Eddie Van Halen Says David Lee Roth ‘Does Not Want To Be My Friend’
Long-time fans of Van Halen will remember that Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth had a falling out years ago and that incident led to Roth being booted from the band. In truth, there had been ongoing dissension between David and the rest of Van Halen’s members that ultimately led to David Lee Roth being sent off to do things on his own and in his own way. That was just over thirty years ago, yet it seems David Lee Roth has yet to learn how to play nice with others.
“He does not want to be my friend,” Eddie Van Halen told Chuck Klosterman. “How can I put this: Roth’s perception of himself is different than who he is in reality. We’re not in our 20s anymore. We’re in our 60s. Act like you’re 60. I stopped coloring my hair, because I know I’m not going to be young again.”
Eddie confirmed what that statement has many Van Halen fans suddenly wondering when he said it would be quite awhile before a new Van Halen album would see store shelves.
“It’s hard, because there are four people in this band, and three of us like rock and roll. And one of us likes dance music,” Mr. Van Halen said. “And that used to kind of work, but now Dave doesn’t want to come to the table.”
As difficult as it has been and continues to be to work with Roth, Eddie finds that he has grown to point where he’s willing to work with David for the sake of the fans. Van Halen’s founder understands that fans want to hear David Lee Roth on vocals, when they listen to Van Halen and, for them, Mr. Van Halen is willing to accommodate David Lee Roth’s eccentricities.
“You make music for people. Otherwise, just play in your closet. And how do you reach the most people? By giving them the band that they know. To do it any other way would be selfish.”
Van Halen has been touring with frontman David Lee Roth since 2007, performing a show that relies heavily on Van Halen’s extensive catalog of popular hits, but this summer will see a change in that routine. Van Halen plans to place a heavier emphasis on their rarer songs in coming tours with performances of “Dirty Movies,” “Drop Dead Legs,” and “Top Jimmy” to be featured in their new playlist. That new song line-up can be seen live, when Van Halen begins their summer tour at White River Ampitheater, Washington on July 5, with the tour wrapping up on October 4 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
[Featured image: Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth courtesy of Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
