The rocker Joe Walsh.
Ross Halfin
Who knew that the rock legend Joe Walsh was a self-described hoarder? With more than a half century’s worth of collecting his own rock memorabilia, Walsh has amassed thousands of items.
On December 16-17, 800 of these prize possessions will go on the block at West Hollywood’s’ famous Troubadour club courtesy of Julien’s Auctions. Items include a 2013 McLaren MP4-12C capable of 207 mph, several vintage guitars that Walsh has played over the years and, of all things, a Hammarlund short wave radio he’s used as an amateur “ham” radio operator (call: WB6ACU).
A portion of proceeds from the auction, titled “Life’s Been Good,” will go to VetsAid, Walsh’s own not-for-profit benefiting military veterans from the Vietnam and Afghanistan wars.
We had the rare chance this week to chat with Walsh, now 78 and a 1998 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee for work in The Eagles. Following are edited excerpts from a longer Zoom conversation.
Jim Clash: How did you choose the 800 items to put up for auction?
Joe Walsh: I guess that was the later stuff on top of the earlier stuff. I’m kind of a hoarder. No hoarders admit they’re hoarders [laughs].
I’ve been doing rock and roll for almost 60 years, and I’ve collected a lot of stuff. I’ve played in a lot of bands with different equipment, had five houses and several guitars from recording studios. When you’re done with all that, my answer was to get a big locker in Los Angeles, put it in there and worry about it later.
I’m also a guitar collector, and all kinds of other crazy things I value, too. I’m a great fan of analogue, now obsolete but works perfectly good. It’s hard to part with this stuff, that’s human nature. But these guitars deserve to be played, not sit in storage until I die.
Clash: The auction proceeds are going to VetsAid, your long-time charity. Why that particular cause?
Walsh: I’m a Gold Star kid. My father died when I was two, in the Army Air Corps. Back then, they didn’t have support groups. My mom was 20, and when we came home from Okinawa it was just her and me. That was hard. I grew up without a dad, but that’s okay. I’ve got a stepfather.
I resonate with situations where dad doesn’t come home. Families have some support now, but not much. I realize that for all the vets who put themselves in harm’s way, it’s a dysfunctional support team at best when they come home. They don’t get the attention they deserve.
If you read the statistics for Afghanistan, there’s way more casualties when coming home broken and shell-shocked [than in other wars]. I’ve played most everywhere but Alaska, and come across pockets of vets trying to support themselves without the government. I try to fund them to keep them going.
I’m not selling these [auction] things for money [to me], but more for my cause, VetsAid. We also play shows, and have distributed more than $4 million to vets after costs.
A 2013 McLaren MP4-12C owned by rocker Joe Walsh to be auctioned off for Walsh’s VetsAid charity.
Courtesy of Joe Walsh
Clash: I see one auction item is a 2013 McLaren supercar that goes 207 mph. How fast have you gone?
Walsh: I usually chicken out at about 140 mph [laughs].
Clash: Well, how about the Maserati that, in your hit song, “Life’s Been Good,” goes 185?
Walsh: Well, it says it’ll do that if you’re nuts enough to pursue it. And I don’t doubt it. I was going 100 mph, and had another gear left. Nobody really knows how fast these cars go because you can’t rev them up – you’ll get pulled over. The 185 number [in the song] was a good thing to rhyme to [laughs].
Clash: What does the line, “Life’s been good to me so far,” mean personally to you?
Walsh: I thought it was a good thing to put on the end of the song. I never meant that to be a record. My producer said, “You’ve got to record this.” But the song is not just about the extravagant lifestyle a successful rock-and-roller leads.
For two-and-a-half hours, I go on stage and I’m really, really cool. But the rest of the day, I’m just Joe. I’m happily married, have a nice house, four kids, commitments, stuff relating to reality. But yes, I also have had the stuff you might think a rocker has. The line, “I lost my license, now I don’t drive”? The reality is that I lost my wallet [laughs].
It’s really a cross-section of who we are as humans, and who people think we are. I guess I hit it on the head. I thought the song wasn’t funny and too corny, but a lot of people relate. I put the “so far” on the very end so I could do Part 2. I have a bunch more verses now, so maybe a Part 2 [laughs].
(Editor’s Note: This is Part 1 of a multipart series with Joe Walsh. Part 2 will cover alcohol abuse and Walsh’s passion for ham radio.)