Alex Van Halen Not in the Business of Bullshitting

Even Roth wasn't in the loop on much of the band's internal business...

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“All these people are writing books about the band and they know nothing about the inner workings of this band,” Alex explained in an interview with Modern Drummer, conducted in August 2020 and recently published as part of the Modern Drummer Legends Vol. 2 – Alex Van Halen book. “And Ed and I don’t say anything because we’re not in the business of bullshitting on the internet and books and all that kind of crap. We just want to play. It’s that simple.”

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Read More: Alex Van Halen is 'Not in the Business of Bulls---ting' Online | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/alex...edium=referral

It's a shame they kept themselves so sequestered from the fans. They could have kept the internal workings secret, and even maintained their privacy, while being more fan friendly. Fuck the "mystique".

They never really thought it through. Al's kids aren't suffering because they chose different career paths. Wolfgang is suffering because now all the VH fans have expectations from him. On a VH level and a personal level. They want him to be EVH and he's not. They (me included) want him to go through the vaults and release everything. Or at the very least, an official live show from the glory days, on DVD.

I read this as AVH getting pissed off about people maybe questioning why if Ed wrote all the music did Alex get writing royalties and Michael Anthony get his taken away.

Dave by all accounts wasn't there at the point that the music was created, Alex is implying that when he jammed with Ed he was making significant contributions to the song writing. I think it's more likely he was contributing arrangements which aren't part of music royalties but as he says, we weren't there.

I still think it could be argued that since rock songs are made up of 3 parts - music, lyrics and vocal melody Roth should have got half and Ed half. If he wanted to share his 50% with his brother then Ed could. :)

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Originally Posted by Von Halen

It's a shame they kept themselves so sequestered from the fans. They could have kept the internal workings secret, and even maintained their privacy, while being more fan friendly. Fuck the "mystique".

They never really thought it through. Al's kids aren't suffering because they chose different career paths. Wolfgang is suffering because now all the VH fans have expectations from him. On a VH level and a personal level. They want him to be EVH and he's not. They (me included) want him to go through the vaults and release everything. Or at the very least, an official live show from the glory days, on DVD.

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By the time 2015 rolled around it had been...what...8 years since Roth had been back in the band. In that 8 years we got a few tours, a studio album and a live album of a 2013 performance.

When it was confirmed in 2007 that Roth rejoined, I was of the mindset that maybe that would get the band thinking about putting out old CVH concerts on video. 2012 started off as a very productive year, so I thought maybe after the ADKOT tour concludes we'll see some sort of vault release.

Once the Tokyo Dome album came out, I basically figured not to hold my breath in terms of any CVH vault stuff getting put out: by 2013, Roth had been back for 6 years, and the live album we got was of a 2013 (if memory serves) performance. 6 years, to me, seemed to me like more than enough time to get a vault release together. Thus, at that point I figured it more likely than not wasn't going to happen.

Subsequently, even when hearing the news of Ed's passing last fall, I had zero expectations of any vault stuff getting officially released. In a like manner, I have zero expectations in terms of Wolfgang spearheading a vault release.

I don't feel said release is owed to me as a fan: would I like to see it happen? Sure.

The thing of it is, ever since the Van Halen III tour concluded and Cherone left in late 1999, the band hasn't been consistently active, and that over the last 20 years has tempered any expectations I once had to the point where...there really are none. To the point where if such a release never happens...it's not really gonna faze me much.

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Originally Posted by Terry

I don't feel said release is owed to me as a fan: would I like to see it happen? Sure.

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Well, it's fucking owed to me! :D

Just another example of the ignorance of this band. Well, apparently the ignorance of Al and Ed. Because according to that interview, Al is pretty much standing up and saying those two were the dumbasses responsible for ignoring the fans for all these years.

Remember in 2002 during the Roth/Clichegar tour, Dave talked about the brothers wasting time up on Howdy Doody mountain? Turns out, with the refusal by any VH to release any of this stuff, or even a DVD of the glory days, Dave was exactly right. They were doing nothing but wasting time. Very sad.

I guess Ed left Wolf enough of an inheritance, that he can ignore the Van Halen fans. Except of course, he is going to want us to purchase his new album. If he didn't want that, and didn't need that, and didn't care about that, he'd have never named his band Mammoth. Yet he will take a hard stance against us, by being so vocal about not giving a fuck what we as fans want. I can guarantee, if he needed the money, he'd already be raiding that fucking vault.

I am so sick of the hypocrisy of this band and the Van Halen's.

How many other bands out there have ZERO official video releases of their live shows? I'm to the point where I hope WB, or whoever has one of these shows, releases it and the VH camp gets fucked on how much money they could have made, had they done it the right way.

I'm done ranting for now. I'm going to go watch the BOOTLEG version of Largo, and Wolfgang and Al won't make one red cent off it.

This all seems like some sort of mystical Star Wars saga... what will the surviving aged Jedi masters do to restore justice to the Republic... will the son rise to his father's greatness and bring the evil Sith lord Hagar's rule to an end..?

All this pinned on some form of Hope... for the vaults to set be free to the Galaxy...

Meanwhile, back in Pasadena...

I believe this interview took place a few months before Ed's passing. So Alex's motivations and aspirations may shift significantly with his brother gone. Back to the "Hope" element...

If WB can present a compelling sell on their vault material to the Van Halens... there could be classic live show material making it's way out of storage, plus some of the scraps from the recording sessions pre-1985. There is a compilation release that's pretty much ready to go that got shelved a few years ago based on the Sunset Studio blogs.

If someone organizes a tribute concert for Ed this year and they get Alex & Wolf on-board that could be a catalyst for the VH's to get motivated in sharing the genius of Ed's work and legacy... that's a stretch with a low probability factor.

If Wolfgang comes to the realization that a large part of his interest base and success is tied to his father's legacy and global popularity. A vault release followed by his solo work could be the fuel to launch a life long career in music. That concept shits on the "highly principled" industry cred of not cash grabbing off of his father's death... but he's living in the real world, right now and at some point has to fuel his career.

Final thought... Alex passes away, his kids and wife inherit his interests. They have none of the high falutin musician cred bullshit motivating them and chose to share their dad/husband's legacy. The vaults get opened and the releases flow... or the attorneys get called and the battles follow.

Then there's the tale of Obi Wan Roth... in a galaxy far, far away...

Sorry Zah, I've never seen that faggy Star Wars crap.

My inspiration for the faggy Star Wars crap...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg9Y...masJYagodinski

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Originally Posted by Seshmeister

I read this as AVH getting pissed off about people maybe questioning why if Ed wrote all the music did Alex get writing royalties and Michael Anthony get his taken away.

Dave by all accounts wasn't there at the point that the music was created, Alex is implying that when he jammed with Ed he was making significant contributions to the song writing. I think it's more likely he was contributing arrangements which aren't part of music royalties but as he says, we weren't there.

I still think it could be argued that since rock songs are made up of 3 parts - music, lyrics and vocal melody Roth should have got half and Ed half. If he wanted to share his 50% with his brother then Ed could. :)

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Once again, we see slave SESH has no clue as to how musical publishing works; it's whose name on the publishing contract gets the money, not whom who contributed what to what. If that were the case, Mick Ronson should have received GAZILLIONS from Bowie, and Mick Taylor from the Rolling Stones. When Mick & that filthy hippie Keith dropped their own record label to sign with Virgin in the early 80's they also had a new contract with a new label it gave them sole rights to royalties to their catalog that others may have written or co-written on - or simply played on. When The Smiths did their shitty remasters back in 2011 both bass player Andy Rouke and drummer Mike Joyce were cut off from sales royalties although they did counter sue. And won.

Your joke of a Montose cover band had a publishing contract with Warner Chapel only to resign with Atlas Publishing when they did those shitty "1/4 Masters" back in 2015. Legally, that's a new catalog with a new publishing contract and if Pre-Dead Ed and his freaky as fuck looking brother names are on the contract they get the dough for them, not your homoerotic fixation Roth. Understand, Soy Boy? This also is happening where the label and the publishing company are the same vibe such as Rhino who has been buying up out-of-print albums and "remastering them" as their own taking in the lion's share of the profits but that too depends upon who owns the songwriting credits in the first place. Mick and filthy Keith own all of the songwriting credits which is why they re-re-remastered their Virgin catalog in 2004 an again in 2009. I'm guessing their first 2004 contract wasn't paying enough. Morrissey remastered the Queen Is Dead in 2017 and didn't have to pay much shit to his songwriting butt buddy Johnny Marr. You see how this works, hippie?

Spotify is also doing this in a more monopolized way but that's a different story

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Originally Posted by Kristy

it's whose name on the publishing contract gets the money, not whom who contributed what to what.

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I had to stop reading at that point, please stop these vicious attacks on the English language.

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Originally Posted by Seshmeister

I had to stop reading at that point, please stop these vicious attacks on the English language.

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And the typing with manhands...

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Originally Posted by Seshmeister

I had to stop reading at that point, please stop these vicious attacks on the English language.

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This, this is why you'll always be a slave. Your profound ignorance and stupidity. By the way, I'm glad your aging rock star was shut out of royalties. From day one Alex and Pre-Dead Ed didn't want him in the band but were nice enough to humor him because he was a rich kid with a PA system. Look at him now, a sad, sad despicable man who sings like he has been throat-fucked by a Cthulhu tentacle and dresses up as Captain Stubing to feed your lust of your homoerotic fantasies you have about him.


Actually, you know what? You're worse than any U2/Coldplay/Dave Matthews Ban fan out there.

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Originally Posted by Kristy

This, this is why you'll always be a slave. Your profound ignorance and stupidity. By the way, I'm glad your aging rock star was shut out of royalties. From day one Alex and Pre-Dead Ed didn't want him in the band but were nice enough to humor him because he was a rich kid with a PA system. Look at him now, a sad, sad despicable man who sings like he has been throat-fucked by a Cthulhu tentacle and dresses up as Captain Stubing to feed your lust of your homoerotic fantasies you have about him.

Actually, you know what? You're worse than any U2/Coldplay/Dave Matthews Ban fan out there.

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No one cares what you think. You know this by now so you are just trolling. Dave's voice, at this point in time, has nothing to do with his body of work. What do you care if we still dig Dave anyway?

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Originally Posted by Kristy

Your profound ignorance and stupidity.

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By the way, the above is an incomplete sentence. Try not to do that when calling someone else ignorant and stupid.

Shut up, Karen

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Originally Posted by ZahZoo

This all seems like some sort of mystical Star Wars saga... what will the surviving aged Jedi masters do to restore justice to the Republic... will the son rise to his father's greatness and bring the evil Sith lord Hagar's rule to an end..?

All this pinned on some form of Hope... for the vaults to set be free to the Galaxy...

Meanwhile, back in Pasadena...

I believe this interview took place a few months before Ed's passing. So Alex's motivations and aspirations may shift significantly with his brother gone. Back to the "Hope" element...

If WB can present a compelling sell on their vault material to the Van Halens... there could be classic live show material making it's way out of storage, plus some of the scraps from the recording sessions pre-1985. There is a compilation release that's pretty much ready to go that got shelved a few years ago based on the Sunset Studio blogs.

If someone organizes a tribute concert for Ed this year and they get Alex & Wolf on-board that could be a catalyst for the VH's to get motivated in sharing the genius of Ed's work and legacy... that's a stretch with a low probability factor.

If Wolfgang comes to the realization that a large part of his interest base and success is tied to his father's legacy and global popularity. A vault release followed by his solo work could be the fuel to launch a life long career in music. That concept shits on the "highly principled" industry cred of not cash grabbing off of his father's death... but he's living in the real world, right now and at some point has to fuel his career.

Final thought... Alex passes away, his kids and wife inherit his interests. They have none of the high falutin musician cred bullshit motivating them and chose to share their dad/husband's legacy. The vaults get opened and the releases flow... or the attorneys get called and the battles follow.

Then there's the tale of Obi Wan Roth... in a galaxy far, far away...

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Oh, to be sure, it seemed foolish on the face of it for the Van Halens NOT to put out a dvd of the glory days/CVH years. Fuck me as to why that never came to pass. Especially when Eddie was slapping his EVH Franky logo on everything from guitars to shoelaces.

I'm not saying I wasn't hoping for such a release.

It's just like...much like, say, Mike Anthony rejoining the band for a final CVH tour...the rumors of that potential scenario started breaking in late 2018. Then, after Ed passed away, Mike confirmed that he was approached with such a scenario around that time that the rumors were breaking. For me, problem was by 2018...really didn't matter much to me anymore if CVH reunited. As a fan, just too much time frittered away...it's been a lot of years since 1996, you know?

Like, so much time wasted that people aren't even buying dvds anymore: there's so much free live cvh bootleg stuff out there just on youtube alone...

Doubtless, one imagines the remaining Van Halens, Roth and Anthony probably have some stuff in their private stash nobody has seen yet. Doesn't do me any good if that stuff remains unreleased in terms of merely knowing it exists.

There never seems to be much to chew on coming out of these interviews. I wish someone would ask Alex if he ever took the time to listen to any Roth solo stuff. Any songs he would have liked to have played on? What did he think of Bissonette? What did he think of Vai compared to Ed?

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Originally Posted by sonrisa salvaje

There never seems to be much to chew on coming out of these interviews. I wish someone would ask Alex if he ever took the time to listen to any Roth solo stuff. Any songs he would have liked to have played on? What did he think of Bissonette? What did he think of Vai compared to Ed?

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I'm pretty sure he thinks it's funny Dave had to get a keyboard player to fill up all the empty space Vai left by not being able to play rhythm and lead, like Ed. :D

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Originally Posted by Von Halen

I'm pretty sure he thinks it's funny Dave had to get a keyboard player to fill up all the empty space Vai left by not being able to play rhythm and lead, like Ed. :D

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And just having a weird tone. I acknowledge that Vai is a great player, but can't sometimes I can't stand what sounds to me like a pithy. wanky tone...

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Originally Posted by Von Halen

I'm pretty sure he thinks it's funny Dave had to get a keyboard player to fill up all the empty space Vai left by not being able to play rhythm and lead, like Ed. :D

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No doubt Von!