Desperado (Or: The Time I “Discovered” the Eagles and Got Publicly Dragged for It)





I just recorded myself singing “Desperado” by the Eagles, and before anyone starts typing “Johnny, that song is ancient”—

YES. I KNOW.

Trust me. I learned that lesson the hard way.


See, there’s this dangerous little phenomenon where something is new to you, so your brain confidently decides it must be new to everyone.

This story is Exhibit A of why that thinking is a trap.


Growing up in Taiwan, regular kids like me had zero exposure to the Eagles. Classic Western rock just wasn’t part of the soundtrack of our lives.

Sure, my parents—who owned nightclubs and booked entertainers—knew who the Eagles were… but that knowledge never filtered down to the kids running around clueless and innocent.


Fast-forward to me at 14, freshly immigrated to Canada, still trying to figure out everything.


One day, my best friend—also from Taiwan—comes at me with the energy of someone who has just uncovered buried treasure.


“HOLY SH*T. Have you heard of this NEW band called the Eagles?!”


He plays “Desperado.” Then “Hotel California.”


We were losing our minds.


We honestly believed we had stumbled upon the greatest underground band in history.

We thought we were early adopters.

Trendsetters.

Visionaries.


We were very, very wrong.


A few months later, I proudly shared this “discovery” with some white friends, expecting awe.


What I got instead was immediate emotional damage.


They stared at me.

Then laughed.

Then educated me—loudly.


“Dude… the Eagles have been around since the 70s.

They were already old by the 80s.”


And just like that, my entire fantasy collapsed in front of witnesses.


I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.

I did not need humility delivered with an audience, but there it was. 🫠


And yet… despite the humiliation—the songs stuck.


“Desperado” especially.

Back then, I just thought it sounded cool and sad and mysterious.

Now? I hear restraint. Loneliness. Pride. The exhaustion of being strong for too long.


So here I am, decades later, finally old enough to deserve the song, singing it in my own voice.


🎥 Watch my cover of “Desperado” here:




If you want more music, stories, and proof that I occasionally discover legendary bands 15 years too late, you can find me here:

🌐 https://johnnytiger.com

🎨 https://tigertactile.com


Yes, this story still gets brought up.

Yes, I still get roasted for it.

And honestly? Fair.


Some songs aren’t discovered when they’re released.

They’re discovered when you’re finally mature enough to survive the embarrassment.




#Desperado

#TheEagles

#ClassicRock

#CoverSong

#JohnnyTiger

#BlindMusician

#ImmigrantLife

#EmbarrassingMoments

#LateToTheParty

#StillWorthIt

#johnnytiger

#tigertactile

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