Sammy Hagar has sent David Lee Roth kind words of support after the latter was forced to suddenly pull the plug on his current US tour.

Van Halen’s two most prolific vocalists have often been at odds with one another. Roth even trolled the Red Rocker last August, in response to his claims he wrote a song with the late Eddie Van Halen in a dream. This time, things are playing out differently.

Roth kicked off his current US tour in April, and has spent a portion of his sets reflecting on his humble songwriting beginnings with Eddie Van Halen. However, he’s now removed all but one live date from his website, with no explanation given. Hagar has voiced his concern.

“Hey Dave, Sammy here. I just got a call from [ex-Van Halen/current Hagar solo bassist] Michael Anthony about your tour getting canceled,” Hagar says in an Instagram reel.

“I wanna say from the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry. I hope you’re well. I hope there’s not a physical problem. Honestly, Mike and I love the fact that you’ve been out there doing it, supporting the greatest band in the world that we were both part of.”

Hagar is back on home soil after taking his Best of All Worlds tour with Joe Satriani and Mike Anthony to the UK. In September, the show will have its second Las Vegas residency.

“I’m really sorry,” he continues in his message to Roth. “That’s fucked up. Supporting what we did in this band to keep this music alive. You and I, Mikey, Al [Alex Van Halen], Ed, cannot be replaced. So, when you’re ready to carry on, you go, brother. Mike and I support you.

“I hope you’re well, I really do. God bless, brother.”

Roth was slated to play six shows between July 24 and September 4. Now, the only date listed on his site is in Sturgis, South Dakota on August 7. There has been no public comment on the show cancellations, nor an explanation.

George Orwell’s novel 1984 envisioned a dystopian future where totalitarian governments ruled the world, and the average person’s attempts to enjoy even the slightest personal pleasure were patrolled and punished by the Thought Police in service of Big Brother.

However, when mankind finally reached that symbolic year, the prevailing atmosphere was more of a hedonistic non-stop party than a period of peril. We have the power of the mighty Van Halen to thank for much of that.

Considered by many – including Eddie Van Halen himself – as the band’s masterpiece, 1984 was one of Van Halen’s best-selling albums and one of the best-selling rock albums of the entire ’80s.

It has earned RIAA Diamond certification for surpassing 10 million units sold – a feat the band only matched with their 1978 debut album, with the two perfectly bookending the beginning and end of Van Halen’s classic era with David Lee Roth fronting the band.

Clocking in at a lean 33 minutes and 22 seconds, 1984 was, as the saying goes, all killer and no filler. Even the best-selling album of all-time, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, can’t make that boast (does anyone even remember Baby Be Mine and The Lady in My Life?). 1984 produced an impressive string of four hit singles, with Jump delivering Van Halen’s only Number 1 charting hit single in the band’s entire career.

Panama and I’ll Wait both peaked at Number 13, and Hot for Teacher came in at a not-too-shabby Number 56. Even the album’s “deep” tracks – Top Jimmy, Drop Dead Legs, Girl Gone Bad and House of Pain – were scorchers too hot for the Top 40, but found a welcoming home on more adventurous FM station playlists.

The only outlier is the album’s title track, but Ed’s solo synth performance perfectly set the mood as a brief overture that boldly introduced Van Halen’s brave new world.

Future Control

With 40 years of hindsight, it’s tempting to look back and conclude that the phenomenal popularity of 1984 was primarily due to it being the perfect album released at the perfect time.

However, its success also benefited significantly from several years of extremely hard work leading up to its release, along with a series of high-profile events that brought Van Halen prominently into the public’s awareness.

During the early ’80s, Van Halen had become one of the world’s biggest touring acts. The band sold out every single one of its 83 shows in the United States and Canada on its 1982 Hide Your Sheep tour, and in early 1983 they made their first ever appearances in South America during a month-long leg that introduced the band to thousands of rabid fans.

A few months later, Van Halen staked a claim as the biggest band in the world when they headlined “Heavy Metal Day” on May 29, 1983, at the US Festival, performing in front of an estimated audience of 375,000 – Van Halen’s largest audience ever. Their fee for the US Festival gig was $1.5 million, setting a new world record at the time.

Van Halen was also experiencing a significant upward trajectory in record sales. 1984’s predecessor, Diver Down, was a commercial success thanks in large part to the hit status of the 1982 single (Oh) Pretty Woman, which peaked at Number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

The only previous time that Van Halen cracked the Top 20 was when Dance the Night Away reached Number 15, and that was all the way back in 1979. From their debut effort onward, each album that Van Halen released charted higher than its predecessor, with Diver Down peaking at Number 3 compared to Fair Warning’s top position at Number 5.

Van Halen’s tour, album and single statistics were notable, but what truly catapulted the band into the public limelight was Ed’s increasing celebrity status, even though the guitarist never sought the spotlight and was never comfortable with being called a rock star.

His marriage to popular television actress Valerie Bertinelli led to appearances on mainstream prime time shows like Entertainment Tonight, making the Van Halen name a household word. Ed’s charming, down-to-earth demeanor won over many new fans who would have been shocked by the raucous atmosphere at a typical Van Halen concert, let alone the band’s backstage antics.

But perhaps the biggest turning point that made Ed a bona fide celebrity was his guest appearance on Michael Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller, on Beat It. Jackson wanted to record a rock song, and he knew that getting the world’s most popular guitarist to play a solo would introduce and endear the singer to an entirely new audience.

What Ed didn’t realize at the time was that his performance on Thriller would similarly cause Jackson’s fans to notice Van Halen. Beat It went on to top the charts worldwide, and those 33 seconds of shredding guitar bliss became an immortal symbol of the most enduring cultural crossover of pop, R&B and rock.

Eddie didn’t want his name to appear on Thriller’s credits, mainly to keep the session a secret from his bandmates, but there was no mistaking who performed that solo.

Despite his request to remain incognito, record company and musician’s union agreements led to his name appearing four times in the liner notes, and his wife Valerie and engineer Donn Landee, who had recorded every Van Halen to date, also were thanked for good measure.

It didn’t matter anyways as David Lee Roth immediately knew it was Ed the first time he heard Beat It blaring from a car stereo in a 7-Eleven parking lot.

Brave New World

Edward Van Halen’s creative inspiration increasingly grew during the early ’80s as he broadened his horizons into new musical styles and techniques and explored instruments beyond the guitar.

While he was initially pleased with Van Halen’s fifth album, Diver Down, he wasn’t happy with the rapid-fire approach to the sessions, which were completed in a mad rush over a period of 12 days.

On the band’s previous album, Fair Warning, Ed had finally become comfortable with spending considerably more time recording and crafting multiple guitar tracks in the studio while also experimenting with a broader palette of guitar tones. He felt that the slam-bang live performance blueprint used on Diver Down was a regression to the band’s first three albums, and the outcome left him creatively unsatisfied.

“I was always butting heads with (producer) Ted Templeman about what makes a good record,” Van Halen said in 2014. “Diver Down was a turning point for me because half of it was cover tunes. When we made Fair Warning I spent a lot more time with [engineer] Donn Landee working on my sound. I became much more involved in the recording process.

“To me, Fair Warning was more true to what I am and what I believe Van Halen is. We’re a hard rock band, and we were an album band. I like odd things. I was not a pop guy, even though I have a good sense of how to write a pop song. When we started work on 1984 I wanted to ram it up Ted’s poop chute and show him that we could make a great record without any cover tunes and do it our way.”

In order to be able to do things his way, Ed took dominant control of the creative reins by building a professional multitrack studio at home in 1982. Initially, the plan was to build a studio for recording demos, but as work progressed the guitarist realized that, with Landee working by his side, he could record Van Halen’s next album there.

“I did not set out to build a full-blown studio,” Ed admitted. “I just wanted a better place to put my music together so I could show it to the guys. I never imagined that it would turn into what it did until we started building it. Slowly it turned into a lot more than I originally envisioned.

“Everybody else was even more surprised than I was, especially Ted. They thought I was just building a little demo room. Then Donn said, ‘No man! We’re going to make records up here!’ Donn and I had grown really close and had a common vision. Everybody was afraid that Donn and I were taking control. Well… yes! That’s exactly what we did, and the results proved that we weren’t idiots.”

Ed’s new home studio, named “5150” after the California law code for taking a mentally disordered person into custody when that person is considered a danger to others, was completed by the end of 1982.

In a recent interview with Greg Renoff for Tape Op magazine, Landee recalls that the first recording session took place on January 2, 1983, with Ed on synthesizer and his brother Alex Van Halen on drums.

Although Ed said in his 2014 Guitar World interview that he didn’t want to record cover tunes, ironically the very first song ever recorded at 5150 was a cover of Wilson Pickett’s In the Midnight Hour.

It’s very likely that this was a calculated move on Ed’s part to appease David Lee Roth and Templeman, perhaps hoping to convince them that the studio was indeed up to the task after they worked there and heard the results. The fact that the song was never released and is still locked up in 5150’s vaults suggests that Ed may have never actually wanted to record it in the first place.

However, Ed boldly revealed his hand with his next move. Over the previous few years, the guitarist had worked on a synth-dominated song that would later be named Jump after Roth wrote the lyrics, and with the studio up and running he recorded an instrumental demo of the tune, performed on an Oberheim OB-Xa synthesizer with accompaniment from Al on drums and Michael Anthony on bass.

“When I first played Jump for the guys nobody wanted to have anything to do with it,” Ed said. “Dave said that I was a guitar hero and I shouldn’t be playing keyboards. But when Ted heard the demo and said it was a stone-cold hit, everyone started to like it more. Ted only cared about Jump. He really didn’t care much about the rest of the record and just wanted that one hit.”

The band worked diligently recording new material for most of 1983, with the exception of the month of May, which they spent preparing for their appearance at the US Festival. Ed particularly reveled in having “unchained” freedom to experiment whenever and for as long as he pleased.

This included some explorations he wouldn’t have tried at a regular studio, like when he backed up his 1970 Lamborghini Miura S near 5150’s doors and miked its mighty roar. Initially intended for use during the chorus of Jump, the Lamborghini’s forceful growl eventually found its immortal home on the bridge of Panama.

Necessary tools for the party

In addition to equipping 5150 with a solid selection of classic studio gear that included a Universal Audio console purchased from United Western Studios, 3M M56 16-track tape machine and various items of high-end outboard gear such as Eventide Harmonizers, Teletronix LA-2A and UREI 1176 limiters, Lexicon Prime Time digital delay and EMT140ST plate reverb, Ed also added a wide variety of new instruments to his creative arsenal.

Ed had become enamored with the Oberheim OB-Xa polyphonic synthesizer and its updated version the OB-8, and they played a major role in three of the album’s songs.

Keyboards had actually prominently appeared on all three of Van Halen’s previous albums – a Wurlitzer electric piano on And the Cradle Will Rock… (Women and Children First), an Electro-Harmonix Mini-Synthesizer on Saturday Afternoon in the Park and One Foot Out the Door (Fair Warning) and a Mini Moog on Dancing in the Street (Diver Down) – but they were distorted and usually employed as ersatz guitars. With 1984, Jump and I’ll Wait, there was no mistaking that Ed was playing synths.

However, Ed was still a guitarist at heart and to his core, and he made many new additions to his guitar collection. The most notable newcomer was a rare vintage 1958 Gibson Flying V that Ed bought from Dan Martin of Missouri’s St. Charles Guitar Exchange – the first of many vintage guitars Ed would buy from the dealer over the years.

The V was Van Halen’s primary guitar on the album, used to record Hot For Teacher, Girl Gone Bad, the main riff of Drop Dead Legs and, as recently discovered, quite possibly for Jump [researcher Allan Garber has uncovered a behind-the-bridge pick scrape in the isolated guitar track, corresponding sonically with the V’s tailpiece configuration].

The guitarist had also acquired a few of Steve Ripley’s stereo guitars, featuring hexaphonic pickups (essentially each string had its own individual pickup) and panning controls for each string.

Ed put the Ripley to good use on Top Jimmy, using an open D7 tuning (DADACD, low to high) and playing harmonics that bounced across the stereo soundscape. This is probably the song called Ripley on a Warner Bros. memo that Ted Templeman wrote on August 23, 1983.

Ed later recycled the title for another song he wrote for The Wild Life soundtrack since it also used the Ripley guitar. That song later became Blood and Fire on Van Halen’s 2012 A Different Kind of Truth album.

Photos taken at 5150 during this period show a Veilette-Citron Shark baritone guitar, but apparently any songs where he might have used it didn’t make the final cut on the album. That Warner Bros. memo lists a song called Baritone Slide – very likely an unreleased or unfinished track featuring this instrument.

Ed had given conflicting reports over the years about the use of his original Frankenstein guitar or his Kramer 5150 to record the album. He had officially publicly retired the Frankenstein starting with the tour in support of 1984, but it’s plausible that he used it for one last hurrah.

However, Ed also had a habit of immediately putting new guitars to use once they orbited into his universe. As the 5150 became his favorite main guitar on albums recorded for the remainder of the ’80s, he may have played it on 1984. But one confirmed constant throughout all of Van Halen’s first six albums was the use of his 1968 Marshall Super Lead 100-watt head with its voltage reduced via a Variac.

“I had my old faithful Marshall head and bare wooden 4x12 cabinet facing off into a corner,” he recalled. “Al was in the other corner, and we set up some baffles to have isolation between my guitar and the drums. Because the space was so limited, Alex had to use a Simmons kit except for the snare.”

Ed employed effects much more sparingly than he had on previous Van Halen albums. Most notably, he used a pair of Eventide H910 or H949 Harmonizers that were slightly detuned and individually panned left and right to provide a stereo spread and subtle chorus effect on many guitar tracks.

Panama made good use of rhythmic delay, and the studio’s EMT plate reverb was employed tastefully on that song as well as Girl Gone Bad and House of Pain. However Ed’s usual MXR flanger and phaser pedals are absent.

Ministry of Truth

The finished product exceeded all expectations and then some. 1984 was a document of a band at its prime, where years of relentless touring had made their sound tight and their improvisational communication almost psychic.

Ed’s songwriting talents had expanded and grown, with his knack for pop hooks balanced by ambitious excursions inspired by progressive rock and fusion jazz.

Perhaps the most surprising element of 1984 is the fact that the first note of guitar is heard after more than two minutes have passed. This was partly the result of Templeman’s late comment that he wished the album had a song called 1984.

Landee realized that he had about 45 minutes of Ed improvising solo on the Oberheim that could be edited down to an instrumental intro, and voila! He had his wish. The 1984 synth instrumental made the perfect dramatic statement and lead in to Jump.

Jump was pure pop perfection that fit right in with the synth-crazy mid-’80s, but Ed’s dynamic guitar solo was the secret weapon behind its success, giving Van Halen a competitive crossover advantage with a hard rock audience that would never be caught dead listening to groups like the Human League, Depeche Mode or Soft Cell.

Panama may be the ultimate classic Van Halen tune, with Roth’s raunchy “fast car and faster girl” lyrics perfectly capturing the So Cal party vibe that made the band so irresistible from day one. It’s also one of two songs on 1984 that were inspired by AC/DC, which was not a bad move considering how Back in Black had already become the best-selling hard rock album of all-time.

The infectious, bouncy energy of Top Jimmy made it a strong contender for a fifth single or at least a hell of a B-side. However, it was probably held back by the difficulty of switching from open D7 tuning to standard for the solo’s delirious whammy bar workout, which prevented Van Halen from ever performing the song live.

Drop Dead Legs similarly should have been a hit, partly thanks to its relentless pile-driving Michael Anthony/Alex Van Halen rhythm section groove.

“That was inspired by Black in Black,” Ed admitted. “I was grooving to that beat, although Drop Dead Legs is slower. Whatever I listen to somehow is filtered through me and comes out differently. It’s almost a jazz version of Back in Black – I put a lot more notes in there.” It was never played live until the final 2015 tour.

Jump and its supporting music video may have made Van Halen seem harmless and cuddly, but Hot for Teacher was the opposite, exposing the band as the bad boy party animals they really were.

Alex Van Halen’s galloping Simmons drum intro sounds like a nitro-fueled dragster revving up before he switches to a Billy Cobham-meets-Buddy Rich swing that pushes Ed’s hot-rodded tapping into overdrive.

Roth’s schoolboy-in-heat lyrics are given extra punch and verve by Anthony’s high-pitched harmonies, while Ed keeps things loose and raunchy with ZZ Top-inspired bluesy finger-plucked riffs.

I’ll Wait was the album’s other synth-driven hit, with the yin of Ed’s sophisticated keyboard chords and a chorus with smooth yacht-rock lyrics penned by the Doobie Brothers’ Michael McDonald counterbalanced by the yang of Roth’s semi-goofball rants about “heartbreak in overdrive” and “such good photography!”

The guitar solo similarly provides a contrast between Ed’s melodic phrasing and fusion-esque flourishes with explosive vibrato bar noise.

When the album’s final sequence was being prepared in late 1983, no-one had any inkling that the band’s classic era with David Lee Roth would soon come to a close, yet the final two songs on 1984 delivered about as perfect a send-off as any fan could ask for.

Girl Gone Bad is simply epic and the closest thing to a progressive rock song that the band ever recorded. Ed delivered a tour-de-force performance with dynamic shifts in emotion from elegiac tapped harmonics to dark, drama-filled riffs. This was Van Halen’s equivalent to Led Zeppelin’s Achilles Last Stand with the added bonus of a truly blazing Van Halen solo heavily inspired by Allan Holdsworth.

Dating back to Van Halen’s early club days (demos were recorded in 1976 with Gene Simmons and in early 1977 for Warner Bros.), House of Pain was the only song not completely written fresh for the album, although the only element that remained from the early versions was the song’s main riff.

“I guess nobody really liked it the way that it originally was,” Ed said. “The intro and verses are completely different, and the fast part in the middle for the solo and the groove at the end are almost like entirely new songs.”

House of Pain showed that Van Halen had grown and evolved considerably over the preceding seven to eight years without losing any of their hunger, intensity and power.

Gin-scented tears

All good things must come to an end. They were too good to last. Always leave the people wanting more. These may be overused clichés, but it’s difficult to think of better ways to describe the aftermath of the 1984 album, its ambitious supporting tour and the eventual breakup of Van Halen’s classic David Lee Roth lineup.

Did success spoil Van Halen? Yes, and no. Eddie Van Halen’s ever-growing musical ambitions and desire to pursue different sonic paths collided with David Lee Roth’s incessant adoration of the spotlight and aspirations to pursue a career as a movie star.

With two diametrically opposed forces in conflict, the tensions inevitably sucked all the air out of the room until no one could comfortably breathe. Trying to outdo 1984’s success would have been an unfathomable challenge for any band, so it sadly made sense for Van Halen to end that chapter at the top of their game.

Van Halen fans both new and old maybe didn’t get exactly what they wanted, but instead they got what they needed. The Van Halen brothers and Anthony joined forces with Sammy Hagar and his growing legion of fans to take the band in a different and arguably more progressive direction it couldn’t have tried with Roth.

5150 didn’t reach the staggering commercial sales heights of 1984, but it became Van Halen’s third all-time best-selling album with 6x Platinum certification. It was also the first Van Halen album to finally reach the #1 spot on the charts. [1984 likely also would have achieved that feat, but it had the disadvantage of going head-to-head with the best-selling album of all-time, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which was in the beginning of several extended periods where it completely dominated the charts for several months.]

Meanwhile, Roth put together one of rock’s greatest supergroups, recruiting the extraordinary talents of guitarist Steve Vai, bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette to keep the rip-roaring party going full blast.

Roth’s first full-length album Eat ‘Em and Smile was nowhere near as commercially successful as the albums he recorded with Van Halen, but with Vai and Sheehan’s instrumental pyrotechnics and Roth’s inimitable character it kept the white-hot flame burning very brightly for classic Van Halen fans.

The split resulted in a Dave vs. Sammy argument as incessant as it is meaningless. For some fans, the change truly was the best of both worlds, but it didn’t last. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. Van Halen had won the victory over itself.

This feature was originally published in the June 2016 issue of Guitar World.

By the fall of 1985, David Lee Roth had seemingly put the breakup of Van Halen in his rearview mirror.

Hoping to capitalize on his MTV-driven video stardom, Diamond Dave now set his sights on the big screen.

Along with his creative partner and manager Pete Angelus and writer Jerry Perzigian, Roth wrote a screenplay entitled Crazy from the Heat. Angelus and Roth then sold it to CBS Theatrical Films, secured a 10 million dollar budget, and camped out on the CBS movie lot in Burbank to do pre-production for the musical comedy. Angelus recalls, “I was going to direct it and Dave was going to star in it.” If all went according to plan, Crazy would hit theaters in the summer of 1986.

But in early November, just days before they would begin shooting, the phone rang in their studio offices. It was Roth’s attorneys calling to deliver some terrible news. CBS, facing serious financial woes, had shuttered its film division, leaving Angelus and Roth without a means to make their movie.

Angelus says, “When we put the phone down, I remember we were both kind of speechless for a moment. We’d spent the better part of a year preparing for that film. We’d done the casting. We’d done the location scouting. We’d been working with the set designers and the wardrobe people. We were fully into it and fully prepared.” At that moment, it appeared all their work had been for naught.

This setback seemed tailor-made to trigger a crisis of confidence for Roth. He’d trumpeted his movie plans in the press throughout the summer past, previewing a bikini-packed plot that would see rock star Roth squaring off against his greedy manager while on an island vacation.

He’d minimize the challenges inherent in filmmaking, declaring on the David Brenner Live show that both starring in and making a film was the “next logical step” after his success with video. “It’s the same thing… except our movies have been three minutes and twenty-eight seconds. So now it’s time to just bump it up to 90 minutes.” But now it seemed unlikely that his movie would ever arrive in theaters.

Meanwhile, Roth’s former bandmates in Van Halen had seemingly suffered no ill effects from his summer 1985 departure. They had a new blond-maned, leather-lunged lead singer, Sammy Hagar, and had begun work on the follow-up to their multi-platinum smash, 1984.

Roth also had to live with the fact that Eddie Van Halen, who’d told Roth in the spring of 1985 that he had no interest in scoring Crazy because the guitarist expected the film would “probably stink,” seemed to have made the right decision after Roth’s deal disappeared.

But as the months that followed would demonstrate, Roth was nothing if not resilient.

In the summer of 1986, the rock superstar would re-emerge with a hot new band comprised of virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai, bassist extraordinaire Billy Sheehan, and monster drummer Gregg Bissonette. He’d release a million-selling new album, Eat ’Em and Smile, and two new MTV-hit videos, Yankee Rose and Goin’ Crazy, all built upon the creative foundation he’d laid down for the aborted Crazy from the Heat. He’d follow that up with a barnstorming six-month tour of North America.

Despite stepping out from Van Halen, the massively popular act that had been the vehicle for his stardom, and the unexpected loss of his hard-won movie deal, Roth proved that he could weather adversity and still come out on top, smiling from ear to ear.

In early June 1985, nimble-fingered bassist Billy Sheehan, then a member of the heavy metal band Talas, got an unexpected phone call at his Buffalo home. “It’s from David Lee Roth’s office. He wants me to be in his movie. Can I come out to L.A. right away and talk to him?” Sheehan immediately said yes, passing the word to Roth’s representative that the timing for this meeting was ideal, since the upcoming Talas and Yngwie Malmsteen tour would commence at the Hollywood Palladium on June 7.

Sheehan, who’d gotten to know Roth back in 1980 when Talas had toured with Van Halen, made plans to arrive in L.A. a couple of days early. But prior to leaving home, Sheehan rang up a friend. He says, “I called Ed Van Halen to see if he wanted to come down to the Palladium show. At the time, I didn’t know anything about Van Halen breaking up. Ed said he was busy and couldn’t come, but said, ‘Have a good show!’” Before Sheehan got off the phone, he mentioned that he’d recently received a call from Roth.

“Wait. What! Why’d he call you?”

“Oh, he wants to have a meeting with me at his house.”

“Really? You’re kidding! You’ve got to call me back as soon as you have the meeting, because I think he’s going to pull an Ozzy Osbourne on us.”

In other words, Van Halen’s guitarist suspected that Roth’s next move was to become a solo artist, much like Ozzy had done in 1979 after leaving Black Sabbath.

Sheehan says that he now realized that he’d stumbled onto a minefield of inter-band politics. “I thought, ‘Jeez, now I’m in the middle of something,’ but I went ahead with the meeting with Dave.”

A few days later, Roth detailed his movie plans and laid out his vision for his new group to Sheehan. “We had the talk,” Sheehan recalls, “and decided to start the band. He said, ‘It will be you and me. We’ll find a guitar player and a drummer.’”

Sheehan agreed to join forces with Roth as soon as his two-month tour with Talas ended, but after the singer swore him to secrecy, Sheehan realized he couldn’t return an important call. “So now my head’s about to explode, and I said to myself, ‘Well, I better not call Ed back.’ I felt terrible, because I was friends with Ed.”

As it turned out, Eddie wouldn’t need an update from Sheehan. Around the same time, he and Roth had a climactic meeting of their own at Roth’s place, with the longtime musical partners deciding that it was time for them to go their separate ways.

“When I shook Edward’s hand goodbye,” Roth explained later, “we hugged each other and cried and said, ‘Hey, it’s musical differences and career differences, like all bands.’”

For his part, Roth left that meeting with the impression that their parting was mutual and amicable. But once the star guitarist bitterly denounced Roth for leaving the band to become a movie star in the August 15, 1985, edition of Rolling Stone, an occurrence that Angelus says shocked both him and Roth, the rock world knew that Van Halen had broken up.

Roth shook off this unpleasant episode by searching for a guitar player to pair with Sheehan. After consulting with Ted Templeman, who’d be producing the forthcoming soundtrack album for Crazy from the Heat, Roth offered the gig to Billy Idol axman Steve Stevens. But Stevens told Roth that because of his musical commitments to Idol, he couldn’t work with Diamond Dave sooner than the following summer, a schedule that was unworkable in light of Roth’s movie timetable.

Roth then circled back to Sheehan and Templeman for advice. Sheehan recalls that after Stevens passed, “I mentioned Steve Vai to Dave, and I may have mentioned him to Ted as well.”

Templeman, who’d gotten turned onto Vai’s astounding playing some time earlier, remembers endorsing the former Zappa and current Alcatrazz guitarist for Roth’s new band during an impromptu listening session.

“Dave had a beat-up, noisy cassette of Steve Vai, and we listened together in some garage with the tape player on the fender of a car. I said to Dave, ‘Yes, that’s the guy.’”

Roth then placed a call to the guitarist. Vai said at the time, “I pick up the phone and hear, ‘Hey man, this is David Lee Roth. How ya doin’, Steve? I’m making a movie and I’m looking for some music.’” Vai, who’d just finished working on the soundtrack for the blues-themed movie Crossroads, agreed to get together with Roth and Sheehan once he finished a short summer tour with Alcatrazz.

By August, Vai, along with his drummer Chris Frazier, would appear at the Roth mansion to jam with Sheehan and Roth. Sheehan recalls, “Steve came down to Dave’s basement, and he brought his drummer with him. Chris had worked with Steve on a couple of records.”

Once they plugged in and tuned up, the first signs of the remarkable musical chemistry that made the original Roth band so powerful made themselves manifest, according to Vai. “The moment we started jamming,” he told journalist John Stix, “it sounded great.”

By the end of that day, Vai had the gig, which made perfect sense to Sheehan, and not just because of his remarkable fretwork. “I love Steve Stevens, but Steve Vai had that Zappa-esque, tongue-in-cheek, comedic, entertainment vibe that was really important for the Eat ’Em and Smile band, because we’d be involved in a lot of comedy in our live show.”

Over the next few weeks, Sheehan and Roth, with Frazier on drums, worked up approximately 15 song ideas. In late September, however, Roth abruptly decided to audition other drummers rather than giving Frazier the gig. Sheehan comments, “Chris is an awesome drummer, but for whatever reason, Dave wanted to get somebody else.”

After placing want ads in the local trade papers, Vai and Sheehan set up shop at Hollywood’s S.I.R. Studios. Even though the listings didn’t mention David Lee Roth, word traveled fast in the Hollywood rock community that a coveted spot in Roth’s band was up for grabs. On the morning of the audition, scores of drummers flocked to S.I.R.

One of them was Detroit native Gregg Bissonette. The drummer, who’d gotten an invite call from Vai thanks to a referral from former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent, had a résumé that at first glance seemed ill-suited for a hard rock outfit like the David Lee Roth Band. After graduating with a degree in music from North Texas State, he’d been the drummer for The Merv Griffin Show, soft-rocker Gino Vannelli, and jazz legend Maynard Ferguson. Still, he’d grown up a big rock fan.

Bissonette was thrilled about the opportunity, but when he arrived, his heart sank. “I just remember this huge line, just down the block.”

As he waited, he questioned friends who emerged from the audition room. Bissonette recalls, “I asked Matt Sorum, who later played with the Cult and Guns N’ Roses, and he said, ‘Oh they wanted me to play double bass, but I don’t really play much double bass.’ I did know Hot for Teacher really well, because I was a huge Van Halen fan. So I’m in line, and now I’m getting my feet warmed up, thinking, ‘Here we go – it’s double bass!’”

Soon it was Bissonette’s turn. “So I walk in the room, and it’s Steve and Billy and this funky old drum set. I sat right down and they said, ‘Hey, could you play a solo for us?’” After Bissonette finished, Vai showed him a guitar part that would later be enshrined on Roth’s 1988 album, Skyscraper.

“This piece would end up being Hot Dog and a Shake. Steve wanted me to hit these breaks with him and Billy, and during all that, he would solo. So as Steve was talking I reached into my backpack and took out a Sharpie. I’d brought my own snare, so I started writing out these figures on my snare head. Steve goes, ‘Woah! So you can read and write music? This is amazing!’”

The next day, Bissonette’s phone rang. It was Vai, who told him, “Hey, you’re a great guy and we love the way you play. We’re all going to meet at Dave’s place today, and we’re going to have you play for Dave.”

As Bissonette explained to Modern Drummer, this jam session couldn’t have gone better. “I went in the next day, met Dave, and we played… It was just like magic.” Soon after, he’d audition for Templeman, who, like Roth, came away impressed by Bissonette’s big-band experience and killer chops.

But before Roth told Bissonette he had the gig, he attended to some pressing film-related business.

On October 27, the Fabulous Picasso Brothers, as Angelus and Roth had dubbed their creative partnership, held an old-time cattle call audition at the Hollywood Palace in order to cast new talent for Crazy. With Sheehan, Vai, and Bissonette looking on, Roth marveled at the droves of the wildly attired actors and scantily dressed actresses, telling the Los Angeles Times, “This is a hell of a way to spend a Sunday, isn’t it?”

Bissonette, who like Vai and Sheehan, had never experienced this kind of rock pandemonium, says, “There were just lines of girls in bikinis.”

Bissonette’s week only would get better.

On a night that underscored just how high Diamond Dave’s star had risen in 1985, Roth informed Bissonette that he’d gotten the gig on the same night the singer would be appearing live on national TV. “It was Halloween,” the drummer recalls, “and Dave said, ‘I’m going to be on The Tonight Show tonight!’ Joan Rivers was the guest host, and we all went down to the set. It was like a dream when they told me.”

Bissonette now went to work with the others as they rehearsed and worked up new material. During these sessions, the three sequestered themselves in Roth’s basement while Roth and Angelus worked upstairs on pre-production for Crazy from the Heat. Vai says, “Once we’d all gotten into the basement and started jamming, writing, and playing, it was a very open, free, creative environment.”

Sheehan stresses that much of this creativity flowed from the fact that he and Vai shared many of the same musical influences. He says, “Steve and I were into a lot of the same bands, like early Bowie and Hendrix. When we came up with musical ideas we’d say, ‘That’s kind of a Hendrix-y thing’ or ‘That’s kind of a Bowie-thing.’ The ZZ Top shuffle and the ZZ Top feel were a big part of the influence too.”

Roth, listening through the floor, would regularly join them to review the new material. Sheehan says, “Dave would come downstairs and tell us what he liked, and what he didn’t like. We threw away what he disliked, and then he’d say, ‘Okay, now come up with a chorus.’ We eventually came up with all of these pieces of music.”

Roth also helped inspire Vai and Sheehan’s manic and sophisticated solo parts. As Sheehan explained in Guitar World, when he’d ask Roth, “Hey, Dave, is this bass part too busy?” Roth would shoot back, “No, do it twice as fast and Steve, you double it.” Likewise, Vai told Guitar Player that when he’d ask Roth if he was “overplaying,” Roth would reply, “No, keep going.”

Along with original material, the band considered a number of cover songs for their upcoming release.

Sheehan recalls, “I was in the Kim Mitchell band briefly. He’d sent me a demo with four songs. Kids in Action was one of them, and I just loved it. I played it for Dave and he really dug it. He also dug a Rory Gallagher song I played for him. It was from one of his mindblowing Rockpalast concert performances. I think it was called Secret Agent.”

Roth had plenty of song suggestions too, one of them being Speak of the Devil by the early Seventies Texas power-trio Stray Dog. “He played it for us,” Sheehan says, “and we all said, ‘It’s perfect.’”

At the same time, Roth and Angelus worked to prepare everyone for filming. Vai, who recalls the zany plot included parts for all of the band members, says, “We had a lot of fun preparing for the movie. We got together with [choreographer] Toni Basil and started working out choreography for the songs. It was going to be really great.”

Sheehan says that Roth and Angelus even arranged for a private showing of a cult film that had inspired them as they worked on Crazy. Sheehan continues, “We went to a screening of a 1940s movie called Hellzapoppin’. It’s just a wild, amazing movie, with a bunch of skits and vignettes and craziness. That was one of the templates Dave and Pete were using.”

Sheehan likewise remembers that as filming drew closer, the tunes they wrote soon made their way into the script. “I know songs like Goin’ Crazy were going to be integrated into the movie somehow. I remember reading the dialogue in the movie, and there were a lot of scenes with the band.” These musical scenes included a concert performance of Shy Boy and a nightclub scene that featured Roth crooning his way through Sinatra’s That’s Life.

All of this planning and scheming, however, came to a standstill on that fateful November day when CBS pulled the plug.

Angelus says that after the initial shock dissipated, they began discussing their options, asking each other: Apart from litigation against CBS for breach of contract, what’s our next step? Sheehan recalls telling Roth that day, “‘The hell with it. We’ve got a band. We’ve got songs. Let’s go out and tour!’ Not that he already didn’t think that, and not that he needed any encouragement from me, but I just remember thinking, ‘I’m ready to play.’”

Roth would get clarity about the next moves to make once he, like Sheehan, considered the full breadth of the creative endeavors they all had underway.

“The movie was just one part of a whole program,” he explained to Creem. “Obviously, when the movie fell out, we just continued with the rest of the program.” Angelus observes that what Roth termed “the program” had included “a coordinated release of the film, the [soundtrack] record, and, of course, the tour to accompany it.”

With his film in limbo, Roth and Templeman held pre-production meetings for what would now be a stand-alone rock record rather than a soundtrack album. They decided that the forthcoming Eat ’Em and Smile would include covers and originals, ones that represented a middle ground between the pop flavored, big-band sound of Roth’s Crazy from the Heat EP and the guitar-oriented pop metal showcased on his albums with Van Halen.

As Diamond Dave would later say, even though he’d put together a band capable of playing the most technically sophisticated heavy metal, he didn’t want fans of California Girls wondering “what happened to the brass on this record? Where’s the saxophone? Where’s the shoobee-doobee-doo-bop?”

In late November, just days after the movie was put on hold, the four musicians entered Berkeley’s Fantasy Studios with Templeman and engineer Jeff Hendrickson.

Hendrickson, who’d already worked with Templeman on Hagar’s V.O.A., Aerosmith’s Mirrors, and Roth’s Crazy EP, recalls that the producer had a particular way he liked to begin recording sessions. “Ted and I usually tracked everything in the first couple of days, so the band could just get a feel for things. Sometimes we would keep those as our master takes because they’d turn out so well.”

Templeman believed that this cut-live approach helped musicians avoid the dreaded red light fright and allowed him to determine which songs would ultimately work best on the album.

“We got a lot of keepers that way,” Hendrickson observes, “because when the band members don’t feel like they are on the spot, they play like they do when they’re out on the road, and so you get a lot better feel. But then again, sometimes you’d hear that a certain track would need a lot of work, or even that a track isn’t going to work at all.”

Templeman and Roth then listened back. They’d initially settle on 11 tracks for the album. These included six Vai/Roth compositions and five covers, including the Sheehan-penned headbanger Shy Boy, which dated from his Talas days.

While Roth was well accustomed to Templeman’s ways of working, it took a bit of getting used to for Vai, who had a very different mindset when it came to studio work.

“At times I didn’t know if I liked [Ted’s approach],” he explained to Guitar Player. “But then I realized, boy, it’s really fun. Get in there and do it. We kept about 50 percent of what Dave sang on the basic tracks. I’m used to sitting in the studio and tweaking and playing and punching and tweaking some more and EQ’ing and punching again. With this, it’s get in there and kill the guy with the ball.”

Templeman’s method, as it had done for him and Roth during their Van Halen days, paid dividends at Fantasy. The four musicians produced high-energy, minimal-overdub takes of Roth classics like Tobacco Road, Goin’ Crazy, and even the frenetic Shy Boy.

In the weeks that followed, the band would reconvene in New York to track at the hottest studio in America, the Power Station. Roth, in particular, loved working there because he felt inspired by Manhattan’s energetic street vibe.

“The Power Station is in Hell’s Kitchen, New York, which is more dangerous than New Guinea,” he proclaimed to a reporter. “When you’re there for more than a month recording, you’re bound to soak up a lot of the anxiety from the surrounding streets, and that comes out on the album.”

One track that generated some New York anxiety for Vai was the languid Ladies Nite in Buffalo.

Vai recalled that his original demo “had tons of keyboards and all sorts of guitar overdubs.” But when Templeman had asked the band to first run through Buffalo, Vai gamely collapsed all of his guitar parts into one so they could cut the song live, fully intending to replace this basic track and overdub multiple guitar lines in the coming days.

Templeman, however, had a different take. When he played the track back for everyone, he thought the guitarist had pretty much nailed the song on his first pass. Vai, in turn, thought Templeman had lost his mind. As Vai told Guitar Player, “Of course, being an artist, I hemmed and hawed: ‘I want to do it again.’”

Hendrickson recalls, “Vai kept fighting us because he felt his rough track was terrible. He was so meticulous. But he’d played this basic track that just blew everybody away. We couldn’t believe he wanted to change it.”

Ultimately, Vai says, Templeman and the others got him to see that his guitar part “was beautiful the way it was.”

Despite Templeman’s aversion to overdubbing, a persistent Vai did convince the producer to let him add additional guitar parts to the album. For example, he says, “I remember we were doing Elephant Gun and I said I wanted to double the guitar part. Because the part is all over the place, Ted goes, ‘What do you mean, double it?’

“I can double every single little thing, perfectly.”

After first saying no, Templeman did give the go-ahead. Vai started to double the part, but before he finished, he broke a string. Templeman said, “Well, probably we should just leave it with the one guitar.” Soon after, the producer departed the studio for the day.

Vai immediately went to work. He says, “I finished it. And when Ted heard it the next day, he liked it, so that’s why it made the record.”

Vai also layered some of his patented guitar eccentricity on what would be the album’s first single, Yankee Rose.

As he explained to Guitar Player, “The half-time section in the middle had this nice little arpeggioed chordal thing that was kind of open and bare. So I said, ‘Let me try putting a solo on it. Let me try something weird.’ I hooked up a couple of delays set to some long delay… and they rolled the tape.”

Roth also had some ideas for the guitar parts for Yankee Rose. While Vai overdubbed, Roth got him focused on constructing an outro solo that might be visually arresting for MTV audiences. Roth coached Vai, saying, “Here in the video I want you to do something where you can take the guitar and ram it between your legs.” Vai then came up with the whipsawing whammy bar licks for the song’s conclusion.

Despite Roth’s MTV-driven mindset, the New York sessions also produced a song seemingly more suited for the Thirties than the Eighties.

I’m Easy, a spirited big-band song originally recorded by Australian singer Billy Field, came into Roth’s orbit thanks to Templeman, who thought it fit perfectly with Roth’s “Gigolo” persona. Bissonette recalls that, weeks earlier, when the producer had played it for the band during pre-production, he said, “Gregg, this is going to be right up your alley, because you’re used to kicking five trumpets, five trombones, five saxes.”

At this point, Bissonette got to draw on his musical connections from his Maynard Ferguson days as Templeman worked to recruit session players for the track. He recalls, “Ted said, ‘Hey Gregg, you seem to know everybody. So can you help us put together a killer big band in New York?’ I said, ‘Man, I sure can.’” On the day of the New York session, Ted pulled Bissonette aside to thank him, saying, “Wow, you got all the A-list guys.”

Vai also played a vital role in making the horn parts on I’m Easy sound great. He explained, “I wrote the score and directed the horn section. You should have seen it. I had snakeskin pants on, my hair was flipped out, and I was sitting in this director’s chair with a baton in one hand and a big score in another. Twelve of New York’s best studio blowers were there, and I’m going, ‘Okay, now, can you make this a little more staccato over here?’”

Bissonette says everyone was amazed as they watched the Berklee-trained Vai, nominally a guitarist, do this work for the track. “He just sat down with pen and manuscript paper and wrote out the big band arrangements. The session guys then played along with our track and overdubbed. It was phenomenal.”

As the final overdubbing sessions wrapped up in the spring, Templeman and Roth looked to trim their song list down to 10 songs from the 11 they’d completed.

Ultimately, Kids in Action didn’t make the cut, to the dismay of both songwriter Kim Mitchell and ace session keyboardist Jeff Bova, who’d added synths to the track while the band worked at the Power Station. Bova observes, “I know they were toying with keeping either Kids in Action or Tobacco Road. I remember when the album came out being a bit disappointed because I did a lot of cool keyboard stuff on Kids.” To this day, the track remains unreleased.

With the album in the can, the Fabulous Picasso Brothers turned to scripting and filming promo videos for two of Eat ’Em and Smile’s forthcoming singles: Yankee Rose and Goin’ Crazy! Determined to make good use of their months of effort on Crazy, Roth and Angelus scripted two mini-movies as preludes to the band performance footage that would be the centerpieces of the videos.

Along with casting many of the performers who’d been slated to appear in the movie, they also drew upon their months of work on wardrobes and makeup. As Sheehan explains, “Most of the clothes we had in the Eat ’Em and Smile videos, and the fat suit that Dave wore in Goin’ Crazy, those were all meant for the movie, initially.”

Bissonette adds, “Goin’ Crazy and Yankee Rose were a big part of the proposed look of that movie. Even though Crazy didn’t happen, the videos sure did, and they were amazing. To this day, nobody makes videos like that.”

In June, Roth unleashed an all-out promotional campaign. He talked about his new band, album, and upcoming tour to the press with enthusiasm, telling a reporter, “If you love Van Halen, if you like rock and rolling, you’re going to be blown away. We’ve got all kinds of new tricks to show you.”

He was much less sanguine, however, when it came to the current incarnation of his former band. Responding to the salvos fired at him over the prior months by Hagar and company, Roth stated, “Whenever you have a big ugly divorce, there’s hurt feelings. On the other hand, Sammy’s only angry because he knows I’m better than he is.”

On July 7, Eat ’Em and Smile finally dropped. Driven by the success of Yankee Rose at radio and on MTV, the album would peak at Number 4 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart. In the weeks that followed, Warner Bros. Records would also release the Van Halen–esque Goin’ Crazy, and the Sinatra standard That’s Life as singles, pushing sales of the LP over one million copies by the fall.

The Eat ’Em and Smile tour, which began in August, likewise did big business, from the first date onward. Vai, who’d never played arenas before, says that in fact the tour’s sold-out opening night provided him with one of the most vivid memories of his career.

“It was just amazing to be on that tour, but being on the stage that first night was a shock. You realize you’re now a rock star performer. There are 20,000 people out there, and you’ve got to deliver. At one point, Dave did this thing where he just stops and puts the mic out to the crowd. The screaming went on for like 10 minutes. It was so loud that Billy and I were looking at each other because we were scared. It was louder than our amps. I just thought, ‘What’s happened? Because this is wild.’”

Every night the four musicians, along with tour keyboardist Brett Tuggle, would blast through a setlist packed with new Roth favorites and classic Van Halen tunes, interspersed by flashy solo segments by Bissonette, Vai, and Sheehan. But as Sheehan explained to Guitar World, the solo performances of the two guitar players became more engaging as the tour progressed, thanks to the input of Angelus and Roth.

“We needed to come up with something to entertain everyone. At the start of the tour, I did my solo the same way I always did it, and Steve did his own solo, too. Although the musicians in the crowd may have loved it, I’m sure a lot of the other people were yawning… So Pete Angelus suggested that we do a guitar duel – and it’s a riot.”

Sheehan says with a smile that Roth’s advice was to “make it like a contest, like a tractor pull. That was the phrase he used. So Steve would come out there and start playing, I’d come up behind him and stop him and push him out of the way and play a while, then he’d push me out of the way. Then we’d push each other, and chase each other around until we’d get to the end when we’d have this big grand finale.”

Over the course of the next six months, Sheehan, Vai, and the rest of the band would play over 100 dates, entertaining arena audiences all across the continent.

Today, members of the group are both nostalgic about and proud of their accomplishments during these years. Sheehan, who’d leave the group in early 1988, says, “My experience with Eat ’Em and Smile and Dave was just amazing and incredible. On tour, places were packed, there were gorgeous girls, and everybody was at the top of their game.”

Vai adds, “Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect, and all the elements came together. You could put on the biggest stage show, and you could wear anything you wanted, and boy did we ever. But what was most exciting to me is the rawness, intensity, and attitude of the music.”

Bissonette remarks that since “the David Lee Roth band was my first big rock gig,” these years will always have a special place in his heart. “Dave,” the drummer says, gave “me my platinum musical passport, good over the world. It’s been the coolest.”

Today, both fans and band members are hopeful for a reunion of the classic Eat ’Em lineup. This is especially true after the Hollywood fire marshal blocked Roth, Vai, Sheehan, Bissonette, and Tuggle from performing at an oversold Lucky Strike Live on November 25, 2015, in what would have been their first performance together in decades.

Vai says ruefully, “The Lucky Strike thing was almost like rock star interruptus. People say the fire marshal stopped us minutes before we went on, but it was seconds. I was standing behind the curtain with a hot guitar in my hands and I was ready to start. I did everything I could to get us to play, but we just couldn’t. Afterward I thought we’ve got to do something together, because there’s just too much cool energy here.”

While everyone’s schedules are packed, there’s a shared desire among the principals that they should all reconvene at some point soon, assuming Roth will light the fuse again.

Sheehan observes, “It’s all up to Dave. This is his game. If he wants to do it, I’m so into it. Ideally, it would be great to record a song or two and then go out and do a bunch of shows: Europe, USA, maybe South America, Japan. It would be great, to get everybody together again, to do it all again, just for the hell of it.”

Vai says, “I think that would be really nice to honor the legacy of the Eat ’Em and Smile album and band. There doesn’t have to be any big commitment. It would just be about getting out there and bringing it home, the way we used to do it, while we still have the juice, which we do.”

Last November, Roth appeared to leave the door open to a reunion, suggesting to fans on his way out of Lucky Strike Live that one day the group might have to book the Hollywood Palladium and give it another go.

A genuinely unique character, whose taste for Jack Daniel’s is only equalled by his love for classic rock ’n’ roll, Michael Anthony has earned a reputation as one of the most hard-rocking bassists of his generation.

He’s played in several now-legendary bands, with Van Halen alone selling upwards of 80 million albums worldwide, snagging a Grammy and entering the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

But long before the arena tours and platinum-selling albums, Anthony was just another Southern California kid hauling gear into backyards, playing fraternity parties and dreaming of making a living through music.

“Snake was the first power trio I ever played in,” said Anthony in the November ’95 issue of Bass Player. “I played bass guitar and sang lead; we did a lot of ZZ Top, Cream, Allman Brothers, and Doobie Brothers covers. We were playing backyard parties when I first became aware of the Van Halen brothers.

“I was going to Arcadia High School California, and we had a carnival on our field, and they played. Back then they were called Mammoth – it was Ed on guitar, Al on drums, and some bass player. Ed was singing lead.”

Anthony later attended Pasadena City College, where the Van Halen brothers and David Lee Roth were also enrolled.

“My father wouldn't let me major in music, so I was majoring in psychology – but I took a couple of music classes, like jazz improvisation, theory, and piano to learn how to read bass clef. After about a year, my father finally let me major in music, so I switched all my classes.

“Around that time, Snake opened up for Van Halen – Roth had just joined the band, and they asked me if they could borrow our PA. Theirs had blown up.

“I'd see Alex coming from his Jazz Improv class, and I remember Roth coming over to me; he was wearing this little vest, had a cane, and his hair was dyed like a skunk. He said, ‘How do you like my boys?’ I stepped back and thought, ‘Get the fuck away from me!’ Little did I know what it would lead up to!

"A while later, Ed told a friend of mine that the band was going to be getting rid of their bass player. My friend told Ed, ‘Hey, Mike might be interested in joining.’

“I had never played with musicians like Eddie and Al before, because Snake was straightforward 4/4 rock. I mean, these guys had played Gazzarri's in Hollywood, and the biggest thing I had done was a backyard party. They ran me through beat changes and different time signatures, and we just jammed.

“Afterwards, Ed and Al asked me if I wanted to join. I thought about it for half a second and said, ‘I'm in!’ I learned five cover tunes a day so we could play parties. We eventually started playing clubs, and we also did weddings.

“We played everything from the Ohio Players to K.C. & the Sunshine Band. You would love the sight of Van Halen doing Get Down Tonight! But by the third set, when everybody was good and tanked up – boy, we'd be blazin’!

“I soon realized that my two Acoustic 150 amps weren't cutting it, because by this time, Ed had found his 100-watt Marshall. So I bought my first SVT stack and retaliated. I remember thinking, ‘I'm in the big leagues now!’”

Anthony and the boys weren't in the big leagues yet, but they were close. In 1976, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons took the foursome under his wing and produced a five-song demo, but all it yielded, said Anthony, was “a good tape.”

One year later, at a Monday-night gig at Hollywood's Starwood Club, Warner Bros. chairman Mo Ostin and producer Ted Templeman saw the band and offered them a deal. In February 1978, Van Halen hit the stores; globe-circling tours, platinum records, and the usual rock ’n’ roll excesses followed, until the negative effects of stardom started taking their toll in 1984.

“During our '84 tour, there was a lot of tension – Ed had written Jump, and it turned out to be the biggest single Van Halen ever did. Dave never liked Ed playing keyboards, but Ed finally said, ‘Fuck you!’ Then he met Valerie Bertinelli, and I think that pissed Dave off more.

“At the end of that tour, we fired our tour manager because of some skeletons we found in his closet. So Ed, Al, and I were in the studio starting to work up some music, and Dave decided he wanted to record a solo EP with California Girls. We knew he was testing the water to see how he'd do on his own. All of a sudden, the dream was over and Dave had left.

“At that point, we didn't know if the band would continue, but we eventually realized that the music was coming from us, not Dave. A lot of people thought he was Van Halen – even our record company wanted us to change our name. When Dave left the rest of us hanging, we thought, ‘What do we do now?’”

What they did was hook up with ex-Montrose singer Sammy Hagar via a recommendation from Eddie Van Halen's car mechanic (as fate would have it, he was Hager’s mechanic, too).

Their first collaboration, 5150, became Van Halen's first #1 album, and it has since sold over six million copies.

Joe Satriani may be filling Eddie Van Halen’s shoes during the Best Of All Worlds tour with Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, and Jason Bonham; however, he’s recently revealed that David Lee Roth tried to recruit him for a Van Halen cover band when the sorely missed guitarist was still very much alive and active.

“I remember in the mid-’90s, around ’95 or ’96, David Lee Roth called me and he wanted to put together a band to do Van Halen songs,” Satriani tells Thinking About Guitar in a new interview. “He went on and on about how we were the only guys who could really do it right.

“He had all these crazy plans, and I said, ‘But Dave, Ed’s still alive. He’s still making amazing records. He’s still on tour. What guitar player would ever try to imitate him while he’s still working?’ I said, ‘It makes no sense.’ And of course, I said, ‘Look, I’m not the guy.’”

Ultimately, Roth’s project didn’t transpire, and Satriani could breathe a sigh of relief. Following Van Halen’s death in 2020, though, the Surfing with the Alien virtuoso was once again approached for an Eddie Van Halen tribute.

“When he and Alex [Van Halen] called me after Ed had passed away, it made a little bit more sense, even though I tried to convince them I was not the person who could do it justice. I told them I had tried to avoid playing like Ed for so long that now I really couldn’t.”

He even tried to pitch a couple of other names for the job. “I called and said, ‘Really, are you sure you don’t want to call Nuno [Bettencourt] or Steve [Vai] , or someone obviously more well-suited to sound like Ed? Someone who has demonstrated playing this stuff live?’ But they were adamant that I was the only guy who was going to do it justice.”

Fast forward to 2024, and Satriani found himself joining Hagar on his Best Of All Worlds tour, which heavily celebrated his era with the legendary band.

When asked by Guitarist what it takes to tackle EVH’s parts live, he replied, “It’s all in the fingers; that really is true. We’ve heard Eddie play acoustic guitar, and it’s freakishly just as good as electric. I don’t know how he did that. I’ve seen players online get close, but there’s that magic thing that Eddie had, which was his personality and his heart. No one comes close to that.”

Elsewhere in the Guitarist interview, Satriani revealed the gear he uses to play Van Halen’s parts – and the level of dedication and practice required to nail them.

Before landing gigs with Lizzy Borden, David Lee Roth and Ozzy Osbourne, Joe Holmes kicked the student stage of his guitar journey off in style, learning under the late, great Randy Rhoads.

Since then Holmes – who has a new, self-titled solo record afoot – hasn’t stopped learning. “Every situation prepared me for the next,” he tells Guitar World. “From Randy to Dave to Ozzy.”

He adds: “All my collective experience has contributed to this album. From my sound, style and songwriting to the creative partnerships and touring experience, it all had an impact.”

You were a pupil of Randy Rhoads early on. How did that shape you?

Randy was and is my biggest influence as a guitar player. He was the perfect teacher for me. It was such a great time in my life going to lessons with my dad and spending time with Randy.

He was so patient – he made sure I understood what he was teaching me before I left every lesson. He put things in terms I could understand and that have stuck with me to this day. His love for music, guitar playing and learning was contagious.

What was the local scene like as you were coming up, and what led to you joining Lizzy Borden?

It was a really exciting time with lots of great music and guitar players. I’d been in a band with Lizzy and his brother Joey for a short time before they formed Lizzy Borden. We played one club show together but then went on to other projects.

Gene Allen, the guitar player in Lizzy Borden, was a friend of mine. He borrowed one of my Jose Arredondo amps to record one of the albums. Gene told me Max Norman was producing their next record, Visual Eyes, and asked if I was interested in joining the band.

Max worked on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, two of my favorite albums with Ozzy and Randy, so I jumped at the opportunity. We had a great time recording at the Longview Farm in Boston and then touring Japan, and a few shows in Europe and the States.

What gear were you using back then?

I’ve used the same gear since my late teens. I was fortunate to have met Jose Arredondo then. He became a huge influence and collaborator on developing my sound. Jose – who worked with Eddie Van Halen on his gear – gave me a rock-solid foundation for my musical identity.

That paved the way for my first big opportunity, touring with David Lee Roth on the Little Ain’t Enough tour. To step into Eddie Van Halen’s shoes to play alongside Dave was an incredible experience. Eddie was another huge influence.

Was it tough coming in after Jason Becker, given the circumstances?

Yeah, it was tough. I did meet Jason and had a chance to talk with him a bit at my audition. Learning songs like Show Time, A Little Ain’t Enough and Time to Tell the Truth really challenged me and showed what a versatile player he is.

Of course, I’d have preferred it to be under different circumstances and to have allowed Jason to do the tour. But Dave is the consummate professional. He gave me a new appreciation and love for the blues, and opened me up to different styles of playing.

What was your Ozzy Osbourne audition like?

It was great! I brought my Jose-modified Marshall head, two cabinets and my Fender Strat. It felt very natural, having been brought up on Randy’s playing. I auditioned on about four or five songs, then Ozzy shook my hand and said, “Welcome aboard.”

Ozzy was very kind and approachable. He really put me at ease. Ultimately, being a student of Randy’s technique and being familiar with Jake and Zakk’s playing made it a natural fit.

Though Zakk Wylde played on the Ozzmosis record, you were in the Perry Mason music video. What was that experience like?

It was an exciting time! Being new to his touring band, it was a great experience to get familiar with the video production process. Later there was a live video of our performance of Perry Mason. It’s a great song – really fun to play.

Ozzy often said you played just like Randy. That must have been gratifying.

I’m so grateful for the time I had with Ozzy. One of the best compliments and memories that I have is from my audition. He didn’t know I’d been a student of Randy’s. He stood right in front of me while I played and afterward told me that my approach and style reminded him of Randy.

What led to your leaving Ozzy before the Down to Earth album was recorded – even though it features several songs you co-wrote?

You’d have to ask them. There were several people writing for the record. Ozzy and Zakk had great chemistry and a long history together, so the fact that he came back to do the record was fine with me. Zakk and I are great friends.

Do you have any regrets about how things ended with Ozzy?

Of course – I would have loved to have spent more time with him. He was such an influential person in my life and in my career. I thought about him a lot as I was writing and working on my new album, and I dedicated it to Ozzy’s memory. I would have loved the opportunity to talk with him before he passed.

After Ozzy you recorded your album, Farmikos.

Farmikos was my first solo record. It’s the second project I worked on with my Ozzy touring bandmate Robert Trujillo, and my longtime friend and writing partner Brent Hoffort. I was introduced to my singer, Robbie Locke, who gave a great vocal performance – he’s featured again on this next album. Robbie also contributed to songwriting on the Farmikos record.

You’ve simply titled your new solo album Joe Holmes.

I’ve got Robert Trujillo, Mike Bordin and Robbie, with all songs written by Brent and me. Another significant thing about this record is the relationship I’ve built with my friend Rich Mouser, who co-produced and engineered my records. Sadly, after we completed the album, Rich’s studio burned down in the Altadena fires in 2025. He’s in the process of rebuilding.

Which song from Joe Holmes best showcases the player and songwriter you are today?

The Deadfall. It’s a song I could have done with Ozzy. It really has Randy’s influence from the alternate and double-picking techniques, phrasing, and doubling the acoustic and electric guitars. Also, Cross Eyed Stare because the timing is in 11!

Have had to compensate for anything as you’ve gotten older?

No – I’m a perpetual student of music. I continue to expand my interest and love of music to other genres. I’ve been buying lots of jazz and blues on vinyl. I still play every day. I’m surrounded by music 24/7.

How do you hope to be remembered?

As a player who truly loves and is dedicated to his instrument and to music. I hope my journey might inspire someone else, whether they’re just coming up or have been playing for a while. Anything is possible if you’re committed. Enjoy the ride!

• Joe Holmes is available to preorder now.

David Lee Roth had to fight back tears at a recent show as he reflected on his friendship and songwriting partnership with Eddie Van Halen.

The pair achieved rock superstardom together in Van Halen, and though Alex Van Halen has since blamed the failed Van Halen tribute tour on DLR’s refusal to play tribute to the late guitar hero, at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday (May 19) Roth did just that.

“Most of these songs that I wrote with Ed, we wrote in a very, very tiny little space,” Roth told his audience with a classical guitar in his lap (via Blabbermouth). Roth's current tour finds him playing Van Halen material exclusively.

“When I first walked into Ed’s room, it wasn’t even a room. It was identical to the way I grew up,” he remembers. “You had to go from the backyard to the kitchen, and you moved through what they called his room, but it was just a little alcove for a washer and a dryer – and then, ultimately, me.”

He pauses as he starts to well up, with cries of “we love you” coming from the crowd.

“He had an electric guitar, and his mom wouldn’t let him plug into the amp,” he then says. “So I would have to listen to the electric guitar without an amp, and it’d be so close that our knees would touch.

“I’d sit there with a tape recorder, go home, write the lyrics, take it back, and go, ‘I think it’s a song about running with the devil. What have you got next?’”

Roth admits that there was “friction” in their relationship, but notes that “we loved it.”

Some 30 years, world domination, and an era with Sammy Hagar at the helm later, Roth and Eddie Van Halen were reunited. Despite now being couped up in Eddie’s “multi-million dollar recording studio,” it was just like old times.

“I was sitting in the middle of the room, and I was on a chair, and I was reading a paperback, waiting on him,” the singer remembers. “When he came in, he put a cigarette in his mouth, brought a chair right in front of me, and sat down in it and scooted forward till our knees touched. That’s how I wrote the last two songs. Full circle.”

Van Halen released A Different Kind of Truth, their first album with Roth since 1984, in 2012. But for Roth, the closeness of their songwriting partnership never changed.

In related news, Alex Van Halen has teamed up with Steve Lukather to bring one final Van Halen record to life. Steve Vai has heard archival tapes of Eddie’s unreleased work, and he believes fans are in for a treat when the album is finally released. But they need a singer first.

Billy Sheehan knows a thing or two about holding down the low end for some of the world’s top virtuosos, having worked with everyone from Paul Gilbert and Mike Portnoy to David Lee Roth.

And, it just so happens that Sheehan who introduced another virtuoso – a certain Steve Vai – into the fold when he was playing alongside the former Van Halen vocalist.

In 1984, Vai found himself replacing Yngwie Malmsteen as the lead guitarist of Alcatrazz, with whom he recorded their sophomore album, Disturbing the Peace. However, Vai was soon recruited to join the solo project of post-Van Halen David Lee Roth – although, as Sheehan recalls, Vai wasn’t his first pick.

“The original idea was Steve Stevens, but he was busy with Billy Idol and wisely decided to stay with him,” Sheehan remembers in a new interview with Guitar Player.

“I told Dave I know another Steve, ’cause at the time my band Talas was on Relativity Records out of New York City, and Steve was also on that label, and we’d talked about doing something together before the Roth thing happened.

“Steve, because of his association with Frank Zappa, had a sense of humor about his playing, which was very important for the Roth band.”

As Sheehan describes it, Vai’s stint with a musician as left-field as Zappa left an imprint on his playing, which became “kind of quirky”.

“He had all the fundamentals very, very down, then added the quirkiness from the Zappa thing. So Vai came in and was just awesome, a great, great player,” he continues. “So he was in, and we had a great time putting that Eat ’Em and Smile tour together.”

As for what he remembers from those heady days with Vai, Sheehan immediately replies, “He’s such a dedicated player. We’d be in the dressing room before the show, and he’d be there for hours, just working on stuff, head down for hours at a time before every show, pretty much.

“That also shows how much he cares about the audience, too, ’cause you want to do the absolute best for them all the time. Steve is definitely in that club.”

Later on, Sheehan would join Vai on some of his solo tours as part of his backing band, The Breed.

“It was always a blast,” he recalls. “ We had so much fun on those tours – no nonsense, no drugs, drinking, disrespectful rock star bullshit. We were all just legitimately having fun, and it was like a 24-hour comedy show.

“There was a lot of mutual respect in the bands I played in with Steve. I have nothing but great things to say,” he concludes.

And speaking of Vai, for those in the hunt for their own top-tier home studio, the guitar maestro just listed his LA property – which comes fully equipped with his famed Harmony Hut studio – for $11.7 million.

Van Halen was the world’s biggest rock band at the beginning of 1985. Their 1984 album had sold more than five million copies in the U.S., reaching Number 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (their highest position to that date, held back only by the juggernaut that was Michael Jackson’s Thriller album) and delivering their only Number 1 single, Jump. The supporting tour was a massive success, selling out all 101 shows.

Eddie Van Halen hoped to propel the band to even greater success, starting work in early 1985 on new musical ideas at his 5150 studio with Donn Landee, who engineered all six of Van Halen’s previous albums and had become the guitarist’s studio sidekick.

Meanwhile, singer David Lee Roth released the four-song Crazy from the Heat EP, recorded with Van Halen’s producer Ted Templeman and released in late January 1985.

Eddie didn’t mind the singer’s extracurricular activity at first and spoke positively about Dave’s solo record in interviews. The EP’s music bore no resemblance to Van Halen material, and the general consensus among the band members was that Roth deserved the opportunity to release some creative steam as long as it didn’t interfere with the band.

However, when Roth showed up at a handful of sessions to write lyrics and work on melodies for the next Van Halen album, he seemed detached and disinterested. Eventually, he stopped showing up altogether, choosing to conduct interviews and promote his EP instead.

One evening in late March, Eddie invited Dave to his home to discuss Van Halen’s future plans. The guitarist was shocked but not surprised to find out that Roth had received an offer from CBS Studios to star in a film with a $20 million budget.

While Ed wanted to release the next Van Halen album before the end of 1985, Dave wanted to take a full year off to make his movie. The singer suggested a short summer stadium tour as a compromise, but the guitarist refused to go out without any new material. Roth also invited the band to record music for the film’s soundtrack, but Van Halen shot that offer down as well. A stalemate was reached, with both parties refusing to budge.

Many sources cite that meeting as the end of Van Halen’s classic era with David Lee Roth, but the singer’s departure actually became official and final almost four months later.

Dave assumed that his bandmates would wait for him to return to Van Halen after the film was finished, while Eddie was convinced that the singer would eventually come to his senses and join the band in the studio.

The situation became more complicated when the band fired its manager, Noel Monk, after he demanded a new contract that would have paid him more than any individual band member. Without an authoritative mediator to guide and advise them, the friction grew.

Initially, Ed pitched the idea of making an album with several of his favorite singers.

“We bounced around the idea of doing a record with me writing all the music and having everyone from Joe Cocker to Phil Collins to Mike Rutherford sing a different vocal on each track,” Van Halen told Steven Rosen in May 1986. “But Alex talked me out of it. He said that would be just a one-shot project, and it made me realize that I wanted a family.”

Ed also reached out to Pete Townshend around this time to pitch ideas for a collaboration, but that effort never went further than the exchange of a few telegrams.

When the guitarist found out that Roth was putting together a band to record music for his movie and had reached out to Billy Sheehan (who accepted) and Yngwie Malmsteen (who declined), he realized Van Halen should probably start looking for a new singer as well. He made a genuine offer to Scandal vocalist Patti Smyth, but she turned it down because she was pregnant and concerned about the band’s reputation as hardcore partiers.

News of Roth’s and the Van Halen camp’s extracurricular activities appeared in music publications like Rolling Stone, convincing many fans that the band was finished.

Privately, Eddie Van Halen clung onto hope that Roth would return, but his attitude soon changed thanks to some matchmaking assistance from his friend, exotic car dealer Claudio Zampolli. One day in late June 1985, Sammy Hagar dropped by Zampolli’s L.A. shop on Wilshire Boulevard to check out Ferraris.

Ed had purchased several Lamborghinis from Zampolli, and during a recent friendly chat he mentioned that he was looking for someone to replace Roth. Zampolli told Hagar about Van Halen’s predicament; Hagar gave Zampolli permission to pass along his phone number to Ed; Ed called to set up a meeting and audition.

Hagar was an enticing prospect to replace Roth. His solo career was on an upward trajectory at the time, with his three most recent albums (Standing Hampton, Three Lock Box and VOA) achieving Gold certification and VOA ascending toward Platinum, thanks to the ongoing popularity of his need-for-speed anthem I Can’t Drive 55. In between he joined the supergroup Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve (HSAS), which showed that he could be a team player as well as a solo frontman.

The Van Halen brothers were also big fans of the albums Hagar recorded as lead vocalist for Montrose in the mid-’70s. An added bonus was that Hagar had recorded the Montrose and Paper Money Montrose albums as well as VOA with Van Halen’s producer Ted Templeman.

Ed remained unwilling to give up on Roth until July 15, 1985, when Hagar dropped by 5150 to play and record a few new songs with the band. As Van Halen played the first song, Summer Nights, Hagar came up with lyrics and a vocal melody on the spot. “In 20 minutes we had a complete song,” Edward told Rosen. “We all freaked out.”

“Believe it or not, I just started singing summer nights for the chorus,” Hagar told John Stix in 1986. “They all looked at each other and said, ‘Wait a minute, the guy can sing!’”

Although the Van Halen brothers and Michael Anthony decided to hire Hagar on the spot that day in July, the public announcement followed a few months later, even though the news leaked almost immediately.

In August, the band issued a statement confirming that David Lee Roth was no longer a member of Van Halen. However, Hagar’s official induction waited until September 22, 1985, in the middle of Hagar’s final concert performance with his former backing band at the Farm Aid concert in Champaign, Illinois.

Actually, co-host Gary Beaty of The Nashville Network prematurely spilled the beans during the live broadcast a few seconds before Eddie Van Halen joined Hagar on stage, confirming the rumors once and for all.

Before the duo played their first notes, Sammy fumbled with a banner and joked that it read, “My dick’s too small.” From that point onwards it became obvious that the Red Rocker was not going to be David Lee Roth 2.0, as the former Van Halen frontman would never speak of “Little Dave” in such self-deprecating terms.

Hagar and Roth both were high-energy, dynamic performers who let expletives fly like a sailor with his dinghy caught in a zipper, but Hagar was more down-to-earth and less intimidating, with more working-class appeal.

Hagar’s lyrics may not have been as clever as Roth’s – Sammy’s sexual innuendos were more single than double entendre – but they were direct, to the point and arguably more relatable, if perhaps also too obvious.

While Roth was prone to unapologetic braggadocio, Hagar offered a less threatening approach and more modest personality – consider Roth’s Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love compared to Hagar’s Why Can’t This Be Love, or “guaranteed to satisfy” in Ice Cream Man to “you’re never satisfied” in 5150.

After the Farm Aid appearance, the new line-up of Van Halen spent most of October 1985 writing and completing material for their first album. Recording started in November at Ed’s 5150 studio with engineer Donn Landee behind the mixing console.

The band wanted Ted Templeman to produce the album since he had already produced nine albums in total with Hagar and Van Halen, but much to their dismay they discovered that Templeman was unavailable due to his commitment to produce David Lee Roth’s Eat ’Em and Smile.

Instead, Ed and Donn presumed the producer roles until December, when they hired Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones, who previously co-produced all of his own band’s albums.

“Sammy and [us] were all thinking we didn’t want to do the whole thing on our own because we need an outside opinion,” Van Halen said. “Mick was playing in town with Foreigner and called Sammy to invite him to the show. Sammy asked if Mick wanted to co-produce our album and he said yes.

“Actually we were almost done with it, but Mick helped us organize everything and polish it up. He changed a few things, especially on Dreams, which is like a different song than it originally was. He got a hell of a vocal performance out of Sammy on that song, too.”

Eddie Van Halen’s guitar tone on 5150 went through a dramatic sonic shift compared to the albums he recorded with Roth. Although he previously used an Eventide H949 Harmonizer on various earlier Van Halen tracks, here he used it almost nonstop to create a stereo chorus-style effect by using one H949 panned right with a slight pitch detune, another H949 panned left with a different micropitch detune setting and his dry signal panned to the center.

Landee occasionally patched in delay from a Roland SDE3000 or Lexicon PCM70 to add space and reverb-like resonance. The guitar’s midrange was also more focused, providing more breathing room for Anthony’s bass.

5150 was also the first album that Ed recorded without using his faithful original Frankenstein guitar, now replaced in the pecking order by the Kramer 5150 guitar he built himself, featuring a single Seymour Duncan JB humbucker and Floyd Rose vibrato.

Previously he tuned his guitar down ¼ to ½ step to accommodate Roth’s vocals, but here he generally used standard pitch. For 5150, Ed used his 1958 Gibson Flying V tuned down a half step (to D#) with the low E string tuned further down a whole step drop D tuning-style (to C#) to record the main rhythm track and overdubbed the solos using the Kramer 5150.

Good Enough features Ed’s Kramer 1984 guitar with the low E string replaced by a low A string from a bass (tuning low to high is AADGBE) to provide the vibe of a baritone guitar on the rhythm parts while allowing Ed to still play his regular lead parts.

Ned Steinberger gave Ed a Steinberger GL2T headless guitar with a TransTrem system at the 1985 Summer NAMM convention in New Orleans. Ed immediately put this new toy to good use, writing the songs Summer Nights and Get Up only a few days after first receiving it and expertly employing the TransTrem system.

“You can use the vibrato bar to take whole chords up or down and they’ll stay in tune,” he said. “You can also lock the bar in different positions to instantly transpose keys. It’s kinda like a capo, but you can go up or down in pitch.”

Other guitars featured on 5150 include a Fender Stratocaster with the bridge/middle pickup setting on Best of Both Worlds and a Kramer Ferrington acoustic-electric for the acoustic guitar tracks on Dreams. Ed’s number one 1968 Marshall model 1959 Super Lead plexi remained his amp of choice, plugged into a single 4x12 Marshall cabinet miked with either Shure SM57 or SM58 mics.

Ed’s keyboard excursions continued to evolve on 5150, with several songs prominently featuring synths. An Oberheim OB-8 preset with a sweeping sawtooth oscillator patch provided the ersatz distorted “guitar” riff on Why Can’t This Be Love. Organic-sounding OB-8 string patches layered with an acoustic Steinway piano with MIDI controller capabilities provided lush textures on Dreams and Love Walks In.

Ed played Fairlight CMI and E-mu Emulator II sampling keyboards for the horn section hits and slappy bass on Inside, which unfortunately instantly made it the most dated-sounding track Van Halen ever recorded.

When the newly revamped Van Halen released 5150 on March 24, 1986, the album proved that lightning can indeed strike twice. The album benefitted from the momentum of 1984’s phenomenal success, and Sammy Hagar brought along a new group of followers to compensate for many of the David Lee Roth die-hards who broke ranks.

It was also the first Van Halen album to reach Number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, reaching that milestone only one month after its release date, although it took about eight years to reach the stunning 5x Platinum sales figure that 1984 achieved in just one year.

Of course, 5150 also ignited a David Lee Roth vs. Sammy Hagar debate that still rages today, even as it becomes more meaningless and trivial with the passage of time. Although Roth didn’t match his previous band’s success when he teamed up with the incredible line-up of Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan and Gregg Bissonette to record Eat ‘Em and Smile, he delivered one hell of an album to satisfy the old-school fans.

Meanwhile Van Halen 2.0 (a.k.a. Van Hagar) maintained a large dedicated following and found new fans as they provided a perfect soundtrack for the remainder of the dayglo/just say no Eighties.

As Hagar sang on perhaps his most eloquent performance with Van Halen, it was the best of both worlds.

• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.

Despite having served under Frank Zappa, releasing one non-genre-conforming solo record (1984’s Flex-Able) and scoring a key – and now legendary – role in Crossroads, which hit theaters in March 1986, Steve Vai was still relatively unknown in the land of regular humans. But after joining the solo band of former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, he’d become a household-ish name.

“At 26, I got to live the ultimate guitar rock-star fantasy,” Vai says. “I wish every rock guitarist could experience a piece of that, but it would need to be the ’80s when that type of thing was flourishing.”

The “thing” Vai is talking about is glammed-out shred, which was popularized by Eddie Van Halen (and a few others), who, in the eyes of Roth’s fans, Vai was about to be directly compared to. Not that this bothered Vai.

“I believe I worked well in the band because I’ve had rock in my blood since I was a teenager,” Vai says. “I was able to authentically express that, with my quirk, of course.”

Also helpful was Vai’s habit of coming in behind iconic shredders. “I’ve been lucky that way throughout my career,” Vai says. “I replaced Warren Cuccurullo with Zappa, Yngwie with Alcatrazz and Edward with Dave. Somehow the fans kept welcoming me in. Maybe they just like watching a guy try to keep his head above water!”

In all fairness, judging by Roth’s debut solo record, 1986’s Eat ’Em and Smile, Vai did more than keep his head above water. Tracks like Yankee Rose, Tobacco Road, Shyboy and Vai’s favorite, Big Trouble, tell the story of a match made in hair metal heaven.

Eventually, Vai would break out solo and turn the guitar world upside down, but he couldn’t have done it without having served under Roth. “I always look for things I haven’t done before, or I haven’t really heard from any other guitar players,” Vai says.

As for how he looks back on working with Diamond Dave – one of music’s most notorious characters – post-Van Halen, Vai smiles, saying, “He was a handful in the best possible way. Working with him was like being strapped to a rocket made of charisma and fueled by tequila.”

How did you end up playing guitar for Dave?

I was living in a little apartment on Fairfax in Hollywood when I heard he was looking for a guitar player. For some strange reason, I just knew it was my gig. It wasn’t an ego thing – I didn’t think, “I deserve this” – it was more like a quiet voice inside saying, “This is yours.”

The next day, the phone rings; it’s David Lee Roth. Turns out [bassist] Billy Sheehan had mentioned my name. Dave tells me he’s putting together a band for an album, a tour and even a movie, and he asks if I want to come down and jam. I knew they’d been trying out other guitar players, but once we started playing together, it just clicked. Sparks were flying, musically speaking.

How did you handle being compared to Eddie Van Halen?

I knew all ears would be on me. It was probably the most coveted guitar chair in rock at the time. I adored Edward's playing, so from a fan’s point of view, I understood that people would be skeptical. I would’ve been too. But competing with Eddie Van Halen? Forget it. You don’t compete with Mount Everest – you just admire it.

My mindset was simply to contribute something authentic, be myself and let that speak for itself. Once the album came out and we hit the road, the reception was fantastic. I didn’t feel the backlash people warned me about. I think fans realize you can’t replace Edward; you can only bring your own voice.

What did Dave expect from you?

Dave wanted a young hotshot who could play their ass off. He wanted a supergroup with players who could really throw down, and he nailed it: Billy Sheehan, Gregg Bissonette and me. It was wild chemistry. I knew I had to supply some riffs, and the ones I did resonated with Dave.

He has a great ear for what works for him and what doesn’t. As a soloist, I was quite the “shredder,” and that was popular at that time. I knew that was important to Dave, but he was also interested in solos being a musical statement and not just a flurry of notes.

What gear did you use in the studio, and what was the vibe like?

When I joined Dave, I was embarrassingly inexperienced with what people would call “big rock guitar tone.” I didn’t even own a Marshall! I was using Carvin X-100B amps, which I brought into the studio for Eat ’Em and Smile.

I tracked a few songs with them using my yellow Jackson Soloists and also my pink one. I also used my Charvel “Green Meanie.” But the Carvins weren’t cutting through for the more aggressive tracks.

Luckily, Steve Stevens was recording across the hall. I mentioned my tone troubles, and he lent me one of his favorite Marshall heads and cabs. Boom! Instant magic. I ended up using his rig for most of the album. Thanks, Steve. You saved my sonic bacon.

Ted Templeman produced Van Halen and Roth. What was he like?

He was brilliant. I learned a ton from him. He gave you total freedom, but his suggestions were so insightful that you wanted to follow them. I came from a background with Frank Zappa, where precision and complexity ruled the day.

Ted taught me the opposite – how to capture raw energy. He knew how to bottle the chaos of young lunatics like us and make it sound big, tight and alive. We respected him as the Yoda that he is.

What do you remember about working on Yankee Rose, That’s Life and Tobacco Road?

I knew this record would be forensically examined, so I leaned into my quirks. I’ve always had this playful, slightly mischievous streak in my playing. One such example is my “guitar talking” technique. I thought it’d be fun to open the album with it, just to grab people by the ears.

That’s Life was pure Dave – swagger, humor, and showbiz all rolled into one, and I was happy to support it. And Tobacco Road? That was a blast. Dave suggested it, and I went home and cooked up a guitar arrangement filled with weird little twists and turns. I remember thinking, “There’s no way they’ll let me get away with all this nonsense.” But they did. And that freedom made the whole session magic.

You handled the horn arrangement on I’m Easy. Did Zappa prepare you for that?

I started writing horn charts in high school and really dove into it at Berklee. I’ve always loved big band arrangements. It’s like sculpting sound with brass. Doing the horns for I’m Easy was… easy.

What’s your favorite guitar moment from Eat ’Em and Smile?

Perhaps my solo on Big Trouble. I had full creative freedom on that one, and it came out exactly how I heard it in my head – melodic, daring and unapologetically “Vai”. To me, it didn’t sound like Edward or anyone else, and that’s usually a sign that I was hitting the mark I set for myself for this record.

And the riffing with Billy on Shyboy? Total mayhem. Imagine two electric eels wrestling inside a transformer. That’s what it felt like.

Were you satisfied with the album?

It felt gloriously surreal to listen to that record from top to bottom and be embraced by its audio energy elixir. I still feel that when I listen to it now. A part of me ponders, “How the heck did we do that?”

We were holed up in Dave’s basement for about a year putting this thing together, completely under wraps. I couldn’t tell anyone what we were doing, so I had no clue how it would land. But I loved it. It had energy, humor and attitude. It felt alive.

Were you prepared for the wave of popularity that followed?

One funny moment – I was at the gym, walking through the parking lot and nearly got hit by a car. The driver slams his brakes and yells, “Hey, you dumb fuck – watch where you’re going!” All the while, he was blasting Bump and Grind at full volume while headbanging. I just smiled and thought, “At least he bought the record!” [Laughs] Soon we were playing to 20,000 people a night.

Would you do anything differently?

That gig was a gift for many reasons. It launched me into a whole new world and taught me how to command an arena stage. I can’t think of anything I would have done differently. It was financially rewarding, too, but after a 45-year career, I discovered that success is very nice – the money, fame, respect and so on. It's all quite fine and good, although it does come with certain challenges.

But of vital importance is the people you meet along the way, the experiences you have with them and the bonds you create. This is the real payoff, and when I look back at Eat ’Em and Smile, those are the things I'm most appreciative of.

To this day, Billy, Gregg and I are unbelievably close. They’re like brothers. There’s no way to put a value on our friendship that could compete with worldly success. I could even pick up the phone and call Dave. We were actually good friends back then.

He was like a mentor to me in many ways. When I look back, I thank my lucky stars. The whole thing feels extraordinary to me now. Touring, the videos, the huge stage, crazy clothes, girly hair, the backstage parties, the mayhem – it was outstanding.

Beyond that, what does Eat ’Em and Smile mean to you?

In all the bands I’ve been in, be it Frank Zappa, Alcatrazz, Roth, Whitesnake and the others, I knew there was a brand of music bubbling up in my imagination that I had to get out. Those eccentric ideas were there for as long as I can remember.

When I quit all those bands to make [1990’s] Passion and Warfare, I thought it might be the end of my career, but it was an easy choice. If you don’t allow your true creative impulses to manifest, it usually leads to depression.

I was fortunate in that Passion and Warfare and my brand of music and playing found an audience that has sustained me and my music. When I think of Eat ’Em and Smile, it’s like a wild, beautiful chapter in a fairytale. Somehow I got to be one of the characters.

• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.

Steve Vai has looked back on the time Steve Stevens came to his rescue while he was in the studio tracking his first album with David Lee Roth.

Sometimes, songs demand specific gear to let them truly shine. Fortunately for Vai, whose own gear at the time left much to be desired, he had a bona fide rock guitar great right next door to call upon.

In 1985, David Lee Roth left Van Halen – apparently, Van Halen's secret recording of Michael Jackson’s Beat It solo was the last straw for him. So, he set out on a solo career and recruited a new guitar foil who he thought could outgun Eddie’s alien talents.

Vai, coming off the back of grueling work as Frank Zappa’s transcribist and then his guitar player proper, was the man handpicked by Diamond Dave for the job.

Their debut album, Eat ‘Em and Smile, thanks to the MTV-championed single, Yankee Rose, would go on to be certified platinum. But behind the scenes, getting the right sounds for an album that was meant to see DLR stick it to his former bandmates wasn’t easy.

“When I joined Dave, I was embarrassingly inexperienced with what people would call ‘big rock guitar tone,’” Vai confesses in the new print issue of Guitar World.

He arrived at New York's Power Station studios – where Chic, David Bowie, and Dire Straits had recorded before them – armed with his Carvin X-100B amplifier. He quickly realized it wasn’t up to the task.

“The Carvins weren't cutting through for the more aggressive tracks,” he explains. “Luckily, Steve Stevens was recording across the hall. I mentioned my tone troubles, and he lent me one of his favorite Marshall heads and cabs. Boom! Instant magic. I ended up using his rig for most of the album.”

Judging by the timeline, with Eat ‘Em and Smile released in 1986, Stevens could have been recording his parts for Billy Idol's Whiplash Smile at the time. However, recording for Ric Ocasek's This Side of Paradise and the Top Gun soundtrack also took place around then, so we can't be definitively sure. Either way, Vai was thankful for his aid.

“He saved my bacon,” Vai laughs.

Vai is among the Ibanez artists to get a new signature model for 2026, and his Gold Flame PIA is a work of art. Vai will also feature on Matteo Mancuso's forthcoming second album, having once called the young shredder “the evolution of the guitar.”

The guitarist’s full interview can be found in the new issue of Guitar World, which also features conversations with Ola Englund, Andy Powers and more. Head to Magazines Direct to grab a copy.

Stevie Salas has backed up Rod Stewart, started a guitar trend via Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and was asked to join both David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar’s bands. But he doesn’t take any of it too seriously.

“I like to surround myself with super talent,” he tells Guitar World. “I always like to be the shittiest guy in the room – that makes me learn more and become better.”

Salas picks out his early ‘90s opening slot with Joe Satriani as a significant learning experience.

“I stole a lot of shit from Joe!” he admits. “But when I do it, it doesn’t sound like him; it sounds like me. I couldn’t do it when was there, but I was able to watch.”

While he’s promoting the reissue of his 1994 album, Back from the Living, his calling card remains the frenzied work from Bill & Ted. He didn’t like it when it arrived in 1989 – but he’s warmed to it now.

“A year ago I was with Keanu Reeves, and we talked about the third movie,” Salas says.

“I told him, ‘I’ve done a lot of amazing things, but when I die people will say, ‘That’s the guy who did Bill & Ted!’ He started laughing – we all feel like, ‘I don’t want to be known as the guy that did Bill & Ted.’ But it’s been an insane blessing – young guys are always like, ‘You’re the guy that did Bill & Ted!’ So there you go!”

Early on you rubbed elbows with George Clinton and Bootsy Collins, and eventually started working with producer David Kirschenbaum.

I left San Diego in ’85 after I got out of school and spent a couple of years rocking out with my band. My band was pretty good, but I didn’t think it was going to make it. I quit and moved to LA in 1985.

I was living in someone’s house with my next band, Color Code. We all got kicked out, and I was homeless from August to September ’85. Then I met George Clinton in the studio, and Terry Costa, wife of Don Costa, who produced Sinatra and Elvis. They let me live in their house in Beverly Hills. I was living in a rock star pad, but I had no money!

In ’87, David Kirschenbaum called me, because he knew I’d worked with George and Bootsy. At the time rap was very new; I was a big fan of Eddie Martinez’s playing with Run-DMC, and I was kind of emulating his funk-rock thing.

Someone said to David, “This kid knows about rap music.” I really didn’t, but I told him I did! So I became a producer for David at a studio called Power Tracks.

How did you end up working on movie soundtracks?

I met a Motown arranger named Gene Page, who told me about two African American boys called West Coast Posse, these badass rappers. There was this movie called Big Shots, about two black kids who steal a car and go across the country on an adventure.

They said, “We need some rap music.’ I said, ‘I can do it!’ and I went into the studio with these two kids. We created this song called Put On the Brakes. Atlantic Records loved it and released it as a 12-inch single.

That led to the next movie, Action Jackson. They needed another rap song, so I called the West Coast Posse kids and cut a song called Protect and Serve. That was another Atlantic 12-inch – and all of a sudden I’m the expert on hip-hop in LA, but only because no one in LA really knew shit about it. It was all being done in New York.

Is that what led to your memorable guitar solo at the end of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure?

David said, “Stevie, I need your help. There's this movie about these two kids who play guitar and want to be in a rock band, but they don’t know how to play, and they go on this history trip. They put a score down for the movie, but there’s no guitar at all. They want you to redo the whole movie over the score.”

So that was unusual, but it was dope. Once the movie was done, I forgot all about it and moved on. I got a call from David, who said, “The Bill & Ted movie is coming out, but the ending isn’t testing well.” I was like, “I don’t even know what that means!” I was a stupid fucking kid! He goes, “They’re gonna reshoot the end and they want some kind of guitar solo.”

What do you remember about recording the solo in a scene with George Carlin?

I drove to this house in the Palisades. They had the whole Bill & Ted setup in the garage, and Keanu and Alex Winter were there. Everyone thought I was a big shot, so they had me share a trailer with George! He told me stories all night; it was one of the most amazing nights of my life.

So they called me up to the set with George, and we’re wearing matching outfits. They stood me up on this crate, handed me a guitar, and Keanu, Alex, and the two girls were standing in front of me.

I said, “What do you want me to do?” The director, Stephen Herek, said, “Just play something crazy!” I wasn’t plugged in, and I knew it was a comedy, so the first thing I did was hit the A chord like it was Eruption. Then, I just started spazzing out with my fingers!

So the solo wasn’t premeditated.

No – I just started moving in the most unorthodox, weird way all over the fucking place. I was trying to be funny, playing air guitar, and you couldn’t hear anything. My fingers were going bananas and everyone goes, “That’s great! That’s perfect, thanks!”

A couple of days later I got the cut. I went into Power Tracks and used a Rock Tron, which made these really cool pre-amps that you could plug into a pro-gap, like a yellow Bass overdrive. Joel Dantzig from Hamer sent me an amazing Tele-shaped Hamer, so I had that guitar. All I did was follow my hands – I hit the A chord and followed my fingers the best I could. It sounded ridiculous to me, which I thought it was supposed to.

I got the gig with Rod Stewart after I’d done it. I took off on a world tour, and when I went to see the film I thought it was the worst, crappiest film I’ve ever seen in my life! I was super-embarrassed. But somehow that guitar solo became part of the franchise.

Tongue-in-cheek as it was, you started a trend that Steve Vai and Tosin Abasi followed.

The next movie came out and Steve Vai was the guitar guy. And then the third one came out and Tosin Abasi did it. It became this rite of passage to be the guitar guy in Bill & Ted, which is really weird!

In the early ‘90s you opened for Joe Satriani. What was that like?

A fucking nightmare! I was managed by Bill Graham, and by then I was hot shit, playing on big records and going on MTV. I was the guy in LA, I’d just gotten this huge gig with Rod Stewart, and then I signed the biggest recording contract Island had ever given a new artist.

I made my album – the Colorcode album with Bill Laswell – and Bill Graham said, “We should put you on tour with Joe Satriani,” because they also managed Joe. I was up for it, but I was scared shitless because everybody who went on tour with Joe got booed off the stage. You can ask him!

Satriani really wanted me to do it and I wanted to go back on tour. But I’d just finished with Rod Stewart, where we were playing 20,000-seaters, with mostly women in the crowd. Now I was going out with Satriani with 5,000 people a night, and it was all dudes. They would just stare at your hands, and I’d never taken a lesson – I just play.

So I was like, “This is going to be gnarly,” and I was scared shitless. But in the end it was one of the greatest things I ever did. I got standing ovations every night!

What’s the biggest lesson you learned from Satch?

Joe was so good to me. He was really bummed when I had to leave because my European label wanted me to do a more alternative tour. He never tried to shut me down – he’d sit up the front watching me.

He’d measure the volume every night of what the amp was doing, and it had to be the same. Then he’d measure the volume of the monitors, and they had to be the same too. He’d measure between the monitor and his amp to be exactly the same, no matter how big the stage. At soundcheck, he’d hit a note, walk around, and put an “X” on the stage.

During the shows he’d go over to that spot, hold that note, and the crowd would go crazy. He’d worked all that out – he knew exactly how it was going to sustain forever and do that shit. That was a big thing I learned.

In 1994, you made Back From the Living, which has built a cult following.

I went from being this cult guitar player with tons of dudes who’d show up to see me play to having a ton of chicks in the audience! I shot the photos for the album in New York with a Vogue photographer. It sounds corny, but she made me look beautiful!

Suddenly I had all these chicks piling in to listen to me play. That album never caught on in America, but it was number one in other countries. It was life-changing for me; it made me rich. I got this multi-million-dollar contract where I kept all the money!

Steve Lukather lived up the street from me, and he asked, “Where’s Stevie getting all that money – is he a drug dealer?” I swear to God! But that album changed my life in the most amazing way. I was just trying to blend James Brown and Jimi Hendrix; that was my thing.

Is it true that both David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar asked you to join their bands?

Sammy called me two days after he got fired from Van Halen, and David Lee Roth called me after Steve Vai left. I might be the only guitar player in the world who was called by two Van Halen singers!

Why didn’t you take the gigs?

I was a huge Van Halen fan. When I was with Rod Stewart I got to meet Eddie Van Halen, and we became friends. I was a Van Halen nut – but when Roth called me, I thought somebody was taking the piss! He talked to me for about an hour, but he kind of sounded like he was out of his mind.

He was talking about making a blues album, like B.B. King. I’m thinking, “What am I doing?” I didn’t like where Dave was going. I didn’t like [Roth's 1988] Skyscraper album, and I just didn’t think it was what I wanted to do.

With Hagar, I was a Montrose fanatic. He called me, flew me to San Francisco, picked me up himself in his Porsche, and I stayed at his house. We started to write together. I wanted to write a Montrose album, and he wanted to write an album more like the Eagles – and I hate the Eagles!

No disrespect, but that didn’t work for me. Plus, I still had a recording contract, and Back From the Living was blowing up in Europe. So I played on his album, but I couldn’t commit to the tour.

What’s next for you?

Well, I’m 100 years old now, so I don’t know! But Deko has been talking to me about rereleasing my shit – so I’m kind of letting people rediscover my old shit like it’s new shit. In 2006, I started producing television; I’m still writing and producing movies and TV now. But I’ll still do music stuff if it’s something that’s good and interesting.

• The reissue of Back From the Living is on sale now.

When Stevie Salas calls time on his career, he will not want for high-profile credits. He has played with Rod Stewart, made records with Bootsy Collins and Buddy Miles, guested on records by Michael Hutchence, Glenn Hughes and the Jeff Healey band – and he has had a successful solo career, and worked as musical director and consultant on American Idol.

When we consider all this in sum, we might be able to understand why Salas turned down not one, but two former Van Halen frontmen when they came calling.

That’s right. ‘Diamond’ David Lee Roth and the ‘Red Rocker’ Sammy Hagar, bona-fide rock legends, tried to recruit Salas. He said thanks but no thanks to both.

Salas is a self-described “Van Halen nut”, so how could he pass this up? Well, technically he did say yes to Hagar. At least, he played with him for a little bit. It just never went any further, as Salas explains in a new interview with Guitar World.

“With Hagar, I was a Montrose fanatic, so when he called me, he flew me to San Francisco, picked me up himself in his Porsche, and I stayed at his house,” says Salas. “We started to write together, and I wanted to write a Montrose album, and he wanted to write an album more like the Eagles – and I hate the Eagles. [laughs] No disrespect, but I didn’t like the Eagles, so that didn’t work for me.”

Salas has long said that Montrose’s self-titled debut album is his favorite rock album of all time. But there's no point in forcing a collaboration if you’re not on the same page. Besides, the timing was all wrong. This was the mid ‘90s and Salas’ solo career was doing well. Back from the Living was “blowing up” in Europe and he was still under contract to the label.

David Lee Roth? That’s a more surreal encounter. Salas knew Roth, met him when he was doing his thing with Rod Stewart. He and Eddie Van Halen were good friends.

At the time, Roth was in need of some six-string talent. Steve Vai had left his band for Whitesnake, so he gave Salas a call.

“I was a Van Halen nut, but when Roth called me, I was vacuuming, and I thought when he called, somebody was taking the piss,” says Salas. “But it was him. I turned the vacuum cleaner off, and was like, ‘Oh, shit…’ [laughs]”

Roth made him an offer. But all these years later, Salas is not so sure what Roth was looking for. It sure as hell wasn’t Eat ‘Em and Smile Part II.

“He talked to me for about an hour, but he kind of sounded like he was out of his mind,” says Salas. “He was talking about making a blues album, like B.B. King, and I’m thinking, ‘What am I doing?’ I had a recording contract, and I was like, ‘Shit…’ and didn’t like where Dave was going. I didn’t like the Skyscraper album, and I just didn’t think it was what I wanted to do.”

And so he didn’t, and the rest is history. You can read the full interview with Stevie Salas, coming soon to Guitar World.

Despite his amazing versatility, Matt Bissonette struggles to move on from seeing The Beatles in 1966, when he was five years old, and being inspired – like many others – by Paul McCartney’s bass playing.

“You can never take the Paul out of the bass,” he says. “I literally have to fight myself from playing Paul’s licks on sessions. And when I write songs, I have to keep an eye on ripping off a Beatles motif!”

Aside from Macca, it was Bissonette’s parents who kicked off his musical life. “To be totally honest, my mom and dad picked out the bass for me. One day I went to the car and there was a bass in the trunk. I pulled it out and went into the basement in Detroit with my brother,” he says. “We played Smoke on the Water for eight hours.”

He continues: “Within the first five minutes I realized that the bass wasn’t playing the cool intro; it was the guitar. But my brother said, ‘No! You’re the guy that pulses the eighth notes.’

“We listened on the record player, and it hit me that I really liked that. I started with ‘dumb guy’ eighth notes and I’ve been ‘dumb guying’ ever since!”

Bissonette – who’s worked with David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani, Brian Wilson, Peter Frampton and Elton John – is a bass heavyweight, but he keeps it simple. “The song dictates the bass movement, and how much freedom they give me,” he says. “I start with the simplest approach and go from there.

“The key is trying to get inside the head of the artist, knowing the music they’ve already recorded and adapting to that, but doing your own thing. That’s why they called you in the first place.”

He admits that anyone looking to get into his line of work will find it less easy, and less financially rewarding, than he did. “Learn as many skills as possible,” is his advice. “Sing, write, produce, and learn a software program to record on. I think it’s the only way to improve your odds.”

What kicked off III, your new album with The Squirts?

“The album was put together during Covid. We were locked away in our home studios, so we figured we should get off our duffs and do another record. George Bernhardt and I are used to sending files back and forth. He’d bounce an idea and I’d write lyrics.

“Then I’d write something and send it to him, and he’d make it better. Rodger Carter, our drummer, would add different sections. It was a pretty easy process even though we weren’t in the same room.”

The Squirts originated as the backing band for Rick Springfield, right?

“We were Rick’s rhythm section for about 10 years, and Rick and I were writing together for his solo albums. We’d done a couple of Squirts CDs before then, and he really liked them. It kind of steamrolled into Rick and I doing three of his solo albums together after that.”

How helpful was he?

“Rick was awesome about it from the very start. One day, in an airport, we asked him if we could open up for his shows. We dangled the idea that it would sound out the PA so it would be that much better.

“He thought it was a great idea – he let us open up for about seven years. He never blinked an eye when we asked if we could sell CDs, T-shirts and hats. We were double-dipping there for a long time. It was great!”

What was it like replacing Billy Sheehan in David Lee Roth’s band?

“At first it was terrifying! Billy is an amazing player so I didn’t even try to play like him. I just tried to get as close as I could to some of his riffs from a different angle, and it seemed to work.

“It’s always hard taking someone’s place like that. You have to dig deep and hope for the best. You have to realize that not everybody is going to love the way you play, but such is life in general. After I figured that out, it seemed to get a lot easier!”

What gear helped you follow Billy and Michael Anthony into David’s orbit?

“I had the typical Bradshaw monster pedalboard rig like everybody was using back then – tons of distortion, reverbs and delays. We all had mobile studios that were six foot tall that we’d bring to our hotel rooms to write songs. It was truly ’80s excess!

“I still think the greatest bass tone for that kind of gig is when you go straight into an amp. Sometimes all the fluff can get washed away in a big room. Dave was always really cool and supportive, and he was a blast to work with – the ultimate entertainer!”

What are your memories of recording with Jason Becker?

“Jason will always be a great friend. He was the young gunslinger that came into town and blew everybody away. We used to play catch with the football in Dave's backyard on breaks from rehearsing.

“I remember one day he felt a pinch on his leg, and it continued to get worse. He struggled through the recording process, trying to figure out what was going on. He’s an amazing person and he’s still doing amazing music with the help of his parents and all his friends. What a talented guy.”

Did recording with Jason help prepare you for Joe Satriani?

“When you’re playing with a virtuoso like Joe, Jason, or Steve Vai, someone has to be the solid guy laying down a foundation for everyone. There are moments where you can stick your head out and play something, but I always try to support whoever I'm working with.

“And with that much guitar action going on, I figured the best thing was to keep it simple and let them run wild. Sometimes, the more you play, the more cluttered it gets – especially when there’s additional rhythm guitars and sounds.”

How did David’s expectations differ from Joe’s?

“Dave would have ideas and certain things that he wanted, but he basically just let us run wild. He also knew what he liked, so when things went off the rails he’d always bring it back to the simplest idea – a trait I respect from any songwriter.

“Joe knows exactly what he wants from a bass player. He plays bass really well himself, so a lot of times you’re emulating what he played on demos. He lets you do whatever you wanna do when the red light goes on, but when something is good to start with, you don’t want to veer too much off of it.

Did Joe like you to use specific gear?

“He had this amazing ‘60s Fender P-Bass that he used on his demos, and it sounded so good that we used it on a lot of songs. Sometimes, I’d use my Rickenbacker, Fender Jazz Bass, or one of my own P-Basses. Those basses sounded massive with a big SVT mic’d up and blended.

“Sometimes we’d add a touch of distortion; but again, we found that the biggest, most massive straight tone always filled up the tracks best. That was my sound in the late ’80s and ’90s, then the early 2000s when I started working with Joe again. It’s that ‘if it's not broken, don't fix it’ approach.”

What was the key to supporting people like Brian Wilson, Steve Perry and Peter Frampton?

“Unlike playing with guys like Joe, Dave and people I’d known for a while, when you get thrown into a one-day session with an artist you don’t know, you pretty much have to be ready for anything. I bring a fretless, two or five strings, a bunch of P-Basses and Jazz Basses and maybe a Hofner or a Rickenbacker, in case they want to try something different.

“I think being versatile in all styles of music is the only survival mechanism for session players. My brother Gregg and I call it ‘music vocabulary.’ You have to spend a lot of time dissecting records – the sounds, the tones and the players who recorded them – to be able to walk in cold and record.”

How did you end up being involved with the recording of the Friends in-show music? And did it shock you that it blew it up the way that it did?

“Never in a million years did I think that doing those once-a-month Friday Friends sessions would turn into the highest-paying gig I’ve ever had! We’d start recording at 10 o’clock and make up music on the fly in five-second clips; sometimes longer, sometimes shorter.

“Our friend Michael Skloff was the musical director. We had tears in our eyes because it was just one big party – no stress, just a real blast to do. Doug Ryder is an amazing engineer, and he’d get the sounds instantly.

“I’d show up at 9.45, and we’d go until 1.00, taking time to eat in between. I’d try a different bass every session, although usually, for things like that, I’ll come in with a five-string that I know the engineer isn’t going to have to work on. It just sounds good right when you plug it in.

“I used my Music Man StingRay five-string a lot, and I had a Bossa five-string as well as my Bongo Bass. Truly one of the best gigs I've ever had!”

You toured with Elton John for over a decade. What was he like?

“Elton probably only said two things to me in 13 years about wanting me to do something differently. On Take Me to the Pilot, he asked me to play a little bit simpler, and on in the jam section of Rocket Man he did the same. Other than that, it was free rein for everybody.

“I was the nearest person to him on the stage, so he’d look at me and play something like he was challenging me to play back at him. His love for music humbled me – when I started with him, I was kind of falling out of love with music in general. To see someone like Elton love music so much kind of woke me up from my slumber.”

What was your staple rig with Elton?

“I played the Music Man StingRay basses exclusively, all five-strings, and I had a rack and a cabinet, but basically they used the direct sound. Matt Herr is an amazing soundman; he always pumped the bass with that band. My fingers would get blisters every night just because it was fun to play again!”

What inspires you as a bassist today?

“I love that so many great bass players can make the same bass sound completely different, just by the way they use their hands. Engineers tell me that it’s not the bass that makes the sound, but the player’s hands.

“I get inspired by hearing acoustic upright players make a piece of wood sound like a vocalist. I love the sound of a fretless when it's played in tune – which is something I’m working on feverishly.

“And I love bass players that play whatever’s right for the song, no more, no less. That’s why I show up at a session with eight or nine basses – I think the bass tone sets the overall sound for a song.”

What’s next for you?

“I’m looking forward to going home and staying for a while, and diving into a couple of records I’ve been working on. One is a straight-ahead jazz record, where the bass is playing all the melodies and I’m singing along with them, like George Benson.

“I was listening to all my old bass solos and figured I wanted to try some new stuff, so I started singing solos and learning them on the bass, which completely changed my life. If I can play what I hear in my head and play what I’m singing when I’m bopping around, I think I’ll be a much better player.

“After I went to see the Bob Dylan movie, I came home and instantly bought an acoustic guitar and a capo and wrote 10 songs in that vein. That’ll probably come out at the beginning of 2026.”

• The Squirts’ III is out now via Bandcamp.

Matt Bissonette has played with the who’s who of the music industry – serving as a first-call bass player for artists such as Ringo Starr, Elton John, David Lee Roth, and Jeff Lynne, to name just a few. And for Friends fans, you can also hear his bass chops on the in-show music, which – believe it or not – ended up being his most lucrative gig.

“Never in a million years did I think that doing those Friday, once-a-month Friends sessions would turn into the highest-paying gig I've ever had!” he tells Bass Player with a chuckle.

Bissonette is more than happy to lift the veil on what typically went down while recording music for the ’90s and early aughts staple.

“I'd show up at 09:45, and we would start tracking at 10:00, going until 1:00, taking time to eat in between. We would just make up music on the fly in little five-second clips, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter.”

He continues, “Our friend Michael Skloff was the musical director. All I remember was every time we would record, we would have tears in our eyes because it was just one big party, no stress, just a real blast to do. Doug Ryder is an amazing engineer, and he would get the sounds instantly.”

As for the gear used? “I would try a different bass every session, but usually what I do for stuff like that is come in with a five-string that I know the engineer isn't going to have to work with.

“It just sounds good right when you plug it in. I used my Music Man Stingray five-string a lot, and I had a Bossa five-string that I used a lot as well as my Bongo Bass. Truly one of the best gigs I've ever had!”

Stay tuned for Bass Player’s interview with Matt Bissonette, which will be published in the coming weeks.

Sammy Hagar has responded to David Lee Roth’s apparent trolling of him at a recent show by saying he believes the singer’s fairly outlandish 'ghost of Eddie Van Halen' claims.

In fact, he’s read it as an attempt by the Yankee Rose singer to rebuild their broken relationship.

Hagar claimed that his new single, Encore, Thank You Goodnight, was written after the ghost of Eddie Van Halen appeared to him in a dream and showed him a lick. The original statement dates back to 2022, but it wasn’t until he’d tapped up Best of All Worlds bandmate Joe Satriani to complete the song that Eddie’s supernatural shredding saw the light of day, with the song released in April 2025.

In response, Roth told his audience at a recent show in Hampton Beach that he, too, had been visited by Van Halen’s spirit at his hotel room. There, he told Roth that the lick he showed Hagar was actually Iron Butterfly’s In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida backwards.

Many thought Roth’s tongue-in-cheek claims were hilarious, but Hagar doesn’t see the funny side. His take is rather different.

Commenting on an Instagram post by Metal Addicts reporting Roth's claims, Hagar wrote: “I can't believe social media is trying to make something out of this. This is the first compliment and real olive branch moment Dave and I have had in 100 years.”

In Hagar’s mind, Roth is trying to find common ground between the band’s two biggest singers after years of tension and animosity.

“Listen closely and you will see that this is not negative whatsoever,” the Red Rocker continues. “And I believe Dave had the dream as well. Dave's a good storyteller, but there's some truth in between the showmanship. All good with me, keep it up, Dave. These songs we both wrote with Eddie need to be carried on forever.”

Hagar’s response may be unexpected, but it’s dignified. The two singers have been perpetually at war with one another since Roth left Van Halen in 1985 and hired Steve Vai to launch a solo career that, he hoped, would overshadow his former outfit.

They’ve both come and gone from the band in the intervening years, and fans have constantly compared and contrasted them. But since Eddie’s passing in 2020, Hagar has been determined to pay tribute to the virtuoso on stages.

Last year, Alex Van Halen revealed that David Lee Roth’s refusal to pay tribute to Eddie was the reason a reprised Van Halen, featuring Joe Satriani, never got off the ground. Since then, Hagar has put the Best of All Worlds band together in its stead to celebrate Eddie’s legacy by playing songs from both Roth and Hagar eras of the band.

Mind, it probably didn’t help the cause that Hagar recently said Eddie Van Halen was a richer musician because of him, believing he was more fulfilled creatively with him in the band.

The beef between David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar is showing no signs of simmering down, with Roth firing shots at Hagar after his claims about the origins of his new single.

The Red Rocker released Encore, Thank You, Goodnight back in April, after the late Eddie Van Halen came to him in a dream and showed him a new lick. Joe Satriani and the rest of the Best of All Worlds band were then tapped up to complete the song’s transition from dream realm to the real world, with Hagar seeing it as a celebration of the guitar hero’s life and legacy.

Roth, who fronted the band’s swan song album, A Different Kind of Truth, doesn’t seem convinced that Hagar’s story is true. Now he’s responded in typically flamboyant fashion.

During his recent show in Hampton Beach, the band pulled back midway through Dance the Night Away so Roth could tell the crowd that Eddie's ghost had visited him, too.

“One of my esteemed colleagues, he's a contemporary, he's got a great voice, he's got a great catalog. You all know Sammy Hagar, right?” Roth began, teeing himself up (via Blabbermouth).

“Sammy, aloud, described to the media about six weeks ago that the ghost of Eddie Van Halen had visited him and graced him with a song that he had memorized, and then he went home and recorded it. It's on the internet.

“I don't know what the odds are, but last night the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited me at the fucking hotel room. I was watching the weather report, and he came in, laughing.

“I said, ‘What did you do now?’ He said, ‘Dave, Dave… Dave, you know that song I gave Hagar?’ I said, ‘What now?’ He said, ‘It's actually [Iron Butterfly's] In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida backwards. Don't fucking tell him.’”

Roth then says the pair shared a “ghost cigarette” before a flash of their wicked sense of humor prevailed.

“I hugged my brother Ed, and I said, ‘Man, do I fucking miss you,’” Roth continues. “And he said, ‘I miss you too, Dave. But you know what? You should still go to hell.’ And I said, ‘Save me a seat.’”

Carlos Santana may be less cynical about Hagar’s story, however. He’s recently claimed that the fingerless spirit of Stevie Ray Vaughan visited him in a dream and asked him to play through his Dumble amp so he could vicariously enjoy playing guitar one last time.

Hagar, meanwhile, has been making some other believe-it-or-not statements about Eddie Van Halen, including that he was “dried up” by the 2000s. That's why the band only produced one album after 1998’s Gary Cherone-fronted LP, Van Halen III.

He’s also said that Eddie was more interested in cello than guitar in his final months, but he refused to show his former bandmate what he could do on the classical instrument.

Meanwhile, Steve Vai has opened up on his time in DLR’s solo band, and how he was hired to “beat Van Halen.”

Steve Vai has opened up on his early experiences in David Lee Roth’s band, recalling how he felt destined for the role – and how he navigated inevitable comparisons to the singer's former guitar foil, Eddie Van Halen.

In 1985, Roth – fresh from leaving Van Halen – went about establishing his solo career. In his new band, an elite electric guitar player who could keep up with the level Roth experienced in Van Halen – and one who could hold down a spot previously held by the era’s greatest guitar player – was a priority.

For Vai’s part, though, he saw the Roth gig as one of the most hallowed spots in contemporary rock at the time, and viewed himself as tailor-made for the job – and it wasn’t long before Roth came calling.

Speaking about his experience in Roth’s band in a new episode of Billy Corgan’s The Magnificent Others podcast, Vai remembers, “When the word was out that David Lee Roth was putting a band together and he was looking for a guitarist, I mean, it was probably the most coveted rock guitar position.

“I was in my little apartment on Fairfax Street in Hollywood, and as soon as I heard that news, I turned to my roommate and I said, ‘That's my gig.’

“It was just this intuitive, little voice that said, ‘No matter what you do, even if you don't want it, it's your gig.’ It's just one of those things. The next day, the phone rings and it's Dave.”

Playing guitar for Roth, who had been working with Van Halen up until that point, naturally came with added pressure.

Furthermore, the perception of Roth’s band was one of competition, and although the singer had grand designs for a project that could match up to the might of Van Halen, Corgan ultimately notes, “Dave didn't do what he set out to do, which was beat Van Halen.”

“I just knew that I could make it work, because I had a rock and roll fire that I loved in me,” Vai elaborates of his experience in the band. “I knew that I wasn't going to try to sound like Edward or do anything like him, because people are very hip to that.

“We didn't have the songs. Van Halen had the songs for that kind of success,” Vai adds of the two group’s differing levels of success. “They're good songs, but Eddie, he's got his whole ear for writing. That's the secret. That's the secret sauce. You can't replace that.

“We had great music. I love the music, but when I say we didn't have the songs, I'm talking about those specific things that cross over at radio.”

In the mid-1980s, Vai wasn't the only guitar player in the mix to join Roth's band. Recently, Steve Stevens revealed he too was approached for the gig.

Candid new footage of Eddie Van Halen doing what he does best on stage – and hanging out with big-name stars off it – has appeared online, and it's sending EVH fans wild.

Over five hours of unseen B-roll footage has surfaced, ranging from clips of Eddie and co. setting Madison Square Garden and the Monsters of Rock festival alight in 1979 and '84, respectively, to rubbing shoulders with Black Sabbath backstage. Oh and there are some Hot For Teacher music video outtakes, too.

The clips from the band's early years and beyond have been uploaded to YouTube by James Vega, and there’s plenty for fans to immerse themselves in.

The source of the footage remains unclear, but it follows the leak of Eddie's nine-minute Monsters of Rock '84 performance back in 2023, with these new clips offering a side-of-stage insight into a performance that went down in history, and much more beyond it.

The Donington clips show the band tearing through Hot For Teacher like it’s going out of fashion, and, reacting to the footage, YouTuber Michael Palmisano is left purring.

“Everybody gives Eddie so much praise about the note choices, he says, “but it is rhythm first. Watch his body language; he's thinking like a drummer. In every ounce of him, you see this power shuffle in every movement.”

Behind the scenes footage of the band’s fabled day at Donington also includes a cameo appearance from Slade guitarist Dave Hill, who is keenly watching on as Eddie takes his single-pickup guitar for a spin backstage.

Footage from the band’s New York show – their first time playing the iconic arena – takes in soundcheck, and offers performances of On Fire, Runnin’ With The Devil and Feel Your Love Tonight.

Separate footage from 1978 shows the band hanging out backstage at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, with Black Sabbath, who they were touring in support of at the time.

Those shows saw Tony Iommi and Eddie forge a lasting friendship, which led to Eddie help co-write a Sabbath song in the 1990s – but he wasn't allowed to be credited for his work.

The newly set up YouTube account presents a vast archive of previously unseen EVH footage, bringing memories flooding back for those old enough to have witnessed the band in their heyday and offering a taste of what it was like for those who weren’t so lucky.

The account also features clips from the band's Japan shows in 1978 and a rather thrilling visit to a McDonald's.

Steve Stevens made his way onto the map when he appeared on Billy Idol’s first two solo albums – and soon the likes of David Lee Roth and Michael Jackson were vying for his services.

While he rebuffed Roth due to his friendship with Eddie Van Halen, he did take Jackson up on his offer, playing on 1987 hit single Dirty Diana – the so-called spiritual successor to Beat It (which had, of course, featured a searing EVH solo).

Stevens insists Van Halen’s tone and approach did not inform his own. But he does concede that producer Quincy Jones, had a specific way of operating that brought out a particular attitude.

“You can only imagine all the musicians Quincy worked with and inspired,” Stevens tells Guitar World. “He was an inspiring guy, man. He was the real deal; one of the greats.”

He continues: “Michael was looking for the big spectacle. He asked me about sound companies and lighting companies for his first big solo tour, and if I’d seen Queen. He had gone to all these big rock shows. That’s the way he wanted to present himself. As a Black artist he was going to be the first to tour in a way that rock ‘n’ roll shows did.”

How did Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson handle you as a guitar player?

“Quincy was one of the absolute monolithic record producers in the world. With any great producer, the number one job is to put the musician at ease and get the best possible performance. There were a lot of jokes and it was just a really chill vibe.”

This was your proper session outside of Billy Idol, right?

“I had never done a session outside of Billy Idol. With Billy, it was always myself, Billy, a producer, and an engineer. It was a very small group of people. When I flew to LA to do the Michael Jackson thing I was thinking, ‘There’s going to be this huge entourage, the fucking monkey is going to be there, and all this crazy shit!’”

What did you actually find?

“I opened the studio door and it was exactly like doing an Idol session. It was Michael, Quincy and the engineer – no big egos, no entourage, none of that stuff. And what was cool is we got what they had in mind, the melody and the rhythm stuff, and then Quincy said, ‘You go in there and do what you want.’”

You weren’t given specific directions?

“He said, ‘Without us directing you, what would you do?’ That’s what ended up being most of the solo for Dirty Diana, and the outro and all that.”

Did Quincy and Michael have a vision as far as tone?

“Not at all. They kind of left it up to me. I came highly recommended by [producer] Ted Templeman, too. Ted had signed me to Warner Brothers and he was my A&R guy. The story goes that Ted and Quincy wanted to follow up the success of Beat It with another rock track. So, Quincy asked Ted, ‘Hey, man, who do you suggest?’ and Ted threw my name in there.”

Did Michael give feedback on your guitar work?

“After I had done the solo Michael says to me, ‘Hey, oh, I really like the high notes. I go, ‘Okay, cool.’ And then, when I met Eddie Van Halen, I said, ‘Oh, you know, I just worked with Michael. I did the follow-up album for Thriller.’ He goes, ‘Hey, man, did he say he liked the high notes?’ I said, ‘Yeah – great direction, right?’”

Because they’re rock-oriented, Dirty Diana and Beat It are often linked. Did you have Eddie’s approach ringing in your ears while recording?

“Not all. Ed’s tone is… I always looked at it as sacred ground. I can appreciate other guitar players, but I’ve never been one of those guys to mimic other players. And I don’t know if it’s common knowledge, but I was approached to join David Lee Roth’s band initially, and I didn’t want to be Eddie part two, you know?

“I think Steve Vai has a strong enough personality, and as a stylist, to make it his own. But I was in fear of falling into exactly what you’re saying – hearing Dave’s voice and hearing Ed’s tone.

“We both used similar amps, late-’60s Marshall Plexis, and we had similar views on how to use them. There’s certain guitar players that are near and dear to my heart, and I never tried to emulate them; and definitely not in the case of Dirty Diana.”

What were the keys to your Dirty Diana tone?

“The same late-’60s Marshall Plexi I’ve been blessed with. That amp has appeared on the Top Gun soundtrack, a Vince Neil record [Exposed]… I still have that amp to this day. Guitar-wise I had one Charvel – much to the chagrin of Hamer Guitars, who I endorsed. But my one Charvel just had the voodoo; it’s a guitar I still have, and that was my main recording guitar there.”

Elsewhere, you’ve been celebrating Billy Idol’s second solo album 1983’s Rebel Yell. What are your memories?

“Having the experience of already doing one album with Billy, I was really learning in the studio. I had no idea about engineering and microphones. All I knew is, ‘I’ve got this guitar and an amp that I like,’ and I trusted our producer, Keith Forsey.

“When we went to do Rebel Yell we were fully rehearsed, the tunes were written, and we did pre-production at Electric Lady Studios. If you’re not inspired by the house that Jimi Hendrix built, you’ve got a problem! I lived and breathed that studio. At the time, I was living in the basement of my parents’ house in Queens, so many times I’d sleep in the studio, wake up and go back to work.”

What are you most proud of from a guitar perspective?

“Keith Forsey really indulged me. My attitude was, ‘No synthesizers; that’s the way we’re going to do this record.’ I said, ‘I want all the sounds to come from my guitar. I want to create all the textures and effects with my guitar.’

“I really orchestrated all those different guitar sounds. Every now and again we’d say, ‘Jah came down,’ which means God shines down on your and gives you all the good stuff. If we got a good take, we’d say, ‘Jah came down.’ And Jah was definitely with us for the making of that record.”

Do you remember recording the title track?

“The intro was the last thing to be done. Keith said, ‘We need something in front of the song that lets them know, ‘Hey, the pirate ship is coming.’ It was sort of a finger-style thing that I had nicked from Leo Kottke. I listened to a lot of folk players – I actually started on folk guitar before electric guitar.

“I wanted the guitar to be completely independent of what was happening quarterly on the bass. So the guitar never follows the bass; it plays a stagnant Bm seventh and then goes to A ninth. My top note in each of the chords is the same note that Billy’s singing, so I’m closely tied to Billy’s melody. That became a hallmark of my style.”

Do you ever think how your career might have gone had you accepted David Lee Roth’s offer?

“Not really – by the time I met Dave I had already played with Eddie and hung out with him. I really liked the friendship and I just thought, ‘I’m not the right guy.’ And I didn’t want to leave Billy either.

“I was approached while we were finishing up Billy’s third album, Whiplash Smile, and I’m a committed band guy. I just thought, ‘It’s not the right thing for me.’ Plus, I’m too short – those guys are all tall!”

More recently you were part of Ozzy Osbourne’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame jam.

“I had the pleasure of working with Ozzy and Billy Morrison on a song called Crack Cocaine, which went to Number 1 on the rock charts. I was really honored when Ozzy asked Billy Idol and myself to be part of the medley at the Hall of Fame.

“A lot of people have opinions about the Hall of Fame; they have certain bands that are their favorites, and I have certain bands that I believe should be in there too. But if I don’t get my foot in the door and get in their faces, I can’t make a change.

“I learned that through Tom Morello, who got Randy Rhoads inducted. I was involved with that; I thought, ‘It’s a way to be involved, somehow.’ When Ozzy Osbourne asks you to contribute to something like that, man, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to agree to it!”

What’s the trick to tackling those iconic guitar tones and styles?

“With Crack Cocaine we specifically went after the ‘90s Ozzy stuff – the Zakk Wylde stuff. So a fair amount of pinch harmonics. I’ve had a 40-something-year career of recording guitars; I can pretty much listen to a record and go, ‘I know how to get that sound.’”

The word is that Billy Idol is working on his first album since 2014.

“Yeah, we’re finishing up a record with producer Tommy English. In some respects it’s a return to the aggressive punk rock. Nobody does late-‘70s, early-‘80s punk better than Billy Idol. There’s a lot of bands that are influenced by that, so we might as well own it.

“There’s some incredible heartfelt ballads, and Billy’s performance is phenomenal. But my job, man, is to provide the song with what it really needs. There’s a lot of experimental guitar sounds on it. We shied away from the keyboards, so it’s the same approach as Rebel Yell – to provide a soundscape, ideas and an environment that originally comes from the guitar. We’re really excited.”

• Follow Steve Stevens on Instagram.

Being a member of a hugely successful rock band can often come with a lot of baggage – an observation that’s exemplified by the complex relationship between David Lee Roth and the two Van Halen brothers.

After Alex Van Halen recently discussed his and Eddie’s relationship with Roth and its impact on the band in his latest book, Brothers, the drummer has now opened up about an altercation that foreshadowed their strained dynamic.

Back in the early ’70s, Eddie and Alex’s band at the time, Mammoth, were scheduled to play an outdoor show at a park, but canceled last minute after realizing there had been a miscommunication regarding who was responsible for providing the gear.

“We get there, there’s no stage, there’s no nothing – there’s no sound system, no lights,” Van Halen tells Ariel Levy.

“And the park guy walks up, and I ask him, ‘So where’s all the gear?’ And he says, ‘What do you mean where’s all the gear? You’re supposed to bring it.’ And I said, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’ ‘Because your manager said you’re bringing the sound [system].’ It gets into a semi-altercation – long story short, Ed and I left.”

Two hours and a couple of beers later, the two returned to the park, only to find another group playing. Turns out, it was Roth’s band.

“So we’re standing out there, not too happy about it all, but, ‘What the hell? Let's just listen to the band.’ A couple of the guys we knew, the Komora brothers, and I knew the bass player, and I knew the drummer. I just didn’t know Dave yet.”

The brothers weren’t too happy about being replaced, and in a moment of what Van Halen calls the “infinite wisdom of having false courage”, they walk up to Roth and his band. “‘Hey, man, what the hell are you doing here?’ And push comes to shove, and the park guy got really pissed off, and he was a very muscular guy.

“He starts pushing people around, and then some guy pulls a knife. Now it’s not play time anymore. ‘Put the knife away, pal,’ and the guy, they arrested him, but that was my introduction to Dave’s band.

“I thought it was appropriate and fitting in the context of what rock and roll was doing at the time – which is causing nothing but trouble!” he quips.

In Brothers – Alex Van Halen's eulogy to Eddie Van Halen – the Van Halen drummer captures the push-and-pull dynamic between lead singer David Lee Roth and the two brothers. Among other revelations, he discloses the reason why Roth formally parted ways with the band following the dizzying success of Jump and 1984.

“He couldn’t handle the fact that Eddie was getting more attention than he was,” Alex writes. “He kept asking Eddie to play fewer guitar solos. Dave was convinced he was going to be a movie star.”

And with that, the iteration of the band Alex refers to as “the real Van Halen” disintegrated, just as the album reached No. 1 on Billboard’s album chart – a moment he calls “the most disappointing thing I’d experienced in my life, the thing that seemed the most wasteful and unjust.”

Alex also tells Billboard that despite decades-old tension with Roth, he still acknowledges him as one of the three main components of the band.

“At the time we didn’t recognize it because we were constantly battling things out. That’s why I mentioned [in the book] that the first person I called when Ed died was Dave because I felt like I owed him that, to the work we had done together and the fact that our families knew each other and the fact that everybody was sort of on the same level, if you will, when we first started.”

As for Roth's decision to leave Van Halen, Alex asserts, “I don’t know where things went wrong. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Dave and his work ethic. I just think some of his choices were really strange to me, but that’s not my job to figure it out.”

In other recent Van Halen news, Unfinished, the last song Eddie worked on with his brother before his passing, has now been released in its entirety.

Alex Van Halen has revealed he's still angry over Eddie Van Halen's legendary guest spot on Michael Jackson's Beat It, which the late electric guitar legend recorded without telling his bandmates.

Talking to UK newspaper The Guardian to promote his new memoir, Brothers, Alex revealed his brother had tracked his now-iconic solo for the pop hit in secret at a time of great tensions within the band.

As The Guardian reports, the band were coming apart by 1982, owing to heightened internal creative and personal tensions in the Van Halen camp: vocalist David Lee Roth felt jealous of “Ed’s status as a creative colossus”, while Van Halen himself felt stifled by producer Ted Templeman's discouragement of his solos.

So, when Eddie recorded his Beat It solo without his bandmates knowing, tensions reached breaking point.

“What the fuck are you doing playing on that record?” Alex recalled saying when he found out about Eddie's guest spot (via the Guardian). “Don’t you realize you only have so many great solos in you? Don’t give one to Michael Jackson!’”

The drummer says Roth ultimately used Eddie’s moonlighting as a way out of the band, reportedly eying greater fame in his own right on the silver screen and stage: “He was delusional,” Alex Van Halen retorts. “He’s not an actor.”

As GW scribe Jackson Maxwell reflects, Beat It was “a watershed moment in pop music,” with the song marrying a dancefloor-friendly R&B pomp with swaggering guitar riffs and a virtuosic electric guitar solo.

In Jackson’s own words, he had wanted to write “the type of song that I would buy if I were to buy a rock song”, and so both Eddie and Steve Lukather were brought onboard. Having recently topped the charts with Toto at the time, Lukather helped flesh out the song’s skeleton – including its masterful riff – before Eddie added the flair-laced icing.

A watershed moment or not, 42 years later, Alex's rage over Eddie's secret fretboard-burning rendezvous is still white hot.

“Why would you lend your talents to Michael Jackson? I just don’t fucking get it,” he also told Rolling Stone during a recent mic-drop-a-minute interview. “And the funny part was that Ed fibbed his way out of it by saying, ‘Oh, who knows that kid anyway?’ You made the mistake! Fess up. Don’t add insult to injury by acting stupid.”

That interview has made plenty of headlines already, with Alex lifting the lid on how an Ozzy-fronted Van Halen album, and a project with Chris Cornell, nearly came to fruition.

He’s also blamed David Lee Roth’s reported unwillingness to pay tribute to Eddie, who passed in 2020, during the much-discussed reunion shows as the reason why the shows never happened.

The candid conversation also saw him suggest that AI may be used to finish Van Halen demos. Alex says he has reached out to Open AI to analyze “the patterns of how Edward would have played something” to round out unfinished material.

Sammy Hagar hopes that Wolfgang Van Halen can play a role in the Best Of All Worlds tour in the future, with the vocalist also reiterating that his invitations for David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen to join the party are still on the table.

Hagar was hellbent on creating the ultimate celebration of Van Halen with the Best Of All Worlds tour. So much so that, speaking on the Eddie Trunk podcast, he’s kept the door open for other Van Halen alumni.

After months of gear oggling and speculation, the tour – with Joe Satriani stepping into play Eddie Van Halen’s electric guitar parts, Michael Anthony reprising his role on bass and Jason Bonham on drums – kicked off earlier this month.

Over two-thirds of the set is made up of Van Halen material, with Hagar and Anthony singing a number of David Lee Roth-era songs.

Hagar has now said he wants to prolong the party with tours in South America and Europe, and he hopes that, if but for one night only, Wolfgang Van Halen can feature at some point down the line.

However, the chances of Wolfgang ever linking up with the Best Of All Worlds crew will all come down to logistics. As Hagar concedes, Wolfgang Van Halen is a very busy man.

“Wolf is more than welcome,” Hagar tells Trunk. “What is it Kings and Queens do? I’m gonna put a command performance on Wolfie if he’s in town. But he’s out there working hard man, he’s playing the world. You can’t expect him to jump off a stage to jam with us but I’m sure our paths will cross.

“I'm telling you, we’re gonna continue this thing. We've gotta take this to South America, we've gotta take it to Europe, we've gotta go to Australia.”

When the tour was first announced, there were few out there who didn’t feel Satriani was the right man for the job. Hagar has since admitted that “a million guys could do it”, but added that only Satch truly understands Eddie.

Of the rest of the assembled band, Michael Anthony’s return was a welcome one, but some eyebrows were raised regarding the absence of OG drummer Alex Van Halen. As Hagar explains to Trunk, he didn’t want it to be this way.

“I just don’t think Alex wants to play with other people,” he says with an accepting sigh. “I think he’s still heartbroken about his brother, I don’t think he could stand up there and put his heart and soul into it like he would with his brother.

“If Alex wanted to play, Jason would stand up and give him his sticks. He looks up to him that much. I made the call to Al before I did Jason. I reached to Al more than once: No reply. And he sold his stuff, that’s quite the statement.”

Indeed, the drummer putting his gear up for sale was a clear indication of where his head is at right now. Michael Anthony reflected on the news, saying, “It's the end of anything that could have been tribute-wise”, but Hagar is determined to keep the flame burning.

Despite their chalk and cheese differences, Hagar says David Lee Roth is still welcome to play a part on the tour, too.

“The guy’s unpredictable, god bless him, but he likes to upstage people,” he says. “I’d love for him to come out and sing Jump at the end of the night.”

Of all those possibilities, it feels like a Wolfgang cameo is the most likely, even if he is insanely busy with Mammoth WVH.

In related Best Of All Worlds tour news, Satriani has been playing a custom-made 3rd Power tube amp, which was designed to replicate Eddie’s 1986 guitar tone. For those wanting a taste of the tour at home, it has now been released as a plugin, with a physical head and combo amps releasing later this year.

Wolfgang Van Halen has responded to comments recently made by David Lee Roth, in which he claimed the Mammoth WVH leader displayed antisocial behavior and poor decision-making during Van Halen’s final tour.

Wolfgang was sounded out about the “uncomfortable topic” while in conversation with The Morning X With Barnes & Leslie. During the interview, one of the hosts pointedly asked, “What the hell is going on with the hatred from David Lee Roth?”

The question was related to some of Roth’s recent comments, which saw the band’s former vocalist (voice-acting as Jesus at the time, for some reason) backhandedly remark he “would have had this job even if my dad wasn’t God”.

It was a jibe from Roth, who was clearly taking a dig at the fact Wolfgang had been hired as the Van Halen bass guitar player to play alongside his father, the late Eddie Van Halen.

In another clip, Roth said of Wolfgang, “This fuckin' kid. He's complaining the entire tour like I'm not paying enough attention to him on stage. He's complaining to everybody around me – the business manager, the security guy, the clothing lady – 'Dave's not paying enough attention to me.’”

When quizzed over why Roth was calling him out “in such a vile fashion”, Wolfgang responded: “I guess I'm honored he even thinks about me as much as he seems to.” 

In response to the unprovoked outburst, Wolfgang also drew attention to some of Roth’s previously misinformed and wholly outlandish comments regarding the Van Halen name, and said nothing he says can be taken at face value.

“I guess you have to take what he says with a grain of salt,” Wolfgang replied, “considering he also said that he wrote [Eddie's iconic instrumental] Eruption and came up with the Frankenstein stripes [the pattern that famously adorns Eddie's guitar].”

To that latter point, Roth was called out back in 2021 when he posted a seven-minute video in which he recalled the origin story behind the Frankenstein. In the video, he claimed he was the brains behind the iconic striped design.

However, his tale didn’t add up, and was later disputed by Chris Gill – Guitar World contributor, EVH guitar expert and co-author of Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen – who blasted his story as a “complete revisionist fabrication”.

“I guess that’s all I can say,” Wolfgang continued in his recent interview. “I seem to have been born into this Van Halen drama that has come way before me. I guess now that my dad isn't here to be a target, I guess he went to the next best thing.”

Wolfgang was also asked about the potential for a Van Halen reunion, or honorary tour – not with Roth – in the future. As he has done in the past, though, the EVH brand torchbearer shot down the possibility.

“It’s impossible to have a reunion,” he stated. “No way. No, I don’t want to play that music without my dad.”

As such, the closest thing we’ll probably get to an honorary Van Halen tribute is the upcoming Best Of All Worlds tour, which will see Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani and Michael Anthony share the stage for some Van Halen-filled setlists.

Steve Vai has discussed the secret to nailing Eddie Van Halen’s guitar parts onstage, reflecting on his time as guitarist in David Lee Roth’s solo band at the height of the ’80s.

Between 1985 and 1989, the electric guitar virtuoso spent four years on the road and in the studio with Roth (while somehow also recording his solo debut Passion and Warfare) and faced the nightly challenge of trying to win over crowds while playing EVH lines. 

Soon Vai’s friend, mentor and G3 tourmate, Joe Satriani will face the same task, as he joins forces with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony for The Best of All Worlds tour this summer. 

Guitar World sat down with Vai earlier this week and took the opportunity to ask about what he had learned about tackling Van Halen’s signature lines. His takeaway was clear:

“Do not try to play them like Edward because you can't,” observes Vai, in the forthcoming interview.

“I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to play those songs with Roth because they're beautiful. They're like little orchestrations on the guitar; they fall so nicely and are very well constructed.

“So, when I approached them, I wanted to retain the integrity of the riffs because they're brilliant, and you need to respect them.”

However, the respect of Van Halen as an inventive, evolving player must extend to understanding that forensic study only goes so far in winning an audience over. 

Ultimately, as Vai explains, you can’t be focusing on both slavish recreation and still perform in a natural enough way to actually connect with a crowd. Your own DNA as a player will inevitably shine through – and so it should.

“I knew instinctually that I wouldn't try to sound like Edward because I couldn’t and didn't want to,” says Vai. 

“So, the best thing to do was to honor the parts and play them how I felt them. I’d play them, and it was great because they're fantastic guitar parts, and I did my best. 

“And after going through that, and even while it was happening, I felt relieved and comfortable with the audience, meaning the Edward fans. They weren't expecting Edward, and they were very kind to me.”

Keep an eye on GW for Vai’s full interview, in which he discusses the playing struggles that he overcame for his victorious Inviolate tour, the forthcoming G3 reunion featuring Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson, not to mention his double-header dates (and first ever music) with Satch…

With technically daring sweeps and tapping as torrential as anything Edward Van Halen could muster, a teenaged Jason Becker took the world by storm in the heart of the '80s shred era.

Of course, Becker was often labeled a 'shredder,' which these days Becker himself sees as a term of endearment rather than a slight. And although he could tear up the fretboard like no other, Becker's inherent musicality and immersive compositional prowess set him apart.

While a harrowing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis may have robbed Becker of his ability to physically play, his musical genius is still at work, as evidenced by his 2018 record to remember, Triumphant Hearts, as well as the next installment in his 'Jams' series, Strawberry Jams.

All of this is to say that, yes, Jason Becker was and still is a guitar hero of the highest order. But beyond that, Jason Becker is a true hero in life, not just in the studio and on stage. Few people can lay claim to both, but Jason Becker, who is still fighting harder than ever, can.

What follows is a rare and unedited interview with Jason Becker. As many within the guitar community know, Jason's struggle is ongoing. As such, he rarely does interviews, and he asked that this hard-fought piece with Guitar World be released in full as he intended, and that he's said all that he wishes to say at this time. 

From a compositional standpoint, describe the approach that you use in the modern day.

First, thank you for this interview. Hmmm… modern day. I am working on a new album called The Strawberry Jams, but it is all from my old unreleased songs and ideas from when I could still play. I have so many guitar recordings on four-track and eight-track cassettes. The Strawberry Jams will be the third volume after my Raspberry Jams and Blackberry Jams albums. It is exciting, but the thing is, I have not written new music since Triumphant Hearts. I am so happy with and proud of Triumphant Hearts, but it took a big toll on my health. I have been spending the time since then working on staying alive and trying to get better.

The week before filming the Hold on to Love video, I was in ICU with a collapsed lung due to trauma from emergency ventilation by ambu-bag when my routine tracheostomy change went way wrong, causing blood and air to be forced deep into my lungs at high pressure off and on for an hour. This also caused an abscess to form in that lung, which took months of antibiotics to heal.

That is why I, my parents, Serrana and Marilyn looked so wiped out in the video. This incident caused a lot of other problems, so I dove deep into healing, meditations, practices, and studying about healings.

I know from my experience 26 years ago when I almost died that if you can connect to the Divine, that the impossible is possible. I was leaving my body, and I could see myself lying in the hospital bed below. I thought, 'I'm not ready.' I heard the OM or word of God, and it was bliss. It was an orgasmic rush of love, compassion, power, and beauty that I hadn't experienced before, yet it was somehow familiar. I went through a door with an eye on it, and I experienced what some may call heaven. Beautiful, Divine music, too. 

I continued having miraculous experiences over the next few days, and my body was getting stronger after weighing 80 pounds. I started feeling joy and kindness instead of anger and sadness. Through the years, I have gone to see the hugging saint, Amma, in San Ramon on her tours. She hugs people all day, every day, without taking breaks. She also has tons of charities. To me, she is that love and compassion that I felt in the hospital in a body. She is so fun and kind to me. After COVID, she hasn't toured, but I write to her, and she always responds.

I stopped getting on the computer and was not very good at keeping in touch with most people. The pandemic helped me live like a hermit mostly. I meditated up to six hours a day and did Zoom healings with Dr. Joe Dispenza's students and with Rob Wergin. My body had almost shut down, so it took a lot of work. I know that eventually, people age and pass on, but I felt like I was wasting my purpose or opportunity or something like that.

But the last time I composed, I wrote in Logic Pro. My caregivers don't necessarily have to know anything about music. I don't write with music notation. We pencil notes in the track, and I direct them on what to do with each note: louder/softer, longer/shorter, etc. I have them do this with every note, harmony, and track. It gets quite fun as it comes together. My samples are really nice-sounding, so it really sounds like the real thing. Then my co-producer, Dan Alvarez, has suggestions, and we get some real musicians on it.

Being unable to physically play, how do you relay what's in your mind and work to make it a reality?

I do most of that in the composing part of the process. I use my communication system that my dad invented, which is quite fast. You can see me and my dad explaining it on YouTube. I simply explain what to do with each note.

After making my computer tracks, it is just like regular producing. How we produce it depends on the track. In Valley of Fire and both River of Longing tracks, I wanted the players to do their own thing. In Triumphant Heart and Magic Woman, I wrote the parts but wanted Marty [Friedman] and Uli [Jon Roth] to play it like it was their own song. Players like that don't really need to be told what to do. Just give them the notes, and they do their magic.

My co-producer, Dan Alvarez, is a musical genius, so he usually hears what I am going for.

Can you still envision the movements required on guitar? If so, how does that aid in your overall process?

Oh yes, definitely. It is a little more simplified in my head since I haven't played in almost three decades, but I figure out and write every instrument's part by looking at the guitar's neck.

Do you feel your limitations have, in some ways, made you more educated as a composer as it pertains to the guitar? If so, how do you apply that knowledge?

Not more educated, but different. Playing and writing on guitar felt pretty free and easy, but most of my guitar playing was done when I was a teenager. As I grew up, my tastes got different and more varied. I now compose for many different instruments. Since I can't put my personality into the playing, I need to make every part interesting and passionate.

In some instances, I use old recordings of myself playing guitar and write around that. We Are One started with two unreleased demos I had recorded when I could still play. I wrote everything else around those demos. Once Upon a Melody started with a melody I played on the Cacophony Go Off! album. I also added a four-track guitar recording of an idea I recorded during the Go Off! time. It was an improvised thing that was going to go in the song Black Cat during the water breakdown.

Having to compose and create in different and more inventive ways now, what were some of the biggest differences and challenges in creating a record such as Triumphant Hearts as opposed to Perpetual Burn?

Well, Perpetual Burn was just a lot of fun. I was 18 and full of energy. After Speed Metal Symphony came out, I was very happy, but I was so inspired by Marty, and I was getting a lot better at guitar and discovering my own style.

I wrote like crazy and sent everything to Mike Varney. He suggested Marty and I each do a solo album. Writing it took a few months. Then rehearsing with [drummer] Atma Anur, recording, and mixing it took about a month.

Triumphant Hearts was completely different. It took years to complete. Writing it was fun, and a lot of the process was a blast. The slowness got tedious, though. My great producer will tell you himself that he is even slower than I am [laughs]. He just wanted to do a great job for me, but I think he overdoes fixing things that don't need fixing sometimes.

It is just tough having ALS. It took a lot. I also must compose without relying on my guitar playing to make it interesting. I wrote lyrics and worked with a real orchestra for the first time. Being in charge of everything took a toll on my body.

What did the completion and subsequent success of Triumphant Hearts mean to you? What lessons did it learn, and what were your takeaways now that you're a few years removed from it?

Completing it was a huge relief. I didn't think it would ever happen for a while. There were so many obstacles. I wanted to celebrate, but I had so much more work to do, and my body was breaking down. I hired a bunch of PR people who tried really hard to get TV shows interested, but not one was interested. Even the big guitar magazines didn't seem to care much. [Guitar World published an in-depth interview on Triumphant Hearts with Becker in 2019 – Ed]

I was baffled. Did no-one believe I made this incredible album with my fucking eyes? I see so many 'inspirational' stories everywhere. Was this not 'inspirational' enough? You say 'subsequent success'. I felt it was a total failure, and I fucked up my body for nothing. Of course, I don't see it that way anymore. So many people loved it and were moved by the music. I am very happy it is out there. I just won't work myself to death anymore. I have so many guitar demos that will be fun for people to hear.

Do you feel more creative now than in past years?

I have been way less creative these past four years. I have just been meditating and praying. I am not worried about music, though. After I got my trach 26 years ago, there were a few years of not writing music, too. It will come back. When I don't feel good, I don't feel inspired.

My friend, Dave Lopez, is helping me go through my hundreds of old guitar recordings and pick some to add real drums and bass to. I am not going to write new stuff around them. Listening to my old demos reminds me how fun it was to play guitar. I can't wait to share them.

I'm sure many people in your situation would have given up on the dream of making music, but you've succeeded. What drove you most to want to continue, and what continues to drive you?

I guess the biggest motivation is I am still inspired. I have so much music to put out. I have so many talented friends who help me make it possible. And, of course, there are the people who spend their lives simply keeping me alive and comfortable; Serrana, Mom, Dad, Marilyn, Elizabeth, Tenoch, Jamie, Stephen, Dave, Ehren, Amy, and Mike.

Do current trends influence you? Are there any modern or alternative styles of music that interest or influence you most?

I don't know what the current trends are. I know that new styles would totally influence me, but I haven't been listening to any music. When Herman Li and other fantastic artists helped me auction off three of my guitars, and some donated their guitars, I looked up Tosin Abasi and Tim Henson, and I was so inspired. I had to stop watching their videos after about three because I wanted to pick up a guitar and try playing their stuff. It hurt too much. They are so fantastic.

Who are some of your current favorite virtuosos, and why?

This is a bad question for me only because I don't keep up at all. I know there are many new fantastic players, and I should know them, but I don't. I know a little about Polyphia and Animals As Leaders, and I think they are fantastic. Does Guthrie Govan count as a 'current virtuoso'? His playing is just divine.

I still love my favorite players, who everyone probably knows; Beck, Uli, Eddie, Morse, Hendrix, SRV, Marty, Hunter, Firkins, Kotzen, Greg Howe, Vai, Satriani, Trevor Rabin, Bonamassa, Roy Buchanan, Nili Brosh, Nita Strauss, John Scofield, Yngwie, Herman Li, Al Di Meola, Nuno, Schon, Gilbert, Lukather, Gottardo, Menn, May, Broderick, Loomis, Batten, Eric Johnson, Mayer, Gilmour, Albert, and B.B. King – the list goes on and on.

Does the idea of being labeled a 'shredder' bother you? That is to say, do you feel it's a derogatory term or a positive?

It used to bother me because I felt that my music was so much more than 'shred', but I have grown to appreciate that label because of all the young guitarists who have been influenced by what I did, and it feels good to hear that I may have had something to do with their talent and inspiration; so, it's definitely a positive to me now.

In your opinion, what is the ultimate 'shred' guitar, pedal, amp, and why?

I am sure they have made killer new stuff in the last 30 years. What I used back when I was a teenager was a Marshall 100-watt [JCM]800 with a Boss Super Overdrive pedal.

Of course, I love my old Carvin guitars and my Kiesel signature guitars. Ibanez made me three killer guitars back in the David Lee Roth days. Man, they were great. Seymour Duncan and I are working on a second Becker pickup. I remember a tan Fender practice amp that my friend Kurt James had that had a beautiful, perfect tone. I wish I knew what model it was. Dunlop and I are talking about making a Becker pedal.

Is there anything musically that you regret not being able to accomplish? How do you keep a positive mindset, and how does that outlook affect you musically?

I guess I don't have any musical regrets. I did so much before and after ALS. Of course, I would have played a few things differently, and I wish my hands had been stronger for Roth's A Little Ain't Enough album, but I did my best.

David Lee Roth asked me if I could do a guitar solo ala Eruption for the album. I played him my Serrana arpeggios, but since my hands were so weak, he wasn't quite into it.

You know, I do have a regret about something, though. David Lee Roth was so good to me: always very encouraging, positive, and supportive, both musically and otherwise. He tried to help with my physical problems with doctors and insurance during my time with him. When I had to leave, he was sad. We were kind of pals. He wrote some wonderful stuff about me in his autobiography, Crazy from the Heat.

When he did an international radio interview for the album, when he was asked why all the album musicians were not touring with him, he said, 'Some people are better in the studio smoking cigarettes than on stage.' Yeah, that was hurtful. And he never called me, but years later, in an interview, someone asked me who should give up playing music, and in my hurt feelings, I said, 'David Lee Roth.'

I just regret going low on a mostly positive experience. Dave, if you are reading this, I love and appreciate you, and I cherish our time together.

Another minor regret is in Jesse Vile's documentary, Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet, when I said, 'Being deep is boring.' I hope people know that I was just trying to explain how I cope with things. I try to stay light and not too serious. Being deep is necessary as an aging, evolving, thinking, feeling person.

Oh yeah, with the deadlines for Triumphant Hearts, we ran out of time for two important things. The jazz great, John Scofield, gave me a couple of wonderful solos on River of Longing. I will put them on The Strawberry Jams.

My dear friend, Ben Woods, did a lot of soloing for Valley of Fire. We didn't have time to edit it, so he didn't get a solo on the song; however, his playing is throughout the song and gives it a beautiful rhythmic flavor. He said he didn't mind, but I still feel bad. He made a great video of himself soloing on it before he passed. You can see it on YouTube.

Oh, and about staying positive, it is possible with love from the community of family, friends, caregivers, lovers, fans big time, and the whole amazing guitar and rock community. I am continually amazed by how beautiful the world can be with love.

What are your recollections of the time Marty Friedman covered Jeff Beck for you – in front of Eddie Van Halen?

This is such a great story! Marty tells the best stories. I don't remember it, though, because the technology back then didn't allow me to see it live, plus my breathing was very difficult, which you can see in the video when Eddie [Van Halen] visited me in 1996.

Man, I have to say I was the luckiest guitar player ever. I got to learn from and play with one of the most unique and brilliant guitarists and musicians of all time in Marty Friedman. He is also the coolest dude. Before most people knew about him, I got to study at the feet of a master, my brother, and develop my own style.

Considering what you've overcome, what are you most proud of in your career, be it past, present, or future?

I guess I am most proud of my whole overall career. I have a hard time talking about being proud because I have so much help. My mom asked to answer this question for me.

Pat Becker: "Yes, Jason has help and many people who care for him, and I'm sure that I speak for all of us when I say that not one of us had a dream, at the age of around 12, to become a great guitar player. Not one of us set about a dedicated practice with the goal of mastering all he heard and loved from the great guitarists of the time. 

"We didn't decide to limit our social lives and party time to pursue the dream until we almost became one with the guitar, playing night and day, always challenging ourselves and wanting to learn. 

"We didn't sit down at the keyboard and create a most beautiful, heartful melody, exposing our heartbreak and sorrow over a divorce for our grandfather, who we loved. 

"We didn't have the guts to play and sing Dylan songs in the sixth-grade talent show or send in a demo tape of playing to Mike Varney, who heard something unique and referred Jason to Marty Friedman, who brought out the best in Jason and encouraged him in every way and helped him develop his own style. We didn't put our egos aside to make the magic of Cacophony happen (as Jason and Marty did).

"We didn't make the decision to move on from Cacophony because we felt we needed to explore our own playing and composing skills more. We didn't create some of the most beautiful melodies, music, and compositions ever written and performed at the age of 17, 18, or 19. 

"We didn't have the guts to fly to L.A. to audition for David Lee Roth, with a pesky limp, lugging heavy guitars and equipment through the airport, or practicing day and night for the album A Little Ain't Enough, all while going to doctor appointments and getting tests, sometimes painful, to see what was going on. 

"We didn't limp off to practice, guitar in hand, to those rehearsals. Once the diagnosis of ALS came, his first question was, 'Will I be able to tour?' Then, we didn't fly off to Vancouver, determined to beat the disease and continue the dream. 

"We didn't write and perform two of the most beautiful guitar songs/solos on that album (It's Showtime! and Drop in the Bucket.) And when that dream had to end, we didn't come home to create a beautiful masterpiece of an album (Perspective). 

"We didn't have the foresight to record our playing as we were losing the ability and calling various demos Weak Hand Blues and Blood on the Traches, still putting our very lives and sorrows into our music.

"And, after years of trying to breathe, figure out a proper diet, and what to do about all the physical issues that came up, we didn't decide to make another CD, this time with lyrics describing what our life has been, with the highs and lows, and writing completely new pieces for old guitar solos and ideas which now fit the present circumstances of our lives. 

"Triumphant Hearts was a seven-year project (that he accomplished WITH HIS EYES!!!) that took a major health toll on Jason, both mentally and physically. But he did it. He wrote the lyrics, he directed a 32-piece orchestra from Bulgaria, and he created some of the most beautiful music ever written straight from his heart and soul. He gave his all.

"He is still working on music. He is still taking care of himself and the rest of us as best he can. He never stops thinking about and worrying about us. He is so grateful for all he has and all he is given by his peers, his fans, his family, and his friends.

"Yes, he has had help, but none of us did what he has done. I hope he is proud of all he has done in his career and all he has done in his life. I know we all could not be prouder."

What's next for you? Are you working on new music?

Well, as I mentioned, The Strawberry Jams will be done soon. It will be so much fun for fans to hear. I recorded tons of stuff constantly until I couldn't play anymore. The first 'single' is going to be such a fun, big surprise for guitar players.

We are putting together a non-profit called The Jason Becker Creative Care Project. It is kind of Serrana's idea. Of course, we all want ALS research to find a cure, but in the meantime, what about people like me who want to live and be productive? We hope to focus on those folks who need proper and consistent care.

Catahoula Coffee is making a Jason Becker coffee with a percentage of the proceeds going to the Jason Becker Special Needs Trust. Thank you, Timber. When the coffee is out, I will post a link.

A while ago, I was looking at the guitar Eddie Van Halen gave to me, hanging on the wall, covered in dust, and I thought, 'That's a shame. It should be with someone who would love to have it and can give it the attention it deserves.' I can't play it, and the best part of it for me now is the memory of his kindness.

I wanted to thank everyone who sent prayers and thoughts to my dad. He is doing better now. We all appreciate the love.

• For more information on Jason Becker, and to donate to the Jason Becker Special Needs Trust, visit jasonbecker.com.

At the onset of the ‘90s, David Lee Roth was in the market for a new electric guitar player to support his solo musical exploits following the departure of a young Steve Vai, who left the former Van Halen vocalist’s group to pursue a solo career of his own.

Vai, who had worked with Roth since 1985 and helped him record 1988’s Skyscraper LP, was ultimately replaced by a 19-year-old Jason Becker – another virtuoso who would go on to record just one album with Roth, 1991’s A Little Ain’t Enough.

If things had panned out differently, though, Roth would have been linking up with another high-profile guitar star, who had recently been fired by Megadeth in 1989 by the band’s leader, Dave Mustaine. That is, if the guitar player in question hadn’t “passed on” the opportunity to audition for Roth.

In a recent interview with The Metal Voice, Jeff Young – who had worked with Megadeth recording and touring their 1988 album, So Far, So Good... So What! – recalled the time he had been approached to try out for the role, but ultimately turned it down.

When asked if he had passed on the job, Young confirmed he had. “Jason Becker got the [gig] after I passed, which I'm glad, because that gave him a chance to do one really killer project before he got sick,” he said, referencing Becker’s diagnosis with ALS around the time A Little Ain’t Enough was assembled.

"And he was a buddy of mine, so I was relieved” he continued. “Once I saw his movie [Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet, 2012], I was really glad I passed on it. I was being managed by Diamond Dave management, and that's how I got that offer.”

When asked if his decision was based on whether or not he saw himself as the “right fit” for it, Young went on, “No, I turned it down. I thought he’d end up in [Las] Vegas, and that was all the way back then, and where did he end up?”

The answer to Young’s question is, of course, Las Vegas, with the former Van Halen frontman performing as part of a residency in the city back in 2020. However, though Roth had another Vegas residency planned for last year – tipped to be his farewell concert – this was canceled due to Covid.

“I just don’t really like his voice, to be honest,” Young concluded matter of factly.

Currently, Young has linked up with fellow former Megadeth member David Ellefson for his latest project, Kings of Thrash. Last year, the pair embarked on "The Mega Years" tour, which – as the name implies – saw the pair perform tracks from their own Megadeth repertoire.

When we look back on the '80s, we often think of a time when glamorous, MTV pop metal was the dominant force in guitar-driven music. It was an era when mad scientist shredders wielded technicolor slabs of mahogany, alder, and basswood in the name of glammed-out splendor.

And while these heroes of all things six-string defined the decade, another side of the proverbial coin remains. By the mid-'80s, rock and metal had saturated the charts, leaving some listeners looking for new and exciting ways to take in guitar theatrics.

To that end, players like Eddie Martinez – who starred across hit records by Robert Palmer, Mick Jagger, David Lee Roth, and most famously, Run-D.M.C. – made their mark.

When asked about his enduring influences across the genres during the '80s, Eddie Martinez quips: "Every session I've ever done, I had to give as much as I could. The truth is, in the session world, that is how you got called back.

"In most sessions back then, there weren't even charts. Sometimes if I was lucky, there would be a rough chart that was practically empty. Or you wrote out your own chart. It was my job to think of things, making hooks or finding hooks within hooks, or voicing chords in a particular way."

"Style comes from a philosophy of musical approach, and I think I've delivered that," Martinez continues. "So, regarding influence and meaning, I believe that comes from the fans because they've attached their meaning to what I have done. I'm so grateful for that. All I know is that I gave my all on those songs, and for people and musicians to attach that special meaning and significance is the proverbial icing on the cake. All I know is that I had so much fun creating it, and this kind of response all these years later is incredibly gratifying."

These days, Martinez is still active. Some 40 years after he shook up the world of guitar through his inspiring, genre-breaking leads and smoother-than-smooth rhythms, the NYC native has stopped championing the good word of multi-genre dominance. Still, even with his strides to ingratiate the guitar into the fabric of hip-hop, Martinez feels there's still work to be done.

"I don't think the guitar is properly represented in hip-hop yet," Martinez insists. "I believe there's a lot more room for guitarists to make a statement in hip-hop. That said, it has to come from an authentic place, and it must be the artist's vision. I like what the Beastie Boys did with the sounds on Sabotage, but man, that was last century.

"I believe I made a statement with [Run-D.M.C.'s] Rock Box and King of Rock because it was organic, authentic, and the first. What inspires me today is when I hear a musician playing, and they have the freedom to their expression that is unbridled."

Busy at work on his latest music, Eddie Martinez set his guitar aside for a moment, dialing in with Guitar World to talk influences, touring with Blondie, being a hitmaker in the '80s, and the secret to good hip-hip guitar.

What first inspired you to pick up the guitar?

"The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show was the initial spark. So many of my friends and contemporaries feel the same way. The music was like a breath of fresh air, and it rang differently in my ears."

Who were your primary influences?

"Then the next wave for me was Hendrix, Clapton, and Jeff Beck. Hearing Hendrix's Are You Experienced was a game changer. It sounded as if it was from another world with an enormous vibe. I can remember just being blown away and wondering how those sounds were made. I saw Hendrix three times live, and he was incandescent. He literally reinvented the electric guitar and the infinite possibilities of the instrument. Hendrix was my North Star."

What was it about Beck that stood out most for you?

"What can be said about Jeff Beck that hasn't already been said? Out of all the greats, I believe I've seen Jeff Beck live more than any other guitarist. I saw the first Jeff Beck Group with Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart in the late '60s and have been a fan ever since. His evolution as a guitarist through the years was incredibly inspiring to me. I'm so lucky to have seen the arc of this incredible guitarist while we had him.

"His voice on the instrument was singular; he was one of the people doing things on guitar that still has us scratching our heads. I'm so lucky that I was able to play with him and to get to know him while recording Mick Jagger's first solo album, She's the Boss. He was very kind to me, and his passing was such a huge loss for us guitarists."

And how about Clapton?

"Eric Clapton has been such an incredible ambassador of the blues. In many ways, my introduction to the great American blues guitarists was through Clapton and Hendrix. How ironic that one of the true American art forms was discarded by us Americans only to be championed by the British, contributing to its resurgence.

"I still get goosebumps when I hear him switch to the bridge pickup on the solo for I Feel Free off the Fresh Cream album. The volume of what Clapton has done with his personal evolution of what the blues means to him as well as his body of work, makes him a complete artist. I had the privilege of recording with him in the late '80s, which was amazing."

How did touring with LaBelle in the '70s allow you to hone your chops?

"My takeaway from my experience with LaBelle was learning how to accompany great singers. That has been extraordinarily important to me as a musician. I got firsthand experience of what dynamics means from a vocalist's point of view. These are essential things for any musician or performance artist.

"Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash had incredible voices. They had power and grace and projected their presence to the furthest seat in the theater. I was lucky to experience that for a year and a half. Musically, it was a high-energy gig, and you had to be on your toes. We did a lot of TV spots as well, which was an entirely different experience entirely."

How did you get hooked up with Blondie in the early '80s?

"A friend of mine called and told me Blondie was holding auditions and gave me a number to call. I then set up an audition. I had done tours with jazz fusion drummer Lenny White, as well as tours with Stanley Clarke and George Duke prior to this. Even though I considered myself more of a rocker than a fusion guy, I presumed that they thought I wouldn't fit in.

"So, I went to the audition with the intent of having fun regardless of the outcome. I went to the audition with a black Strat, dimed the Marshall, and played with intensity and attitude. Debbie [Harry] and the rest were super-cool to me. I left the audition feeling content that I had thrown caution to the wind and just played. By the time I took the D train uptown to my apartment in the Bronx, there was a message with a number for me to call. I called and was offered the gig. So, I presumed wrong – you never know how these things turn out."

What memories do you have of the "final" tour?

"I remember there being trepidation with Blondie touring because Chris [Stein] was unwell. But we went out there and toured the US. The tour was short-lived, and Chris's ailment was the reason the tour was canceled, and to my knowledge, Debbie didn't want to do it without Chris, which is entirely understandable. It was a great experience, and I dug banging out those crunchy punk-pop gems."

Not long after, you featured on Robert Palmer's Riptide. What was your approach, and how did your playing impact the sessions?

"My approach was to serve the songs and to collaborate musically with the producers and artists. Each of those records were all so different regarding approach. The most important thing for me was to elevate the song, which means, 'What can I contribute guitar-wise to make it better?'

"Most times, you have to come up with parts, musical hooks, motifs, et cetera. You can't be set in stone, and you need to listen to everyone playing and use your instincts to find parts. Although I had played on hit records before Riptide, I believe my work with Robert Palmer was the first time that I could entirely be me. Robert Palmer, Bernard Edwards, who produced, and Jason Corsaro, who engineered, were incredible to work with. I was able to incorporate huge rock sounds as well as lush pop and funk tones that were orchestrated to propel the songs.

"I also felt good that I had developed a signature sound with that album. I knew Addicted to Love was a hit after we recorded that track. You best affect the sessions by coming up with hooks that elevate the track and make it stronger than when you first walked into the studio.

"Through the years, there were so many sessions that the songs presented were mere skeletons that I had to flesh out with the parts and sounds I heard, and they became hits. People don't realize how much session musicians contribute to the magic of hit songs. It's a kind of rarefied air, and it's what we're paid to do."

Was it the same during the recording of Steve Winwood's Back in the High Life?

"Those recordings were kind of happening around the same time, I believe. It was an incredible and busy time. Busy is good. Steve Winwood was a joy to work with, as well as Russ Titelman, who produced the record. I had worked with Russ before, and it was always a blast. He loves that greasy and smelly funk part on a pop tune.

"On Higher Love and Freedom Overspill, it was mostly single-note funk lines that helped the track swing. I call that inside-the-track smelly stuff. It isn't frontal guitar for the most part, but they are parts that help make the song feel like a record, as is said in the business. I knew that Higher Love was going to be a huge hit, as well. I believe it won a Grammy for song of the year in 1986."

That leads us to David Lee Roth's Crazy from the Heat…

"Crazy from the Heat was a total blast. Dave was absolutely cool and professional. He expressed his gratitude for all of us being able to be there for the sessions. The tracks were cut live in Studio A at the Power Station. There were minimal overdubs on those tracks cut at the Power Station.

"On that project, as it was a live date, you get to feel how the song is evolving relative to what parts to play and what sounds to choose. When I saw a chart for California Girls, the first thing that crossed my mind was, 'Power chords would be cool on that pop masterpiece.' It worked. Ted Templeman was also great to work with; the sessions went very smoothly, and the rest is history."

As you were working on Mick Jagger's She's the Boss, did you feel pressure to play in the style of Keith Richards?

"I felt no pressure to play like Keith and was there to be myself. I could tell that when Mick showed us a song on guitar, he must've learned how to play from Keith. The way Mick swung on the guitar was reminiscent of Keith's pocket.

"I was allowed to be myself, and when working with Bill Laswell and Nile Rodgers, they want you to be creative and to be you. It was also great collaborating with Nile Rodgers, who lived just around the corner from me in the Bronx in our high school days. He's one of my oldest friends."

You mentioned earlier working alongside Jeff Beck during the She's the Boss sessions. What were your takeaways?

"I played with so many rhythm sections on the sessions for that album and recorded with Jeff Beck, which was special. It was kind of trippy in a good way playing with Jeff. His flow and trend of thought when recording was incredible, but I couldn't dwell on recording with such an iconic guitarist because I had a job to do: contribute and serve the music.

"They had been recording for a while before I got there with no keepers. On my first day, we cut She's the Boss, and that was a keeper. Sly [Dunbar] and Robbie [Shakespeare] said they were happy I was there and doing my rhythm parts. That was very nice of them. We recorded at Compass Point, Nassau, Bahamas, and the Power Station in NY."

What memories do you have of performing with Mick at Live Aid?

"Without a doubt, that was the fastest, most amazing 20 minutes of my life. I have a great memory of the night before Live Aid in an empty JFK stadium with only Mick, Tina [Turner], Daryl Hall, John Oates, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, G.E. Smith, myself, and the entire band. We went through the songs with Mick and Tina, and the energy that we produced in an empty stadium was unforgettable.

"It was surpassed the following night in front of 85,000 people. The energy we created on that stage was matched by the audience. I've never ever felt that kind of reciprocal energy before or since. It was next-level. I still remember being in the motorcade heading to the stadium the night of the gig, eating red lights like it was going out of style."

How did you first become involved with Run-D.M.C.?

"Larry Smith, who produced Rock Box and King of Rock, was a good friend and bassist. We played in a lot of bands in our younger years. There was a point where he jumped into the hip-hop scene, and I started to get into the touring and eventual session scene. Larry fully immersed himself in what was happening in the hip-hop world. I remember the first hip-hop sessions I did was for Kurtis Blow. But the first big guitar was on Rock Box."

How prevalent was guitar in hip-hop to that point?

"Mind you, I had been playing with all sorts of artists from LaBelle, Robert Palmer, Winwood, and Jagger to Yoko Ono and wasn't confined to one genre. But for guitarists that were in the hip-hop scene, I would imagine it was the beginning of something eventually incredible. But at first, the guitar wasn't a primary instrument in hip-hop. It was beats, bottom, and DJs doing their thing, spinning, and scratching. Luckily, Rock Box changed that with a new flavor that made the guitarist crank up on some beats."

Can you recount the recording of Rock Box?

"When I first heard Rock Box, it was sparse. It was a DMX drum machine, a bass guitar, and the tinkling synth motif, Run-D.M.C. rap, and Jam Master J's vibe. Larry Smith asked me to put big rock guitar on it, and I went to work. I reinforced the bass line with massive-sounding guitars, built on some of my riffs, harmonized them, and then soloed over the whole track. It was a guitar orchestra.

"It was great to have that canvas to put my vibe on, and it was a total blast. This is a clear example of elevating a track and using my style of guitar in propelling that piece of music. You don't press a preset button and get that performance. It's what a lot of people don't realize and that a lot of other great studio guitarists never get credit for.

"How often have you heard studio players say, 'Well, I got to the session, and the sheet music was blank but had one chord symbol, so I built on that.' That's the way it was in many cases. Nevertheless, I'm grateful that I contributed in a big way and helped it be a worldwide iconic hit.

"I've said this before: I felt great when I left the studio that night, but I didn't know it would have such an enormous historical impact. You never know sometimes… it became the precursor for a whole new thing."

What gear did you use during the recording of the track?

"I recorded Rock Box with my Hamer Prototype, my hitmaker back then; it was used on Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love and David Lee Roth's California Girls. I also used a Music Man 2x12 combo that was a studio amp and a Boss OD-1. I wanted big authentic, crunchy guitars with all that analog fatness and no buzzy-sounding stuff.

"It's been well accounted for that the big guitars took Run DMC by surprise, and they weren't happy at first. But it all worked out in the end because that record blew up and changed everything. It became an iconoclastic track."

How did you develop the distorted guitar sound you deployed across King of Rock?

"On King of Rock, I used another studio amp. I believe it was a Sound City head and 4x12 cabinet. The sound was big and had a bit more edge to it that was appropriate for the irreverence of the track. The whole track and video were just a killer metaphor with trashing convention. Doing the video with Larry "Bud" Melman [aka Calvert DeForest] was dope.

"It was something where I had a sonic idea of where the guitar should be perspective-wise compared to everything else. The big guitar was so successful with Rock Box that I wanted to do something in that tradition but slightly different. There was plenty of space to be huge, but it's something that I ultimately felt instinctively. I think King of Rock is slightly edgier than Rock Box and pairs with the comic irreverence of the video."

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Robert Palmer's Simply Irresistible. What gear and approach did you deploy?

"Oh, that was a fun track, and I heard all sorts of things on that one! Robert was such a brilliant composer. He knew how to structure a song and leave enough space for guitars. Hearing his music was inspiring, and he loved me pushing the envelope, which I did on the solo that he called 'Large Marge' from the Pee-wee Herman movie [Pee-wee's Big Adventure]. 

"I was able to incorporate some things that were intervallic, chromatic, quasi-bebop, and whole tone in my solo. I came up with big guitar hooks on that track as well. I used Marshall JCM800s modified by Harry Kolbe in NY. I then used a KOLBE box converting speaker level to line level and had a Yamaha power amp to drive, I think, six 4x12s.

"After the tracks were cut, I also put a guitar D.I. with engineer ET Thorngren with a Pro Co Rat to give a sonic point to that massive 4x12 barrage. On that track, I used a Jackson Soloist that Grover Jackson personally gave me, as well as a Hamer 12-string that's tucked in the mix."

Which sessions mean the most to you?

"I believe the three Robert Palmer albums, as well as Jagger’s first solo record, have a lot of significance. Plus, recording with Ryuichi Sakamoto, my band Distance, and my solo album No Lies.

"I released a solo album a few years ago titled Akosua, and it's on iTunes. I'm finishing up on a new EP titled Elephant, which contains tunes that I recorded years ago with the late engineer and producer Jason Corsaro that I feel still rocks. Then another new LP which I'll start recording later this year."

Do you prefer vintage guitars or new ones?

"I have vintage Fenders and CS and Masterbuilt Fenders as well as vintage Gibsons and Murphy Lab Gibsons. I also have John Suhr guitars that are excellent. It's all about application for me and what will do the job. I personally like to mix it up with Saul Koll guitars, Ronin, Nacho, and Clive Brown guitars, as well.

What amps and other gear are you using? Are you okay with Kempers, or do you prefer tube amps?

"I use Bludotone, Suhr, Benson, Fender, and Boogie amps. I haven't used a Kemper, but I'm having a lot of fun with the Fractal FM9. There's a use and purpose for all the modern technology, but I lean towards tube amps."

Are you a pedal addict? If so, which do you like?

"Yes, I'm a pedal addict. I currently like Crazy Tube Circuits Starlight and Unobtainium pedals and the Kasleder Toxic Twins pedal, Eventide H9, Benson pedals, as well as the Suhr Discovery analog delay, which sounds beautiful."

Do current trends alter your present-day technique at all?

"I'm amazed at what some of the younger players are doing on the instrument technique-wise, and still blown away by what legendary cats like John McLaughlin are still doing. For me, it's about expanding my vocabulary on the instrument. It could be the smallest thing or perhaps a riff or a phrase that I've never played before. Those little things blow my mind, as well as finding new ways to make a statement.

"I believe listening to other styles of music inspires me very much, and I particularly love film music. I love listening to Thomas Newman, Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Alan Silvestri, Lyle Workman – who happens to be a monster guitarist – and Alexandre Desplat, to name a few. It makes me think and phrase differently when I pick up a guitar after listening to a film score."

What's the secret to good hip-hop guitar playing?

"I don't know if there's a secret or not, but you have to tap into the spirit and vibe of the hip-hop track. You need to be funky when needed and when to be rude with powerful big crunchy guitars or any type of guitar regardless of style. But the most important thing is being open to different styles and being authentic in your approach."

Welcome to Guitar World’s weekly roundup of the musical highlights from the, erm, world of guitar. Every seven days (or thereabouts), we endeavor to bring you a selection of songs from across the guitar universe, all with one thing in common: our favorite instrument plays a starring role.

Orianthi – Light It Up 

What is it? Aussie rock guitarist Orianthi is gearing up to release her fifth studio album, Rock Candy, later this year, and previewed the upcoming effort earlier this week by dropping the riff-loaded, surprisingly heavy Light It Up. As the name would suggest, it’s an all-out fretboard bonfire, packed full of swampy drop-tuned low-end jabs and a collection of fiery upper-fret noodles.

Standout guitar moment: The riff wins it here for us. Introduced as a single guitar line full of bends and quick-fire fret work, some drop-tuned backup swiftly arrives, thickening out the mix for what becomes one of Orianthi’s most infectious tunes yet. 

For fans of: Marcus King, Royal Blood

– Matt Owen

Lamb of God – Omens

What is it? The second single and title track from the Virginia groove metal powerhouse’s upcoming ninth album, Omens. In typical Lamb of God fashion, the four-minute rager packs no shortage of slamming electric guitar riffs courtesy of resident axe-slingers Mark Morton and Willie Adler, spanning drop D chug to the band’s tried-and-tested low-string Phrygian antics.

“A lot of the messes human beings find ourselves in could be very easily prevented simply by paying attention to obvious repeating patterns, both in our personal lives and in a broader socio-historical context,” says frontman Randy Blythe. “What some call ‘omens’ are really just manifestations of the fact that there is nothing new under the sun. It’s foolish to ignore this, but we all do it.”

Standout guitar moment: The breakdown section from 1:20 is going to need some stiff competition to beat when the album arrives in full on October 7.

For fans of: Machine Head, Trivium, DevilDriver

– Sam Roche

Rodrigo y Gabriela – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

What is it? Tackling one of Radiohead’s greatest three-guitar opuses (and there are many) is no simple task, but Rodrigo y Gabriela do it with aplomb in this, the Mexico City duo’s first new release since last year’s inspired cover of Metallica's The Struggle Within.

Standout guitar moment: The song’s called Arpeggi, so the guitar highlight will always be that hypnotic bed of fingerpicked arpeggios – which Rodrigo y Gabriela recreate perfectly here – but the way the duo evokes Ed O’Brien’s haunting backing vocals on the original with a slide will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

For fans of: Radiohead, José Gonzalez, Paco de Lucía

– Jackson Maxwell

Dreadnought – Gears of Violent Endurance

What is it? Taken from the Denver, CO quartet’s forthcoming studio album, The Endless, this is a typically hypnotic work of progressive, descriptor-resistant alt-metal that operates out of a doom scene whose sound Dreadnought do not share. The arrangements have an automatic, driving krautrock quality but give way for what serves as a chorus but what is really just a big mood for the audience to get lost in.

Standout guitar moment: Kelly Schilling is playing for textures more than moments in this track, but the big takeaway from Gears of Violent Endurance is how capably she marshalls dynamics, flitting between a Schecter 8-string guitar, SG and Tele to find the right accompaniment for the song.

For fans of: Opeth, Ulver, Agalloch

– Jonathan Horsley

Robben Ford, Bill Evans – Common Ground 

What is it? The first single and title track from Bill Evans and Robben Ford’s upcoming album, which will be the pair’s second collaborative effort following 2019’s The Sun Room. Ford and Evans are a fool-proof formula for capturing genuine musical magic, and Common Ground is further evidence of the duo’s palpable chemistry. While Ford piles on the tremolo-tinged rhythms, Evans supplies the sporadic sax embellishment, resulting in an immensely soulful listening experience.

Standout guitar moment: Though Ford’s playing throughout is on-point, his solo at the 2:13 mark takes things up a notch. Tastefully compressed with a healthy helping of gain, the quickfire cameo is full of Ford’s best tricks: selectively assembled phrases, box-breaking licks and tasty turnarounds.

For fans of: Matt Schofield, Kirk Fletcher, Josh Smith

– Matt Owen

Tedeschi Trucks Band – Gravity

What is it? This is the sound of Tedeschi Trucks Band getting elemental on the third chapter in their quadruple album and film project I Am The Moon. Part three, The Fall was just shared with the world on Wednesday, and is released today on physical formats. 

There are sure to be multitudes of beguiling moments that will reveal themselves with the passage of time. But Gravity, and how it fits within the overarching concept of star-crossed lovers, facing a pull they are incapable of resisting, would be an obvious highlight. 

Standout guitar moment: This is one of those tracks in whichTTB finding a strutting groove, a soulful hook, the room to stretch out, but the rewind-and-play-again guitar moment is a bravura Derek Trucks guitar solo. Sometimes he makes that SG sound live the human voice, other times, like here, it sounds inspired by the animal kingdom. 

For fans of: The Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule, The Marcus King Band

– Jonathan Horsley

Vieux Farka Touré & Khruangbin – Savanne

What is it? The beguiling opener and lead single from Ali, a new LP-length collaboration between Vieux Farka Touré and the genre-blending Houston trio Khruangbin. A tribute to Vieux’s father, the late Malian guitar legend Ali Farka Touré, Ali will feature eight of his father’s compositions, both famous and obscure. Savanne is a stately introduction to the album – built upon a lulling but vital groove, and Vieux Farka Touré’s spellbinding guitar work.

Standout guitar moment: Incredibly dynamic and powerful – with each note perfectly articulated – Farka Touré’s stunning (mostly) unaccompanied intro alone is worth the price of admission.

For fans of: Mdou Moctar, Tinariwen, Kikagaku Moyo

– Jackson Maxwell

Goatwhore – Born of Satan’s Flesh

What is it? Anyone familiar with the NOLA black metal stalwarts' oeuvre will know exactly what this is. Blackened thrash metal or thrashy black metal, whichever way you slice it, this comes out the speaker all het up with a fire and brimstone vibe so hot one gets the impression you could cook a steak just by wafting it at the speaker. As black metal goes, this is all-action extreme metal blasphemy. Goatwhore resist the urge to blast us all to kingdom come 24/7, but when they go for it they can be exhilarating indeed.

Standout guitar moment: Sammy Pierre Duet peels off an excellent solo in this, giving it a veneer of respectability – well, a musicality, shall we say, and one that contrasts nicely with the barbarism. But we are here for the scabrous chug. That's what gets heads a-banging.

For fans of: Black Anvil, Aura Noir, Absu

– Jonathan Horsley

David Lee Roth – Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway

What is it? Yes, it's a bit of a mouthful, but count yourself lucky you didn't have to clear up the debris of the TV Van Halen threw off a balcony during their early days. This is just one recollection David Lee Roth remembers on his latest single, Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway.

Others include the time an unnamed member of the band – possibly Eddie Van Halen – safety-pinned a tablecloth to his pants, and another occasion when the group were kicked out of a restaurant, consequently finishing the night on a park bench nearby drinking beer and eating McDonald's.

Standout guitar moment: To our best knowledge, it was John 5 who set aside his electric guitar and picked up an acoustic to lay down tracks for Nothing Could Have Stopped Us. And he highlights just what a versatile guitarist he is, cruising through the song’s silky unplugged lines with enviable grace.

For fans of: Van Halen, Crosby, Stills & Nash

– Sam Roche

Hot Mulligan – Drink Milk and Run (Acoustic) 

What is it? A reimagined rendition of the latest track from Michigan post-emo exports Hot Mulligan, who, despite the de-electrified instrumentation, maintain their unrivaled energy levels and deliver a knockout performance that almost eclipses the original. Fans of all-things pop-punk will find solace with Hot Mulligan, who deliver delicate acoustic guitar strums, twinkly counterpoint motifs and infectious vocal lines.

Standout guitar moment: At the two minute mark, the acoustic guitar briefly gets the floor to itself, and makes the most of the opportunity by diving into a sleek arpeggiated sequence that's capped off with some neat open string runs. It continues thereafter, adding another luscious layer to the mix.

For fans of: KennyHoopla, Moose Blood, Neck Deep

– Matt Owen

Taipei Houston – As the Sun Sets

What is it? The debut single from Taipei Houston, a duo comprising two of Lars Ulrich’s songs, Myles and Layne. While you might be surprised that As the Sun Sets is far removed from the thrash metal with which the lads’ father made his name, it’s ultimately still rooted in the electric guitar, the tone of which is dialed to perfection with a ultra-grungy fuzz tone. 

We’re not yet sure when we’ll hear more material from Taipei Houston, but judging by the pair’s songwriting prowess on their debut single, we’d wager there’s plenty more to come.

Standout guitar moment: That opening riff perked our ears up and piqued our interest in about a second.

For fans of: The White Stripes, The Black Keys

– Sam Roche

Built to Spill – Spiderweb 

What is it? Though the rhythm section is entirely different from the one that anchored this indie institution’s last full-length album of original songs – 2015’s Untethered Moon – Spiderweb shows that all you really need for it to sound like Built to Spill is frontman/guitarist/songwriter Doug Martsch. The latest single from the band’s forthcoming album, When The Wind Forgets Your Name, Spiderweb has all the catchy, jangling riffing and classic pop-rock hooks one would expect from a Built to Spill number.

Standout guitar moment: Neil Young has always been one of Marsh’s most obvious guitar touchstones (see the band’s reverent, epic live cover of Young’s Cortez the Killer) and the ragged-but-emotive, distortion-coated exclamations that highlight the first of this song’s two guitar solos – particularly the wailing single-note stabs toward its conclusion – make his influence crystal clear.

For fans of: Dinosaur Jr., Neil Young, Pavement

– Jackson Maxwell

David Lee Roth has shared a reflective look at his time with Van Halen with a new single, entitled Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway.

The track, which features a picture of the original Van Halen lineup – Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony – as its cover on YouTube and streaming services, is an acoustic guitar-driven country-flavored number, with lyrics detailing his time with the legendary rock outfit.

Memories Roth touches on include the time the band threw a television off a balcony, when an unnamed member – possibly Eddie Van Halen – pinned a tablecloth to his pants, and the time they were kicked out of a restaurant, and finished the night drinking beer and eating McDonald’s on a park bench down the street. Listen to the track below.

Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway originates, according to Louder, from acoustic sessions recorded with guitarist John 5 in 2007, alongside drummer Gregg Bissonette and keyboardist Brett Tuggle.

In a 2012 interview with Guitar World, John 5 revealed that he and Roth had recorded roughly an album’s worth of music.

“Dave and I have about 12 or 13 songs in the can for a future record,” he said. “And it’s all acoustic. But not strummy, campfire stuff – I’m talking lots of cool, crazy jazz chords, and 50 or 60 overdubbed guitar tracks, with all this harmonising and other weird stuff going on. Dave’s vocals are incredible. He sings his ass off.”

Other songs that have emerged from the sessions include 2020’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill, Giddy-Up!, and possibly the reflective Pointing at the Moon, which arrived earlier this month, though John 5’s involvement in the latter is yet unconfirmed.

John 5 mentioned the release of Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway in an interview with Darren Paltrowitz last year.

“There’s a song that I just can’t wait for Dave to release,” he said. “It’s called Nothing Could Have Stopped Us and it’s about Van Halen. It’s my favorite song that I’ve ever done with Dave, and it is beautiful. I don’t know why he’s not releasing that one yet. And I just can’t wait for people to hear that one. It’s just absolutely wonderful.”

David Lee Roth has shared a new song, Pointing at the Moon, which sees the former Van Halen frontman slowing down in a reflective acoustic guitar and piano-based ballad.

As yet there are no further details as to who the players are. But could this single be another cut from the unreleased album that Roth wrote and recorded with guitarist John 5 in 2014? The signs would suggest so.

We’ve previously heard country-style romper Giddy Up!, alongside Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill, Lo-Rez Sunset, Alligator Pants and Manda Bala, all of which were taken from the sessions and released alongside the singer’s comic The Roth Project, beginning in 2020. However, the latter two are not available on streaming services currently. 

Pointing At The Moon certainly has thematic and musical links to the previous material, which has seen Roth opt for a calmer, singer-songwriter-orientated direction. 

Collectively, it stands in notable contrast to his work with Van Halen, though the lyrical content of the tracks seem to find Roth trying to make sense of that chaotic period of his life, alongside the characters, places and personal ups and downs that he encountered during that time. 

The new track makes similar references, accusing the protagonist of treading a path from ‘the mildew to the barbecue’, ‘the classroom to the tomb’ and mentions ‘the next clown jumping on the mattress while I’m paying dues’. However, it feels a little rawer than the richly melodic Eagles-style rock of Lo-Rez Sunset.  

Appearing initially on YouTube, Pointing At The Moon has since surfaced on Spotify, but its arrival has notably lacked any other PR or fanfare (beyond a sparse tweet with the single’s artwork).

Fans are baying for an album of the material, but we’re still none the wiser as to Roth’s longterm intentions for the songs. Roth has previously promised fans they would “start hearing that material” but was cagey on details.

John 5 has previously labelled the album "The California Sessions" and has said that the track he regards as the record’s highlight has yet to be released. Yesterday (July 10), he retweeted a link to a news story covering the Pointing at the Moon's release.

“There's a song that I just can't wait for Dave to release,” John 5 told Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz in October 2021. “It's called Nothing Could Have Stopped Us and it’s about Van Halen. It’s my favorite song that I've ever done with Dave, and it is beautiful. I don't know why he’s not releasing that one yet. And I just can't wait for people to hear that one. ’Cause it's about Van Halen. It's just absolutely wonderful. I just am really looking forward to him releasing that one.”

Us too... In the meantime, we‘ll have to make do with this 40-second clip of what is very likely Nothing Could Have Stopped Us, which John 5 has previously shared..

After that, keep an eye on David Lee Roth’s official site for more information. 

Back in April, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted revealed that he’d been approached by Alex Van Halen and Joe Satriani to take part in a Van Halen tribute project. He said that discussions even went far enough that the trio met up in California to jam, but added that the idea eventually “fizzled”, explaining that it would be impossible to do justice to Van Halen’s legacy.

Joe Satriani subsequently confirmed that such a tribute project had been discussed, but that it had ultimately been shelved. 

The virtuoso spoke of the “terrifying” prospect of playing Eddie Van Halen’s guitar parts, adding that “any sane guitar player would just turn around and start running away as fast as possible because you can't measure up to Eddie”.

But now, SiriusXM radio personality Eddie Trunk has claimed that the project may still be on the cards, and that it is David Lee Roth – who would theoretically shoulder frontman duties – who is holding things up.

Speaking on an episode of his radio show on Friday (July 1), Trunk explained (via Blabbermouth): “I had a very reliable source tell me last night at The Black Crowes’ show that the hold up on the Van Halen [project] happening is [that] a lot of it [is] falling on David Lee Roth. That David Lee Roth – to no surprise; it shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody – is a difficult guy to wrangle, a difficult guy to get an answer on, a difficult guy to get focused on anything, a difficult guy to get to sign off on anything.”

“He is all over the map, as you would expect and have seen throughout history, and that the big hold up in anything happening with Van Halen is not Alex, who wants to do it and is trying; it’s actually Roth who needs to sign off and be involved.

Trunk continued: “The stumbling block is trying to get Alex and Dave on the same page and Dave wanting to do this and [figure out] how they’re gonna do it.”

He also touched upon the comparative speed at which the Foo Fighters organized two tribute shows for Taylor Hawkins – who passed away earlier this year.

“You’ve got two Taylor Hawkins [tribute concerts] in two different countries [announced] two months after Taylor passed or so, and here we are coming up on two years [after Eddie Van Halen’s death] and they can’t figure out anything for Eddie,” he said. “It’s crazy. Hopefully that’ll be corrected.”

Back in May, former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony confirmed that he had also been approached to take part in a Van Halen tribute project.

He said that he had spoken to both Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth last year, adding that they had a “conference call about having a conference call to discuss it”, but that the second call never happened.

“I told them that I’d obviously be interested,” he said. “And it would be more like a celebration of the music rather than putting together something and calling it Van Halen because that just wouldn’t be right at this point.”

He added that if such a project were to ever take place, it would likely take the form of a single concert rather than a fully-fledged tour.

“You take something like this on tour and people are gonna think it’s a cash grab,” Anthony explained. “I’d rather have a memorial-type thing, done at a venue. And there were actually a couple of venues discussed. But do it that way instead of taking it on the road. And make it just a real celebration of the music…

But despite Trunk’s comments that it’s David Lee Roth holding up proceedings, Anthony said that the entire project ultimately rests on Alex Van Halen.

“He’s gotta be the person, really, that wants to do this and give his blessing to the whole thing for it to move forward,” he explained. “When we speak, we really don’t even speak about doing anything like that at this point. He’s still healing. And if it gets to that point, I’m sure Alex will be the first one that’ll wanna do something like that.”

Last month, the rock world was sent into a frenzy when former Metallica bass guitar player Jason Newsted revealed in an interview with the Palm Beach Post that he had been approached by Alex Van Halen and Joe Satriani to join some kind of Van Halen-related tour.

Days later, Satriani confirmed that the idea was real, and that David Lee Roth was also involved in discussions for the tour – which Satriani said would be "a true tribute to Eddie [Van Halen] and the Van Halen legacy."

During a recent appearance on The Mitch Lafon and Jeremy White Show, Michael Anthony – who served as Van Halen's bassist for 30 years, before he was replaced by Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen – confirmed that he, too, had been contacted by Satriani about the tour.

In the interview, which you can see below, Anthony says that he had been on "a conference call with [Van Halen manager] Irving Azoff, Alex [Van Halen] and Dave [Lee Roth] last year."

Anthony added that he also spoke to Satriani about the idea, clarifying that the conversation was "more, you know, just something kicking around."

He also revealed that, given the discussions he had been involved with, he was quite surprised to hear of Newsted's involvement.

All that aside though, Anthony added that he hopes "something happens in the future. 

"I think Joe was mentioning in some of the interviews that it's more a celebration of the band and of the music than calling it 'Van Halen,'" Anthony said. "Obviously, Eddie being probably the most integral part of the whole band, you can't really call it Van Halen after that."

Newsted's own involvement in the project went far enough that he traveled to California to jam with Van Halen and Satriani. After that though, Newsted maintained that "it kind of just all fizzled.”

In his own confirmation of the discussions, Roth said that, in his view, any kind of tribute tour would require two musicians for every position, before offering up Steve Lukather and Tommy Lee as additional potential participants, along with Satriani, Anthony and Alex Van Halen.

Shortly after Eddie Van Halen's death in October 2020, Wolfgang Van Halen – who served as Van Halen's bassist from 2007 until their dissolution, and now leads his own band, Mammoth WVH – said that Van Halen had permanently disbanded.

Replying to a tweet – which was subsequently deleted – from someone asking if Wolfgang would ever reform Van Halen without his father, he wrote: “I can confidently say I will NEVER replace my father in Van Halen and tour around the world disrespecting my father’s memory.

“No EVH = No VH. Get the fuck over it, but if you can’t, just quit bothering me about it and demanding I do it when I’ve made it very clear how I feel.”

As of this writing, Wolfgang Van Halen has yet to offer comment on the still-hypothetical tribute tour. 

David Lee Roth has addressed the rumors surrounding a recently leaked, hotly discussed Van Halen tribute tour – news of which broke last week when Jason Newsted revealed he had been approached by Joe Satriani and Alex Van Halen to take part in the proposed event.

After the former Metallica bass guitar player announced he had been sounded out by Satriani and Alex Van Halen for some kind of Van Halen tour, Satch later confirmed the validity of the tribute plans by saying he’d been in talks with both Van Halen and David Lee Roth for “about a year”.

Responding to his role in proceedings, Lee Roth has further fanned the flames of speculation surrounding the prospective project, voicing his support for having two musicians for each position and name dropping who he thinks should partner Satch in the electric guitar department.

And, without a prompt, Lee Roth seemingly suggested that Steve Lukather would also be involved in the project, should it ever go ahead.

In a statement issued to the Van Halen News Desk, Lee Roth said, “In my mind… the age of Covid is going to require two of us for every position. [Joe] Satriani and [Steve] Lukather, [Michael] Anthony and [Jason] Newsted, Al[ex Van Halen] or Tommy Lee.”

Now, it’s unclear whether Lukather was merely a speculative suggestion from Lee Roth or another hint of  who else was in the running for whatever was being planned. It’s the first time Lukather’s name has cropped up, so it's possible Lee Roth was simply tapping a potential suitor for the role.

Whatever the case, it's possible we may never find out if Lukather was actually involved, with Newsted originally reporting to Palm Beach Post that plans for a Van Halen tour have “fizzled”.

Satriani also seemingly confirmed that the project had been shelved, though left the door partially open by saying, “If it ever does happen, it would be a great honor and a terrifying challenge.”

In a recent interview with Rock of Nations with Dave Kinchen, Satch offered telling insight into the behind-closed-doors discussions, revealing he’d been involved with Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth in planning a “true tribute to Eddie [Van Halen] and the Van Halen legacy”.

"For me, it was a terrifying prospect of doing something like that,” Satch added, “but I realized that it was something that would be a real labor of love for me. I was just so honored to take on the challenge. 

“All I can really say about it is that if it does happen, I know we'll make it the greatest thing ever for the fans and we'll all celebrate together not only the great Eddie Van Halen but the legacy that that band created, the amazing amount of music and the goodwill and good vibes they created as a band.”

As for Lee Roth, any potential Van Halen tribute tour would ultimately bring the band’s former vocalist out of retirement, after he announced back in October last year that he was retiring from music.

In January, Lee Roth went on to cancel his entire Las Vegas residency – comprising seven shows that were set to be his last-ever live performances – citing “unforeseen circumstances relating to Covid”.

Dary Hall, vocalist and guitarist for legendary pop-rock outfit Hall & Oates, has confirmed he was almost drafted in to join Van Halen to replace the outgoing David Lee Roth more than 35 years ago.

While in conversation with Out of the Box with Jonathan Clarke, Hall touched upon his much-speculated collaboration with Eddie Van Halen, revealing it was actually the late electric guitar icon who initially proposed the idea to him in the first place.

"Well, yeah,” Hall said when asked if Eddie Van Halen had approached him (transcribed via Blabbermouth). “I knew those guys [Van Halen] really well; we actually shared some people, crew and things like that. And Eddie came to a show with [his then-wife] Valerie [Bertinelli] and David had just left the band. 

“Eddie said, 'Do you wanna join Van Halen, man?'” he continued. “He was half-joking, but I think he was serious. I really do believe he was serious. And I took it seriously. I went, 'Meh, I think not. I think I've got my own shit going on.'”

Hall also went on to say Van Halen confided in him that Jump’s iconic intro riff was inspired by the hook in the Hall & Oates cut Kiss Is On My List. “That is correct,” he said when quizzed if it were true. “That’s what he always told me. That inspired Jump.”

You can hear the exchange in the video above from the 9:15 mark.

The Hall & Oates singer wasn’t the only one who was scouted to replace Roth – who left Van Halen after the release of 1984 – before the ultimate appointment of Sammy Hagar.

In 2020, former Journey vocalist Steve Perry told Rolling Stone that Van Halen had asked him to “come down sometime and jam” soon after Lee Roth had left the group.

“At some level within me I felt so honored because I was in awe of Eddie’s natural talent,” he said. “I wanted so badly to do that. We talked about how cool that would be musically.”

However, the pair never formally linked up, with Perry saying he didn’t know if he “could be the guy to go out and represent the David Lee Roth years with my voice. I don’t know if I wanted to be that guy”.

Hagar would eventually go on to replace Lee Roth, and worked with Van Halen on four studio albums between 1986 and 1995. He left a year after Balance arrived, though would rejoin the group on two occasions – in 2004 and 2007 – for reunion tours.

David Lee Roth has canceled the entirety of his forthcoming Las Vegas residency.

Following the news last week that the former Van Halen singer had called off the first two dates of his residency at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, it has now been confirmed that the entire run of shows will no longer go ahead.

No official statement has been released from Roth or his camp yet regarding the axing of the whole residency, though the musician's representatives explained last week that the cancelation of his December 31 and January 1 shows was “due to unforeseen circumstances related to Covid” and “out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows”.

They added that “refunds will be automatically processed, and ticket holders will be notified directly.

With regard to specific dates canceled, Roth's shows on January 5, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22 are no longer going ahead.

Unless Roth's plans change, his Las Vegas residency offered fans the last chance to see him live before his retirement from music. 

Back in October, Diamond Dave announced in an interview with the Las Vegas Review Journal that he'd be “throwing in the shoes” following the residency. “I’m not going to explain the statement,” he said. “The explanation is in the statement. These are my last shows.”

In the same interview, Roth touched upon the death of his former bandmate, Eddie Van Halen. 

“I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter,” he said. “I thought I might have been the first, frankly. I might have thought the Marlboro Man would've got me... And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go onstage, I endanger that future.”

He concluded: “I've given you all I've got to give. It's been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody. I'll miss you all. Stay frosty.”

Last month, David Lee Roth made headlines after he claimed the striped design of Eddie Van Halen's famous Frankenstein guitar was his doing.

However, his claim was rejected by Guitar World contributor, EVH guitar expert and co-author of Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen Chris Gill, who said Roth's recollection of the design was a “complete revisionist fabrication”.

On Saturday (December 4), David Lee Roth posted a seven-minute video in which he recalled in great detail the origin story behind Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein electric guitar, claiming he was the brains behind the iconic striped aesthetic.

The video was posted in response to comments that drew comparison between Roth’s Big Wave painting and the Frankenstein, with the former Van Halen vocalist dubbing the guitar’s striped motif “my work”.

However, his story has since been disputed by Chris Gill – Guitar World contributor, EVH guitar expert and co-author of Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen – who blasted Roth’s recollection as “a complete revisionist fabrication” that contains “three key factual errors”.

In Roth’s video, the singer recalled that Van Halen’s original guitar featured a white finish, and claimed he suggested an “expanding linear pattern” in the mid–’70s in a bid to differentiate it from Jimi Hendrix’s own Fender Stratocaster.

“Because this was like mid-'70s – ‘75, ‘76ish – I said to Ed, ‘An expanding linear pattern,' because the white, plain guitar is eerily reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, and at that point in time Hendrix was still very nearby having recently departed,” Roth claimed.

The frontman also said that he “walked in with three rolls of tape: one roll of grey duct tape, one roll of black electrician’s tape, and one roll of blue tape that we used for pinstriping”.

In response to Roth’s comments, Gill offered a comprehensive rebuttal, telling Guitar World, “Three key factual errors in Roth’s statement prove that his story is a complete revisionist fabrication.”

Referencing “accurately dated photographic evidence”, Gill notes that “Van Halen’s Frankenstein guitar did not appear until February 1977” – not in ‘75 or ‘76 as Roth claimed – and originally had an unfinished, rather than white, body that was later photographed in May of that year with an all-black colorway.

Though Gill confirmed Van Halen had a 1961 Fender Stratocaster that was painted white in January 1977, he went on to say that it “existed for less than a month”.

“The white ‘61 Strat was taken apart very soon afterwards,” he explained, “with its neck, serial number plate, and vibrato tailpiece/bridge showing up in Feb ‘77 on the unfinished Frankenstein body.”

Later in Roth’s video, the vocalist posited the stripes were created by spraying red and black paint on to the white body. 

Gill, meanwhile, argued Roth “gets this essential detail completely wrong”, and that the stripes were created by applying masking tape and spraying white paint on to the black-finished Frankenstein body.

And, in response to Roth’s assertion that he used three different types of tape on the white body – specifically the blue variant for pinstriping – Gill noted such tape was not invented until 1988. By this point in time, Roth had been out of Van Halen for three years.

“Because it didn’t even exist yet," Gill said, "there is no way Ed could have used 3M blue tape, neither in the summer of 1977 when he first painted the black and white stripe motif nor in March of 1979 when he added the red coats of paint to the Frankenstein finish.

“In fact, Ed used torn strips of gaffer tape when applying the red coat – a piece of that gaffer tape still remains on the guitar.”

In his video, Roth does admit he hasn't “looked at the guitar in years, and I haven't done research,” noting that the clip “isn't a science lesson… just my memory.”

For more information on how one of the most iconic guitars in rock was actually put together, check out Gill's article on the true origins and evolution of Eddie Van Halen's legendary Frankenstein.

John 5 has shared his thoughts on David Lee Roth's recently announced retirement, thanking him for “the music and the memories”.

In a new conversation on the Jeremy White Podcast, the guitarist – who earned his first big break playing on David Lee Roth's 1998 solo album, DLR Band – spoke on the former Van Halen frontman “throwing in the shoes”. 

“He's been releasing songs that me and [him] had done every couple of months,” John 5 says [via Blabbermouth]. “And then there's a song I really hope he releases. It's called Nothing Could Have Stopped Us, and it is absolutely my favorite David Lee Roth. And not just because we worked on it together, but it is so good and so sincere.

“These are our superheroes, and they are human, and a lot of 'em are starting to retire. And I think that's okay. They've given us so much great music and so many amazing memories. And if they want to retire, they know. I think it's good for certain artists to say, ‘Oh, I'm going to hang it up.’

“And instead of us being upset and mad about it, [we should say], ‘Thank you for the music [and] the memories.”

David Lee Roth announced on Monday (October 4), that he'd be retiring from music following his five-date residency at the Mandalay Bay's House of Blues in Las Vegas in January.

“I know that when I am in the audience, whether you come out with a ukulele or a marching band, all I ask [is that] you give me everything you've got to give,” Roth told the Las Vegas Review Journal regarding his final shows. “That's what I did for the last 50 years.”

Back in June, David Lee Roth recruited John 5 to play on his new country-charged single, Giddy-Up!, part of an interactive online comic book created and narrated by the Van Halen frontman.

And prior to the single, the pair joined forces in October 2020 to pay tribute to late guitar legend Eddie Van Halen – who had passed away earlier that month – with a song entitled Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill.

During his interview with the Las Vegas Review Journal, Roth made a reference to his former bandmate: “I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter. I thought I might have been the first, frankly.

“I might have thought the Marlboro Man would've got me... And my doctors [and] my handlers compelled me to really address that every time I go onstage, I endanger my future.”

Former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth has announced his retirement from music.

In a new interview with the Las Vegas Review Journal, Roth – affectionately known as Diamond Dave – announces that he's “throwing in the shoes”. “This is the first, and only, official announcement,” he says in the rather brief reveal. “You've got the news. Share it with the world.”

“I’m not going to explain the statement,” he continues. “The explanation is in the statement. These are my last five shows.”

David Lee Roth is scheduled to conclude his storied career with a five-gig residency in January at the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Tickets for the shows are on sale now.

Regarding those final five shows, Roth requests: “I know that when I am in the audience, whether you come out with a ukulele or a marching band, all I ask [is that] you give me everything you've got to give. That's what I did for the last 50 years.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, Roth makes a reference to the death of his former bandmate Eddie Van Halen, saying he's been thinking about “the departure of [his] beloved classmate”.

“I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter,” he says.

“I thought I might have been the first, frankly. I might have thought the Marlboro Man would've got me... And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go onstage, I endanger that future.”

Concluding the interview, Roth says: “I've given you all I've got to give. It's been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody. I'll miss you all. Stay frosty.”

Earlier this year, the singer joined forces with guitarist John 5 for a country-charged single, entitled Giddy-Up! It arrived as part of the Roth project, a 17-chapter interactive online comic book created and narrated by the former Van Halen frontman.

Aside from a handful of high-profile guest spots, Yngwie Malmsteen has spent much of his career as a lone wolf – a fierce solo artist who has climbed the ranks of the guitar world’s illustrious community of electric guitar wizards, one blazing shred run at a time.

If things had turned out slightly differently, however, Malmsteen’s career may not have unfolded in quite the same way, and a handful of the most iconic rock bands may, with the help of Yngwie’s trademark style of dizzying guitar playing, have sounded totally unrecognizable.

In a recent conversation with eonmusic, Malmsteen revealed he was once on the cusp of joining Kiss, though never got as far as putting on the face paint due to a rather unusual recruitment process that involved some confusion over a metric/imperial conversion.

“When I actually lived in Sweden,” he began, “I was offered a gig in Kiss! They wanted to talk to me. They called me up, right, and the guy said, ‘Are you hot?’ 

“Then he asked me, ‘Are you six feet tall?’ And I’m metric, right? I’m 6”3, I’m actually quite tall, I’m 192cm. So I said, ‘No, I’m 192,’ and he goes, ‘What the fuck’s that?!’ So they never called back, so I didn’t end up with an Ankh on my face!”

The list, however, doesn’t stop there. When asked whether he had been approached by any other big bands over the years, Malmsteen replied, “Yeah, of course. Quite a lot, actually.” 

“I was offered a gig in UFO,” he elaborated. “I was offered a gig with David Lee Roth. There was some murmur about the Ozzy [Osbourne] thing. Ronnie James Dio, he talked about it all the time.” 

And just for good measure, Malmsteen also went on to address the “murmurs” that once spread surrounding a link up with a coveted Deep Purple slot.

“There was murmurs,” he recalls. “Me and Roger Glover always got along. I got along with Richie Blackmore too, but Ian Gillan, for some reason he... I did a show with him once, and we had the greatest time.

“It was a lot of fun, but then I did a tour with him a few years ago, and he didn’t seem to like me a lot, so I don’t know.”

Yngwie Malmsteen, in a continuation of his fierce solo career, recently released his latest studio album Parabellum, which dropped on July 23.

David Lee Roth has teamed up with John 5 for a brand-new country-style track, Giddy-Up! 

Arriving as part of The Roth Project – a 17-chapter interactive online comic book created and narrated by the Van Halen frontman – the track features a bedrock of lush, energetic acoustic guitar, tastefully peppered with the occasional slide guitar flourish. Listen to it below: 

Aside from the comic's score – which is also written by Roth – the track follows four previously released tracks from the project: Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill – which pays tribute to late guitar legend Eddie Van Halen – Alligator Pants, Lo-Rez Sunset and Manda Bala. 

In addition to ex-David Lee Roth member John 5 on guitar, all five tracks from the project feature Gregg Bissonette on drums, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion.

Bissonette, of course, played with Roth between 1985 and 1992, appearing on studio albums Eat 'Em and Smile, Skyscraper and A Little Ain't Enough, while Tuggle has worked with the singer on and off for decades.

The Roth Project enables readers to skip between chapters, zoom in and out of images and listen in 5.1 surround sound or stereo. To read the full graphic novel, head to The Roth Project.

David Lee Roth has unveiled The Roth Project, an interactive graphic novel featuring five new solo songs.

He has also released one of those songs, a breezy acoustic guitar-led composition titled Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill, as a standalone single. He posted the song on his social media pages with an original drawing and a written tribute to Eddie Van Halen, who died on October 6 at the age of 65.

“Hey Ed I’m gonna miss ya. See you on the other side,” Roth wrote.

You can listen to the song above.

The five new tracks feature John 5 on guitar and bass, Gregg Bissonette on drums, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion. Bissonette previously played with Roth from 1985-1992, appearing on Eat ‘Em and Smile, Skyscraper and A Little Ain’t Enough, while Tuggle has assisted Roth on and off for decades.

John 5, meanwhile, played with Roth on the DLR Band record and tour in the late ‘90s before going on to find fame with Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie and as a solo artist.

Over the past few years he has hinted at the fact that he had worked with Roth on new material, going as far as to play a clip of one of the songs from his phone during an interview with Masters of Shred last year.

In that interview he recalled the circumstances of the recording. 

"So here’s what would happen,” John 5 said. “Dave would call me. He'd be like, 'Come on over. Let's write some songs, get some burritos.' And I would always hang out with Dave. For years and years and years. So I'd just go over and we'd just talk about everything and play music and write songs, you know, all the time.”

John continued, "So there was this time where we would write songs early in the morning and then he would rent out the studio at night. So we'd write, write, write and then we'd go into a studio. And we did that for a long time. And we were recording and writing and recording and writing and we had a collection of music.”

The new Roth songs were reportedly tracked at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood. In addition to Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill they include Giddy Up, Alligator Pants, Lo-Rez Sunset and Manda Bala.

The Roth Project, meanwhile, is a 17-chapter interactive graphic novel featuring narration and illustrations from Roth himself, with animation from Colin Smith. Roth also composed the incidental music that accompanies the story.

Viewers have the option to skip between chapters, zoom in and out of images, listen in 5.1 surround sound or stereo and to read the narrative as a standalone digital “paperback,” complete with an additional two hours of exclusive instrumental music not available in the illustrated version.

To get the full scope of the functionality, check out the tutorial above.

And you can read the full graphic novel at The Roth Project.

Eddie Van Halen made his first Guitar World cover appearance with the January 1981 issue. The cover asked readers if the young EVH was the world's greatest guitarist, while the original headline dubbed him The New King of Heavy Metal Guitar.

Below is the original cover feature in its entirety.

"Just give me some of that rock 'n' roll music,
Any old way you choose it,
It's got a back beat, you can't lose it,
Any old time you use it,
Gotta be rock 'n' roll music,
If you want to dance with me."

Chuck Berry wrote those words over 20 years ago. Edward Van Halen, guitarist for the group sporting his last name, couldn't agree more. At 24, you might just say he's respecting his elders. 

Along with brother Alex on drums, Michael Anthony on bass and lead vocalist David Lee Roth, the group Van Halen pumps out hard-rockin' music that was born in the basement, fused in the bars, and explodes on stage.

Describing himself as a kid "living his rock-and-roll dreams," Eddie Van Halen has been heading there since the fourth grade. He was born in Amsterdam, Holland, where his father, a professional musician, got both brothers to the piano at an early age. 

His musical knowhow was born in the classics, but his spirit was in rock-and-roll. "Who wants to sit at the piano!" he exclaimed. "I want to go crazy. Everybody turned me on. I grew up on a lot of early Beatles, DC5, Cream, Clapton, Page, Beck and Hendrix."

He was 10 when the family moved to Los Angeles, "land of opportunity." After the high school dances and diploma, he graduated to the bars and the start of the band that bears his name.

"We were all in various bands in the L.A. area, and when we got to the college age everyone started flaking off; wanting to be doctors. We got stuck with each other. There was nobody left that was into it." 

They played all the bars and all the oldies, including a version of the Kinks' You Really Got Me, which Eddie calls "a hot tune we turned into a jet plane." The crowds got bigger and Van Halen were able to draw 3,000 people to a gig they threw themselves. 

Kiss's Gene Simmons paid for their original demo sessions, and Mo Ostin, chairman of the board at Warner, and Ted Templemen, V.P. of A&R, caught their act at the Starwood Club. They were signed the next day. 

Three years ago they played the bar scene, today they headline arenas. "I never imagined that we would get to where we are this quick," Eddie reflects.

Eddie Van Halen is not the arrogant, brash, or angry young man I had imagined. In fact he wears the kind of smile that could sell soft drinks on television. And he wears it well. Because Eddie Van Halen is one happy fella.

The explanation is easy. "Everything I did is because I wanted to do it," he says without arrogance. "If I weren't playing this arena, if I were playing a club, I'd still be doing it because that's what I want to do. I love playing the guitar."

More than just playing guitars, Van Halen builds them. In fact, when we met for this interview, he was surrounded by guitar parts, preparing to put together the instruments for a performance only two hours away. As the pickups, bridges, necks and strings found their way together, I began to see the picture of a young guitarist whose success in high voltage rock has left his spirit intact and his feet remarkably on the ground.

In essence, Eddie Van Halen travels in overdrive while the visions in his rearview mirror remain clear. "I'm not a rock star. Sure I am, to a certain extent because of the situation, but when kids ask me how it feels to be a rock star, I say leave me alone, I'm not a rock star. I'm not in it for the fame, I'm in it because I like to play."

Were you as good a piano player as you are a guitarist?

"I won first prize four years in a row at Long Beach City College for my category. The piano is a universal instrument. If you start there, learn your theory and how to read, you can go on to any other instrument."

Sounds like you had a solid foundation in the basics.

"Well, I'm not a good reader. I would read and remember. The one thing I do have is good ears. I don't mean perfect pitch, but ears for picking things up. I developed my ear through piano theory, but I never had a guitar lesson in my life, except from Eric Clapton off of records."

Do you have the ability to think something and play it immediately?

"Not automatically or perfectly, but that's the thing I don't think when I play. It's spontaneous, it's feeling. It's not calculated or figured out ahead of time. That's why you might say I playoff the wall. 

"When I was in junior college at Pasadena City, I took scoring and arranging class with a Dr. Fischer. Frank Zappa had also been his student. Dr. Fischer was very avant-garde and the one thing he taught me was fuck the rules. If it sounds good, it is good."

I take it you took to the guitar fairly easily?

"Not to sound-ego-out, but I was a natural. My father has been a professional musician all his life, and he said, 'Kid you've got it,' Some people have got it and some people don't, Even people who don't have it can practice long enough to get it down to a point. 

"But there's always a difference between a person who has the feel and those who don't. The difference is in the amount of emotion expressed in your playing. I listened to Debussy by two different pianists and it was like day and night. One guy had it and every note was beautiful. The other guy had lead fingers."

Did you go through a period of imitation before your own days of invention?

"Definitely, and Clapton was it. I knew every note he played. That's what I was known for around home. Me, Alex and another bass player called ourselves Mammoth and we were the junior Cream. [Shortly before going on stage, Eddie played Clapton's Crossroads solo for me, calling it "one of the best live recorded songs ever".] 

"It's funny; when I do interviews and tell people Clapton was my main influence, they go "Who?" Because they're thinking about Clapton doing Lay Down Sally, not the Bluesbreakers or Cream."

Your current trio and a singer format is not much different than Cream. Have you ever thought of working with another guitarist?

"I've never played with another guitarist because I make enough sound on my own. What I loved about Cream is that everybody had to put out It was three people making all this noise and you could hear each person. 

"The Allman Brothers' feel is something I never got into. Duane was an excellent slide guitarist, but I never cared for Dickie Betts. I found their music too cluttered for my taste."

In your Clapton days, I'm sure you did some intense studying on the instrument. Do you still work as hard to improve your playing?

"Yes, but I don't call it practice. This will sound real funny to you, but we tour for eight weeks and then take eight days off. When I'm home on a break, I lock myself in my room and play guitar. 

"After two or three hours, I start getting into this total meditation. It's a feeling few people experience, and that's usually when I come up with weird stuff. It Just flows. I can't force myself. I don't sit down and say I've got to practice."

Can you be specific about how you play better today than, say, when the first album was released?

"I don't consider myself a better player. I consider myself different. With the technical ability I have, I can play just about as fast as I'd like to play. Any faster at the volume I play, and I'd have distortion. So technically there's no reason to get any faster."

But do you still reach any new plateaus?

"Sure I do."

Can you point some out on your records?

"The solo on Cradle Will Rock is different. One guitar player who I respect and think is the baddest, is Allan Holdsworth. I do one short lick on Cradle which is very spontaneous. That came out because I've been listening to this guy. On the second album I expanded a little more on harmonics."

You're talking about hitting false harmonics by using your right hand to hit the fretboard?

"Yes. First I just used my first finger on the right hand to hit a note (Heard on Eruption from the first Van Halen album). Then I discovered the harmonic by hitting the fret an octave above where the left hand is positioned. Now I'm expanding on that, by using all the harmonics in between the octave. 

"I also use the slap technique, which I got from black bass players. Jimi Hendrix influenced me on how to hold the pick when I do the harmonics. I saw the Hendrix movie and discovered where the pick goes when it disappears. He holds it between the joints of his middle finger. I pick weird too. I use the thumb and the middle finger."

One thing that strikes me about your playing is that of all the high-energy players, you don't take long guitar solos.

"I haven't heard anyone do a long interesting guitar solo outside of early Clapton. I do a guitar solo in the live show which is long, and some people may think boring, but I have fun. Clapton was my favorite. 

"With his feel he'd hit one note where someone else would hit twenty, and his one would do something to you, whereas the other person's twenty would leave you flat."

I'm going to turn that against you, pointing out your own note-y-ness.

"I'm not Eric Clapton. I might play fast, but there's a lot of people who play fast with no feel at all. I think I'm high-energy, but I think I combine a little more feel and some different techniques than other high-energy players."

Have you ever thought that you may now be part of the guitar heritage you once studied? Thinking of players like Beck, Page, Clapton and Hendrix, you may be next in line for guitar hero.

"It's very hard to say. That's like me telling you I'm the best. I can't say that. I'm not. I can't say I'm going to influence people, but I know a lot of people are using their right hand on the fingerboard now that never did it before."

Would you like to be thought of as a great player?

"I'd Just like people to like what I play. I don't want people to say, 'You're Number One.' It's a matter of taste. To me Allan Holdsworth is Number One. Other kids might listen to him and not even understand what he's doing. Older people might think I suck."

Hard rock is usually associated with a younger crowd. I think it's something you grow through more than with. When I want to rock out, I put on the albums that were happening when I was 15. Does that make sense to you?

"Yes. It might be that's what you remember as the good times. It could be because you don't like what's on now. Rock 'n' roll is for 12- to 21-year-olds. When you get past that age, people have more responsibilities. They don't buy records anymore, they stop going to concerts, they have jobs, and a lot more troubles."

What about your quieter side? Beck, Page and Leslie West all put out acoustic guitar pieces that contrasted with their normal styles.

"There's a lot you haven't heard yet. I had more of an acoustic intro to In A Simple Rhyme, but the reason we didn't do it is because everyone would immediately go, 'He's pulling a Zeppelin.' We did Could This Be Magic?, but it's a joke."

Have you started thinking about the fourth album?

"I've got a load of ideas, but we don't know what we're going to do until we walk into that studio. What we do is tour for ten months, come home, go to the basement and make songs out of the ideas. 

"We invite Ted [Templeman, producer] down and he picks what he likes. We argue a bit, compromise, and we usually have a final say on what material goes on. We spend a week rehearsing in the basement and go straight in the studio."

Sounds like you like to work quickly.

"For Women and Children First, it took four days for the music and six days for the singing. Dance The Night Away (on Van Halen II) was written on the spot, in the studio. I never played slide guitar before Could This Be Magic? I had something totally different in mind for the song, and Ted says, 'Try playing slide?' I did it right there on the spot and that was it. 

"Cradle Will Rock was first take. A bunch of songs were first takes. We don't go for perfection, we just go for spirit. There are mistakes, but I'm happy with everything that's on our records. That's not to say when we do them live we might do it differently."

Do you have a preference between live work and recording?

"Performing, of course! I play for self-satisfaction, but it makes it even better when other people enjoy it."

David Lee Roth recently declared Van Halen “finished,” and now in a new interview with the New York Times that focused primary on the COVID-themed art he’s been producing since the pandemic took hold, the singer expounded yet again on the band's future.

When asked if Van Halen will ever tour again, Roth said:

“I don’t know that Eddie [Van Halen] is ever really going to rally for the rigors of the road again. I don’t even want to say I’ve waited - I’ve supported for five years. Because what I do is physical as well as musical and spiritual - you can’t take five years off from the ring. But I did. And I do not regret a second of it.”

Roth continued, “He’s a band mate. We had a colleague down. And he’s down now for enough time that I don’t know that he’s going to be coming back out on the road. You want to hear the classics? You’re talking to him.”

Towards the end of 2019, reports were circling that Eddie Van Halen was undergoing throat cancer treatment. He had previously battled the disease in the early-2000s, before getting the all-clear in 2002.

Elsewhere in the interview, Roth discussed having had his recent solo tour with Kiss canceled when the music industry – and the world at large – went into lockdown mode.

“Every Jiu-Jitsu magazine has a 28-year-old who’s going to tell you about the two years that got taken away by his elbow,” he said. “Every kickboxing magazine has a 32-year-old instructor who goes, ‘Well, I lost those three years to my left knee.’ So I’ve just been isolating away.”

As for when he’ll be back onstage?

“In terms of what I really do for a living, as soon as the B-list - that’s Beyoncé, Bono and Bruce [Springsteen] - say it’s OK, I’ll be back singing and dancing and selling you T-shirts,” he promised.

File this under You Learn Something New Every Day: In a recent interview with Missouri radio station KSHE 95 to promote his upcoming Las Vegas residency, David Lee Roth was asked about performing Van Halen songs as a solo act, and in particular whether he seeks permission from his electric guitar foil, Eddie Van Halen, and the rest of the band when adding the classic tunes into his sets.

Now, let’s stop here to acknowledge that, in addition to being one of the most mesmerizing frontmen in rock history, Diamond Dave is also an unparalleled interviewee, capable of holding court on the most mundane of topics in a manner that is endlessly entertaining.

Even so, his response here was stop-you-in-your-tracks wild.

“No,” he said about seeking permission. “Because I wrote the songs. I wrote every word you heard, every syllable. Every melody I structured out. Even the guitar solos on that first album.

“Why do you think the solos changed so radical? I sang the solos for Jamie’s Cryin’ and Runnin’ with the Devil, et cetera.”

As far as what fans can expect from his band at the upcoming Vegas shows? According to Dave, a lot.

"Van Halen live is lead-bass-drum. Here we start with three, four guitars, and we bring it with unforgiving attitude. We're not up here strumming with the devil, this is not some tribute band,” he said.

“I wrote those songs, structured those songs. I designed the backgrounds on the stage. I came up with the album covers. I thought of the stripes on the guitar. I’m the one who said, 'Call it Van Halen.' And we take it with that attitude. We ain't talkin’ ‘bout love.”

Dave also let it offered up another reveal: The name of his band for the Vegas gigs.

“We named the band, it a private name, and we named it after the sound,” he said.

“The name of my band is Horses of God. And that is the way it sounds.”

Dave and the Horses of God will light up the sky on the Vegas strip beginning January 8. For more information, head to DavidLeeRoth.com.

As a band, Van Halen have been keeping a low profile since their rumored 2019 summer tour went south.

But front man David Lee Roth, who's been chatting up the media in advance of his 2020 Las Vegas solo residency, has let a few VH nuggets drop into the conversation.

During a recent interview with the Talkin’ Rock with Meltdown podcast from Detroit’s 101 WRIF, Roth, in response to a question about the aborted summer tour, proclaimed the band “finished.”

“It’s been cancelled a number of times and I think Van Halen’s finished and this is the next phase,” he said. “I’ve inherited the band de facto – whatever that means.”

Roth continued, “Van Halen isn’t going to be coming back in the fashion that you know. That being said, Eddie Van Halen’s got his own story to tell – it’s not mine to tell.”

While the news might be a let-down to longtime VH fans, those who crave hearing Roth’s voice alongside a superstar shredder might not have long to wait – in the same interview, the singer hinted that his long-shelved collaboration with John 5 (who also played on Roth’s 1998 album, DLR Band) will eventually see release.

He added: “There’s been a revision of things and I can start making real plans and start marching into the future and you’ll start hearing that material.

“This is material that we wrote variously for me solo and for Van Halen and it’s quite a bank of stuff.” 

Roth’s Las Vegas shows kick off at the House of Blues on January 8, 2020. He has yet to announce the musicians who will be joining him for the residency.

Back in 1998, a pre-Marilyn Manson and -Rob Zombie John 5 (then John Lowry) backed David Lee Roth on the Van Halen singer’s rather underrated album, DLR Band. For years now, John 5 has also talked in interviews about the fact that, around 2014, he recorded another album of material with Roth, which has yet to see the light of day.

Now, in a new video interview with Masters of Shred, John 5 actually unveiled some of that music, pulling out his phone to play a clip of one of the songs.

Before doing so, he recalled the circumstances of the recording. "So here’s what would happen,” he said. “Dave would call me. He'd be like, 'Come on over. Let's write some songs, get some burritos.' And I would always hang out with Dave. For years and years and years. So I'd just go over and we'd just talk about everything and play music and write songs, you know, all the time.”

John continued, "So there was this time where we would write songs early in the morning and then he would rent out the studio at night. So we'd write, write, write and then we'd go into a studio. And we did that for a long time. And we were recording and writing and recording and writing and we had a collection of music.”

After telling the story, John 5 played a roughly 40-second clip of music from what he calls the “California Sessions.”

You can hear the tune, which consists of John 5 on acoustic guitar and Dave on vocals, at roughly the 22:50 mark of the interview.

"It reminds me of, like, 'Damn Good' [from Roth’s 1988 album, Skyscraper], something like that,” John says.

This past weekend, Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth joined Dutch DJ Armin Van Buuren on stage at the Ultra Music Festival to perform an EDM-flavored remix of Van Halen's "Jump." You can check it out above.

“I didn’t change the song too much,” Van Buuren told Rolling Stone when asked about the unlikely collaboration. “We recreated the Oberheim synth that was in the original. I just completely replayed it with respect to the original obviously. And the original track is not in time, so I had to spend a lot of time putting all of the original stems onto a click.”

Van Buuren went on to say that when Van Halen's management approved the remix, Roth—a longtime dance music aficionado—got involved. 

We just wonder what Eddie thought of it... 

Well, bub, no matter how good the song is, it eventually has to end.

The question, then, is: How’s it going to end? A studio fade giving the illusion of a sing-along chorus going on forever in some imaginary world populated by elves? A repeated turnaround? An abrupt, punk-rock-style halt? An unsuspected, off-key chord?

It’s possible, of course, that the end could wind up being a transcendent moment in itself.

Such is the case with the 10 gems below.

10. “Frankenstein,” Edgar Winter

It’s not so much the virtuosity of the synchronized synth and guitar arpeggios that got this one on the list but, rather, the fact it lends itself well to puns about monsters and rock ’n’ roll. (We won’t bother getting started.) It then dawns on us how language and wordplay makes us human. Mighty profound for an instrumental.

09. “Roll with the Changes,” REO Speedwagon

The chorus is repeated so many times toward the end of the song that it becomes a mantra of sorts, meant to hammer home the Zen philosophy expressed in the title of this stadium anthem by an immensely popular band from the Eighties. Thankfully, Gary Richrath’s string bending and tremolo picking bring the listener back from the arena-rock astral plane into the real world.

08. “Let's Go Crazy,” Prince

The Purp goes crazy as this ultimate party tune winds down, showing off his wah-wah-laced Hendrixisms. Judging by the ecstatic state of his solo, he doesn’t want the party to die. But the realization finally hits home that the party must end. Then what? The giant comedown known as Under the Cherry Moon.

07. “21st Century Schizoid Man,” King Crimson

The end homes in on the most addictive part of the riff—Robert Fripp’s chromatic power-chord progression—and accelerates until it becomes a blur of tones, symbolic, perhaps, of human addiction patterns, obsessive behavior, and mental illness. I mean, can you down a bag of potato chips once it’s open? That’s what this riff is like. Do the research.

06. “Shy Boy,” David Lee Roth

Vai, Sheehan. Sheehan, Vai. When David Lee Roth combined the talents of these two stringmen, he unleashed the shred equivalent of a nuclear fission reaction. The furious four-handed tapping makes one realize the importance of science to our daily lives.

05. “Paradise City,” Guns N’ Roses

Rarely has an ending been so uncanny. Axl F. Rose’s repeated pleas for someone to take him home express a young man’s basic yearning for stability and warmth. Slash just wants to play faster and faster. This conflict foreshadows what would for the band grow into an appetite for self-destruction.

04. “Metal Head,” Blotto

This obscure group, in a parody of ’80s heavy metal, takes the ever-loving piss out of the drawn-out rock ’n’ roll ending by practically turning it into its own movement. Obviously, they espouse the philosophy that life is a joke. Blue Oyster Cult’s Buck Dharma vouches for Blotto, though, by playing lead guitar on the track.

03. “Hot for Teacher,” Van Halen

Eddie uses his space-age finger slides and tremolo picking to sound like a laser weapon battle from a late-Seventies sci-fi flick, while brother Alex runs in place on his double bass pedals and David Lee Roth howls till his heart’s content. You don’t have to be Freud to figure out what pubescent fantasy an ending of this magnitude symbolizes. Orgasm. Oh, my gawd.

02. “Highway to Hell,” AC/DC

Whether or not this song is truly about Hell doesn’t matter. How the Young brothers wind it out—furiously strumming their chords, whittling away at the pentatonic scale, and battering up against Bon Scott’s wails—evokes a descent into an underworld of Wagnerian proportions.

01. “Won't Get Fooled Again,” The Who

The tension of the synth interlude and the subsequent release—by way of Pete Townshend’s gargantuan power chords and Roger Daltrey’s vocal-chord-shredding scream—at the time encapsulated what we now refer to as “going postal.”