For some, the Eagles are summer-incarnate. Their era-defining brand of swaying ballads and sun-soaked anthems are featured on many rock fans’ favorites lists. However, there are some that don’t share those sympathies–including the three musicians, below.
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1. Tom Waits
The Eagles made their affection for Tom Waits well known when they covered one of his tunes, “‘Ol’ 55.” However, the nod didn’t exactly stir a warm feeling inside of Waits. While he is a sort of brooding, mysterious figure, the Eagles hold their cards less close to the chest. Waits found their approach to music “About as exciting as watching paint dry.”
“I don’t like The Eagles,” he once explained. “Their albums are good for keeping the dust off your turntable and that’s about all.”
2. T-Bone Burnett
T-Bone Burnett made his distaste of the Eagles known by proxy of a film character: The Dude from the Big Lebowski. Burnett acted as a consultant on the film, picking and choosing The Dude’s musical preferences. Inspired by his own dislike of the rockers, he decided to have the character hate the Eagles.
“[The Eagles] sort of single-handedly destroyed that whole scene that was brewing back then,” Burnett once explained. Jeff Bridges, who played The Dude, explained the backlash the reference in the movie caused: “Ran into [Glenn Frey] and he gave me some shit. I can’t remember what he said exactly, but my anus tightened a bit.”
3. John Lydon
John Lydon has never been afraid to share his opinion on a variety of subjects. That kind of loose-lipped criticism is at the core of the punk spirit, right? Certainly on his list of diatribes are the Eagles. The Sex Pistols and the Eagles live on opposite sides of the sonic spectrum, so it’s easy to see why Lydon might take issue with them.
“They’re irrelevant,” Lydon once explained. “A band like that doesn’t write songs that mean anything. We’re the Charge of the Light Brigade, with decent generals, right?”
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
