Eddie Van Halen on Surviving Addiction, Why He's Still Making Music and What He Really Thinks of Dav


Whoa!

I never had any strong feelings one way or other about Sammy, but after watching that, he's my new hero. That was a passionate, heartfelt and epic smack down.

There aren't many industry people who would publicly go on record to assail, challenge and offer a straight up, personal "fuck you" to a living legend whether that legend was a douchenozzle or not. That took balls.

Kudos Sammy.
 
Whoa!

I never had any strong feelings one way or other about Sammy, but after watching that, he's my new hero. That was a passionate, heartfelt and epic smack down.

There aren't many industry people who would publicly go on record to assail, challenge and offer a straight up, personal "fuck you" to a living legend whether that legend was a douchenozzle or not. That took balls.

Kudos Sammy.
You know what, though? Sammy's been talking shit about Ed since 1994 when he wrote Amsterdam on Balance. Ed and Alex were offended because they thought it was going to be a song about their homeland and it ended up being a song about weed. Sammy was recording some vocals at a separate studio at the time and flying in the tapes so they didn't even know until things were basically done and it was too late. He was all "fuck you" back then.

I used to like Sammy, but the more I find out, even first hand things that he writes and says in interviews, he's kind of a tool.

I think at this point Ed's real issue with Mike is that he's so tight with Sammy and Ed's done with Sammy. However, when Ed's and Alex's mom died Mike didn't offer condolences and when Ed was undergoing treatment for cancer not a word.

Sent from my VK810 4G using Tapatalk
 
Eddie's right about one thing. Roth is the voice of Van Halen. I still don't want to see them at the local Enormodome for $150 a ticket. I'll wait for the auto-tuned and quantized concert video. It's a better view too.
 
I'll go out on a limb and say in this era of being Politically Correct and the concept that one never saying anything to offend seems to be universal any one EVH's candor is very refreshing.I 'd bet that anyone who works with or for him knows exactly where they stand with him
 
I 'd bet that anyone who works with or for him knows exactly where they stand with him

I would only bet that AFTER they get the knife in the back.

I have been saying that Mike was the most loyal and do it all member for the VH brothers for years to the pro-Ed side of the fence. The bottom line is that Eddie Van Halen is an asshole.

When Eddie first saw Mike Anthony play he said "wow...does that guy play guitar?" It's amazing how much reality can change when Eddie's ego gets in the way.
 
hes wrong about MA ...its WVH who can barely play
if not for nepotism WVH would be playing mustang sally at the local VFW
 
hes wrong about MA ...its WVH who can barely play
if not for nepotism WVH would be playing mustang sally at the local VFW
Fine, you like Mike. I think Mike can play his ass off. But you're perceiving through a reality distortion field if you think Wolfgang can't play.

Sent from my VK810 4G using Tapatalk
 
Every super talented/super successful person I ever met had some piece missing/flaw in their personality that we all take for granted within our own personalities. Eddie is no different. He wasn't put on earth to be a caring nurturer. He was put on earth play kick your ass guitar. We all have our thing.

He's 100% wrong about Anthony. He may have showed him stuff early on but having stood five feet away from him playing bass in rehearsals and seeing him play with Chickenfoot, he's MVP. He's a rock.
 
Some bullet points:

DLR is absolutely the voice of Van Halen.

Sammy Hagar is an infinitely more talented vocalist.

EVH is one of the most influential players to ever live. Whether he was an innovator or a plagiarist is inconsequential and irrelevant. His impact is undeniable.

He is also an old man who on top of the typical loss of faculties that come with age, has a brain that's been tortured and twisted by decades of substance abuse. The fact he is still alive is impressive. His ability to speak or articulate his thoughts coherently is long, long gone. You can't take stock in anything he says at this point.

MA was as much a part of the signature VH sound as anyone. His harmony vocals alone are a vital and needed ingredient. Without them, there is no VH.

ALL 6 of them (including WVH and Sammy) are likely to be assholes on some varying level. It comes with the territory.

Right now (pun NOT intended) DLR ironically seems to be the most lucid, sensible and coherent one in the bunch, and apoears to honestly be having the time of his life.

Who saw THAT coming 20 years ago?

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk
 
Some bullet points:

DLR is absolutely the voice of Van Halen.

Sammy Hagar is an infinitely more talented vocalist.

EVH is one of the most influential players to ever live. Whether he was an innovator or a plagiarist is inconsequential and irrelevant. His impact is undeniable.

He is also an old man who on top of the typical loss of faculties that come with age, has a brain that's been tortured and twisted by decades of substance abuse. The fact he is still alive is impressive. His ability to speak or articulate his thoughts coherently is long, long gone. You can't take stock in anything he says at this point.

MA was as much a part of the signature VH sound as anyone. His harmony vocals alone are a vital and needed ingredient. Without them, there is no VH.

ALL 6 of them (including WVH and Sammy) are likely to be assholes on some varying level. It comes with the territory.

Right now (pun NOT intended) DLR ironically seems to be the most lucid, sensible and coherent one in the bunch, and apoears to honestly be having the time of his life.

Who saw THAT coming 20 years ago?

No shit, huh?

The whole thing is rather cringe-worthy from my point of view.
Whenever any of them speak (or perform for that matter), it's like watching a train wreck happen in slow-motion before your eyes.
You know what's coming, you know what's going to happen, yet you are powerless to look away.

As for DLR, I just feel dirty watching a 60+ year old guy gyrating around the stage singing Cock-Rock songs from the '80's, but that's just me.

Just not my deal, anymore.

The hate is strong with that crew, that's for damn sure.
 
Wait, there is some bad blood in a band thats been around for 4 or 5 decades?

Wow, better call Sherlock
 
perceiving through a reality distortion field

...the one that Eddie perceives everything through.

MA was as much a part of the signature VH sound as anyone. His harmony vocals alone are a vital and needed ingredient. Without them, there is no VH.

That part where Eddie is shi77ing on Mike's vocal is as stunning as when he shi7s on his bass playing...then tops it off with “Mike’s voice is like a piccolo trumpet. But he’s not a singer. He just has a range from hell,” he says. “Mike was just born with a very high voice. I have more soul as a singer than he does. And you know, people always talk about Mike’s voice on Van Halen songs, but that’s a blend of Mike’s voice and my voice. It’s not just him.”

Shocking - take some credit Ed. That's not like you at all (eyes roll out of skull).

Furthermore, I read articles before where an interviewer is playing certain tracks to Ed and he comments on them. Some he knew and others he didn't but it was FAR from someone who never listens to music. Ed's 'building a mystery' 40 years too late. No mystery Ed - you're an asshole. Mystery solved years ago.
 
Last edited:
If you look back over past interviews with Sammy, he went from "I still like the guys but just can't work with them" to "They fucked me around but look what they did to Mikey" to now "Fuck you, Ed."

Sammy has been at this for decades.... Montrose, solo band, HSAS, Van Halen, Waboritas, Chicken Foot, the Circle..... love or hate his music he's a Professional and other people want to work with him.

Eddie, despite the fact that I have grown up loving his music, has always been a dick to anyone who doesn't share his last name. He's been in and out of rehab, and is constantly re-writing history to fit his narrative. He always talks as if he invented everything he's done to a guitar from divine inspiration but his band played cover tunes early on so he had to at least be "aware" of other musicians out there. But trying to tear away Michael Anthony's contribution to their sound and style is a new low. The fact that he's already slagging on DLR does not bode well for future projects.

"Three of us like Rock and Roll and one of us likes Dance Music" Right. And that's the chemistry that made such GREAT listenable, danceable, rock songs that have survived for ages. :facepalm:
 
You know, my wife (English professor) read the interview, and even she said it was weirdly written and edited. She reads A LOT of pop culture stuff (has actually participated in academic conferences for it) and said it felt like one of those interviews where the author wanted to say something using somebody else's words. She's read other interviews with EVH and said this one was just weird.
 
Mike's response and taking the high road (consistently) is equally proportional to the assholic behaviour (also consistently) of Eddie.

You know, my wife (English professor) read the interview, and even she said it was weirdly written and edited. She reads A LOT of pop culture stuff (has actually participated in academic conferences for it) and said it felt like one of those interviews where the author wanted to say something using somebody else's words. She's read other interviews with EVH and said this one was just weird.

That may be true, but Eddie has stabbed them all in the back before and took all of the credit wherever he could before so, you know what they say about previous behaviour and all...

That, and it's hard to edit things in quotation marks like the stuff about Mike's playing and singing.
 
When you are in a band and people keep rotating through the lineup....and all those people are "the problem", maybe it is time to look in the mirror.

I like EVH's contribution to guitar. I think he is a great player. I also think he is probably an asshole.
 
Back
Top