IN CONCERT
Joe Walsh with Kim Mitchell
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m. (gates at 5: 30 p.m.)
Where: Bullen Park, Esquimalt (1151 Esquimalt Rd.)
Tickets: $69.50 (general admission) or $95.50 (VIP) at hightideconcerts.net, Esquimalt Recreation Centre, Lyle's Place, Ditch Records, and the McPherson Box Office
Note: Children 10 and under are free
When singerguitarist Joe Walsh is asked, shortly after picking up the phone, about the state of his day, his deadpan response could only be that of a lifelong rock 'n' roller.
"I'm not bleeding and I'm not in jail," Walsh said in his slightly off-kilter twang.
"So I guess I'm OK."
Life is all about perspective for Walsh, 64, a recovering alcoholic and former drug user who has spent the past 18 years of sobriety trying to live down some of his wackiest escapades - including the time he dismembered the contents of a hotel room with a chainsaw.
He's a nut, no doubt, but a much beloved one: When he ran for president of the United States in 1980, Walsh advertised a platform that promised free gas for everyone.
Underneath his coat of comic colours sits a monster player whose talent with a guitar has given way to some of the best classic rock cuts in existence, from the James Gang's Funk #49 to his solo hit, Rocky Mountain Way. That the acclaimed Eagles guitarist (whose playing during the '70s was the envy of Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page) is ranked 54th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time makes perfect sense.
It's an honour Walsh cherishes. "I'm here and the cards have fallen for me.
All I can say, besides being able to play, God has really been gentle with me. I'm so grateful that I can still play my music in front of people and they still come."
Walsh has the good fortune of playing music in two entirely separate worlds - his own and that of the Eagles. Walsh officially joined the group in 1976, shortly before the recording of Hotel California, and has been with them since their 1994 reunion. The Eagles occupy the majority of his time, so when he returns to the small arenas and large theatres of his solo career (Walsh makes his Victoria debut on Tuesday at Esquimalt's Bullen Park) he arrives incredibly well equipped.
Walsh says the intimacy of his solo gigs has him continually excited about the possibilities.
"I'm kind of in the trenches like in the old days. Being that close really makes me play differently. You play differently in a stadium. [On my solo tours] I have a lot more freedom to improvise. Between the two, I'm really blessed to be able to express myself in various ways. I really do have the best of both worlds."
Walsh wasn't always this at-ease.
He was a success for nearly a decade before joining the Eagles, despite years of debaucherous behaviour and nights of revelry with the likes of Keith Moon; things didn't slow down with the Eagles, and by the time of their demise in 1980, the group was known for being some of the heaviest users in rock. When the Eagles eventually re-formed in 1994, the reunion was dependent upon everyone being sober.
Walsh agreed to the terms and got clean once and for all. "I just plain ran out of options," he said. "I had a tremendous party for about 15 years, and I had to stop."
The band immediately returned to the top of the charts with Hell Freezes Over, an album which produced one of the most commercially successful tours in rock history. Four years later, the Eagles were entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Once again, Walsh was on top of the world, save for one big professional problem.
He was scared stiff. Back in his days of drinks and drugs, Walsh felt like he could conquer any audience set before him. It wasn't until he was sober that he realized he'd been getting by on liquid courage.
"In the beginning, everything was terrifying. Playing in front of people without a buzz was terrifying. I wasn't sure I could write. I thought maybe the alcohol was part of what made the music really good. And that wasn't the case. I didn't think I'd be funny anymore, and I had to learn how to do all of that stuff one thing at a time."
Walsh says he can seemingly do it all these days. "I know how to write sober. I know how to be funny sober. I know how to play in front of people sober."
His renewed sense of confidence led to his summer release, Analog Man, Walsh's first solo album in 20 years. Produced by Jeff Lynne of the Traveling Wilburys - and featuring cameos by Ringo Starr, Little Richard, David Crosby and Graham Nash - the record finds Walsh in a
somewhat serious place. The song Lucky That Way has Walsh looking happily in the rearview mirror, thankful for all that he has achieved, while Wrecking Ball documents his addiction troubles.
That's not to say his trademark humour isn't intact. On the album's title cut, Walsh sings: "Welcome to cyberspace, I'm lost in the fog/Everything's digital, I'm still analog/When something goes wrong, I don't have a clue/Some 10-year-old smart-ass has to show me what to do."
Despite his ever-present talent, that goofy image of Walsh, when coupled with his notorious reputation, often cast him in a somewhat mockable light. Since becoming sober, Walsh has been trying to change that opinion of himself.
"Some of the old songs, I was dependent on alcohol and substances for the songwriting process. I hid behind the humour in some of them. The new songs in sobriety, I think, the 'poking fun' is a lot more focused and has more meaning.
"Now that I know who I am, I'm trying to show people with my songs. It's a little scary but it feels really good."
