JOE WALSH, SHERYL CROW ROCK FOR VETS.
When Joe Walsh says “These are strange times we’re living in,” well, you have to take notice. At 71, he’s lived a life less ordinary, having spent more than a half-century playing rock ’n’ roll for a living, starting with The James Gang more than 50 years ago. His own solo career has spanned nearly that long, and when the Eagles version of the bat signal goes up in the sky, he answers that call, too, because life has been good to this gifted and weird guitarist. Walsh will be in Houston early next year with the Eagles. But prior to that, he’ll visit here this weekend with a stout lineup called VetsAid that includes ZZ Top, Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow, the Doobie Brothers and Jason Isbell.
VetsAid is the third annual charity tour organized by Walsh with the intention of raising money with the National Association of Veterans Serving Organizations. Walsh himself is a Gold Star family member: When he was a baby, his father died while serving in Japan.
Walsh took some time off during a blizzard to talk about the tour.
Q: You have a pretty busy spell with this tour and the Eagles dates. How is all with you?
A: I’m pretty good. I’m in Colorado, and we just got clobbered with a snowstorm today. So it’s a great day to do interviews!
Q: What made you to decide to take up this cause now?
A: There’s a lot of, I don’t know, the news is taking everybody’s attention. And you know, we are at war. We are. But it’s a forgotten war. Nobody says anything about it. And that’s frustrating to me. And more soldiers have been seriously wounded than killed in this war. And when they come home, there’s very little support for them, whether they’re wounded or
not. The Veterans Administration right now is very dysfunctional and understaffed. So these people come home and the transition to civilian life is almost too big a mountain to climb. I’m just trying to do what I can. We have more soldiers coming back severely
wounded than in any other war we ever fought. And it’s a different war. The post-trauma of it is real. And I can’t stand seeing homeless vets. I forget the numbers, but I’m pretty sure I’m not exaggerating, but I think there are 20 suicides a day. There’s this feeling of hopelessness. As a musician, I play all these cities, and I see it.
Q: How did you put together the lineup?
A: That’s the easiest part. I don’t have to talk anybody into doing this. Nobody says, “I’m not into that kind of thing.” If they’re not playing somewhere else, they’ll be there. And I’m a Gold Star kid. So I’m tuned into families where a family member comes back from war. I lost my dad when I was 20 months old. There’s this hole there, y’know? This sadness. And so it resonates with me. People need help. They’re not getting a fair deal. Congress’ war budget needs to put aside money for helping people when they come home. I can’t figure out why that’s
not part of the war budget.
Q: We’ve been terrible at this for a very long time.
A: I agree with you. I think we have a bad track record, starting with World War I. World War II, the vets came back and didn’t talk about it. They didn’t watch war movies. There’s all this post-traumatic stuff, and we do nothing. And my generation, the guys I went to high school with, went off to Vietnam and came back different people. And I don’t want to get political about it. It’s not political. It’s about helping people.
Q: Music is a pretty good common ground for
such a fundraiser.
A: Yeah, yeah. To me, music is an exception to the way things are right now. We talk about a divided country and all. With music, everybody puts that away. So, hopefully, this show, everybody will have a good time and go home feeling better.
Q: This isn’t directly connected to the show. But mental health is a big part of it. And that GQ story where you and Isbell talked about sobriety was quite moving.
A: Yeah, I wasn’t ever in combat, but I guess I took being crazy as far as I could. And a bunch of buddies in that line of work didn’t make it out. But here I am. So I do know the journey back after addiction. I know what it’s like to come out of it after you hit bottom. And there is a connection there. I think a lot of vets struggle with that when they get back. So I know something about the journey. The message really is just about providing help — whether you believe in God or not, just finding some help. Pick up the phone and ask for help. And I know: That phone can feel like it weights 30 pounds. But you pick it up. That’s the first step to turning a tailspin around.