In a recent interview with Classic Rock, Al Kooper talked about Joe Walsh’s addiction period.
The musician recalled what it was like to hang out with the Eagles guitarist:
“We’ve been friends since he was in the James Gang. I toured with Joe in 1991, playing guitar and keyboards. It was a good experience, but Joe was quite high at the time. Having gone through that myself I thought it was a little sad. But he got straightened out eventually and is now clean as a whistle.”
Walsh Thought Alcohol And Drugs Helped Him
At first, Walsh drank and used drugs to deal with stage fright, and the thought of performing without alcohol scared him. He told People last year how that period was him after the Eagles broke up:
“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.”
Joe Doesn’t Drink Anymore
But in 1993, he decided to stop drinking and has been sober ever since:
“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 previously shared that getting sober was pretty hard because he thought he needed alcohol to function. He later re-learned how to do everyday tasks without relying on alcohol.
