Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 9, 1993 TAG: 9307090073
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Former Eagle and solo rocker on one front, actor and star of his own television series on the other. "I would be the Bo Jackson of rock 'n' roll, Frey said in a telephone interview last week.
Musically, Frey continues the solo career he started after the breakup of the Eagles in 1980. It seems hard to believe, but Frey has been on his own now longer than the Eagles were together as a group.
He will perform Saturday at the Roanoke Civic Center with another former Eagle, and solo rocker in his own right, Joe Walsh. This is the first time the pair has toured together since their Eagles heyday.
As an actor, Frey hasn't yet matched that same level of success. But he's hoping to this fall with the premiere of his television series on CBS, "South of Sunset."
Frey, 44, plays Cody McMahon, a cynical private investigator in Beverly Hills. He said it is a show that fans of "The Rockford Files," "Miami Vice" and "Wiseguy" should enjoy. In fact, his character is along the same vein as the leads from those shows.
"Only I'm not as cool," he said.
He is excited about the starring role in the series, which was created by the team behind the short-lived, but critically acclaimed, "Shannon's Deal."
Previously, Frey has done only guest work, most notably on "Miami Vice" and "Wiseguy." "It's a big step up from doing a character role to a leading part," he said.
It also will allow him more time at home with his wife of three years, Cindy, and their 2-year-old daughter and 4-month-old son. The show will begin taping later this summer.
Music then will take a back seat - although not entirely. "I'm always going to make records and write songs because that is what I do," Frey said.
Already, a live album from the current tour is planned for a Christmas release. Some of the cuts could come from his Roanoke concert, too. He said he is recording in Charlotte, Roanoke and Cleveland, and will be selecting tracks to go on the album from each venue.
Why Roanoke?
"I'd like to say we've always wanted to record a live album in Roanoke, but I'm not that good an actor," he said. The truth is, they are renting the recording equipment in Charlotte and then carrying it with them to Roanoke and Cleveland. It was just logistics.
Still, Frey was excited. He said he has written a few new songs with Joe Walsh to debut at the three concerts. But mostly, he said, they will stick with the classics.
Frey and Walsh have a 16-piece band, including horn section and backup singers. Frey said the first part of the show features more melodic material, then they play a few acoustic numbers.
"Then we just sort of let it rip."
He said sharing the stage again with his former band mate has been fun. "We've got a lot of shared experiences. We were on that big roller-coaster ride together."
Or at least the wildest part of it, he said.
Walsh joined the Eagles in 1976, when he replaced original member Bernie Leadon, who wanted off the roller-coaster. The following four years were the band's most successful.
At the time, Walsh was already an established rocker, both as a former member of the James Gang and as a soloist. His song, "Rocky Mountain Way," recorded before he joined the Eagles, remains today a rock standard.
Frey, on the other hand, was there from the start.
He founded the Eagles along with Don Henley, Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon in 1971. Frey and Henley had been working together as members of Linda Ronstadt's band at the time. Frey also sang backup vocals on Bob Seger's hit, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," three years earlier.
A string of hits followed, beginning in 1972 with "Take It Easy," co-written by Frey and his one-time roommate, Jackson Browne, and concluding with "Heartache Tonight" in 1979.
Always, Frey and Don Henley were the primary forces in the group, and rumors have persisted for years that an Eagles reunion - with both of them on board - was eminent.
Last year, the Eagles' record company even announced they had agreed to write a few new songs together for a boxed Eagles retrospective. Speculation about a reunion tour followed.
But Frey has explained in previous interviews that when he sat down with Henley, their songwriting spark together just wasn't there. And they decided not to force it.
Walsh has stated it more bluntly: "When the magic starts to fade, it's time to move on, or you turn into Paul Revere & the Raiders or the Beach Boys . . . a nonmusical corporation."
That doesn't exactly explain the Frey/Walsh pairing.
However, Frey doesn't offer any apologies. Simply, he said together they are a stronger concert draw than they are apart. Not only can they mine their Eagles past, but each has a handful of solo hits as well.
Walsh has "Rocky Mountain Way," "In The City," and "Life's Been Good," among others. Frey has "You Belong to the City," "The Heat Is On," "Smuggler's Blues" and "Part of Me, Part of You," from the movie, "Thelma and Louise."
Combined, Frey said, they pack a bigger wallop.
"The sum is greater than the parts, there's no doubt about that."
FORMER EAGLES GLENN FREY AND JOE WALSH: Saturday, 8 p.m., Roanoke Civic Center. $13.50 reserved seats through box office (981-1201) and TicketMaster locations.
by CNB