Renowned for his guitar prowess, Joe Walsh, a longtime member of the Eagles, surprised viewers with an unexpected musical skill on Wednesday night’s episode of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The veteran musician also happens to be a talented clarinet player.
Walsh graced the late-night show to promote the forthcoming 2023 edition of his annual VetsAid benefit concert, scheduled for November 12 in San Diego. However, during the course of the interview, he found himself jamming on the clarinet alongside host Jimmy Kimmel.
Kimmel, during the conversation, brought up the fact that he had heard about Walsh’s clarinet skills from his school days, to which Walsh modestly replied, “Well, I don’t brag about it.”
When asked why he switched from clarinet to guitar, Walsh humorously explained, “I realized, ‘I’m not gonna get any girls playing clarinet’ … And you can’t accompany yourself and sing with a clarinet in your mouth.”
To everyone’s surprise, Kimmel revealed his own clarinet-playing talents, producing two woodwind instruments and offering one to Walsh. The two musicians then treated the audience to a lighthearted clarinet duet, with the crowd joining in with applause.
Kimmel even extended an impromptu invitation to perform with Walsh at the VetsAid concert, to which Walsh cautiously replied, “OK.”
Earlier in the interview, Walsh discussed the significance of the VetsAid event, revealing a star-studded lineup for this year’s edition, featuring Stephen Stills, Jeff Lynne’s ELO, The Flaming Lips, The War on Drugs, and Lucius.
The annual concert is dedicated to raising funds for various organizations supporting veterans and their families. The 75-year-old musician shared that he initiated this charitable event due to a personal tragedy. His father was killed in a military plane crash when Walsh was a child.
With this year’s event set in San Diego, Walsh emphasized, “California has the highest homeless vet rate, and I just do what I can … to help vets.”
During the interview, Walsh also reminisced about his days touring with The Who while he was a member of the James Gang.
“[Pete Townshend] taught me how to play guitar in a three-piece band,” he disclosed to Kimmel. “The thing he taught me was to play with an attitude … and you can hear that attitude on a lot of my records.”
He humorously added, “But Keith Moon, The Who’s drummer, he taught me how to trash hotel rooms.”
Later in the show, Walsh returned to the stage to deliver a rocking rendition of his 1979 hit “In the City,” a track recorded both as a solo artist and with the Eagles.
