Joe Walsh almost hit rock bottom because of drugs, but what saved him from it was his bandmates, Don Henley and the late Glenn Frey.
During a recent interview, the Eagles rocker talked about sobriety, music and concerts. In the discussion about the break up of the band, Walsh talked about his addiction and recalled how his bandmates saved his life from going downhill. The rocker said of the Eagles’ breakup:
“I couldn’t process that [breakup], so I pretended they didn’t, and I just kept partying. Everybody in the ‘70s experimented with drugs. But I discovered that cocaine works good for me. It was an attempt to self-medicate—I could stay up late, I could complete songs. I could go in front of an audience, and I could have an attitude, rock and roll.”
The rocker eventually came clean with a sudden realization. He shared:
“Right then is when I was hitting bottom, and I didn’t know how to stop. I was a mess. I said, ‘Well, I can get sober for that.’ That’s a darn good reason. And so it was a godsend. I was so relieved, because I thought I was going to drown in a bathtub in some hotel alone somewhere like all my buddies had.”
Walsh’s Experience With Addiction
Not only his addiction to drugs but alcohol too almost took his career. The rocker dealt with ADHD and Asperger’s syndrome all his life, in which he found ease in alcohol. After trying to play the guitar in front of a couple of people, the rocker realized alcohol eased him and stopped him from hyperventilating. After a few years, nobody wanted to work with him, according to Walsh, thus ending his relationship with alcohol.
His drug addiction started for similar reasons. After the band’s breakup, his addiction to the substances started to take over, after which he realized they were not working anymore. Eventually, instead of stopping, Walsh went on to use even more and came clean after.
Why The Eagles Broke Up
Although they have united several times since their split, the band’s break up was a shock to the fans. During their support tour for their sixth studio album, ‘The Long Run,’ the exchange between Alan Cranston and Don Felder made Glenn Frey fed up and eventually caused the band’s split.
According to Frey’s words, during Cranston’s thanks to the other members, Felder’s response to the thanks offended Frey and carried the tension on stage. After they were done with the set, Frey, in his words, knew he had to get out.
The feud wasn’t limited to the night of the show. After the night ended with a smashed guitar, the bassist Timothy Schmit called Frey the next day only to find out the Eagles were done.
