The countdown to the Ticketmaster/Live Nation game of Super Concert Monopoly merger announcement is still on, and over at Hitsville, Bill Wyman notes that the Wall Street Journal story on the merger has excised the paragraph claiming that Bono, Don Henley, and Jay-Z would be making statements supporting this unholy matrimony that we noted last night. (It’s still in the print edition, though.) So… who complained? [Hitsville / Previously]

The countdown to the Ticketmaster/Live Nation game of Super Concert Monopoly merger announcement is still on, and over at Hitsville, Bill Wyman notes that the Wall Street Journal story on the merger has excised the paragraph claiming that Bono, Don Henley, and Jay-Z would be making statements supporting this unholy matrimony that we noted last night. (It’s still in the print edition, though.) So… who complained? [Hitsville / Previously]

“There was no YouTube, no MySpace, no TMZ. In the ’60s and early ’70s, most artists weren’t willing to ‘ho’ to get their fifteen minutes of fame. Peoples’ lives were not an open book, their foibles not public property. We did our fair share of debauchery, but there was nobody there trying to film it.” Is this the first time I sort of agree with one Mr. Don Henley ever? It very well may be! (Although the whole boomer-exceptionalist bit does, naturally, rankle more than a bit.) [Star-Telegram; HT Reed Fischer]

Stars today don’t know how to deal with life in the fast lane, says Don Henley. “A lot of these people aren’t getting the guidance that they should be getting because managers don’t want to rock the boat. They don’t want to say something to the golden goose that may make the golden goose fire them. They’re reluctant to tell these kids the truth, which is, ‘You need to go to f—ing rehab now.’” Evidently out-of-control drug habits weren’t a problem in the seventies.

“I always say, ‘This is the world that Rupert Murdoch made and we all have to live in it,’” he said. “I feel badly for people like Amy Winehouse and even Britney Spears because it’s really hard for a kid to cope with sudden fame and a lot of money. [The Eagles] certainly had difficulties, but we were all grounded enough — had good parents and middle class, working class roots — that we were able to get through it somehow. I know what a lot of these kids are going through and I feel for them.”

While Henley empathizes with Spears and Winehouse, he also casts blame, particularly on the very industry that breeds their success. “There aren’t a lot of good managers out there anymore,” he said. “A lot of these people aren’t getting the guidance that they should be getting because managers don’t want to rock the boat. They don’t want to say something to the golden goose that may make the golden goose fire them. They’re reluctant to tell these kids the truth, which is, ‘You need to go to f—ing rehab now.’ It’s the responsibility, not only of parents, but of friends, relatives, managers and record companies to keep their artists from going off the rails, even if it means losing them. And that just doesn’t happen very much.”

Not like in David Crosby’s day, right? Hard to believe it’s been twenty years since the innocence ended.

Don Henley Casts Blame for Winehouse’s, Spears’ Troubles [Spinner]

Hey, did you know that the Eagles won a Grammy last night? Yes, their wooing of the Grand Ol’ Opry crowd led to them taking home the Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals award for their song “How Long.” And the win made Don Henley get a little misty-eyed: “This Grammy win is particularly sweet because of the length of time that has passed since we (the Eagles) won our first Grammy in early 1976. I was 28 years old then. I’m 60 now.” And he’s ready to make 61 an even more awards-laden year!

“I always secretly hoped that we could pull off something like this, but I had almost given up. This win feels really good — and it’s in a whole different field than we were in before. Now I’m thinking that we might have a good chance to win again next year because Long Road Out of Eden will be eligible then. This year, only the single, “How Long,” came out in time to make the nomination process. We’re all very grateful to the Academy members and to our loyal fans. It’s been quite a ride and it apparently isn’t over just yet.”

So should we just start steeling ourselves for the throwdown between the Eagles and Alicia Keys’ As I Am now? I’m thinking we should; despite Ms. Keys snagging two performance spots on last night’s show–thanks, Clive Davis!–her album actually won’t be eligible until next year. Which means that pretty much the whole show’s performance well will probably consist of Don & Co. handing off with Alicia for various duets with more dead people, and maybe a token appearance by Dave Grohl on drums as a nod to the “younger” demographic.

The 51st Grammys: Eagles Vs. Alicia Keys Vs. ? [The Set List]