IIllN HEl{tEY

GEFFEN
O 1995 Gefien Records, nc. /

Permission to reproduce Iimited to edtorial uses in

newspapers and other regu arly p!b ished perodlca s and television news programming

Dlll{ HENTET
GEFFEN
1995 Geiien Records, lnc. / Permsson to reproduce imited to editorial uses in
newspapers and other regu arly publ shed per odicals and te evision news programm n9.

GEFFEN
RECORDS
November 8, 1995

Greetings:

Hits felulel two brand new gems along

:.
Don Henley,s Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest
Uoi*Ttutk' It hits the stores Monday'
with l0 songs you'll easily recognize *A
November 20.

listen to "The
and I urge you to give a special
Enclosed you'll find an advance cassette
tf" albunito radio' (Wt'ut enclosed the lyrics to
Garden of Allah," *ti"t' has advanc"A
"Hotel California"' or' "a tale in which the
make it easier.) The song is a solo t.qr.ito
kind of
that he has become obsolete" - the
Devil visits a large Western city and finds
for "The
s forte' Don just shot a video
tt
oui*.i"t'
oi
assessment
lyncal
"t's-ff.otey'
plays the role of the devil.
Garden of Allalr,,, ii **.tr rirt oougtas

"You Don't Know

column), the othernep track'

As Henley toldBitlburd(see enclosed
*"' it's really about our snap
of t gt'v-girl brealup' but
Me At All," is in
ofleonard Cohen's
b-9nus trackis his recent cover
judgments of our nJiiu-r."
Song the Songs
..Everybody rnows'l?om the r...nttyi4eased tribute album Tower Of
inthe xerox of the packaging' also enclosed'
of Leonard Cohen.- 1i" tit, are listei

th;;;e

ft.

ZealandlAustralia which runs

Don is now on an Eagles tour leg of Hawaii/Japan/New
returns' oove us a cail
onft,available foiphoners until he
through DecembeJ,-so t
"',
there'! any additional info you'd like'
Warmest regards'

Roy Hamm
3101285-2701
far( 3 l0/858-7063
bryn@geffen.com

3101285-7937

fax 310/858-7063
hamm@geffen.com

tetePnone ZtZ gal aOOO

if

GEFFEN
RECORDS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOVEMBER 7, 1995

DON HENLEYS GREATEST HITS COLLECTION INCLUDES

SCATHING COMMENTARY lN NEW SONG: "THE GARDEN OF ALI-AH"
LOS ANGELES, CA (November 2, 1995)

- At the end of a dark desert highway nearly

be
20 years ago, Don Henley wondered if the bright promise of "Hotel Califomia'could
advances
heaven or hell. The verdic{ is in with his new song, "The Garden of Allah," which

20 on Geffen
his album Actual Miles: Henlev's Greatest Hits, to be released November
Records.
finds that he
Calling the song "a tale in which the Devilvisits a large Westem city and
a seersucker suit
has become obsolete,' Henley's wry wit weaves an epic story about a devil in
local trial.'
who "decides to have one last hunah by appearing as an expert witness at a
which is not
Henley continues, "The devil sarcastically repeats the credo of the modem age
has almost
necessarily,doing the right thing,' but rather'winning at any cost.' Modem society
completely bluned the line between right and wrong''

Wth Aciual Miles, one of America's most articulate songwriters revisits an

eight Top 40
extraordinarily successful solo careen one gold and two multi-platinum albums,
"The Garden Of Allah" and a
singles and nine Grammy nominations. At the same time, with

second newly-penned song,

you

Don't Know Me At All," Henley reflects on our socie$ today

and looks to the future with a perception

and bite

that is his hallmark.

Though Henley wrote the song before he read the book, "The Garden of Allah"
Lost The Sense Of
resonates with the credo of The Deatlr Of Satan {How Americans Have
pin the tail on the devil, says the author,
EviD (1gg5) by Andrew Delbanco. No longer able to
the devil
our civilization sinks into hate, bigotry, racism, misogyny and xenophobia. Today,

blends into the crowd.

The song also raises echoes of Hollywood's Garden of Allah, a Sunset Boulevard
During its heyday,
bungalow complex once @nsidered the most scandalous address in town.

9130 Sunset Boulevord 1755 Broocnvoy 6th Floot

LosAnoeles Colifornio 90069 NewYork NewYork 1OO19

212841860,0

this home to the famous from Valentino to Dietnch, Enol Flynn to the Barrymores, F. Scott
Fitzgerald to Tallulah Bankhead, witnessed orgies, drunken rages, tense honeymoons, bloody
brawls, divorces, suicide and murder. lt was tom down in 1959 to make room for otfices.
Actual Miles also indudes a bonus track, Henley's rendition of the Leonard Cohen

classic'Everybody Knows,'which originally appeared on the tribute album Tower Of Sonq the
Sonos of Leonard Cohen. Added to the album at the last moment, initial pressings will not list

the song in the artwork or accompanying booklet.

The previously-released tracks on Actual Miles begin with Henley's debut solo album, !
Can't Stand Still (Asylum Records, 1982, RIM certified gold) represented by'Dirty Laundry"
(gold-awarded and Grammy-nominated for Best Rock Vocal). From the triple platinum Buildino

The Perfect Beast (Getfen Records, 1984) comes'The Boys Of Summel' (nominated for three
Gramrnys including Record and Song of the Year, winner for Best Rock Vocal), 'All She Wants

To Do ls Dance," "Sunset Grill," and'Not Enough Love ln The World." On the strength of
Buildins The Perfect Beast, Henley was also Grammy-nominated for Producer of the Year.
From the five times platinum The End Of The lnnocence (Geffen Records, 1989,

nominated for a Grammy as Album of the Year), there's "The End Of The lnnocence"
(Grammy-nominated for Record and Song of the Year and winner for Best Rock Vocal), "The
Last Worthless Evening," "The Heart Of The Matter," "New York Minute" and "l Will Not Go
Quietly."

.The
As Don Henley proves with
Garden Of Allah,' he indeed has no intention of going
quietly.

###
FOR MORE INFORMATION. CONTACT:
Bryn Bridenthal 31 0/28$2701
bryn@geffen.com
Roy Hamm 310/2E$7937
hamm@geffen.com
FAX 310/85&7063
GEFFEN HOME PAGE:

http://geffen.com

GEFFEN
RECORDS

El|il HEilLET
THE MUSICAL BIO
Don Henley entered the Nineties as one of America's most respected, popular and critically-

acclaimed musical artists.

ln the Eighties, his three solo albums

- I Cant Stand Still (RIAA certified gold), Buildino The

Perfec{ Beast (RIAA certified triple-ptatinum), and The End of The lnnocence (RIAA certified quintuple-

platinum)

gamered numerous Grammy awards and nominations.

ln the Seventies, he was a founder of the Eagles, the most successful band of that decade,

selling more records than any other American ac{

more than 90 million units woridwide. Each of the

Eagles'albums reached well beyond the platinum sales plateau.

The fac{s and figures of Henley's solo career are also impressive. ln 1982, Henley made his
much-anticipated solo debut after a phenomenal decade with the Eagles. I Can't Stand Still (Asylum
Records) set the musical direc{ion he was to pursue, one that has continued lo distinguish his solo career
passionate lyrical incisiveness, socio-political musings, and a gift for melody and phrasing that has

become increasingly rare in modem music. This album was co-produced with Don by veteran
guitarisysongwriter, Danny Kortchmar and contained the hit single "Dirty Laundt!'which peaked at #3 in
the charts.
Buildino The Perfect Beast (Geffen Records, 1984), produced by Henley, Kortchmar, and Greg
Ladanyi, went to #13 and yielded four hit singles: "The Boys of Summef' (#5), "AllShe Wanfs To Do ls

9130 Sunsei Boulevord 1755 Broodwoy 6th Floor

LosAnoeles Colifornio 90069 NewYork NewYork 1OO19
Telephone 31O2789O1O

world'(#34). Henley was nominated for

Da'o.' (#g), 'Sunse t Gri,r (#22), and "Not Enough Love ln'The
vocal (Male) tor'The
the Year and again won the Grammy for Best Rock

Recold, song, and Producer of

fuys of Sumnnr."

(Geffen Records, 1989)' produced by Henley and

Histhird album, The End of The lnnocence
three Top 40 singles including "The End of The
Kortchmar, reached #9 on the pop charts and spawned
worthtess Eveningf (#21)' Nominated
(#8), 'The Heart of The Maftef (#21), and 'The Last
Innfxx,n@,

of the Year' Henley won for Best Rock Vocal

for four Grammys, including Record, Song and Album
(Male) for the title track.

(population 2,447)' Henley listened to blues'

Growing up in the smalltown of Linden, Texas
beyond East Texas' The singer' songwriter and
country and pop. His visions, however, reached far
originally formed in high school with friends
drummer soon drew musical attention with shiloh, a band
wamer Bros' Recods President (country
Richard Bowden and Jerry Sunatt, which later included cunent
the university of North rexas. The group
Music Division) Jim Ed Norman, who Henrey had met at
debut for the independent Amos
moved to Los Angeles in 1g70 and that year recorded its self-titled
the two struck up a friendship' When
Records. A labelmate at Amos was guitarist Glenn Frey and
group where he first began coilaborating with Frey. ln
shiloh disbanded, Henrey joined Linda Ronstadt's
played on her eponymously-titled LP' But
faci, the two joined Ronstadt for her spring tour in 1971, and
fali of 1971 , they founded the Eagles'
the Henley/Frey duo had plans of their own and soon, in the
of country, folk, rhythm and
The Eagles pioneered and epitomized a musicalsiyle consisting
bands in America' The Eagles have not
blues, rock and pop. They became one of the most influential
had five #1 albums, four Grammy Awards'
only sold more than 90 milliod records worldwide, but have
each
The group became the first band in history to have two albums
and numerous sold-out world tours.

sell more than 10 million units domestically

- Hotet califomia (over 15 million copies) and Egles --Ittej!

- Their Greatest Hits 1 971-1 975 was

Greatest Hits 1g71-1g75 (over 22million copies). ln faci, Eaoles
album of all time' second only to
recently certified by the RIAA as being the second largest-selling
the group disbanded
Thriller album. After almost a decade of recording and touring,

Mictrael Jackson,s

in the fall of 1980.

Projec{, a not-for-profit organization
ln the spring of 1g90, Don founded the Walden Woods
honored by author/conservationist Henry
dedicated to protecting the historic woods in Massachusetts

David Thoreau.
of Gommon Thread: The Sonos
ln Oc{ober 1g93, Don spearheadedthe production and release
album has sold more than three million copies
of The Eaoles, an all,star country tribute to the band. The
the walden woods Project' lt was recently
and generated more than $3 million in royalties benefiting

Yeaf in 1994.
named the country Music Association's 'Album of the
to begin their first North American tour in
Don joinecl his former Eagle bandmates in May 1994
demand for tickets resulting in immediate sell-outs
14 years. The tour was met with an unprecedented
(or any other
and was one of the highest grossing tours of 1994

year)' ln November 1994 the band

released Hell Freezes Over (Geffen Records), an album of live Eagles'classics and four new
composltions, which debuted at

#1. This album has sold more than five million copies and remained

in

the Top 100 nationwide after almosl a year.

The Eagles resumed touring in January of 1995, playing to sold-out arenas and stadiums in the
U.S. and Canada before taking their show to Japan, Australia and New Zealand in November and
December.

Over the years, Henley has written songs with or has been heard on albums by Bob Seger, Joni
Mitchell, Wanen Zevon, Joe Walsh, Randy Newman, Stevie Nicks, Patty Smyth, Trisha Yeanrood,
Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, Aerosmith, Elton John and others.
Aciual Miles: Henlev's Greatest Hits was released on Geffen Records on November 20, 1995.

###

1195

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTAGT:

Bryn Bridenthal: 31 0/285-27 01
bryn@geffen.com
Roy Hamm: 3101285-7937

hamm@geffen.com
FAX: 310/858-7063

GEFFEN HOME PAGE: http://geffen.com/

GEFFEN
RECORDS

El|il HEilLET
THE ENVIRONMENTALIST/ACTIVIST BIO:
...Was instrumental in the passage of Proposition 65, which was an initiative on the Califomia
ballot in November of 1986 to create measures to clean up drinking water in the state. At the time, it was
the most progressive, comprehensive environmental initiative ever put before voters.
...Was a top participant in the campaign to end dolphin slaughter by the tuna industry. Don
raised funds enabling the Earth lsland lnstitute to place a full-page ad in the New York Times to help
make the public aware of this problem.

...Co-founded (1982) and serves on the Board of Directors of Mulholland Tomorrow, a Los
Angeles conservation group dedicated to the preservation of open space and wildlife habitat in the Santa
Monica Mountains and foothills.
... Participated in an event in February 1990 which raised over one million dollars on behalf of

the Rain Foresl Foundation.

...Participated in Farm Aid I (1985) and Farm Aid lV in April 1990.
...ls a member of the Native American Rights Fund which specializes in the protection of lndian
rights, namely the preservation of tribal existence; the promotion of human rights; the accountability of

govemments to Native Americans;the development of lndian law.

...ls a member of the Advisory Board of Califomians Against Waste, an organization established
to create a renewable, sustainable economy by promoting the reuse, recycling, and renewal of our
natural resources.

Los

9130 Sunsei Boulevord 1755 Broodwqy 6th Floor

Anoeles Colifornio 90069 NewYork NewYork 1OO19
Telephone 31O 2789O1O Telephone 21284186C,0

...1s a board member of Americans For A Safe Future, an organization working

to protect our

priority is to stop
children, our water, our land and our future from radioac{ive contamination. ASF's top
pioneer a safe radioactive waste
the proposed radioactive waste dump at Ward Valley, Califomia and to
altemative disPosal PolicY.
...|s involved with and supports numerous environmental and preservation organizations
cousteau society,
including the American oceans campaign, the NationalAudubon society, the
Resources Defense
Defenders of Wildlife, Environmental Defense Fund, Friends of The Earth, Natural
Research Center,
Council, Siena Club Legal Defense Fund, the Wildemess Society, the Sutton Avian
Mountains
save our Springs (Barton Springs, Austin, Texas), Mono Lake Committee, santa Monica
Public Land.
Conservancy, The Gorilla Foundation, Protect Historic America, and The Trust For
organization
...|n the spring of 1g90, founded the Walden Woods Project, a not-for-profit
dedicated to protecting the historic woods in Massachusetts made famous by author/conservationist

American
Henry David Thoreau. Walden Woods, widely recognized as the birthplace of the
building and a
conservation movement, was endangered by developers who proposed to build an office
condominium comPlex.
a
... ln 1991, Don compiled and edited, along with Dave Marsh , "Heaven ls Under Our Feet,"
and
book containing personal essays written by 67 prominent authors, entertainers, environmentalists
political leaders such as Jimmy Carter, James Michener, Kurt Vonnegut, Jack Nicholson, and Meryl

Streep. Royalties from this p@ect are donated to the Walden Woods Project'
purchased
...Since 1g90, the Walden Woods Project has raised more than $12 million and has
not only the sites threatened by development, but other environmentally sensitive and historically
significant areas near Walden pond

a total of 86 acres. The Project continues to raise funds to protect

other Walden Woods environs and endow the recently founded Thoreau lnstitute.
The Thoreau lnstitute, located in an historic 18-room Tudor estate, will be operated by the
life,
Walden Woods projec{ and the Thoreau Society as a repository and research facility honoring the
will
work and philosophy of Henry David Thoreau and the Transcendentalist movement. The lnstitute

lts unique
become the first facility of its kind devoted to the study of the Transcendentalist movement.
midst
location -. in the midst of Walden Woods - will enable scholars to study Thoreau's writings in the
of his living laboratory.
The lnstitute's research facility will consist of a reading library, research room, computer work
vault to
stations and a microfilm room. The repository will consist of archives and a climate controlled
safely store ineplaceable acquisitions consisting of first editions, manuscript material and archeological
artifacts.
of
The lnstitute will bring under one roof the most valuable and heretofore inaccessible collection
largest
Thoreau research material. Most of this material is in private collections. The owner of the

Thoreau collection has offered to donate it to the lnstitute once the lnstitute is operational and the

storage vault is in place. Two other large collections are in the process of being committed to the
lnstitute.

The lnstitute will host a visiting scholars program, providing scholars (both from the U.S. and
abroad) with ovemight accommodations and access to the library and the extensive collections.

Symposiums on Thoreau and other relevant topics will be held periodically.

The lnstitute will provide outreach via electronic mail and computer to students and teachers.
Cuniculum development for elementary and secondary school students will be a priority. The lnstitute
will sponsor awards programs for outstanding students and teachers (the teachings of Thoreau are multidisciplinary and embody a wide anay of humanities subjects

- literature, philosophy,

history and ethics.

Noteworthy is the fact that Thoreau and his contemporaries have never before enjoyed such popularity.)
The Thoreau Society's executive offices will be located at the lnstitute. Some space will also be

provided for the Emerson Society.

... Established the Caddo Lake Scholars Program in February 1993 in Marshall, Texas. lt

included East Texas Baptist Universily, Wylie College and Stephen F. Austin University faculty and

student participants. lts purpose is to preserve and enhance the biological and cultural integrity of the
Caddo Lake ecosystem through new leaming and community education. lt is a field-based program

which uses the wetland ecosystem of the Caddo Lake area as a living laboratory and classroom.
Caddo Lake is the largest natural lake in the South, known both for its recreational values and its

extensive wildlife habitat. Caddo Lake supports Texas' most diverse fish fauna, with 69 species
collec{ed in one survey. The mature hardwoods in the area are vitalto the survival and productivity of
Neo-tropical migratory birds, providing critical nesting habitat during the spring and summer breeding

season. lt is also a nesting ground for the American bald eagle. These and other values have led to the
lake being declared a 'Wetland of lntemational Significance' under the terms of the Ramsar Convention,

the 1971 accod forthe proteclion of wetlands worldwide.

... Founded the Caddo Lake lnstitute which was incorporated in July 1994 and has received a

501(cX3) charitable status. lt is the corporate entity which canies on the Caddo Lake Scholars Program
and related educational programs which now involves multiple colleges, local school districts and their

faculty and students.

###

1195

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bryn Bridenthal: 31 0/285-2701
bryn@geffen.com
Roy Hamm: 3101285-7937

hamm@geffen.com
FAX: 310/858-7063

GEFFEN HOME PAGE: http://geffen.com/

GEFFEN
RECORDS

Bl|il HEilLET
ITHE GARDEN OF ALI-AH"

BACKGROUND FROM DON HENLEY

Ttre song ls loosely basd on a rccelilly pnblished book (aclually, I wrote the song before I read

the book),

Tlle

Deifr, of

Sffir (llw Amafuns

Haw Losf the Sense of Evll)," vtnfren by Ardrew

Delben@. Delbanco's book is steeped in what he calls theological noslalgia,' a condition marked by
undisguised yeaming forthe monal certainties once pmvftled bythe devil, whom Delbanco declares

dead. We, as a oulturs, arc eteedencing a 'crisis of incompetence before evil.' So long as violence

dwn amurd us and whimpers of pain reach our eerE, rve cennot help but agrce that everyone
lrarilsto tive in a rvodd in wtridr evil can sniil be recognized, have meaning and rcquire a response.'
ctashes

Today,

re

at far frcm living in such a world. We live in a perpetual condition of 'rcticenoe.'

Delbano claimsthet oursense of evilmust be'renettrd, not restored.' Once upon a time, we
knew a devil wlro had a name and a place to hang his hat, btrt all that is out of date. Now, we have no

adequate name for evil, and we dont know where to locate it.
The language of evil, Delbanco notes, is littered wrth what George Orwell called "dead

metaphos'-

like sin

- mosil of them killed off by the scientific spirit of the 20th Century. The old words

point to a supematunal force lhat our secular culture teaches us to dismiss along with the tooth fairy,

while the newwotds, 'dysftrnctional,' 'anti-social behaviof and other similarly sterile euphemisms are
drained of moral content. Face to face with evil, we arc reduced to'inarticulate dread"
something that our culture no lolger gives us the vocabulary to express.'

9130 Sunset Boulevord 1755 Broodwoy 6th Floor

LosAngeles Colifornio 90069 NewYork NewYork 1OO19
Telephone 31O 278 9O1O Telephone 212841 860,0

1re feel

that might flower some day

we feel it, if we're honest in ourselves; we own up to a seed of bad
rive in the mosr brutal century in human history,"
into wickedness. But not everybocry rooks inside. nve
Delbanco Mites, "but

himself
insted of $epping forward to take the credit, [the devil] has rendered

the fabric of the system, so that he is at

invisible., He blencls in with the croud and weaves himself into
takes dominion everywhere: in each of us' in all
once ubiquitous and elusive. Evicfed from hell, satan
He is not dead so much as dispersed'
of us collectively and, most conveniently, in all our bes* enemies.
18th
the relentless advance of Enlightenment rationalism in the
Delbanco faithfully records

an eye, all the while, on the devil's doings'

Century, of liberal individual6m in the 19th Century. He keeps
gloating triumph at the outbreak of the civil
satan,s eager rcsurgenoe durirg the Revolutionary war, his
experienced its'great age of
with the rosy dawn of the 20th century, Delbanco notes, America

war.

and xenophobia.
scapegoating,, marked by paroxysms of bigotry, racism, misogyny

Heexplainsthisorgyofhateasaformofculturalpanic,,alungeforsomethinggraspable,fora
Lunge extends into
clear scheme of value, in a world that had become spiritually incomprehensible.'
of
the Holocaust and we land at last smack-dab in the 'culture
plunge

- right through the abyss of

ilony,'which is where we sit, like Job, in dust and ashes'

Pos{modemismtakesaparticularlyhardslapfitisawayofthinkingabouttheselfthatis
relativism that robs us of solid ground for
incompatible with personal responsibility), as does the radical
quotes Richard Rorty's appropriately
making value iudgments. Lamenting our rooiless slate, Delbanco
of wrongness''
ungainly phrase: 'we are now definitively without a'criterion

THE STORY LINE

I want you to know that there is
While all of the foregoing may sound extremely dark and serious,
is an overyiew of the lyrics: The devil
some humor and lightheartedness in the song. The following
his shiny, new BMW through the san
appears to a young man (writer, agent, whatever) who is driving
gotten so bad that even he is
Femando valley. satan is quite frustrated because things have
own dwelling place below
The weather, for instance, is so hot that it reminds him of his

confounded.

ard causes him to

5l1reat

moral compass and that

culture has lost its

through his fine seersucker suit. He realizes that the entire
the devil's
there is no longer any distinciion between good and evil. Therefore,

out in Hollywood
job has become obsolete. He waxes nostalgic about the good ol'days when he hung
to the movie studio system of the
with the likes of F. scott Fitzgerald and Aldous Huxley and alludes
apartment hotel' The
B. Mayer (one of the "dieties') and the historic Garden of Allah
1g30,s, Louis

of many of these great writers is a metaphor

'casiing out' orfailure (in Hollynood) and ultimate demise
insubordinate and a bit too 'creative'"
for satan,s banishment from Heaven by a god who thought him
place for him, the devil decides to have one last
Realizing that the late 20th century no longer holds a
could be the o.J. Simpson trial or
hunah by appeafing as an expert witness at a local trial, which
monologue is that evidence or
perheps a metaphor for the Nuremberg trials. The crux of the devil's
result -- once again bluning the lines
'data" can be manipulated by either side to produce the desired

between fuht and wrong. The devil sarcastically repeats the credo of the modem ege which is not

necessarily "doing the fight thing," but rather

lrinning' at any cost.

THE ORIGINAL GARDEN OF ALLAH

A 3 1/2-acre hotel complex of Spanish-style h.rngalows that once stood at 8150 Sunset
Boulevard, the Garden of Allah was built on the former estate of Russian silent-film actress/producer Alla
Nazimova, a former concert violinist who abandoned music for the stage and screen. Known for her
bizane, highly stylized movie rcles, Nazimova created a sancluary along similar lines for her celebrity
visitors, who included Enol Flynn, Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, Tallulah Bankhead, Robert Benchley,
Domthy Parker, and Leopold Stokowski. Nazimova was financially ruined in the Great Depression and
died a year afler her lasl movie, 'Since You Went Away' (1%4); following her death, a local bank
assumed control of her retreat and, in the 50's, demolished it to build offices. During its three-decade
heyday, the Garden of Allah was the site of robberies, orgies, drunken rages, tense honeymoons, bloody
brawls divorces, suicides, and murder.

###

ll95

FOR MORE INFORMATION GONTACT:

Bryn Bridenthal: 31 0/285-27 01

bryn@geffen.com
Roy Hamm: 3101285-7937

hamm@geffen.com
FAX: 310/858-7063

GEFFEN HOME PAGE: http://geffen.com/

LOS ANGELES TIMES (November 6' 1995)

HenleyTakes

Dispirited
Lookat L.A.

"Hotel
Pop Music: Two decades after
California." the songwriter's newest
it
single. "Thc Gardcn of Allah." offers
satiric view of a hitrdening society'

Bv ROBERT HILBURN

riues

pop Muslc

cRlrlc

"Hotel CaliforFor almost two decades' lhe Eagles'

pop ' ' ' a
modern
in
landmark
a
as
stood
F "i";; has
the fact
bevond
reached
I ;;oJ;ilo* i.pott"nce pop
charts and won a

tir"i it reached the top of the

1978 as the year's best single'
d.r.nrny
"'';ri"lJr inbJfornia"
was the most distinguished in a
"Life in the F'ast
series of Eagles songs, including
"f,"nl;'
innocence'
uno "besperado"' lhat defined lost
p"rson"f aspiratibns and moral temptations.in the

Llift .u"n

'70s

of the insight and grace that such novelists

Fitzgeralld definld similar elements of

American societY in the'20s'
for
Though the song was meant as a metaphor,
Southern
on
Americi rather lhan a literal commentary
be about this
California, it aiways seemed chiefly to
*itiin in the late '?0s was still basking in the

;."F.'-S;;t;

"*",
["ri!f

tn"t rt was' lruly' the promised land',

new "The
So, it's sobering ro heai Don Henley's
ways the
many
in
seems
cJa!" "r nir"n" slngle' which
"Hotel
California"'.
to
lone-;waireo sequel

featured on a Henlev
fh;il;:;n"ir t*o new songs
a dark' satiric look
is
20'
Nov'
due
gr;;;;;hiit ^iuut
"Hotel
California"'
Unlike

^"

at a

hardenlng .oc'eiy'

CON

KEYEti

LosAngelesTimes

a lot
'This placo was a lot friendller and
nicei when I came hele 26 Yals ago'

'

Don HenleY

summer, watching the lrial and the

circus atmosphere. "People selling
buttons and pendants and T-shirts
and people buying them," he saYs

which Henley wrote with Glenn

Frey and Don Felder, the new song
was written with Stan Lynch, John
Corey and Paul Gurian.

angriiy. "People forgot that two

people got brutally murdered."
The references to exPert witnesses, he says, is not meant solelY

as an attack on the Simpson de-

sequel," Henley, 48, says, sitting in

a West Los Angeles studio follow-

fense team.
"The defense stooPed PrettY low'

"I

don't want lo bill this as

ing a rehearsai for the Eagles'

upcoming tour of Australia and

Japan. "I don't like sequels. It is

just the same writer looking at the
same place 20 years down the line
. . . looking at good and evil, dark
and light."

Still, the images strike hard and

close to homet references to the
region's naturai disasters (fires to
earthquakes), the legendary, bul
long-gone Garden of Allah hotel in
Hollywood and, most strikinglY,
the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
Indeed, "The Garden of Allah,"

released to radio stalions last week,

is the first song by a major PoP

figure to refer to the unprecedented triai.

Henley strikes out al exPerl

witnesses (" I can get anA result You
tike/ /Whats it worth to Ya?'), and
at lawyers and profiteers,

No shame,no soluti.on
N o r emor s e, n o r etribution
Just peoplc selli.ng T'shi'rts
Just opportuni,ty to participate in
the pathetic little ci.rcus

And winning, uinning, wi'nning.

Henley wrote the song over the

but I'm really talking about e4gert

witnesses, and they were on both
sides," he says. "The whole concept is a joke. You can hire somebody to corroborate anYthing."
But the iegal sYstem is just one
element in a song that tells of the
devil visiting a large Western city

called "Gomorrah-bY-the-Sea"
and finding lhat he is obsolete.

There are references to corPorate

in lhe record business and

elsewhere, environmental destrucgreed

lion and a ruthless spirit. "What

the song ultimately says is lhe lines
between good and evil have become blurred . . . and we've lost
our moral compass, I lhink," he
says. "And I see it everYwhere .
in smail acts . . the waY PeoPle
drive . . the sort of ruthless,

get-out-of - my-way-or-I'll-walkright-over-you mentalilY that is

becoming more pervasive."

Henley, who lived for years on

Mulholland Drive

in

Sherman

Oaks, lwists a bit in his chair when

asked about Los Angeles.

Should we assumc from the

song's acidic tone and the fact that

he and his wife, Sharon,

have

moved to Dallas that, "The Garden

of Allah" is a condemnation of Los
Angeles?

"No, no," he says, quickly.

"We'll still be out here [some]. I
feel just as romantic about Los
Angeles and just as disenchanted
with il. In, fact, both feelings are
probably intensified. I probably
love it more and hate it more than
when I wrote'Hotel California.' "
Henley- whose greatest- hits al bum ends his lies rvith Gefien
Records and makes him a valuable

record-induslry free agent-paus-

if summarizing his thoughts

about the city. There's a touch of
sadness in his voice as he contines, as

ues.

"This place was a lot friendtier

and a lot nicer when I came here 26
years ago," he says. "There are still

pockets of civility here, bul they

are rapidly disappearing as neighborhoods and ethnic groups gel
more and more polarized, and as

the city gels more and

more

crowded. I think lhe violence and

the ruthlessness is going to increase.

"But again lhis song and 'Hotel

California' are metaphors for what
is happening all across the country.

I am simply moving to

Dallas

because my wife wants to live

there and I want to raise our child
[due next yearl near her grandParents and her aunts and uncles and
cousins. That is very important to
me . . that love and supPort."

BILLBOARD(October 28, I 995)

'Actual Miles': HenleyWon't Go Quietly

In our apparenl preference for legality over morality, our culture
increasingly perceives no imperative bul winning in the moment.
Thus, we gamble against eternily while bending fundamental ':erms
and beliefs to suit short-terrn aims.
As author Andrew Delbanco points out in his absorbing new
book, "The Death of Satan: How Americans Have Lost The
Sense Of Evil" (Farra:', Straus and Giroux), the Hebrew word
Satan, in the Old Testament oliginaill' meant obstt'uctor or advel'saly, but was translated during the third century by the
Gleeks into di,abolos (from diu-bollein, to tear apart). In the
Greek rendering of the New Testament, the devil became not a

lempLer but sadaitas, an enemy of God. Post-Renaissance

English transiations made him a paradoxieal ereature and then
an ugly pest. "By 1900," u.r'ibes Delbanco, "it was impossible to
reatiach the word 'sin' to its original -sense (h'ansg'ession, violation, trespass), because the target of the violation-God-was
gone."

"But in the end," reckons singet/songwliter

Don Henley, "we all must answer for our orvn behavior. If our reply is with a code of convenience,
that, means the concept'we're all in this together'
has gone to hell."

Henley's sentiment neatly abridges the

satanic, no-exit scenario of "?he Garden Of
Allah," the seven-minute suite that's one of three

Henley's ode to the unseemly spa is a churning rock drama built

around Danny Kor-tchmar's forewarning lead guitar figures, Sheryi

Crow's ill-boding backing vocals, and Vinnie Colaiuta's violent

drums. Henley's voice is electronically reprocessed duling two spoken-word intervals in which he offels Beelzebub's lament, the fallen
angel explaining his role as an expett witness in a recent courl appearance. The problem is, Lucif'el is too honest ("I'm a gun lbr hire,
I'm a saint, I'm a liar . . . I can get you any result you lii<e"), and
what use is a devil rvho fails to deceive?
"I kne\4' I had tapped into the Zeitgeist," says Henley, Iaughing,
'\,rrhen I picked up The Los Angeles Times on the day we finished
mlxing the song and it had a big revielv of Delbanco's new book."
What's fascinaling is hou'well such disLurbing themes fit within
the highlights of Henley's solo rvork. Few songlr't'ilet's since the '70s
have made more adventurous use of modern studio hardware in expanding lhe lopicaVintelpretative spectrttm of popular music, yet
Henley began as a small-tolrn Texas countr'1-rock
drummer'/singer rvho took up songx'r'iting after

musrc
TOffTYEARS

new songs (the others are the blues-rocker "You

Don'l Know Me Al All" and Henley's recent

cover of Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows")

teading Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance"

and Henry Dar.id Thoreau's "Walden."
"It's likely," Henley admits, "lhat there's a lunning thread in ali the songs on the album." These
inelude "Dilty Laundry," "The Boys Of Summer,"
"Al1 She Wants To Do Is Dance," "Not Enough
Love In The World," "Sunset Gr"ill," "The End 0f

The Innocence," "The Lasl Worthless Evening,"

"New York Minute," "I Will Not Go Quietly," and
"The Heart Of The Maller." "I suppose," he says,
"that all lhe songs touch on modern society's non-

on his forthcoming anthology album, "Actual

acceptance of any essentiai principles ot' beauty.
Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits" (Geffen), due
Mr. Thoreau saw lhose things in the lvorld around
Nov.21.
him, but where I part company a little bit with him
" 'The Garden Of Allah' is a solo sequel to 'Hois
in his belief in rugged individualism, which I
give
you
notes
Henley.
an
tel California,"'
"To
think we've all embraced at the sacrifice of a sense
overview of the lyrics, the devil appears to be a
of community."
young man-a'rt'iter, agent, rvhatever-who is
Henley nonetheless confesses his relief al being
tooling in his BMW through the San Fernando
byTimothyWhits
a "fLee agent" in the music community for the first
Valley ICalif.]. Salan is frustrated because things
time in his adult life, since "Actual Miles" fulfills
have golten so bad that even he is confounded.
his Geffen solo contract. Apart from lingering overinstance,
is
hot
it
refor
so
that
rveather,
The
seas tour commibments s'iih lhe Eagles, he has no culrent, recordminds him of his orvn drvelling place below, and he's sweating
ing obligations whatsoever. And the u'illy cot'er art lbr "Actual
bhrough his fine seersucker suit. He realizes that the entire culMiles," in which Henley portrays a poi.ygslgl'-glad auto salesntan,
is
no
longer
any
its
moral
compass
and
that
there
lost
lure has
is intendecl to underscore the "comntodil.v mentalil.y" he sees as rife
distinction betrveen good and evil. Therefore, the devil's job has
in music.
become obsolele. He waxes nostalgic about the good ol' days
"It's a cornmenlary," he says, "on ho\1'ail the lnergels and marhanging out in Holl;'rvood u'ilh F. Scott Fitzgerald and Aldous
ket-share obsessions in our business make artists feel like pork belHuxley, alluding to the hisloric Garden of Allah."
A 3%-acre hotel complex of Spanish-slyle bungalows that once lies, soybean futures, ol used cars."
Nervl,v married and resettled in Dallas, *'ilh a bab;'on the rvay,
stood at 8150 Sunsel Blvd., lhe Garden of Allah rvas built on the
Henley reaffirms his interest in a possible "joint record and docuformer estate of Russian silent-film actress/producer Alla Nazimentarl' film on Texas root mllsie."
mova, a forrner concelt violinist u'ho abandoned music for the stage
Mean*'hile, he lhinks that "You Don'l Knorv Me At A1l" besl
and screen. Knout for her bizan'e, highly stylized movie roles, Nazimor,a cleated a sanctuar-v along similat'lines for her celebrity visitors, g'ho included Brrol Flynn, Gloria Srvanson, Greta Garbo, Tal-

lulah Bankhead, Robett Benchley, Dorothy Parker, and Leopold

Stokou,ski. Nazimova rvas financially ruined in lhe Great Depression and died a .vear after her last movie, "Since You Went Away"
(1944); following her death, a local bank assumed contlol ofher relreat and, in the '50s, demolished it to build offices. But during its
three-decade heyda.y, the Garden ofAllah s'as lhe site ofrobberies,
orgies, drunken rages, tense honeytnoons, bloody brarvls, divorces,
suicides, and rnurder.

expresses his arnbivaience totvald the rock inclLrstry to n'hich he de-

voted "the first half of

m-v

life."

"The song is in lhe guise of a guy-gn'l breaknp," he explains, "but

it's really about our snap judgments of our neighbot's. For inslance,
I didn't knorv I could urite a song as heartfell as 'The Heart Of
The Matter,' so I'm touched u'hen people senri notes sa.f ing thel'
gol as much out of lhe experience as I did-'cause I leall.-v lealnecl
fi'om il. I g'ant rry child to grort'up in a rvorlcl thal believes thele's
real evil out there, but also some good things yet to be discovered
rvithin each of us."

LOS ANGELES TIMES (November 8, 1995)

[ssay
ROBnRT A.J()NES

Midnight in the Garden of Allah

nclghhorhoods, get mowed (lown

ililil'""-'"-*li:gi'

lnflnitely eheaPer and

she singe, ''Thev

/.\ ver tlmc, everY citY aeqttires

f lits svmbols of loss. Htrnrlreds
\-if of 6uildings, even whole

end replaced hY

somethlng

more
tawdry. We watch th.rm go And

brettv Boon, for the most Part, we

iors6t. But occaslonallY a lost

eorirer of the cltY sticks ln our
tninds, Iiko an old regret, and
. fn,fuees to budge from memorY.

Why do we choose these Partlc-

ular places for immortfllity 8n(l not

others? Nobody knows- But in our

genernticn we Beem to have setl.led
6n the eouthwest corner of Sunset
. und Crescent Heights as the Prime
iymbol of all that's bee n lont in Los

that corner, for 40

ycars, sot the Garden of Altah

.Angeles. 0n

, tlotel.
' If you've been lintening t0 any of
the Top 40 stations on Lhe radio
thig week, you muY have heard [he

mDst recent lumenI attorrI the

Oarden, It come$ trn the new song

by ex-Eagle Don IIenleY that

Tlmefl critic Robcrt Hilbttrn says

mifiht serve as the seqrtel to the
Eagle's "Flotel California." The
new aong is titled "The Carden of
Atlah" and telle a tale of thc Devll
ieflecting acidly on modern-daY
Loe Angeles as opposed to the old
daye. The eymbol of the old daYs,
'.of coutse, is the 0arden.
IL's the seme Garden thnt made
un appearance in a short-lived
comic strip starring n oad gorilla
nflmod Rudy. RudY and his friends,
lncludlng a Parrot, lived at the

Garden and algn reflected on

modern-day Los Angeleo, also

rtnfavorably.

Llharlcn Btttterwor[h, 80t

ffi
AnvwaY'soc'on

Mitchell song atrout

which
Pavcrl
-?i,lv'

l,os Anfieles in

1Ll

,il
'ffi

i:ixlff
,[',11itii."fillil,ll"" ffi
0f the dozens
of references to t,he
and on.

Garrlen in thie

l,l:H

news-

llfi,:il{11}:

il+:"#;*ff***
crimes we have

All of them hnve vanished. blrt

they have not $tuck ln our mirld$'
Onl-v Ltrc (inFk:n han manilged that.
'the rllffnrence comes not from thc

l;"1

-*-M:

rlil

lffi

ffi

the nurtu:'ing plnee of n commuili'

ty. The

,ilffi

ffiffiff

ffi

m
lh

Garden of Allnh,

it' Vef y.
"#-'rlrih-ri-';il;;',
;;;.

ldAnrel*Trnci attn'sphere. Thc press.

ri'"."&;;;;:gqi:

The Garden of Allah Hotel, bulldoeed in fact but not in collective L.A.

1920e,

l;:lllm:i$:;';l'Ji'f;

gnneral.pub.lic llothered

pleaoant trut hardly

*eirting rwo of Holr.vinspired eriampre nf rhe Moorlsh area,,thun

aiiiig wonrl's,primearc.hetypes.
fad thflt $wept
For the next three tlecitdes thc
ln tSZZ, it";';-5q
that decarle."r"i,,L".tur"
'ifi" Garrlen
^
servetl as the resirlence for
purchase. by Rr*reian 0.1."r.
(lefinitive list trf ct'lebrlNazimovn-thus thr: "nlfafr"-|ilf, a.nearly
rvould fill

wi,fr"lli
instinctive burst of genius, tr'"i]
mova ad<le. a series of tung"]l'*,
ancl a huge pool u,ith l"*ri;j;;
converted to e hotel.

hird

consciousness. ootvthegtrnitsrelenl'less

Its life as fl private

est'te in the

famous ghontr of

thr

Ganlen hnd a good time, and thoY

lilh.:L
t:s:r**:v:l:ii
cre8tedforourgelrre$ndriuuliiiiWdlfMiuffliiimWHlfi[ild#llMfiiirrmiffmmfimiMil|Mf1ulfiffffmrfy$..theD0wJone,.1fep0rl;.',
"ill;:lillilH
course,

fiilr(lrn'$ archito(trlrr-l or it$ conl;rlbutkrn tn llollywood pool culturo.

It ffcflm$ [0 cflme h'om its rol{i ris

i"#llil,':ii..l"**Ti ffi
#;?''ii....;;;;;;;flryteamrni$rhtbegiVtnr,hf

0f

ilpartmenl" hililding that &ttrrctod

Jimmy $tewar[, HenrY Fonda aud
Myrnir Loy. The Mocsmbo and
Ciro's, another nightchtb of the ora,
wr.re within wnlking distsnce.

Laurence.olivier, Dnrothv

P-arker,

,,.*.*#,1i1]li'.tli:lititilttn;l:

Orson Welles, Leopold Stowkows- ley. Hollyrvonrl at that tirne resemki, F Scott F-itzgerald and Marlene bli4 a villagc.at thn crlge of civiDietrich. Every night, in the '30s lization, an,Ithe Garrlen serverl as

anrl '40s, the perty woulrl hcgtn

at

oneof itsorltposts'

the bar, ntove to the hrrngnlows for

But the sirme could be said of
includee dinner, and end up arouncl the pool. half ir rlozen other $pots in Hollypool
where
Robert
wood of that timt. iust down the
Robert Benchlcy, John llnrrymore, Thls was the
Humphrey Bo[art, Grotn dnrbn, Benchley' or perhaps hls friend stroet was ihe Nolnran<lie Village

ties. Tlie co.mplete,lint

lhe rest of thii articte hut.

harl a goor.l time

together.

llnderstanrl, tho*e peoplc litcd at

lhe Garrlen for ntonths or Year8 llt

a time, they were not nishtly

guests. Today, celebrities eithcr

6uv or renl. a five-berlroom in BelAii nr the Prllsade"q. It is harrl to
inr;rgine any nf the Present-daY
erowrl accepting the small aPart'
ments ut. t.he Garden. Yet Bogart
rnrl Sarrymore and the others dld
jr

tst that.

'ffiqg ilid il lpcrluge of the fun' I

sqlspect, txrtlr innorent and wicked.

The.y rlirl rl, hecituse they wantcd a

place to hang out, to be easy wilh

t.heir friends. For 30 Yeare or eo,
the Carden offtred them all th0se
things, and theY wisely nccepted"
That'n thn HollYwood we miss

when we miss the Gnrden' Thtl

neoole antl the stories and the
l,hni..l ti*.*, and the knowledge

thaL uur modern

L.il.

canPot

repeat Lhose lirncs. That's why thc

(lirclen s loss hltrts, why it won't
loave our memorY. Ae HenleY nuYs'

"the clock ntrikee midnight at, lhe

Gar<len of Atlah." And tll thn
sweot dreams die.