As The Eagles added new dates to their The Long Goodbye Tour in October, Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter shared his thoughts about the ongoing farewell trek during a recent interview with Rock History Music. Explaining whether The Doobie Brothers or Steely Dan ever asked him to come back after he left both bands in the ’70s, the guitarist said:
“We did in The Doobies. We did a couple of farewell shows. You know how it is; you’re never going to do it again. I guess a manager for The Eagles said to them, when they said they’d never play together again, they said, ‘How’s 64 million apiece net sound to you?’ ‘Okay.’ I didn’t do it for the money. I’m just saying there’s motivation on all levels, and I remember doing those, and that’s about it.”
His Former Bands Go On Without Him
Baxter also commented on the comebacks of Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers after their respective breaks in the 1980s:
“Because Steely Dan really – It’s not so much a band, I think, now, as it’s a concept. It’s Donald Fagen doing whatever he does. And The Doobie Brothers, I think, wanted to go back to their kind of original roots, and certainly, it makes sense to have Michael [McDonald] do that because he was singing probably on the most successful records that The Doobie Brothers did.”
Speaking of his solo debut, ‘Speed Of Heat,’ the guitarist hinted at his unwillingness to rejoin his former bands, sharing:
“So, that’s it for me. Besides, it’s about time. How much time do you have? You know, I really wanted to do this solo project.”
Baxter’s Bands Joined The Eagles During The Farewell
Steely Dan opened for The Eagles on the latter’s The Long Goodbye Tour during its early shows but had to step down in October due to Donald Fagen’s health issues.
The Doobie Brothers replaced the band during the November dates, but The Eagles announced that Steely Dan would be back for the 2024 shows.
Meanwhile, Baxter embarked on a fall tour in support of his solo debut between November 7 and 19.
