henley and Frey's work, giving very little credit to all the other people who had worked so hard on the recordings - including Bernie (Leadon), Randy, myself, the other things people brought to the table like (producer) Bill Szymczyk."

Felder added that the documentary made it seem like "everything was fine and dandy a lot of the time, which really was not the case. There was always a lot of friction and tension going on. We had some fun times, but there were also a lot of stressful arguing and disputes and disagreements and words being thrown around - between Don and Glenn, too. They portrayed it like they'd been best buddies since '71 or something, but there's been quite a few times between them, too. So a lot of stuff was just omitted that way, I think."

Felder also told Billboard that he was surprised by "the anger that was displayed, and the bitterness, especially from Glenn. It really left me taken aback that he was still so angry about all of that, and I couldn't understand why, to tell the truth. I've been way past it for about 10 years now."

Henley said in a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock magazine that a "former member" will be returning for the Eagles' upcoming tour. Henley confirmed that it won't be Felder, which leaves either Meisner or Leadon, both of whom also left amid turmoil and hostility. It's hard to believe either one would come back to the nest without an apology from Frey or Henley. But apparently being the self-appointed leaders of the Eagles means never having to say you're sorry.