1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: Rivals as a production of I Heart Radio. Hello everyone, 2 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:16,959 Speaker 1: Welcome to Rivals, to show about music beefs and feuds 3 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: and long simmering resentments between musicians. I'm Steve and I'm 4 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: Jordan's and it's appropriate that we conclude our three part 5 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: epic on the Eagles with a boatload of lawsuits. Today 6 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: we're gonna focus on David Geffen, the music industry Barracuda, 7 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 1: who helped launch the band with the stable of Laurel 8 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 1: Canyon Acts in the early seventies, and later on he 9 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: does battle not only with the Eagles, but also his 10 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: own protege, irving A's Off, who swooped in and smatched 11 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,319 Speaker 1: the band from his control, leading to decades of animosity. Yeah. Yeah, 12 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: It says a lot about the Eagles that we know 13 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: the names of so many of their managers, And I 14 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: think that's because, like, the Eagles were as much a 15 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: business as they were a superstar rock band. Now, I 16 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: think that's true of all superstar rock bands, but the 17 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: Eagles really didn't do anything to hide their business side. 18 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: Like when you watch the movie that we've referenced many 19 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: many times in this series documentary, The History of the Eagles, 20 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: you immediately noticed that like David Geffen and Irving Asof 21 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 1: are prominently featured. David Geffen especially is one of the 22 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: best and most colorful talking heads in that movie. Like 23 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: whenever he's on camera, I get really excited because I 24 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: know he's about to blow somebody out of the water 25 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: with a pithy put down. Yeah, Yeah, he's the best. 26 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: I mean, geffn is truly one of the most fascinating 27 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: figures of music because he has one of those quintessential 28 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: American dream stories, you know. I mean, this poor dyslexic 29 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: kid from Brooklyn wants to make it in the entertainment history, 30 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:39,479 Speaker 1: so he works his way up literally from the mail room. 31 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: Within a few years, he's a millionaire. And for the 32 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: last I think twenty years he's been a billionaire. And 33 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 1: he did it by being the meanest, toughest, shrewdest guy 34 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: on the block. Aside from perhaps Irving as Off getting 35 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: back to the Eagles, I think both men were what 36 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: the band needed at that specific moment in time. Geffen 37 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: was perfect to ingratiate them with the hip Laurel Canyon 38 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: scene in the first half the decade, and Azof was 39 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: the wild hotel trashing Arena rock manager they needed for 40 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: the Hotel California era, and the personality clashes, to say 41 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,679 Speaker 1: nothing of the legal clashes are just endlessly amusing to me. Yeah, 42 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: you know, dun Henley once referred to Irving Aidsof as Satan, 43 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: and he meant it as a compliment and Eagles compliment. 44 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 1: But I think in his heart Henley looks at David 45 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: Geffen as like an actual devil because those guys had 46 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: a very public feud that didn't end well. Of course, 47 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: nothing ever ends well in the Eagles story, but that 48 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:33,119 Speaker 1: is very, very good for us. On the Rivals podcast, 49 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 1: you know, Jordan's I'm sad that we finally reached the 50 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 1: third in concluding installment of this series, but all good 51 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: things must come to an end, and I can't wait 52 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,640 Speaker 1: to dive into the dirty business dealings of the Eagles. 53 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: So without further ado, let's get into this mess. Geffen 54 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: was born in Brooklyn and came from a long line 55 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: of deal makers. His mother apparently used to walk in 56 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: the Bloomingdale's and try to haggle with the store clerks, 57 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: which is not that kind of place. It got to 58 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,079 Speaker 1: the point where they'd roll their eyes whenever she'd walk 59 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: in it's great. Uh. She raised her boy for greatness, 60 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: calling him King David, and Uh. They were not well 61 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:11,639 Speaker 1: off when he was growing up, and she would say 62 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: to him, you better learn to love to work because 63 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:15,920 Speaker 1: we have no money, and you're gonna be working for 64 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:18,799 Speaker 1: the rest of your life. And I think those two 65 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:21,679 Speaker 1: King David, and you're gonna be working the rest of 66 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: your life because we have no money. I think those 67 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 1: two things fused in David's mind and that became the 68 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 1: Giffen that we know and love. That's what fuels him 69 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: because he was the scrawny kid. He was a bit nerdy, 70 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: and you know, he knew he was never going to 71 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: be the quarterback or the lead singer in any kind 72 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: of band. So this, coupled with his mother's workaholic streak, 73 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: helped fuel his ambition. And he would say in later years, 74 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: I'm really just a boy from Brooklyn who wishes he 75 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: was six ft tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. Now, 76 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: after high school, King David moves west to the land 77 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 1: of tall, blond people with blue eyes, California. And when 78 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: he gets there, you know, he has this idea that 79 00:03:57,640 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: he wants to be in movies. But of course he 80 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: doesn't have V star looks or a movie star talent, 81 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 1: so instead he goes into artists management, and he learns 82 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: early on basically like how to be a liar and 83 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: like to get ahead by being underhanded. And it's hilarious, 84 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 1: like when you read like magazine articles about David Geffer 85 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 1: or you watch documentaries, how often like this aspect of 86 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: his background is like romanticized and like even praised. It's 87 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 1: like quaint. It's portrayed as like quaint. Yeah, it's like 88 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,360 Speaker 1: he's not really criticized for this is always like oh wow, 89 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:28,680 Speaker 1: isn't a cute like that he learned how to be 90 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:30,960 Speaker 1: a huge liar when he was young. You know. The 91 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:32,920 Speaker 1: story that I think is like the most famous from 92 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: this period is that, as you said, you know, he 93 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:37,600 Speaker 1: applied for a job in the mail room at the 94 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: William Morris Agency, which was the big talent agency at 95 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: that time, and on his job application he lied about 96 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 1: graduating from u c. L A. Now, soon after this, 97 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 1: a colleague of Geffen's was fired for lying on his resume. 98 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: So Geffin starts to worry. Obviously, he knows that William 99 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:53,599 Speaker 1: Morris at some point is going to do a background 100 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: check on him. They're gonna ask U c l A 101 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:59,159 Speaker 1: for his transcripts, and he can't let the agency find 102 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,160 Speaker 1: out about his lies. Geffen decides that he's going to 103 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:05,599 Speaker 1: come into work early for the next six months, and 104 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: his goal is basically they like trying to intercept the 105 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,720 Speaker 1: letter that he knows is coming from U c l A. 106 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:14,239 Speaker 1: At some point. Well, one morning, the letter finally arrives 107 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: and David Geffen like steams it open, like he's like 108 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: in some like sitcom or something. I just picture, like, 109 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: you know, like a you know, an episode of like 110 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 1: Growing Pains, like where Mike Sieber is like trying to 111 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: cover up one of his scams from Alan Thick or something. 112 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,360 Speaker 1: He steams open this letter, and of course the letter 113 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: inside says that we've never heard of David Geffen. David 114 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:34,600 Speaker 1: Geffen takes that letter and he replaces it with a 115 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:37,160 Speaker 1: letter that says that they do know who he is 116 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:39,839 Speaker 1: and that you shouldn't be worried that he didn't lie 117 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 1: on his application. So this is a very elaborate scheme, 118 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: but it shows, I think the level of commitment that 119 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: David Geffen had to his own career and also his 120 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: lack of scruples, you know. He said later on in 121 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:53,279 Speaker 1: an interview that he said, like, did I have a 122 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:57,360 Speaker 1: problem with Lyne to get the job? None whatsoever. In fact, 123 00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: he said that he learned that like lying was like 124 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 1: a big part of his job. Like he said, he 125 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 1: looked around at the agents there and he said, the 126 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 1: epiphany for me at William Morris was realizing, these people 127 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: bullshit on the phone. I can bullshit on the phone too. 128 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:13,280 Speaker 1: So with that he was off and he really wanted 129 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 1: to be in the movies, but he was so young 130 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 1: that none of the film people were really going to 131 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: take him seriously, and so ultimately he was persuaded to 132 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: move into rock and roll because that's where all the 133 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: young people were, and he side acts like Jesse Culin 134 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,360 Speaker 1: young and most amusingly to me, the young bloods who 135 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: had the song you know, come on people now, smile 136 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:31,840 Speaker 1: on your brother, everybody get together, come and love one 137 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:35,480 Speaker 1: another right now, that classic hippie anthem about peace and 138 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: love and all living together in harmony. I just love 139 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,920 Speaker 1: how the band that was given that platform was David 140 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:43,480 Speaker 1: fucking Geffen, probably his far away from that kind of like, 141 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: you know, peace and love. I think that you could 142 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: possibly get. I really enjoy that, but it's perfect. He 143 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:52,279 Speaker 1: did have a tender side. Um. When he saw Laura Niro, 144 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:56,160 Speaker 1: the incredible singer songwriter bomb at the Monterey Pop Festival 145 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 1: in ninety seven, he took her aside and bonded with 146 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 1: her just sort of fragile artistic self and became her 147 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 1: partner rather than her boss. He took her under his 148 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:09,800 Speaker 1: wing and signed her to be her agent. At first, 149 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: this sort of paternal streak would endear him to all 150 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 1: sorts of sensitive artistic people around that way, before his 151 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 1: inner shark drove them away. Uh. He ultimately quit the 152 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: William Morris Agency and started his own, with Laura Niro 153 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:24,000 Speaker 1: was his first client. Yeah. An important thing about David 154 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: Geffen I think is that while he has this reputation 155 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 1: for being like this cold hearted and even like unscrupulous businessman, 156 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: I think he was also like a legitimate music fan. 157 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: Like embracing someone like Laura Nero to me suggests that 158 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: he was honestly engaged with her music. You know, like, 159 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 1: like Laura Nero was this really talented artist, but she 160 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:43,679 Speaker 1: was hardly like a conventional star, like as you said, 161 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 1: he saw her bomb at Monterey Pop. It would have 162 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: been very easy to just like let her slide out 163 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 1: of the music business at this point. But you know, 164 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 1: he could see that she was this idiosyncratic talent that 165 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:56,560 Speaker 1: needed someone like David Geffen in her corner in order 166 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: to be a success. And I think that also explains, 167 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 1: you know, along with that sensitivity, that paternal aspect that 168 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 1: you were talking about before. I think that that genuine 169 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: music fandom is like why artists were also drawn to him, Like, yeah, 170 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: he was a shark, but he was a shark with 171 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 1: like legitimately good taste and talent. Yeah. I think Neil 172 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: Young would later say what it would endeared him to 173 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 1: Geffen was Geffen said that he loved the song on 174 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 1: the Way Home, the Buffalo Springfield song. I mean, he 175 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: knew the music. It wasn't just like he knew that 176 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:23,040 Speaker 1: these guys want to make him a lot of money. 177 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 1: He genuinely loved them. Geffen had a bit of a 178 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:30,200 Speaker 1: rivalry at the stage with another young agent named Elliott Roberts, 179 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:32,760 Speaker 1: who was managing Joni Mitchell, and there was a bit 180 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 1: of a like your girl, my girl thing between you know, 181 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 1: Joni and Laura. But when Roberts was recruited to untangle Crosby, 182 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 1: Stills and Nash's solo contracts so they could record together. 183 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 1: He called on David Geffen for help, because Geffen had 184 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: a better head for these kind of contractual things. Uh. 185 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:51,319 Speaker 1: And soon they formed their own management team, Geff and Roberts, 186 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:53,839 Speaker 1: which sort of became the official management team of the 187 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 1: Laurel Canyon crowd. I mean all those incredible artists that 188 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: Crosby Stills, Nation Young Crew, Johnny Mitchell, like you mentioned, 189 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,439 Speaker 1: Jackson Brown. Uh, so many folks. It was the place 190 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:04,840 Speaker 1: you wanted to be. It was like a sort of 191 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,559 Speaker 1: alternative company where where contracts didn't exist. It was all 192 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: you know, the the hippie ethic of like it's all 193 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:14,480 Speaker 1: about your word. Well, Geffen in later years I would say, 194 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:16,439 Speaker 1: I think it was in a documentary about his life 195 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 1: he would say, oh, yeah, they didn't want to be 196 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:20,440 Speaker 1: with us who wanted them? So as far as he 197 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: was concerned, Uh, it was less about sort of the 198 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: hippie side. That was more Elliott Roberts, and he was 199 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 1: more just like, they want to be here, fine, screw him. 200 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,079 Speaker 1: It was and their dynamic Elliot Roberts and Geffen. It 201 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:33,840 Speaker 1: was a total good cop bad cop. I mean, Roberts 202 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: was the house hippie and Geffen was working the phones 203 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 1: and ensuring that these insensitive artist types were financially set 204 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 1: for life. It was a really great combo. Now, at 205 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:44,520 Speaker 1: this time, David Geffen was like hanging out a lot 206 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: at the Trouper Door looking for new talent basically that 207 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 1: they could sign up to the Elliott Roberts agency. And 208 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 1: you know, we've talked a lot about the Trouper Door 209 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:53,640 Speaker 1: in this series, and of course, you know, it was 210 00:09:53,679 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: this bar that was like the hub of like the 211 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: l A rock scene in the late sixties and early seventies. 212 00:09:58,320 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 1: And it's really like we're like a lot of the 213 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:03,079 Speaker 1: as associated with David Geffen and Elliott Roberts started That bar. 214 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:05,120 Speaker 1: Also reminds me of like one of my favorite David 215 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 1: Geffen documentary appearances, which takes place in this like really 216 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 1: great BBC movie called From the Birds to the Eagles. 217 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 1: Like you can find that on YouTube. Sometimes you might 218 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 1: have to do like a bit of a Google search 219 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,960 Speaker 1: for it, but it is a great documentary about the 220 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:23,560 Speaker 1: Little Canyon scene and how it changed as the seventies progressed, 221 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 1: and there's a scene in the movie like where David 222 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 1: Geffen is telling the story about how he wanted to 223 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: book the Folks singer named David Blue at the Trooper 224 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 1: Door and the club's owner, Doug Weston refused, and Geffen says, 225 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:37,199 Speaker 1: if you don't book him, I'll start my own club, 226 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:40,079 Speaker 1: and Weston says, you think you can start your own club? 227 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:43,440 Speaker 1: And Geffen says a club. Yeah, I think I can 228 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:47,080 Speaker 1: start a club. That is dead on by the way, 229 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:48,959 Speaker 1: the way he says that it's great, Like he's so 230 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:52,160 Speaker 1: indignant that like someone would think that he couldn't operate 231 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 1: a club. It's like, who do you think I am. 232 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:55,559 Speaker 1: I'm David Geffen. Of course I can run a club. 233 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:58,720 Speaker 1: Doug Weston apparently says fuck you to David Geffen and 234 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: hangs up the phone, which is the wrong thing to 235 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:02,959 Speaker 1: say to David Geffin, Like you do not want to 236 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 1: get on David Geffin's bad side, because he then proceeds 237 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 1: to actually start his own club, which is called the Roxy, 238 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,200 Speaker 1: and then that becomes the new hip club in l 239 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: A in the back half of the seventies. This story, 240 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 1: to me, it's kind of similar to I think what 241 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 1: happened a few years earlier with Asylum Records, which was 242 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,440 Speaker 1: the record label that David Geffen ends up starting, because 243 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: the genesis of that is that David Geffin discovered this 244 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:29,440 Speaker 1: singer songwriter, very handsome guy named Jackson Brown, that he 245 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: believed in, and he actually ended up taking him to 246 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,200 Speaker 1: Atlantic Records, and the head of that label, very famous 247 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:38,400 Speaker 1: guy named Ahmed Urigan, turned him down and he instead 248 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: encourage David Guffin to start his own label. And Urigan 249 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:43,559 Speaker 1: basically said, this guy can make you a lot of money. 250 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 1: I have a lot of money, so why don't you 251 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: start a label so you can have a lot of money, 252 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:51,040 Speaker 1: Which sound advice. That's a great quote. I've been waiting 253 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: my whole life for someone to say something like that 254 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 1: to me. Like I wish I could walk into Ahmed 255 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,960 Speaker 1: Uragan's office and he could say that, you know, I 256 00:11:58,040 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 1: have a lot of money, now you should make a 257 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:03,120 Speaker 1: lot of money. So, just like in the nightclub example, 258 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: Geffen goes out, he starts his own business and creates 259 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: Asylum Records, which becomes immediately I feel like the hippest 260 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:14,640 Speaker 1: record label of the early nineteen seventies. The lineup for 261 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:19,400 Speaker 1: Asylum included Joni Mitchell, Jackson Brown, Linda Ronstat, Tom Wait's, 262 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:22,640 Speaker 1: Judy Sill, and of course the Eagles. But I think 263 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: the artist that he was really counting on being on 264 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 1: this label, which his like original love in terms of 265 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: like a manager client relationship, and that was Laura Nero. 266 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:33,199 Speaker 1: And Laura actually did not sign with him. She signed 267 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:36,760 Speaker 1: with Columbia. And this was just like a terrible event 268 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:38,920 Speaker 1: for David Geffen. He's talked in later years about how 269 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 1: he really felt hurt by this, and you kind of 270 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,680 Speaker 1: feel like, Okay, this represents the point where David Geffen 271 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 1: is going full on shark, like, if there was any 272 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:51,680 Speaker 1: heart in him before this, it's been broken and now 273 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:54,079 Speaker 1: he's never going to let an artist break his heart again. 274 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:57,160 Speaker 1: So it's really full steam ahead on like David Geffen 275 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:00,319 Speaker 1: being wholly self interested at this point. And to Brown, 276 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:02,160 Speaker 1: as you mentioned, plays a crucial role in the story, 277 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:05,120 Speaker 1: not only as the catalyst for Asylum Records, but he 278 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 1: also tells Geffen about another group of guys who lived 279 00:13:07,559 --> 00:13:10,000 Speaker 1: upstairs from him and they had a band called Long 280 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 1: Branch Penny Whistle, and Jackson Brown said, oh yeah, these 281 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 1: guys are pretty good. Should check them out, and that 282 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:17,840 Speaker 1: was Glen Fry and j D. Souther. Uh. Geffen liked 283 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 1: the musicians and he liked their sounds so much that 284 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:22,240 Speaker 1: he bought their recording tract out from there, the small 285 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 1: label that they were on, Namos Records, out of his 286 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:27,800 Speaker 1: own pocket, and he thought j D could hack it 287 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 1: as a solo guy. But he tells Glen Fry, you know, 288 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: you really need a band. So Glenn teams up with 289 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 1: Don Henley and ultimately Randy Miser and Bernie Lendon to 290 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 1: become the Eagles. The Eagles, particularly Don Henley and Glenn Fry, 291 00:13:39,679 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 1: were part of this sort of new breed of rock 292 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:46,520 Speaker 1: and roll band who understood the business side and they demanded, 293 00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:48,640 Speaker 1: you know, what they thought was their fair share of 294 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:51,200 Speaker 1: the financial action. This was years after, you know, in 295 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:53,319 Speaker 1: the late fifties and early sixties, when artists were getting 296 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:55,320 Speaker 1: ripped off left right in the center. They knew what 297 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 1: was up, and they knew it was entitled to him. 298 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:00,760 Speaker 1: And this was attractive to Geffen. That least at first 299 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:02,800 Speaker 1: he knew that he was gonna be fighting with these 300 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 1: artists too, you know, actually uh make a profit. He 301 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 1: knew that they were going to really lean into the 302 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:10,760 Speaker 1: business side. And Geffen would say years later the Eagles 303 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 1: weren't gonna fail. It was a group that was put 304 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:16,559 Speaker 1: together with clear intentions, So it wasn't gonna be like 305 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 1: years later with Neil Young when he's wrestling with Neil 306 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:20,880 Speaker 1: to try to make a commercial product. He knew that 307 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:23,000 Speaker 1: the Eagles were on his side from that standpoint, and 308 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 1: they were going to together make a lot of money. 309 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 1: It's interesting when the four musicians did meet with Geffen 310 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:31,640 Speaker 1: in his very fancy office, all three of the musicians 311 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 1: deferred to the more experienced and more direct Bernie Leaden 312 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:37,800 Speaker 1: laden made the pitch, so you want us or not, 313 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 1: which I thought was I'm sure Geffen appreciated that that bluntness, 314 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:46,160 Speaker 1: although despite Bernie's bluster, Glenn would later admit that, you know, 315 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:49,120 Speaker 1: they would have done anything to sign on on Geffen's roster. 316 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:50,880 Speaker 1: I mean, as we said earlier, that was the place 317 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:53,480 Speaker 1: to be at this time. Yeah, And the appeal of 318 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: Silent Records again was that it was this label that 319 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,720 Speaker 1: was very artists oriented. That you know that the name 320 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 1: of the label was supposed to suggest, you know, a sanctuary, 321 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: that this was a place that you could go and 322 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 1: you would be protected from the usual pressures that like 323 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: bands have to deal with when they're first getting started 324 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: in their music career. And you know, Geffen his sales 325 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 1: pitch of the Eagles was basically like, you worry about 326 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: the music and I'll take care of everything else. And 327 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: there's this story that's been told about how apparently like Geffen, 328 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 1: Henley and Fry were in a sauna together and like, 329 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 1: which is great. I mean, I'm just picturing this right now. 330 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: These three guys are in a sauna together, and like 331 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: Geffen's picture them was basically like, this company will never 332 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 1: be bigger than as many people as you can fit 333 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:42,200 Speaker 1: in this sauna. And uh, it's a very seventies rock metaphor. 334 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: By the way, I love the idea of like lining 335 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:46,600 Speaker 1: the size of your company to a sauna. You know. 336 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 1: I just picture like Harry guys with like gold chains, 337 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: sweating a lot and you know, just doing business in 338 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:55,920 Speaker 1: this environment. It's a very funny and also it's like 339 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 1: slightly like gross image to me. But again, the idea 340 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: here was that this was not typical record label that 341 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:03,120 Speaker 1: like you could make the records that you would want 342 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: to make. And yeah, like they all wanted to be successful. 343 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 1: But I think again like there was that combination of 344 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:11,640 Speaker 1: like Geffen being this great businessman, but also having an 345 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: appreciation for the art, like the artist that he was 346 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:15,960 Speaker 1: bringing onto his label. At least at this time, we're 347 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: all people that he personally liked, and I think that 348 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:22,840 Speaker 1: belief in the Eagles music as well as his thinking 349 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 1: that these guys should actually be commercially successful, really led 350 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 1: Geffen like to give the Eagles, I think, the hands 351 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: on treatment early on in their career. And we've talked 352 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: about this in our previous episodes, but like Geffen was 353 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 1: instrumental and shipping the Eagles off to Aspen before they 354 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 1: made their first record to basically like get their act together, 355 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 1: you know, into into you know, jel was a band, 356 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:44,120 Speaker 1: and get a good repertoire going. He was also a 357 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: big part in bringing Glenn John's into into the fold. 358 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: You know, we've talked in our previous episodes about how 359 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:53,000 Speaker 1: Glenn John's initially wasn't that impressed by the Eagles and 360 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,360 Speaker 1: didn't want to work with them, But Geffen was the 361 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: person that was really kind of pushing to get Glenn 362 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,920 Speaker 1: John's into the band, and that really ended up paying 363 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 1: off on the first Eagles record came out in nineteen 364 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,640 Speaker 1: seventy two, the self titled debut, which spawned those three 365 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:08,720 Speaker 1: big hits that we've talked about in another episodes, take 366 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 1: It Easy, Witchy Woman, and Peaceful, Easy Feeling, and really 367 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:14,080 Speaker 1: got the Eagles going in their career, and Geffer really 368 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:15,440 Speaker 1: did a lot for them, and he went to bat 369 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:19,000 Speaker 1: for them when they wanted to make their mature concept record, Desperado. 370 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:20,840 Speaker 1: He let the band have their way and agreed to 371 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:24,239 Speaker 1: bankroll this like really kind of expensive undertaking, including all 372 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:27,080 Speaker 1: the artwork with all the elaborate Western costumes and stuff, 373 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:30,160 Speaker 1: and he even he helped the band find this common look, 374 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: this western outlaw theme. Geffen saw the band is like 375 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:38,120 Speaker 1: sort of this mystical Americana type group that he thought 376 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:40,360 Speaker 1: was just perfect for branding. He thought it was it 377 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 1: was just a great marketing opportunity really because it just 378 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:46,800 Speaker 1: sort of symbolized this American sense of freedom. But around 379 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:50,440 Speaker 1: the same time, the band we're starting to really become 380 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:53,520 Speaker 1: more disillusioned with Geffen. They would say that Henley would say, 381 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:56,320 Speaker 1: were this album was us rebelling against the music business, 382 00:17:56,359 --> 00:17:59,639 Speaker 1: not society, And there's a famous back cover when the 383 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:02,679 Speaker 1: band they're all looking like dead outlaws, all strung up 384 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:05,240 Speaker 1: up at the feet, and then behind them are standing 385 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:08,199 Speaker 1: all these guys dressed as the law who you know 386 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:10,560 Speaker 1: in the concept of the album art looked like they 387 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:13,120 Speaker 1: just like took them down. And it's all their their 388 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 1: industry people, it's all their managers, and Glenn John's is 389 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: there too, So it's definitely that you can sense that 390 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: kind of resentment setting in around Desperado, and they were 391 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:23,959 Speaker 1: annoyed with Geffen because they thought he was giving too 392 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: much attention to other groups, one of them being America, 393 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: which they the band America, which they thought was sort 394 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:33,680 Speaker 1: of in their lane. This American a loving harmony group, 395 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: and also Poco, who were both signed to Asylum without 396 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:39,240 Speaker 1: the Eagles consent, and they thought that this was hitting 397 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:41,080 Speaker 1: a little too close to them and kind of like 398 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:44,119 Speaker 1: their lane was getting infringed on. And when Desperado tanked, 399 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:48,040 Speaker 1: Glenn John's blamed Geffen, saying he was too distracted trying 400 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: to sign Bob Dylan, which would have been you know, 401 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: a massive coup at the time, then actually focusing on 402 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 1: his clients. So you have the Eagles starting to feel 403 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,119 Speaker 1: discontent with David Geffen, and then you have David Geffen 404 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:02,560 Speaker 1: also feeling this content with being a manager at this time, 405 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:04,879 Speaker 1: you know, and he's talked about how he was basically 406 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:08,399 Speaker 1: like protecting his artists, and this is a term that 407 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 1: he used, a river of ship, you know, from coming 408 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:12,560 Speaker 1: down out of them. Like he felt like he was 409 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:15,480 Speaker 1: like the bulwark from that river of ship consuming his clients. 410 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:18,160 Speaker 1: And you know, he was around like watching all these 411 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:21,720 Speaker 1: great artists basically succumbed to like drugs and paranoia as 412 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:24,159 Speaker 1: like the early seventies became the mid seventies, and he 413 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:26,280 Speaker 1: really felt like he was like their babysitter, and I 414 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:28,200 Speaker 1: think he got a little burned out with it. So 415 00:19:28,359 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 1: this was around the time that like Warners became interested 416 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:33,720 Speaker 1: in buying Asylum records, and when they made an offer, 417 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:36,080 Speaker 1: David get basically just jumped at the chance. He got 418 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 1: offered two million dollars in cash and five million dollars 419 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:41,680 Speaker 1: in Warner stock, plus the opportunity to stay on at 420 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:44,000 Speaker 1: the label as president. So this is like a great 421 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:47,280 Speaker 1: deal for David Geffen, but the artists on his label 422 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:50,359 Speaker 1: were not pleased that Geffen did this. He basically broke 423 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 1: his sauna promise. You know, this was many more people 424 00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:56,639 Speaker 1: than could even fit in like the world's biggest sauna 425 00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 1: at this point, and the Eagles were especially volc about 426 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 1: like feeling displeased because, you know, they wanted to be 427 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,320 Speaker 1: on Asylum because they thought it was like a different 428 00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: kind of record label. They thought they would be protected from, 429 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:11,080 Speaker 1: you know, the sort of normal corporate pressures that like 430 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:12,919 Speaker 1: most artists would have to deal with, and you know, 431 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:15,400 Speaker 1: and Don Henley later said, you know, Asylum was an 432 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:18,159 Speaker 1: artist oriented label for about a minute and then the 433 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:20,920 Speaker 1: big money showed up, and then after that pretty much 434 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 1: everything changed. So they were upset about that. And I 435 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 1: think this was also around the time that they also, 436 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: i think realized that they didn't know as much about 437 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:29,920 Speaker 1: business as they thought they did, Like, they started looking 438 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:32,280 Speaker 1: at their deal and realizing, like a lot of bands 439 00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:34,840 Speaker 1: that like, they were kind of getting ripped off by 440 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,280 Speaker 1: David Geffen. So they're starting to reach a breaking point 441 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:39,879 Speaker 1: basically in their relationship with him. Yea, not only did 442 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:42,400 Speaker 1: they feel betrayed, but they realized that their hands were timing. 443 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:46,679 Speaker 1: Geffen was their manager, their publisher, and record company, so 444 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:50,320 Speaker 1: there was no just no negotiation no phone call, no warning. 445 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:52,360 Speaker 1: I mean, he owned them, and they woke up and 446 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:54,720 Speaker 1: according to what I've read, they just read about it 447 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 1: in the paper. Uh, and Henley would say, to be 448 00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 1: sold like a commodity like pork belly or soybeans. Didn't 449 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:04,600 Speaker 1: sit right. And Geffen offered no words of apology whatsoever. 450 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:06,359 Speaker 1: I mean, he was fond of telling his acts, we 451 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,479 Speaker 1: are not partners. He didn't care about this blatant conflict 452 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:12,119 Speaker 1: of interest that he was managing a band that was 453 00:21:12,119 --> 00:21:14,120 Speaker 1: signed to his own label and he owned they're publishing. 454 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:15,840 Speaker 1: He didn't care at all. Yeah, I guess he like 455 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: got like half the money basically from the Eagles publishing, 456 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:20,720 Speaker 1: as he did from like all of his artists. But 457 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,399 Speaker 1: like around this time, like he actually gave his half 458 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:27,240 Speaker 1: of Jackson Brown's publishing back to Jackson because he felt 459 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 1: that he owed Jackson Brown because Jackson Brown you know, 460 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:31,400 Speaker 1: had been like one of his early artists. He had 461 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:34,160 Speaker 1: like hooked Geffen up with the Eagles and like other artists, 462 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: so you know, as a sign of goodwill, he gave 463 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: Jackson Brown all this publishing. But unfortunately for David Geffen, 464 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:42,520 Speaker 1: Jackson Brown told the Eagles about this and Uh, they 465 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:44,879 Speaker 1: were not happy about it because it's like, why does 466 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:46,880 Speaker 1: he get half of his publishing back, We should get 467 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:49,919 Speaker 1: all of our publishing as well. Whereas I think David Geffin, 468 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:51,600 Speaker 1: like when he heard about this, he just felt like 469 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:54,119 Speaker 1: the Eagles were being ungrateful, you know, because again, as 470 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,320 Speaker 1: we said before, like David Geffen was instrumental and like 471 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: setting up the Eagles. He had kind of positioned them 472 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:03,920 Speaker 1: to be like this big American rock band, and without him, 473 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:05,959 Speaker 1: I think it's fair like when you look at it 474 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:08,080 Speaker 1: from his perspective that without Geffen, I don't know if 475 00:22:08,119 --> 00:22:10,720 Speaker 1: the Eagles would have been as successful. On the other hand, 476 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:13,719 Speaker 1: I don't know if Geffen could have sold Asylum records 477 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,080 Speaker 1: for as much money as he did were it not 478 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,159 Speaker 1: for the success of the Eagles, Like we're one of 479 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:21,440 Speaker 1: the biggest acts on the label at this time. So yeah, 480 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:23,000 Speaker 1: we're in a pretty bad place right now in terms 481 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:25,480 Speaker 1: of like David Geffin's relationship with the Eagles. We're gonna 482 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: take a quick break to get a word from our 483 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: sponsor before we get to more rivals. As you said earlier, 484 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:42,760 Speaker 1: when he saw Asylum at this point, he just didn't 485 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:45,040 Speaker 1: want to be in the in the management business anymore. 486 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:47,480 Speaker 1: He was just tired of dealing with these people, Henley 487 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 1: would say in the History of the Eagles documentary, Geffen 488 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: was just tired of the responsibility and burden of making 489 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:56,640 Speaker 1: people happy. And this opens the door for a young, 490 00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:00,119 Speaker 1: ambitious Geff and Roberts employee named Irving azo. Yes, and 491 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:03,359 Speaker 1: Irving Azof has so many great nicknames. He's known as 492 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:06,960 Speaker 1: Big Shorty, He's known as the Poison Dwarf favorite. He's 493 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,960 Speaker 1: known just as Satan. He's been called Satan before. Uh, 494 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:12,720 Speaker 1: you know, kind of reminds me of like that part 495 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:16,119 Speaker 1: and walk hard. Like how Dewey Cox has so many nicknames, 496 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:18,920 Speaker 1: Irving Azof is second only the Dewey Cox in terms 497 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:23,040 Speaker 1: of colorful nicknames. Irving Azof got his start in the Midwest. 498 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:26,400 Speaker 1: He was a manager of the band Ario Speedwagon, who 499 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,000 Speaker 1: was like one of the big Middle American acts at 500 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:31,199 Speaker 1: that time. When he started to have some success with 501 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:33,359 Speaker 1: that band, he decided that it was time to leave 502 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:36,680 Speaker 1: the Midwest and move out to the West Coast. And 503 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:38,960 Speaker 1: when he was out there, he started getting involved in management. 504 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:41,639 Speaker 1: He worked with the artist Dan Fogelberg. He got hooked 505 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:44,200 Speaker 1: up with Joe Walsh. He's moving up the ladder in 506 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:46,160 Speaker 1: the rock scene, and that brings him into the orbit 507 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:49,919 Speaker 1: of like the Geffen Roberts world. And uh, once he 508 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:53,960 Speaker 1: gets into that company, he realizes right away that the 509 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:57,159 Speaker 1: Eagles are not happy. And because Irving as Off, like 510 00:23:57,280 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 1: David Geffen, is a shark and he could smell blood 511 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 1: in the water, he zeroes in on the Eagles and 512 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:04,879 Speaker 1: he realizes that there's an opportunity here for him to. Uh. 513 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:08,120 Speaker 1: Maybe you served David Geffen, and I think the difference 514 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 1: here and you spoke to this earlier that you know, 515 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,280 Speaker 1: I think David Geffen was good for the Eagles early on, 516 00:24:13,359 --> 00:24:16,240 Speaker 1: because again, he was more of a paternal figure. You know, 517 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:18,200 Speaker 1: he could take this band under his wing and really 518 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:20,640 Speaker 1: nurture them when they were a baby band and they 519 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:22,880 Speaker 1: needed to sort of grow and figure out who they were. 520 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:25,000 Speaker 1: But you know, by the mid seventies, the Eagles were 521 00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:28,640 Speaker 1: a fully fledged entity. And I think that really opened 522 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:30,560 Speaker 1: the door for someone like Irving as Off, who was 523 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:33,439 Speaker 1: you know, closer to the age of the guys in 524 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:35,399 Speaker 1: the band. And he was also a guy that like 525 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:38,520 Speaker 1: would actually like party with the band. Like there's a 526 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:40,920 Speaker 1: story about David Geffen that I love, where like he 527 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:45,040 Speaker 1: had tickets to go to Woodstock, but he was watching 528 00:24:45,119 --> 00:24:47,800 Speaker 1: like footage of the festival with Joni Mitchell on television, 529 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:50,520 Speaker 1: and he decided that it was too dirty, So like 530 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 1: he didn't go to Woodstock for that reason. Irving is Off, however, 531 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:57,359 Speaker 1: like loved to get dirty. Like he was a guy 532 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,320 Speaker 1: who would actually like get in the mix with people 533 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 1: like Joe Walsh and like trash hotel rooms and like 534 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:06,480 Speaker 1: mess around with groupies and do all the things that 535 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 1: rock stars good to do. And I feel like he 536 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:12,479 Speaker 1: probably really relished that because if he wasn't a rock manager, Like, 537 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:14,920 Speaker 1: there's no way Irving AI's Off could have done any 538 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:17,919 Speaker 1: of that stuff. Again, he was the poison dwarf, you know. 539 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:21,879 Speaker 1: I feel like he's like the nerdy guy that somehow 540 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:24,719 Speaker 1: gets accepted by the cool kid click, which allows him 541 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:26,920 Speaker 1: to do all these sort of wonderful things that under 542 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:29,520 Speaker 1: normal circumstances he would never get to do. My favorite 543 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: Irving as Off stories when he was at some really 544 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:34,679 Speaker 1: fancy restaurant in Los Angeles or Beverly Hills, Spago's or 545 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 1: something like that, and he thought that the service was 546 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:38,640 Speaker 1: lacking and he wasn't getting the attention that he was due, 547 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 1: so he set his menu on fire and just waved 548 00:25:41,119 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: it around. I feel like that image of him and 549 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:46,959 Speaker 1: a fancy restaurant holding a flaming menu aloft is just 550 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:48,320 Speaker 1: to me what I think of when I think of 551 00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:51,240 Speaker 1: Irving as off. Yeah, just like you know, brazen ass 552 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:54,159 Speaker 1: whole behavior basically, you know, which is like, in a 553 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:57,080 Speaker 1: way kind of lovable in this context. Like I have 554 00:25:57,160 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 1: a weakness for like knowingly sleazy music figures, you know, 555 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:04,560 Speaker 1: like people in the music business who like don't make 556 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:07,880 Speaker 1: any apologies for just being the absolute worst. Like there's 557 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,159 Speaker 1: something kind of attractive like about that for me, Like 558 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 1: I wouldn't want them in my life, but if they're 559 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:15,359 Speaker 1: in a movie or if I'm reading about them, I 560 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:18,119 Speaker 1: just find it irresistible. And yeah, like Irving is Off 561 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:20,040 Speaker 1: and David Geffin are like at the top of like 562 00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:25,159 Speaker 1: the knowing sleeves bag music industry list. And once Geffen 563 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: sells Asylum and starts to back away from management, Irving 564 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:32,280 Speaker 1: just starts to fill this power vacuum in the Eagles 565 00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:35,199 Speaker 1: life and given gives them the attention that they saw it, 566 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,800 Speaker 1: and he alerts them to the numerous conflicts of interest 567 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:41,639 Speaker 1: in their Geffen Roberts song on records legal quagmire, and 568 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 1: so eventually he founds his own management firm, Frontline, which 569 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:47,159 Speaker 1: became basically the second half of the seventies what Geffen's 570 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 1: Roberts was to the first. They signed Jimmy Buffett, Chicago, Steely, 571 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:53,720 Speaker 1: Dan Boz Scaggs. And his first order of business as 572 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:56,400 Speaker 1: the Eagles manager is to get the Eagles back there publishing, 573 00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: and in doing so, he takes Geffen and Warner Brothers 574 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 1: to court UH alleging conflict of interest, and he saw 575 00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:05,600 Speaker 1: some ten million dollars in damages, and geffn claimed the 576 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 1: suit was a quote bullshit issue designed to extract the 577 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:11,800 Speaker 1: new deal lot of Warners, and he said that he 578 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:14,000 Speaker 1: gave Henley the half that he'd been own in the 579 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:16,399 Speaker 1: first place, after buying out, you know, his early record 580 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,040 Speaker 1: contract when he first became his manager in the early seventies. 581 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,879 Speaker 1: It took two years of legal headaches. UH Warreners eventually 582 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:25,280 Speaker 1: settled out of court and the Eagles got their copyrights. 583 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:28,000 Speaker 1: I think at this point Geffen just mostly wanted to 584 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:30,520 Speaker 1: be rid of the band. Gevin would later say Irving 585 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:32,479 Speaker 1: as off went about his career in a way that 586 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 1: I didn't approve of. He thought it was good to 587 00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 1: create distance between the clients and the record companies. He 588 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:40,840 Speaker 1: created a sense of paranoia, and I always resented the 589 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:43,639 Speaker 1: fact that he was responsible for two of the only 590 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:46,480 Speaker 1: three lawsuits I've ever had in my life, one with 591 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:49,040 Speaker 1: the Eagles and one with Don Henley. It's amazing was 592 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:52,200 Speaker 1: only three, I know exactly. That seems like a low number. 593 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:54,200 Speaker 1: I would have like put it at like thirty at 594 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:56,840 Speaker 1: least with David geffin. But yeah, this is now the 595 00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:59,879 Speaker 1: period like where there's like open animosity between David Geffen 596 00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 1: in the Eagles camp. But something then happens that like 597 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:06,399 Speaker 1: the Eagles are initially upset about, but it ends up 598 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:10,280 Speaker 1: being just a huge boon for their career, which is uh, 599 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:13,199 Speaker 1: David Geffen, who again he's at Warners now and he 600 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:15,480 Speaker 1: decides that he wants to put out the greatest hits 601 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:18,000 Speaker 1: record for the Eagles, And you know, you look at 602 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:19,520 Speaker 1: it at the time and it was kind of like 603 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,320 Speaker 1: a strange move to do this because the Eagles, you know, 604 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:25,040 Speaker 1: they've only been around for like, you know, like three years. 605 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:27,480 Speaker 1: They had like four albums to their credit. They had 606 00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:30,479 Speaker 1: just put out like their most successful album up to 607 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:33,800 Speaker 1: that point, which was One of These Nights. In It's 608 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:36,760 Speaker 1: not really like a moment that you would expect for 609 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,640 Speaker 1: like the Greatest Hits record to come out normally, that 610 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: is like at the end of a band's career, not 611 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:44,600 Speaker 1: in the middle. And I think for the Eagles that's 612 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:46,600 Speaker 1: why they took offense to this. You know, I think 613 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:49,240 Speaker 1: artists in general kind of dread when their Greatest Hits 614 00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:50,959 Speaker 1: record comes out, because I think they take it as 615 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:53,040 Speaker 1: a sign that they're on their way out the door. 616 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:56,080 Speaker 1: But I think for the Eagles especially, you know, it 617 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:58,640 Speaker 1: was a warranted feeling, like, you know, we don't need 618 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 1: the Greatest Hits treatment at this point. Besides, you know, 619 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:03,280 Speaker 1: we believe in the sanctity of our albums. We want 620 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: people to revisit Desperado and One of These Nights and 621 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,360 Speaker 1: on the Border. But Geffen goes forward with the Greatest 622 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:13,160 Speaker 1: Hits record anyway. It comes out in seventy six. It's 623 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:16,240 Speaker 1: of course called their Greatest Hits nineteen seventy one to 624 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:19,760 Speaker 1: seventy five, and look, we've talked about it on this show, 625 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:21,800 Speaker 1: but like this is one of the biggest albums of 626 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:25,320 Speaker 1: all time. It was actually certified the best selling record 627 00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 1: of the twentieth century. It's sold more copies than Thriller. 628 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:30,400 Speaker 1: You know, just a huge success, and it really set 629 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:32,520 Speaker 1: up the Eagles as they were getting ready to put 630 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:34,959 Speaker 1: out Hotel California. It's like, once they put out that 631 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 1: record in conjunction with this Greatest Hits record, it really 632 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:42,040 Speaker 1: just sent the Eagles into a whole new stratosphere. Where again, 633 00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:45,200 Speaker 1: this was a band that, for I think eighteen months 634 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:47,800 Speaker 1: was selling one million records per month, you know. Between 635 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:50,800 Speaker 1: Hotel California and this Greatest Hits record, I have to 636 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,480 Speaker 1: say to that, Like, you know, I'm an album purist myself, 637 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,600 Speaker 1: so I tend to avoid Greatest Hits records as a 638 00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:59,200 Speaker 1: rule because I think albums tend to stand better on 639 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:03,000 Speaker 1: their own it. I revisited their Greatest Hits for this series, 640 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:06,920 Speaker 1: and I gotta say that it is extremely well assembled. 641 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:09,800 Speaker 1: Like the way that it's sequenced I think is really smart. 642 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:12,920 Speaker 1: Like it's not just in chronological order, like it's actually 643 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:16,360 Speaker 1: structured in terms of flow. And I don't know how 644 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:19,240 Speaker 1: much input Geffen head on that, but like I really 645 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:21,840 Speaker 1: think that like their Greatest Hits is like probably better 646 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,680 Speaker 1: than any Eagles album. Like, with a lot of Greatest 647 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:28,440 Speaker 1: Hits record you always feel like, oh I missed cut Yeah, yeah, 648 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:30,840 Speaker 1: like I missed these kind of other songs that weren't hits. 649 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:33,480 Speaker 1: I never get that feeling listening to the Greatest Hits record, 650 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:36,200 Speaker 1: Like I feel like, oh, this is all you really 651 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:39,040 Speaker 1: need from the Eagles, so kind of against their will, 652 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:42,200 Speaker 1: Geffen gave the Eagles like this great gift. And this 653 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:44,040 Speaker 1: is just one of the many reasons why you should 654 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:47,640 Speaker 1: never question David Geffen in a matter of music business. 655 00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 1: I mean so after he he tosses off the best 656 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:53,680 Speaker 1: selling album of the twentieth century. Uh. In the late seventies, 657 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:57,000 Speaker 1: when the Eagles are going through their Hotel California renaissance, UH, 658 00:30:57,120 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 1: Gevin is actually backed away from the music industry to 659 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:02,720 Speaker 1: pursue his long time dream in films, in the film industry. 660 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:05,200 Speaker 1: And it's sort of an ill fate adventure. And it's 661 00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:09,280 Speaker 1: made even worse by this freak false cancer diagnosis and 662 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:11,000 Speaker 1: for a few years at the end of the seventies, 663 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:13,719 Speaker 1: he believed he was about to die, which still blows 664 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:16,640 Speaker 1: my mind that that was able to happen. I think 665 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:18,440 Speaker 1: in around nineteen eighty he learned that it was a 666 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:21,080 Speaker 1: false positive test and he was not going to die. 667 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,080 Speaker 1: And soon after he gets back into rock and roll 668 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:27,640 Speaker 1: and he found Geffen Records and immediately starts pursuing huge 669 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:32,040 Speaker 1: name artist John Lennon, John Joni Mitchell, uh and another 670 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 1: Geffen's Robert's mate Neil Young, and the ultimately led to 671 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:38,880 Speaker 1: the third of Geffen's allegedly three lawsuits. Uh. And it's 672 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:41,400 Speaker 1: possibly my favorite of the three. Can we get a 673 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 1: fact check on that three? By the way, I still 674 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:46,840 Speaker 1: I still feel like David Geffen's lying here. There's gonna 675 00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:49,920 Speaker 1: be like another dozen lawsuits against David Geffen that were 676 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 1: buried at some point. First for a second of this episode, 677 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:55,440 Speaker 1: well Capital three. Um, it's nineteen eighty one, and Neil 678 00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:57,640 Speaker 1: Young gets into a fight with Reprise Records for not 679 00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:01,560 Speaker 1: promoting Reactor to his satisfaction. He also wanted it released 680 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:04,120 Speaker 1: on a triangle shape album. I suppose for his for 681 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:08,640 Speaker 1: his request, I don't really know why. Neil Young always 682 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:12,200 Speaker 1: the best. Yeah, when we're back in Neil Young Country, 683 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,240 Speaker 1: welcome everybody. So he ends up leaving his label of 684 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:18,840 Speaker 1: thirteen years over this Reactor squabble, uh and Geffen's in 685 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:20,840 Speaker 1: the process of starting his new label, and he offered 686 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:25,080 Speaker 1: Neil total control, which is what something Neil desperately needs 687 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:28,040 Speaker 1: at all times. Despite the fact that Elliott Roberts had 688 00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:29,960 Speaker 1: gotten him an even bigger deal at our ci A, 689 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:32,560 Speaker 1: Neil went with Geffen because he wanted this control and 690 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:35,320 Speaker 1: it seemed like a really obvious choice considering that Geffen 691 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:39,160 Speaker 1: was his manager, Eliot Roberts's friend and longtime partner um 692 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:41,480 Speaker 1: and early on Geffen said all the right things. I mean, 693 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:44,360 Speaker 1: as as Elliot Roberts would later say, Neil is not 694 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:47,560 Speaker 1: concerned with selling large numbers of records. He's concerned with 695 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:51,360 Speaker 1: making records he's pleased with. Unfortunately, they're not always commercial 696 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:53,760 Speaker 1: from the record company's point of view. But David Geffen 697 00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 1: relates to that, and he did relate to that to 698 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:58,800 Speaker 1: a point. Yeah. You know, the thing I said before 699 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:01,200 Speaker 1: about David Geffen being in music fan like, I feel 700 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:03,960 Speaker 1: like that really came back to haunt him, like in 701 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:06,760 Speaker 1: the early eighties because he was signing all these like 702 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:08,640 Speaker 1: huge name artists that like he I think he was 703 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:10,680 Speaker 1: personally a fan of you know, I think he loved 704 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:13,560 Speaker 1: Neil Young obviously a fan of John Lennon and Nelton 705 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:16,320 Speaker 1: John and Joni Mitchell, but like these artists like were 706 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:19,480 Speaker 1: no longer like in the prime of their career. Like 707 00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:21,520 Speaker 1: if you look at Geffen Records, like in like the 708 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:24,160 Speaker 1: later eighties going into the nineties, you know, they had 709 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:27,240 Speaker 1: huge success with like Guns and Roses and Aerosmith and 710 00:33:27,320 --> 00:33:30,560 Speaker 1: Nirvana and its basically because like the label started signing 711 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:33,600 Speaker 1: bands that Geffen personally didn't care for but he knew 712 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:35,680 Speaker 1: would sell a lot of records. And I wonder, like 713 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:37,960 Speaker 1: to what degree he learned that lesson like from this 714 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:40,960 Speaker 1: Neil Young debacle that he was about to get into. 715 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:42,920 Speaker 1: You know, there was like a famous article at the 716 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:46,360 Speaker 1: time where there was a joke in there they said, 717 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:50,200 Speaker 1: what's the difference between Geffen Records in the Titanic and Uh, 718 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:53,880 Speaker 1: the punch line is the Titanic had better bands, um 719 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:57,200 Speaker 1: which and apparently like that was like fed to a 720 00:33:57,280 --> 00:33:59,880 Speaker 1: journalist by Irving as Off, which is like pretty hilarious 721 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:02,560 Speaker 1: if that's true. You know, I really don't think the 722 00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:04,800 Speaker 1: problem is that the artists were bad on Geff. And again, 723 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:07,000 Speaker 1: they just weren't really at a point in their careers 724 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:09,239 Speaker 1: where they were selling a lot of records, and in 725 00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:11,480 Speaker 1: the case of Neil Young, I mean, he wasn't even 726 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:14,840 Speaker 1: really trying, I think, to make commercial records at this time. 727 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:17,520 Speaker 1: And it really kind of reached a peak of sorts 728 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:21,520 Speaker 1: with the record trans which came out in two And 729 00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:23,680 Speaker 1: I'm actually like a fan of this record. It's it's 730 00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:26,319 Speaker 1: very strange, but I think it's a pretty clearly like 731 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:28,200 Speaker 1: personal record, and I think it has like a real 732 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:31,920 Speaker 1: emotional residence because of that. You know, it was inspired 733 00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:35,480 Speaker 1: by Neil young son Ben, who has cerebral palsy and 734 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:38,400 Speaker 1: he couldn't speak, and Neil was helping his son with 735 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:40,480 Speaker 1: therapy at the time to try to help him with 736 00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:43,959 Speaker 1: his speech, and those therapy sessions inspired the record, which 737 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:47,680 Speaker 1: is this very sort of like heavy electronic record where 738 00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:50,960 Speaker 1: Neil is speaking like through a vocoder, sounds like a 739 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:55,600 Speaker 1: robot wearing flannel essentially on this album. And you know, 740 00:34:55,920 --> 00:34:59,440 Speaker 1: David Geffen, he's expecting Neil Young to be making records 741 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:01,840 Speaker 1: like harvest Ston after the gold Rush, and you know, 742 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:04,480 Speaker 1: you mentioned how Geffen loves the song like on the 743 00:35:04,480 --> 00:35:07,840 Speaker 1: Way Home, like all these beautiful kind of folky battleads 744 00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:10,440 Speaker 1: that Neil Young was writing in the seventies and trans 745 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:14,120 Speaker 1: is definitely not that. So yeah, Kevin was not happy 746 00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:17,120 Speaker 1: when Neil Young turned in this album, and he also 747 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:19,360 Speaker 1: wasn't thrilled with Neil's proposed follow up, which was like 748 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:22,920 Speaker 1: a country album called Old Ways and give him more 749 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 1: or Less. Said he wanted some rock and roll and 750 00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:27,840 Speaker 1: no more of this craft work ship, and Neil said, Okay, 751 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:29,400 Speaker 1: you want some rock and roll, I'll give you some 752 00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:32,600 Speaker 1: rock and roll, And the result was Everybody's Rocking, which, 753 00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:36,000 Speaker 1: despite being sort of warmly received when it was initially released, 754 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:39,480 Speaker 1: also tanked. Yeah, can we just clarify that, like, um 755 00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:42,080 Speaker 1: that Everybody's Rocking? It's not like a crazy Horse record. 756 00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:44,400 Speaker 1: It's like Neil Young doing like kind of like fifties 757 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:48,440 Speaker 1: rockabilly type music, and like, to me, like he was 758 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:51,200 Speaker 1: basically trolling David Geffen. I think at this point totally 759 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:53,080 Speaker 1: it's like, oh, yeah, you want a rock and roll record, 760 00:35:53,080 --> 00:35:56,120 Speaker 1: I'll give you this like corny pastiche music that really 761 00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:57,839 Speaker 1: has nothing to do with what I do, right, And 762 00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:00,560 Speaker 1: it also tanked, so Geffen sued him. He given Neil 763 00:36:00,560 --> 00:36:02,680 Speaker 1: Young a million dollars a piece for these two weird 764 00:36:02,719 --> 00:36:06,080 Speaker 1: albums that nobody wanted, and he really felt he took 765 00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:08,600 Speaker 1: it personally. He felt that Neil was intentionally giving him 766 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,279 Speaker 1: substandard material more or less to just screw with them. 767 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:13,759 Speaker 1: Elliot Roberts, an interview years later, would say that from 768 00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:16,120 Speaker 1: Geffen's point of view, it's like Neil Young can make 769 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:19,759 Speaker 1: harvest to any time he wants. Why won't he make 770 00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:23,480 Speaker 1: it for me? He just he really took it personally. Meanwhile, 771 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:25,839 Speaker 1: as you said earlier, Geffen is completely unaware that that 772 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:28,680 Speaker 1: Neil is managing treatment for his son's health concerns and 773 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:31,719 Speaker 1: just has other things on his plate. Roberts is trying 774 00:36:31,719 --> 00:36:33,840 Speaker 1: to make peace between the two, but there's nothing you 775 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:36,480 Speaker 1: can do to keep Geffen and Neil Young from colliding. 776 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:40,400 Speaker 1: And in November of Neil was served with papers requesting 777 00:36:40,480 --> 00:36:44,880 Speaker 1: damages and excess of three point three million dollars terming 778 00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:48,800 Speaker 1: trans and Everybody's Rock and quote not commercially or musically 779 00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:53,120 Speaker 1: characteristic of Young's previous recordings, and Neil, of course responded 780 00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:55,960 Speaker 1: in a very Neil like way. Uh, you'd say they 781 00:36:55,960 --> 00:36:58,000 Speaker 1: paid for me. They didn't pay for me to do 782 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:02,799 Speaker 1: something which is incredible. It's incredible view from his perspective, 783 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:05,240 Speaker 1: um for a time, he thought that the sole lawsuit 784 00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:07,480 Speaker 1: was funny until he realized that he needed money and 785 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:10,320 Speaker 1: he wasn't able to record because this lawsuit was suing him, 786 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:13,120 Speaker 1: so he filed the counter suit, and the music press 787 00:37:13,120 --> 00:37:15,800 Speaker 1: really painted Geffen as the villain. I think Rim refused 788 00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:17,640 Speaker 1: to sign with Geffen a few years later, and they 789 00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:20,680 Speaker 1: specifically mentioned this lawsuit with Neil as the reason. And 790 00:37:20,800 --> 00:37:23,399 Speaker 1: Neil loved it. This was like the best press he'd 791 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:25,920 Speaker 1: gotten in years, and the most press he'd done in years, 792 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:28,279 Speaker 1: and he would say that this lawsuit was better than 793 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:31,520 Speaker 1: a Grammy for him. So you know, we're going on this, 794 00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:34,399 Speaker 1: Neil Young Tangent. I think just to illustrate how much 795 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:36,839 Speaker 1: had changed really with David Geffen from like the early 796 00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:39,120 Speaker 1: seventies to the early eighties. You know, as we talked 797 00:37:39,120 --> 00:37:42,960 Speaker 1: about before, when David Geffen was doing Asylum Records, he 798 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:46,000 Speaker 1: was really known as this like artist friendly manager and 799 00:37:46,120 --> 00:37:48,960 Speaker 1: label had, you know, someone who was creating a sanctuary 800 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:52,080 Speaker 1: for artists to create music away from the normal corporate 801 00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:54,520 Speaker 1: pressures that like other artists would have to deal with. 802 00:37:54,760 --> 00:37:57,000 Speaker 1: And he flashed forward a decade later and now he's 803 00:37:57,000 --> 00:37:59,960 Speaker 1: the epitome of like the you know, unscrupulous record head 804 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:03,200 Speaker 1: who will like pressure artists into making what he called 805 00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:06,480 Speaker 1: harvest to you know, a sequel to a successful record 806 00:38:06,760 --> 00:38:09,840 Speaker 1: that Neil Young had already made. This relates now to 807 00:38:10,239 --> 00:38:13,400 Speaker 1: Don Henley's relationship with David Geffen in the nineteen eighties, 808 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:15,439 Speaker 1: and it's kind of crazy to me that these two 809 00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:19,200 Speaker 1: guys hooked up again, considering like how like poorly the 810 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:21,640 Speaker 1: relationship ended in the mid seventies. But like you know, 811 00:38:21,719 --> 00:38:23,480 Speaker 1: Don Henley was at a point in his career where 812 00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:26,520 Speaker 1: he put out his first solo record in two Can't 813 00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:28,800 Speaker 1: Stand Still, and it did pretty well, but he was 814 00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:31,319 Speaker 1: upset that that record didn't get what he felt was 815 00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:35,560 Speaker 1: sufficient promotion. So David Geffen actually like corded Don Henley 816 00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:38,040 Speaker 1: asking him if he would sign to Geffen Records, and 817 00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:40,839 Speaker 1: Henley would say later that, like, you know, David used 818 00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:42,759 Speaker 1: the same pickup lines, you know how much I care 819 00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:45,520 Speaker 1: about you, all that stuff, and and Henley admitted, like 820 00:38:45,520 --> 00:38:47,640 Speaker 1: I bought it the second time. So in eight four, 821 00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:50,560 Speaker 1: Don Henley puts out his first record on Geffen Records, 822 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:54,000 Speaker 1: which is Building the Perfect Beast, huge record, lots of hits, 823 00:38:54,239 --> 00:38:58,399 Speaker 1: including The Boys of Summer, which Jordan's inexplicably hates and 824 00:38:58,480 --> 00:39:01,879 Speaker 1: all she wants to do is dance. Sunsegre record goes 825 00:39:01,960 --> 00:39:05,040 Speaker 1: multi platinum, but you know there's trouble in paradise. Don 826 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:08,640 Speaker 1: Henley inevitably starts to complain that he feels that now 827 00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:12,120 Speaker 1: David Geffen is not promoting his record enough, and he 828 00:39:12,200 --> 00:39:13,800 Speaker 1: ends up putting out the end of the Innocence in 829 00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:16,960 Speaker 1: That's a big hit too. But he's still feeling like 830 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:19,960 Speaker 1: he has to fight for budgets for music videos, he 831 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:22,919 Speaker 1: has to fight over artwork for his albums, and it's 832 00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:24,840 Speaker 1: just not really working out well for him. So like 833 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:27,280 Speaker 1: by the early nineties, Don Henley is starting to feel 834 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:30,000 Speaker 1: tempted by an offer from E M I to leave 835 00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:32,759 Speaker 1: Geffen Records and to sign with that label. The problem 836 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:34,839 Speaker 1: for Henley is that he still had two albums left 837 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:37,040 Speaker 1: on his contract at the time, so this leads to 838 00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:39,959 Speaker 1: a big fight with David Geffen. Geffen actually sues Don 839 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:43,439 Speaker 1: Henley for breach of contract for thirty million dollars, and 840 00:39:43,800 --> 00:39:46,640 Speaker 1: Henley counters by saying that there's like this old studio 841 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:49,919 Speaker 1: era like contract loophole. Basically that like if you are 842 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:54,280 Speaker 1: signed with an entertainment company for seven years. The contract 843 00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:57,280 Speaker 1: expires after seven years. I don't know if that's actually true, 844 00:39:57,280 --> 00:39:59,439 Speaker 1: but this ends up being a legal argument that goes 845 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:02,600 Speaker 1: on for years and years and years, and uh, it 846 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:05,560 Speaker 1: gets pretty like brutal. Like at one point, like geffen 847 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:09,239 Speaker 1: deposes Don Henley's wife, who like has ms and like 848 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:12,560 Speaker 1: makes her travel like from Texas to Los Angeles, and 849 00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:14,520 Speaker 1: like asked her a bunch of questions and that she 850 00:40:14,560 --> 00:40:16,759 Speaker 1: doesn't really know anything about the business dealing. So like 851 00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:20,319 Speaker 1: that gets under Don Henley's skin. And I mean, this 852 00:40:20,360 --> 00:40:22,400 Speaker 1: is like some of my favorite parts of the Eagles 853 00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:24,920 Speaker 1: documentary because like this is like where David Geffin like 854 00:40:25,239 --> 00:40:28,000 Speaker 1: gets really like angry about Don Henley. Like at one 855 00:40:28,040 --> 00:40:30,920 Speaker 1: point he says, by nature, he's a mal content. He's 856 00:40:30,960 --> 00:40:34,600 Speaker 1: always been a mal content and that's just life, which 857 00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:36,839 Speaker 1: is great. But then and this is my favorite quote 858 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:39,879 Speaker 1: maybe in the whole movie, which is saying a lot 859 00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:42,080 Speaker 1: because I have many favorite quotes from the history of 860 00:40:42,080 --> 00:40:45,359 Speaker 1: the Eagles, but like he's talking about irving A's off 861 00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:47,560 Speaker 1: because I think at some point, like doesn't I think 862 00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:50,359 Speaker 1: Henley like counter sees him at some point, like they're 863 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:53,600 Speaker 1: just like lobbying lawsuits back and forth, and Geffen says, 864 00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:55,360 Speaker 1: and he says this in the documentary. He says, they 865 00:40:55,440 --> 00:40:57,960 Speaker 1: told Irving A's off, I'd sooner die than let you 866 00:40:58,040 --> 00:41:04,640 Speaker 1: fuck me, which is just awesome. So um, basically, I 867 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:07,240 Speaker 1: think they ended up resolving this because this was around 868 00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:09,120 Speaker 1: the time that the Eagles We're going to get back together. 869 00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:11,960 Speaker 1: So I think the agreement was that they would put 870 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:14,200 Speaker 1: out the greatest hits record for Don Henley and then 871 00:41:14,280 --> 00:41:17,200 Speaker 1: didn't Geffen get a piece of Health Freezes Over like 872 00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:19,359 Speaker 1: that reunion record? Yeah, I think it might have even 873 00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:22,480 Speaker 1: been on Geffen. I think that's incredible to me, Like, 874 00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:25,520 Speaker 1: after all of that, David Geffen got to put out 875 00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:28,560 Speaker 1: Health Freeze Is Over, which ended up being a huge success. 876 00:41:28,640 --> 00:41:32,240 Speaker 1: So like, after all of that legal wrangling, David Geffen 877 00:41:32,320 --> 00:41:34,759 Speaker 1: still managed to get like millions more dollars out of 878 00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:37,040 Speaker 1: the Eagles. It's fair to say. I can't think of 879 00:41:37,040 --> 00:41:39,520 Speaker 1: a time when he hasn't won. Geffen seems to always win. 880 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:42,520 Speaker 1: My favorite part of this whole saga is also just 881 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:45,560 Speaker 1: regardless of Henley, Geffen and Azof had their own tiff 882 00:41:45,560 --> 00:41:47,319 Speaker 1: all through the eighties. I mean, I really think it 883 00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:50,440 Speaker 1: was Azof that fed the journalist that line about the 884 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:53,280 Speaker 1: difference between Geffen Records and the Titanic is that Titanic 885 00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:55,919 Speaker 1: a better bands. I mean, they had this great little 886 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:58,879 Speaker 1: like caddy thing in the press for the whole decade. Uh. 887 00:41:59,040 --> 00:42:02,800 Speaker 1: During Geffen's movie studio detour in the late seventies, Aisof 888 00:42:03,080 --> 00:42:06,000 Speaker 1: pretty much supplanted him as the most feared music industry 889 00:42:06,040 --> 00:42:08,839 Speaker 1: figure in Hollywood, and he added to his legend by, 890 00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:11,120 Speaker 1: you know, trashing hotel rooms like we mentioned, and lighting 891 00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:14,080 Speaker 1: that menu on fire at that restaurant. On another occasion, 892 00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:17,160 Speaker 1: he had a messenger deliver alive Boa Constrictor to a 893 00:42:17,239 --> 00:42:20,200 Speaker 1: lawyer that he was feuding with, which is amazing. It 894 00:42:20,239 --> 00:42:22,000 Speaker 1: was how he had it delivered to this guy on 895 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:25,759 Speaker 1: his forty birthday with a that included an unkind note 896 00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:29,279 Speaker 1: about his wife. So really, you know, he's a terrifying man. 897 00:42:29,360 --> 00:42:31,880 Speaker 1: And the Eagles were effectively fine with this. I mean, 898 00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:33,880 Speaker 1: during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, they 899 00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:37,000 Speaker 1: famously said of Irving, he may be Satan, but he's 900 00:42:37,040 --> 00:42:39,320 Speaker 1: our Satan. Like we said at the top of the episode, 901 00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:42,680 Speaker 1: that's a compliment coming from them. But but even Geffen 902 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:45,440 Speaker 1: was taken aback by his business approach, and there he 903 00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:50,120 Speaker 1: was interviewed for a uh music business exposse called hit 904 00:42:50,160 --> 00:42:54,200 Speaker 1: Man Great Book. Geffen said that Aisof is devilish, and 905 00:42:54,239 --> 00:42:57,160 Speaker 1: that's interesting on some level, but not nearly as interesting 906 00:42:57,239 --> 00:43:01,200 Speaker 1: as intelligence or charm or wit or real true ability. 907 00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:03,680 Speaker 1: He thinks that in order to be powerful and important, 908 00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:06,000 Speaker 1: you have to funk with people or frighten them or 909 00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:09,759 Speaker 1: be awful to them, which I find unacceptable behavior. Oh, yes, 910 00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:13,200 Speaker 1: and I think that's hilarious coming from David Geffen. Yes, yes, 911 00:43:13,320 --> 00:43:16,239 Speaker 1: David Geffen doesn't think it's right to be feared in 912 00:43:16,280 --> 00:43:19,239 Speaker 1: the music industry. He's taking a stand against that. One 913 00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:22,360 Speaker 1: wrinkle in this like you know sidebar with Geffen and 914 00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:25,600 Speaker 1: A's off has to do with like asof stint at 915 00:43:25,760 --> 00:43:27,920 Speaker 1: m c A Records, because he ended up like taking 916 00:43:27,960 --> 00:43:31,440 Speaker 1: over like the head job at that label, and it 917 00:43:31,480 --> 00:43:33,080 Speaker 1: was at a time where m c A was like 918 00:43:33,160 --> 00:43:36,440 Speaker 1: in like the dull drums financially and as basically like 919 00:43:36,520 --> 00:43:39,560 Speaker 1: rescued the label. Like he ended up basically gutting most 920 00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:41,920 Speaker 1: of the artists roster, you know, clearing out all this 921 00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:44,400 Speaker 1: deadwood that you know, they weren't selling records anymore. And 922 00:43:44,440 --> 00:43:47,359 Speaker 1: he kind of gradually like built this record label back up, 923 00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:49,759 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, had a great run there, and 924 00:43:49,760 --> 00:43:51,919 Speaker 1: then by the end of the eighties he ended up 925 00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:55,000 Speaker 1: like going to Warner Brothers to like start his own 926 00:43:55,040 --> 00:43:57,560 Speaker 1: label called Giant Records. So you think, like, wow, this 927 00:43:57,640 --> 00:43:59,440 Speaker 1: is like a great triumph for Irving as Off. He's 928 00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:01,640 Speaker 1: like turned around so other record label. Now he gets 929 00:44:01,680 --> 00:44:04,080 Speaker 1: to start his own label, and he's like making millions 930 00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:07,520 Speaker 1: of dollars in the meantime. But there's like this theory 931 00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:11,520 Speaker 1: that like David Geffen was like engineering this whole thing 932 00:44:11,560 --> 00:44:13,840 Speaker 1: that like he got Irving as Off to leave m 933 00:44:13,880 --> 00:44:16,239 Speaker 1: c A because m c A was the label that 934 00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:19,239 Speaker 1: ended up buying Geffen Records, and he knew that, like 935 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:21,480 Speaker 1: if Irving as Off were there, you know, he would 936 00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:24,600 Speaker 1: have never given David Geffen hundreds of millions of dollars 937 00:44:24,600 --> 00:44:27,799 Speaker 1: for his label. But like somehow Geffen pulled off this 938 00:44:27,880 --> 00:44:32,080 Speaker 1: like machiavellians like maneuver that he could get like A's 939 00:44:32,120 --> 00:44:34,040 Speaker 1: Off out of m c A and then get someone 940 00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:36,200 Speaker 1: else in there who like would buy Geffen. I mean, 941 00:44:36,239 --> 00:44:39,160 Speaker 1: I don't know if that's even possible, but again, this 942 00:44:39,239 --> 00:44:41,560 Speaker 1: is David Geffen. Like if anyone could do that, Like 943 00:44:41,640 --> 00:44:43,120 Speaker 1: he could do that. So I don't know, I don't 944 00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:44,720 Speaker 1: know what you think about that, like if he actually 945 00:44:44,840 --> 00:44:46,960 Speaker 1: if you think he actually pulled that off. Oh, I 946 00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:51,800 Speaker 1: absolutely choose to believe it. I'm just doing this show 947 00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:54,640 Speaker 1: right now, like that he would somehow hear this and 948 00:44:54,760 --> 00:44:57,120 Speaker 1: has has bugs in this. I mean, I yeah, I 949 00:44:57,120 --> 00:44:59,399 Speaker 1: I absolutely have no doubt in my mind that he's 950 00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:03,000 Speaker 1: somehow engineered that and maneuvered that and it made him 951 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:05,560 Speaker 1: obscenely rich. I think Geffen was sold for something like 952 00:45:05,600 --> 00:45:10,719 Speaker 1: five fifty million dollars worth of stock and by it 953 00:45:10,800 --> 00:45:13,319 Speaker 1: made him a billionaire. And yes, Irving as Off, it's 954 00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:15,960 Speaker 1: worth noting, is also obscenely rich. Yeah, they're both rich. 955 00:45:16,200 --> 00:45:19,120 Speaker 1: They're both guys. I pictured them like uh, Michael cor 956 00:45:19,200 --> 00:45:21,520 Speaker 1: Leone at the end of The Godfather Part two, you know, 957 00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:25,680 Speaker 1: like where he's like killed all of his enemies, he's 958 00:45:25,719 --> 00:45:28,799 Speaker 1: like murdered his brother. He's like rich and powerful, but 959 00:45:28,880 --> 00:45:31,719 Speaker 1: he's just like sitting alone in that chair, you know, 960 00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:34,759 Speaker 1: looking forlorn. Like you feel like these guys like they 961 00:45:34,760 --> 00:45:37,360 Speaker 1: were all about winning, but like in the end, like 962 00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:40,200 Speaker 1: how happy are they really? Deep down? My sense is 963 00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:43,399 Speaker 1: that like when you have people that are like that ambitious. 964 00:45:43,719 --> 00:45:46,000 Speaker 1: You know, you can't never be happy because you're always 965 00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:48,040 Speaker 1: going to be striving for something else. Like the thing 966 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:52,280 Speaker 1: that drives ambition is dissatisfaction with your current place in life. 967 00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:55,000 Speaker 1: And uh, to me, like this is like a great 968 00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:58,239 Speaker 1: way to end our Eagles episode because there's something very 969 00:45:58,280 --> 00:46:00,839 Speaker 1: Eagles e about that, that idea that you can win 970 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:04,120 Speaker 1: and be hugely successful and in the end still be 971 00:46:04,160 --> 00:46:06,640 Speaker 1: a miserable s ob All right, hand, we'll be right 972 00:46:06,640 --> 00:46:17,400 Speaker 1: back with more rivals. We've now reached the part of 973 00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:19,359 Speaker 1: our episode where we give the pro side of each 974 00:46:19,360 --> 00:46:22,960 Speaker 1: part of the rivalry. Let's talk about David geffin first, Um, look, 975 00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:24,960 Speaker 1: I mean I think David Geffen is clearly like one 976 00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:28,560 Speaker 1: of the great rock managers of all time and along 977 00:46:28,600 --> 00:46:31,520 Speaker 1: with you know again, he's a cold hearted businessman. He 978 00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:33,839 Speaker 1: learned how to lie early on. But I also think 979 00:46:33,880 --> 00:46:36,040 Speaker 1: that he had like a genuine affection for artists and 980 00:46:36,760 --> 00:46:39,040 Speaker 1: he had really good taste and like certainly in the 981 00:46:39,080 --> 00:46:42,799 Speaker 1: early seventies, that taste did him very well. He associated 982 00:46:42,880 --> 00:46:45,120 Speaker 1: with I think some of the best artists in Los 983 00:46:45,120 --> 00:46:48,440 Speaker 1: Angeles at that time, and Asylum Records really was I 984 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,600 Speaker 1: think a great label for that era. And also he's 985 00:46:51,640 --> 00:46:53,920 Speaker 1: just like one of my favorite people to see in 986 00:46:53,960 --> 00:46:56,719 Speaker 1: a documentary being interviewed. Like you would think a man 987 00:46:56,920 --> 00:47:00,719 Speaker 1: as successful and powerful as David Geffen would maybe like 988 00:47:00,760 --> 00:47:04,920 Speaker 1: more diplomatic or politically correct in like in a documentary, 989 00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:07,719 Speaker 1: but like he's not. Like he lays it all out, 990 00:47:07,960 --> 00:47:10,960 Speaker 1: Like he has these grudges that he's held for decades, 991 00:47:11,360 --> 00:47:14,040 Speaker 1: and like he's not shy about like just going after 992 00:47:14,120 --> 00:47:17,440 Speaker 1: people that did him wrong, like in the seventies or eighties. 993 00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:19,480 Speaker 1: And I love that about him. Again, if you see 994 00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:22,400 Speaker 1: David Geffen in a documentary, get a bowl of popcorn 995 00:47:22,520 --> 00:47:25,000 Speaker 1: because it's gonna be a great show. He lacks any 996 00:47:25,040 --> 00:47:27,960 Speaker 1: sense of joy whenever he's on camera. You think that 997 00:47:28,120 --> 00:47:30,319 Speaker 1: David Geffen at this stage it's always done in the 998 00:47:30,360 --> 00:47:33,000 Speaker 1: billions of dollars in the bank there, he would just 999 00:47:33,080 --> 00:47:35,080 Speaker 1: let some of that stuff go. But you're right, it's 1000 00:47:35,120 --> 00:47:37,719 Speaker 1: still you see that flash in his eyes that he's 1001 00:47:37,840 --> 00:47:41,040 Speaker 1: just as pissed as he was fifty years earlier. And 1002 00:47:41,360 --> 00:47:42,960 Speaker 1: you're right. That's one of the things I love about him. 1003 00:47:43,000 --> 00:47:44,560 Speaker 1: I and I think that, like I said at the 1004 00:47:44,600 --> 00:47:47,200 Speaker 1: top of the episode, I think Geffen was the perfect 1005 00:47:47,200 --> 00:47:49,040 Speaker 1: manager for the Eagles at the start of their career. 1006 00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:50,560 Speaker 1: I mean he was the gatekeeper, I think, in a 1007 00:47:50,640 --> 00:47:53,120 Speaker 1: lot of ways to the whole Laurel Canyon Musical Clubhouse, 1008 00:47:53,680 --> 00:47:56,840 Speaker 1: and by teaming with someone who had that level of power, 1009 00:47:56,960 --> 00:47:59,959 Speaker 1: it gave the Eagles a really unprecedented amount of level 1010 00:48:00,080 --> 00:48:03,200 Speaker 1: ridge in the industry. Um. I think that the big 1011 00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:06,120 Speaker 1: studio systems and the sort of cigar chopping managers of 1012 00:48:06,160 --> 00:48:09,160 Speaker 1: the early sixties had given away to these more you know, 1013 00:48:09,200 --> 00:48:11,719 Speaker 1: like I'll call them the sauna organizations, these sort of 1014 00:48:11,719 --> 00:48:16,000 Speaker 1: more egalitarian, hippie like businesses that were operating into the 1015 00:48:16,040 --> 00:48:18,680 Speaker 1: guys of almost like a hippie commune type thing. I 1016 00:48:18,719 --> 00:48:21,520 Speaker 1: think the Eagles and Geffen both knew which way the 1017 00:48:21,520 --> 00:48:23,919 Speaker 1: winds were blowing, and they knew that rock was about 1018 00:48:23,920 --> 00:48:25,799 Speaker 1: to become an even bigger business that had been in 1019 00:48:25,800 --> 00:48:27,879 Speaker 1: the sixties, and they really leaned into it. I mean, 1020 00:48:27,880 --> 00:48:30,319 Speaker 1: there wasn't like Crosby Stills a Nash who were more 1021 00:48:30,360 --> 00:48:35,080 Speaker 1: concerned about, you know, about integrity or um reputation among 1022 00:48:35,120 --> 00:48:37,000 Speaker 1: their peers. They were fine with it being a business. 1023 00:48:37,040 --> 00:48:39,280 Speaker 1: So I think that they were bonded by this mutual 1024 00:48:39,360 --> 00:48:42,680 Speaker 1: shared interest with Geffen giving them all kinds of leeway 1025 00:48:42,760 --> 00:48:46,200 Speaker 1: with advances and creative freedom and securing them Glenn John's 1026 00:48:46,320 --> 00:48:50,840 Speaker 1: and it worked really great until business interest is diverged. 1027 00:48:51,160 --> 00:48:52,840 Speaker 1: So if you go over to the pro Eagles and 1028 00:48:52,880 --> 00:48:55,040 Speaker 1: I guess irving as off side, I mean, look, I 1029 00:48:55,040 --> 00:48:57,920 Speaker 1: think it's clear that the Eagles were probably right to 1030 00:48:58,040 --> 00:49:00,279 Speaker 1: separate from Geffen when they did. You know, I could 1031 00:49:00,280 --> 00:49:03,120 Speaker 1: see that David Geffen, for as much you know, care 1032 00:49:03,160 --> 00:49:05,240 Speaker 1: as he had given to the early part of their career, 1033 00:49:05,320 --> 00:49:06,960 Speaker 1: he was in a way kind of ripping them off. 1034 00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:08,919 Speaker 1: Like the Eagles did not have a very good deal, 1035 00:49:09,040 --> 00:49:10,400 Speaker 1: and they had reached a point in their career like 1036 00:49:10,440 --> 00:49:13,120 Speaker 1: where they could negotiate and move on and make more 1037 00:49:13,160 --> 00:49:16,320 Speaker 1: money than they did early on. And you know, irving 1038 00:49:16,320 --> 00:49:18,239 Speaker 1: A's off to me, you know, he's not as cool 1039 00:49:18,239 --> 00:49:20,520 Speaker 1: as David Geffen. Like again, like I when I see 1040 00:49:20,560 --> 00:49:24,120 Speaker 1: Irving A's off in documentaries, he has more business like 1041 00:49:24,280 --> 00:49:26,560 Speaker 1: he's a little bit more laid back. He doesn't have 1042 00:49:26,680 --> 00:49:28,800 Speaker 1: that like Satan's side that he seems to have in 1043 00:49:29,400 --> 00:49:31,200 Speaker 1: his business dealings. But he was much more of like 1044 00:49:31,280 --> 00:49:33,240 Speaker 1: a rock and roll guy. You know, he was parting 1045 00:49:33,320 --> 00:49:36,320 Speaker 1: with the bands he was trashing hotel rooms. He seemed 1046 00:49:36,360 --> 00:49:38,120 Speaker 1: again as as you were saying before, it seemed like 1047 00:49:38,120 --> 00:49:40,480 Speaker 1: he was like the right guy for like that part 1048 00:49:40,480 --> 00:49:43,319 Speaker 1: of the Eagles career, you know, basically like Irving, he's 1049 00:49:43,320 --> 00:49:45,520 Speaker 1: off to me, he's like Jack Nicholson and a few 1050 00:49:45,560 --> 00:49:49,359 Speaker 1: good men. Like you might not like him, but like, 1051 00:49:49,440 --> 00:49:51,920 Speaker 1: if he's your manager, you want him on that wall. 1052 00:49:52,360 --> 00:49:55,520 Speaker 1: You need him on that wall. He's the satan that 1053 00:49:55,600 --> 00:49:57,680 Speaker 1: you don't want to face and you wish was on 1054 00:49:57,719 --> 00:50:01,279 Speaker 1: your side. Yeah. I always thought that Irving as Off 1055 00:50:01,360 --> 00:50:03,359 Speaker 1: was like Geffen if Geffen just did a ship load 1056 00:50:03,400 --> 00:50:07,839 Speaker 1: of cocaine. I mean, in my opinion, Geffen ultimately wanted 1057 00:50:07,880 --> 00:50:11,160 Speaker 1: to control an empire, you know, he's King David, Whereas 1058 00:50:11,160 --> 00:50:13,640 Speaker 1: I always thought Irving Aisoff like to control people. And 1059 00:50:13,680 --> 00:50:15,040 Speaker 1: I think that was the difference between him. I mean, 1060 00:50:15,080 --> 00:50:18,720 Speaker 1: Geffen bailed on artist management at the earliest opportunity, whereas 1061 00:50:18,760 --> 00:50:21,920 Speaker 1: Aisoff ended up going back to artist management after his 1062 00:50:22,080 --> 00:50:24,120 Speaker 1: lengthy spell as a label chief. And I was thought 1063 00:50:24,120 --> 00:50:27,359 Speaker 1: that was really interesting, Uh, you know, without someone as 1064 00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:29,759 Speaker 1: attentive as Irving at the end, I think that the 1065 00:50:29,800 --> 00:50:31,960 Speaker 1: Eagles could have floundered, almost like the Beatles after the 1066 00:50:31,960 --> 00:50:34,360 Speaker 1: death of Brian Epstein. I think in the end he 1067 00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:38,080 Speaker 1: out geffened Geffen of at least of all the Geffen acolytes, 1068 00:50:38,520 --> 00:50:41,319 Speaker 1: but of course not Geffen himself. You will never out 1069 00:50:41,360 --> 00:50:43,680 Speaker 1: Geffen the Geffen. So when we look at all these 1070 00:50:43,680 --> 00:50:45,520 Speaker 1: guys together, you know, I'll go back to something I 1071 00:50:45,560 --> 00:50:47,239 Speaker 1: said at the top of the episode, which is that, 1072 00:50:47,320 --> 00:50:49,200 Speaker 1: you know, for most bands, we have no idea who 1073 00:50:49,200 --> 00:50:51,920 Speaker 1: the managers are. We don't care because you know, rock 1074 00:50:52,000 --> 00:50:54,120 Speaker 1: managers for the most part, are like pretty boring their 1075 00:50:54,160 --> 00:50:57,680 Speaker 1: business types. You know, they're they're they're supposed to like 1076 00:50:57,880 --> 00:50:59,719 Speaker 1: bleed in the background and keep the focus on the 1077 00:50:59,760 --> 00:51:03,239 Speaker 1: art us. But the Eagles story is so rich and 1078 00:51:03,640 --> 00:51:07,040 Speaker 1: chaotic and crazy and has so many like, you know, 1079 00:51:07,239 --> 00:51:10,160 Speaker 1: great bastard characters in it that like, we want to 1080 00:51:10,160 --> 00:51:12,480 Speaker 1: hear about the managers. We want to hear about the 1081 00:51:12,520 --> 00:51:15,080 Speaker 1: money men behind the scenes, and you know, people like 1082 00:51:15,160 --> 00:51:17,279 Speaker 1: David Geffen and Irving as Off they just add another 1083 00:51:17,360 --> 00:51:21,200 Speaker 1: layer of enjoyment for like talking about this band. You know, like, 1084 00:51:21,280 --> 00:51:25,120 Speaker 1: I'm glad that these guys ultimately are as big a 1085 00:51:25,200 --> 00:51:27,719 Speaker 1: bastards as they are, because if they weren't, they just 1086 00:51:27,719 --> 00:51:31,160 Speaker 1: wouldn't belong in the story of the Eagles, Oh absolutely. 1087 00:51:31,200 --> 00:51:33,200 Speaker 1: And you know, I have to wonder if the Eagles 1088 00:51:33,239 --> 00:51:37,560 Speaker 1: Beheemoth was just sort of too unwieldly and just chaotic 1089 00:51:37,560 --> 00:51:40,080 Speaker 1: in their in their inner workings to whether not only 1090 00:51:40,120 --> 00:51:43,480 Speaker 1: that insane level of success and musical industry changes in 1091 00:51:43,520 --> 00:51:45,960 Speaker 1: the seventies, but just I almost feel like two separate 1092 00:51:45,960 --> 00:51:48,920 Speaker 1: sets of management is what they needed to extend their 1093 00:51:48,960 --> 00:51:51,080 Speaker 1: life as a band, you know. I mean, Geffen provided 1094 00:51:51,120 --> 00:51:54,080 Speaker 1: that ignition, but azof kept them going in the long run, 1095 00:51:54,280 --> 00:51:56,640 Speaker 1: or at least as long as their intra band hatred 1096 00:51:56,640 --> 00:51:59,360 Speaker 1: would allow. Uh See. I like how you slipped a 1097 00:51:59,360 --> 00:52:02,279 Speaker 1: little pun there at the end. I appreciate tried. You know. 1098 00:52:02,840 --> 00:52:04,759 Speaker 1: I have to say I'm a little choked up right 1099 00:52:04,760 --> 00:52:07,920 Speaker 1: now because I've had so much fun talking about the Eagles, 1100 00:52:07,960 --> 00:52:11,160 Speaker 1: and this series has just been like one long, hard 1101 00:52:11,239 --> 00:52:15,839 Speaker 1: road out of Eden. But we're finally at the end, 1102 00:52:15,880 --> 00:52:17,279 Speaker 1: and I'm a little sad about that. But you know, 1103 00:52:17,480 --> 00:52:20,440 Speaker 1: there's always more feuds and beefs to talk about Jordan's 1104 00:52:20,440 --> 00:52:22,959 Speaker 1: So that's the silver linning I'm looking at right now, 1105 00:52:23,000 --> 00:52:25,400 Speaker 1: And I can't wait to get into more rivalries with you, 1106 00:52:25,480 --> 00:52:28,280 Speaker 1: and we will be back next week with another episode 1107 00:52:28,320 --> 00:52:31,360 Speaker 1: where we talk about beefs, feuds, and long simmering resentments. 1108 00:52:31,600 --> 00:52:40,080 Speaker 1: See You then. Rivals is a production of I Heart Radio. 1109 00:52:40,200 --> 00:52:43,360 Speaker 1: The executive producers are Shawn Titone and Noel Brown. Supervising 1110 00:52:43,360 --> 00:52:47,600 Speaker 1: producers are Taylor Koin and Tristan McNeil. The producers Joel Hatstat, 1111 00:52:47,880 --> 00:52:50,360 Speaker 1: I'm Jordan run Talk. I'm Stephen Hyden. If you like 1112 00:52:50,440 --> 00:52:52,360 Speaker 1: what you heard, please subscribe and leave us a review. 1113 00:52:52,400 --> 00:52:54,880 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the I 1114 00:52:55,000 --> 00:52:57,960 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 1115 00:52:57,960 --> 00:53:02,840 Speaker 1: your favorite shows