Australia’s Triple M recently conducted a short interview with Eddie and Alex Van Halen. Read it below.
Triple M: Eddie is it true your dad gave you a shot of vodka and a cigarette when you were 12-years-old to help combat nerves?
Eddie: Yes, to help calm my nerves. Worked for him and worked for me for a lot of years, but those days are over now. I quit smoking and quit drinking about five or six years ago. There goes the neighborhood.”
Triple M: Alex, you are an ordained minister?
Alex: I don’t promote it but I don’t deny it. I’m in a rock band so you have to take everything with a grain of salt.
Triple M: Van Halen are actually the band KISS without make-up?
Alex: I think we’re much better looking.
Triple M: Of course, Van Halen hit Australia this April with the old dog, David Lee Roth on vocals. Is it good to have Diamond Dave back in the band?
Alex: It’s like you walk into the studio and we haven’t been together for a while and there’s this overwhelming sense of ‘coming home.’ That’s the best way I can describe it.
All the time we were apart was if it hadn’t existed and we picked up the fisti-cuffs right away. It’s like a pair of jeans that just fit right.
Triple M: Eddie’s son Wolfgang has been playing bass in the band for the past seven years, after replacing original bassist Michael Anthony in 2006.
Eddie: Of course it’s exciting, and he keeps us young.
Alex: It’s good to have a different perspective on the music we recorded 35 years ago. We’re really happy the music has stood the test time and I think having a different generation involved with it gives us a different perspective.
source: triplem.com.au
26 Responses
Wolfgang is good but, it’s not Van Halen without Michael Anthony
Also, don’t forget Dave can’t sing! I have seen clips etc from the last tour and he sounded awful….
Remember, Rick, as our fearless leader Eddie Trunk likes to point out, there has never really been a time in VH’s history where DLR was a great singer, whether it was 1978, 1984, or 2012. He has never been somebody recreating the album vocal sound to a tee, like Sammy could with the Sammy era stuff.
Van Halen still one of my favourites.
I want to apologize to my fellow VH fans and VH. When ADKOT first was released I wrote that I was disappointed and was displeased with Roth’s voice. I felt and still believe that his voice has lost that Prime Elasticity of the old days. Since then I have come to appreciate where Van Halen is today in their late 50’s. great album and I really hope they continue working on new material after their Japan Tour this Summer. Its would be really a treasure to hear them put out some new material that is not a re-tread….even though it is great material !
The ex bass player Michael Anthony should come back to Van Halen