Rock-and-roll legend Joe Walsh earned a bit of a wild reputation, partly due to his 1978 solo hit single, "Life's Been Good." In 2012, at the Troubadour Bar in West Hollywood, Walsh tackled the many questions he'd been asked about the song and its real-life inspirations, setting the record straight once and for all.
During the hilarious onstage conversation, Walsh verified some autobiographical aspects of the song, like the line about owning a mansion but hardly ever being there because of non-stop touring with the Eagles. He also mentioned that the lyric about ripping out hotel walls was true, thanks to a chainsaw given by Eagles manager Irving Azoff. He describes his friendship with The Who's drummer Keith Moon, saying he taught him about "anarchy, chaos, damage, and destruction."
As for other lyrics, Walsh admitted to owning a Maserati that reached 185, but he never actually lost his license to speeding. He just lost his wallet. The line about wrecking cars came from an anonymous friend who crashed two Lotus Cars within ten days. Walsh shared an anecdote about trying to leave a party, which led to the line, "It's hard to leave when you can't find the door." (via @GenXSpaceyTracy)
In case you'd like to just listen to the song:
