Musician Randy Meisner, who rose to fame with the Los Angeles-born rock band, the Eagles, is a self-proclaimed “background person.” Yet, being in one of the most famous rock bands of all time forced him into the spotlight, a place he had trouble navigating.
Videos by American Songwriter
Born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, Meisner passed away just last year at the age of 77. And while he lived a life full of highs and lows, some fans might wonder what the singer, bassist and co-founder of the band has to say outside his songs. Here below, these are the 20 best Randy Meisner quotes.
[RELATED: 3 Classic Rock Songs That Musicians Struggled to Record]
1. “The line ‘Take it to the limit’ was to keep trying before you reach a point in your life where you feel you’ve done everything and seen everything—sort of feeling, you know, part of getting old.”
2. “When it got to the point of sanity or money, I thought I’d rather have sanity.”
3. “I could have tripled my money if I’d stayed. But I was just tired of the touring. It’s a crazy life that you live at twice the normal speed.”
4. “Glenn, with his playing and his personality, he was one special person. He was the frontman on stage. He was a good talker and really good with people.”
5. “Those last days on the road were the worst. Nobody was talking to me or would hang out after shows or do anything. I was made an outcast of the band I’d helped start.”
6. “I was scared someone would ask me something I didn’t know and I’d be on the spot. It’s the paranoia of a very shy person. I’ve gotten over those feelings about interviews for the most part.”
7. “I guess I’m just very shy and nervous about putting myself on the line.”
8. “Seeing Sunset Boulevard was a fantasy come true.”
9. “It really wasn’t fun any more, everything was too business-oriented. I just remember the old days when the band was really tight together, playing Eagle poker and just having a really good time while we were doing it. Towards the end, it just got too cut-throat.”
10. “On stage you’re supposed to have fun and play different licks and stretch out. You’re not supposed to copy your records exactly.”
11. “You don’t see too many people on a farm. I didn’t grow up dealing with a lot of people.”
12. “Stuff about the reunion was all over the TV all the time, and they were playing ‘Take It to the Limit’ on the radio again. And I’m thinking, gee whiz, I wish they’d reunited with the guys who were actually in the group.”
13. “When the Eagles started, I was the best-known one in the band. I remember when Poco would play the Troubador, Glenn and Don would be in front of the stage, drooling and wishing they were in the band. But they’d never admit that now.”
14. “I was always kind of shy. They wanted me to stand in the middle of the stage to sing ‘Take It to the Limit,’ but I liked to be out of the spotlight.”
15. “When we first started, we were best pals and we all got along great. As we got older, when the money started coming in, everyone changed in different ways.”
16. “We ended up all living in a one-bedroom apartment that cost $80 a month and sleeping on the floor. My jacket was my first pillow. We really had nothing at all.”
17. “I thought I could get away, but music’s in my blood.”
18. “It takes time to heal those wounds of divorce. I don’t know if they completely heal.”
19. “I’m real settled with what I’ve done. The albums are really fun to make but I don’t really like to be out on the road now.”
20. “A background person is all I’ve been all my life.”
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
