Standout artist Glenn Frey was born on November 6, 1948, and passed away on January 18, 2016, at 67 years old.
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During his life, Frey was a founding member and co-lead singer, and frontman of the acclaimed rock band, the Eagles, singing lead vocals on songs like “Take It Easy,” “Tequila Sunrise” and “Already Gone,” among many more.
From the years 1980 to 1994, Frey took a break from the Eagles and went out on his own to pursue a solo career. He released his debut LP, No Fun Aloud, in 1982, dropping solo hits like “The One You Love” and “Smuggler’s Blues,” among others.
Frey was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with the Eagles in 1998.
But what did the artist have to say about life outside his lyrics and songs? What were his thoughts on his craft, love, and the world at large?
Let’s explore the 16 best Glenn Frey quotes.
1. “Except for a few guitar chords, everything I’ve learned in my life that is of any value I’ve learned from women.”
2. “Somebody asked my friend, Bob Seger, Why do you think the Eagles broke up? He said, ‘Hotel California.'”
3. “I think it would be nice to sell 15 million albums as a solo artist. I’d have to deal with all the repercussions of that, but that wouldn’t be too bad.”
4. “I’m just a bleeping maniac in straight clothing. There’s no reason to dress my monster up.”
5. “I’ve read somewhere that when you’re writing, you should stop while you’re doing well so you always want to go back to work.”
6. “It seems when I put together records, as Henley used to say, they’re just like movies. They should have action, tension, love scenes, places to relax.”
7. “My songs grow on people—like warts.”
8. “Nobody told Don Henley or me that we were going to make it as solo artists, but I can speak for Don when I say that we are both really happy now that the band is not together.”
9. “I read the Life magazine articles about free love and free dope in California. At age 20 I drove to Los Angeles.”
10. “Hey, I didn’t make a big deal out of ‘Hotel California.’ The 18 million people that bought it did.”
11. “I think musicians and artists are the most philanthropic people I know. Their charity record of the music business would hold up to the work of anybody.”
12. “I won’t apologize for ticket prices. I think we’re well worth it. We consider ourselves in the elite touring acts, like the Stones, Elton John, and Paul McCartney.”
13. “I’m just as insufferable and useless as every other dad is. The dynamic never changes, no matter what you do for a living.”
14. “If the Eagles were to get back together, it would have to be for the right reasons. I think it would look awful if it were just for the money.”
15. “That’s what I miss out of all this synthesized music—it starts to lose dynamics.”
16. “The last two years with the Eagles were pretty intense times. There was a lot of drinking and we were all getting high a lot. My parents were relieved when I got off the Eagles treadmill.”
Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images
