Life in the Fast Lane: The Eagles' Reckless Ride Down the Rock & Roll Highway Paperback – July 11, 2023

Fun, informative and super interesting account of the music and mania of the Eagles. Mick Wall is super compelling, and has a sympathetic yet truthful openness. Wish he still had his podcast! Great book!

Juicy. He doesn't particularly like Don and Glenn but he plays fair for the most part.

Where to begin...this Eagles book is by far the most complete story of one of America's greatest bands. I liked that the author includes many other musicians who were associated with the Eagles, such as Jackson Browne and JD Souther. A great and interesting book to read and pass along...

When a writer gets details wrong, ones that though small are easy to research, it casts doubt on the entirety of their work. That's what bothers me about Wall's book on the Eagles. He presents at least two things as facts that are not:1. He writes about an annual "Day on the Green" concert in Oakland during the mid-Seventies. it's an annual series.2. He misquotes a line in "Hotel California" - the words aren't "she got the Mercedes-Benz" they are "She got the Mercedes BENDS."The latter is the most troubling, because they're offered in the context of Don Henley's anger toward his ex-girlfriend. Loree Rodkin. The correct word, bends, is a reference to the effects of drug and alcohol abuse. Its use is totally in context with the song's theme of drifting into decadence. Using the car name makes no sense, and Wall should have known this.In an interview, Henley said he wrote the "Tiffany twisted, Mercedes Bends" line about Loree Rodkin, his ex-girlfriend, likening her to the Norma Desmond character in the movie Sunset Boulevard - delusional, in a word. Wall, however, doesn't explore why he uses luxury totems like jewelry and cars to illustrate this.It's all very frustrating. I enjoyed Wall's books on Black Sabbath and (especially) Jimi Hendrix, but now I don't know how much of either work was authorial laziness.So my recommendation on "Life in the Fast Lane" is read it for Mick Wall's voice, but don't trust is as a biography.

Just read this bio of the Eagles, by an author I just discovered, Mick Wall.Imagine you have a friend, who is a great storyteller, knows WAY too much about something (in this case, rock music history), is ridiculously passionate and enthusiastic about said subject, and is impossibly hyperverbal (and/or under the influence of massive quantities of caffeine/coke/meth/all of the above)……and he feels the need to tell you EVERYTHING.NOW. Like RIGHT NOW.This is a heady rush of a read…laugh out loud lines once a page…plenty of history of Eagles (no “the”) and a vivid picture of the 70’s Los Angeles music scene…if it was really all, literally, sex drugs and rock n roll.And ego.And money.And business.It’s lean, profane, blunt…the style itself is a commentary of the subject. An interesting way to tell this rock and roll story.It’s given me a better appreciation for Eagles music, and their place in American rock history.The year of “Hotel California” overlaps with “Rumours” and their chart reigns end with “Saturday Night Fever.”The overlapping history of Eagles and Fleetwood Mac is something I was completely unaware of……the breakups sung about on “Rumours” had several origins with Eagles band members?I’m now listening to the entire Eagles catalog in order (I was pretty unfamiliar with their non-single album tracks), and this book is making that experience so much more rich and rewarding…

Xmas gift for my mom... She loved it as did dad .

Pretty much confirmed what we all knew about real truth of the 2 two leaders of the band and their control of any info their band!

Has to be one of my favorite rock history books. It is easy to navigate, speedy to read, stylishly written., a classic--it's definitely a fast lane. Worth to read it just to know what the "Hotel California" means.