New Van Halen debate

[Va Beach VH Fan]

At the core though, I think a key element of the dysfunction is with Edward...

Well, you nailed it with the term "dysfunction", with a capital D, no doubt....

And CC said it best as well with it being such a shame....

Because they (collectively) have done it basically the exact OPPOSITE of how any "normal" entertainer would approach, you know, SUCCESS....

It's fucking remarkable these guys can still make a living considering how much of a fucking soap opera every facet of their profession is....

I mean, think about it....

Basically NO interviews on any kind of a regular basis, unless you're Ed, of course..... Relatively little promotion.... The only media attention they've gotten in the last few years has been anything other than positive, and lately it's been only backstabbing.....

An absolutely LAUGHABLE social media presence....

I guess it's a testament to that incredible music when they still had the energy and the work ethic that allows them to exist to this day..... 'Cause the vast majority of other bands would've been forced to fold up tents and get real jobs a long time ago with the same tumultuous history....

But the problem now is that "machine" is starting to break down.... I'm of the belief that Dave's voice is preventing him from sustaining the "normal" notes for any prolonged period of time, hence the yelping....

Whomever you want to blame for no new music and a half-hearted live album, trotting out there on tour is only going to get you so far, even for Van Halen....

That's why I'm fascinated to see what happens this summer....

[Kristy]

I don't like this Trunk guy. Too Walmart-ish.

[VHscraps]

The school boy errors are most likely due to the lack of any effective management driving the band to take care of the necessary business aspects... productions, interviews, promotion, etc.

At the core though, I think a key element of the dysfunction is with Edward...

As great of a musician that he is... he's never been one to embrace and love performing like most musicians do. There's a deep seeded insecurity that he's had since even the club days. Turning his back to the audience when soloing... creating the stripped paint job so no one would steal his guitar modifications... another big one... Allowing other band members to work outside "his" band... even though it's OK for him to venture out.

While Edward does seem to recognize his musical contributions more so as he's finding his way out of his substance abuse fog... He's still dragging enough bullshit baggage with him to fertilize the Grand Canyon. But he still has a significant issue in sharing his trade openly and happily with the world.

Dave's not much different in a sense... while he used to be much more publicly accessible, that's fallen off significantly. He also can only collaborate musically in top secret private sessions and requires all around him to live for eternity under a cone of silence. He loves entertaining more like most musicians, but sharing a stage outside his "band" literally scares the shit out of him... His comfort zone has wider and deeper motes around him than any other public performer in the business.

It's all such a shame... these guys can put more smiles, get more feet tapping and hips swaying than most bands on the planet. But their mind games almost make the venture too damn hard to get off the ground...

It's a real pity that Edward got control of this band. I don't know if it is insecurity on his part, or megalomania, but the lack of willingness to grant that Van Halen was a collective effort (see the grudging acceptance that DLR is core to the perception of the band in the last interview, for instance), or one that had some historical impact just continues to diminish the legacy.

If the people who guide him in matters of PR - if there is, indeed, any advice about that kind of stuff being offered or listened to - had a sense adventure or history, they might have advertised the tour as more of a celebration. Look at this video for a Stones exhibition NEXT JULY. A full year ahead, and more important, look at how they present the Rolling Stones:

You know what the visuals reminded me of, a bit? The kind of tour books Dave and Pete Angelus put together for the 79, 80, and 81 tours, especially the FW one.

I think VH - or Ed - is so tight that he doesn't like spending money on promotion, but how much effort does it take to do something like that? Hire some video and art guys with some fucking flair - instead of going out and giving divisive interviews to 'promote' the tour.

[chefcraig]

That's why I'm fascinated to see what happens this summer....

[philouze]

I don't like this Trunk guy. Too Walmart-ish.

Eddie Trunk, brought to you by Walmart and White Castle...

[Nitro Express]

I got Eddie in the trunk. Pay up or that mother fucker won't be playing shows this summer.

[chefcraig]

Eddie Trunk, brought to you by Walmart and White Castle...

Plus, mail order my special "Sans-A-Belt-Slacks." Never leave your house again with a fear of your trousers falling down!

Also, try Slippy & Tipsiest Tacos and Bowling. "Eh, You Can't Bowl Worth A Shit In The First Place, Who Cares If Your Hands Are Messy? Buy Our Beer, You Know You Crave It". Free Bingo, Sunday nights starting at 7 PM through 9:15. Then I grab the best bowlers and bingoers and use 'em as an audience, filmed, believe it or not, in the same bowling alley.

And Hagar thinks he's a marketing genius.

Thanx all,
The Trunkster

PS: I have some T shirts, too...

[Kristy]

Well, Trunk is a smug little prick (quite literally) who lives in Classic Rock Land where F A T Spammy is he amusement park main attraction that he tries to sell like a carnival barker. Here I was thinking so many of you cretins never made it out of 1985. Trunk actually lives there.

[Jetstream]

Well, Trunk is a smug little prick (quite literally) who lives in Classic Rock Land where F A T Spammy is he amusement park main attraction that he tries to sell like a carnival barker. Here I was thinking so many of you cretins never made it out of 1985. Trunk actually lives there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sy8ulwexfY

[chefcraig]

Well, Trunk is a smug little prick (quite literally) who lives in Classic Rock Land where F A T Spammy is he amusement park main attraction that he tries to sell like a carnival barker. Here I was thinking so many of you cretins never made it out of 1985. Trunk actually lives there.

I really like Judas Priest and Bad Company. In fact, the drummer and bassist from each helped me push my 1976 El Camino out of the garage and get it started again. The new guy from Alice n Chains filmed the process on his cellphone, and we hope to opt it to either the History or Discovery channel.

We'll call the show Busted Down Rockers & Cars.

[clarathecarrot]

Trunk has to say he likes haggisgar it is the opposite of what most of the rest of the world thinks ..thus people listen and debate trunk ...thus he makes money.

Van Halen is not ACDC so that line of bullshit in this thread is just that....bullshit.

Hey look The Stones are over here ...oh yeah but once again they aren't Van Halen....so .....Bullshit.

You cats got no smarts...probably listen to Alex Jones all day then talk about him like he is some asshole...thus people debate Jones ..thus he makes money..your the asshole....that he makes money off of...

Ed talks people debate Ed and the band make money....any press is good press...but bad is better baby!!!!!!

Get with the program people get a clue.....Oh and buy a ticket to VH and see a show....a good time will be had by all.

Peace Out, You Homos!!!

[chefcraig]

Oh, terrific. The thoughts of Elvis have returned, in a disembodied, somewhat fractured form.

To celebrate, I'm going to let off some premature fireworks in my driveway, microwave a Cup 'O' Noodles, then make a giant toast with that gallon box of wine I got on sale today at Publix with free corn chips.

First person to shoot me gets my lawnmower.

[Terry]

It's not just age.

Compare them to AC/DC who are the same age in fact Brian Johnson is 7 years older.

Like Roth Johnson doesn't hang with the rest of the band in between tours and recording but they look like a team. Eddie coming out with that he doesn't love me shit about Roth is fucking idiotic. It breaks the suspension of disbelief wide open, a rock gig like that is a party and if you know the people don't like each other its not good. What the fuck good result could come from that? Same x10 for the Anthony comments, what possible good could come from that? He's only doing the interview to try and sell tickets so why give lots of comments which do the exact opposite?

Also worth pointing out that Angus Young and co seem to put a lot more into their shows physically, put more into the productions, give more interviews, fan feedback, promotion and on and on in other words it's not about age it's just more failin' of Van Halen, a band who still even in their 60s constantly make schoolboy errors and these days give it about 60% effort.

Well, even putting the AC/DC comparison to one side, frankly none of the back and forth between current and former members of Van Halen in the press since 1985 has been particularly helpful to either the group or fans of the group. While Roth was once (and, I presume, still is) capable of giving humorous and entertaining interviews, pretty much anything EVH has had to say in print has always been peppered with comments that betray a lack of graciousness. This is hardly a recent thing, either. Even when Ed is giving interviews about his gear, with every new EVH model guitar or amp he puts out with a new company Ed always sees fit to trash the previous company he worked with.

So, yeah, the often half-assed sense of effort the Van Halens have put on display re: their various undertakings over the last decade probably does betray a somewhat "why bother trying too hard?" mentality to a degree, but I seriously think these guys are just too old to cut the mustard in terms of energy and effectiveness now.

[clarathecarrot]

Is it a riding mower ??? I have been looking...


I could probably estimate the trajectory from KC to FL..and just let one fly due to the earths rotation some declination issues....I will try to hit you on the top of the head.

If I only had a rifle...or one of those SCUD missles.....ahh to much collateral.....perhaps hot wire one of these Kansas Silos....they got the nukes in em..ya know.

But then who wants a radio actice lawn mower....ok, to many variable....never mind but thanks,

[Terry]

The school boy errors are most likely due to the lack of any effective management driving the band to take care of the necessary business aspects... productions, interviews, promotion, etc.

At the core though, I think a key element of the dysfunction is with Edward...

As great of a musician that he is... he's never been one to embrace and love performing like most musicians do. There's a deep seeded insecurity that he's had since even the club days. Turning his back to the audience when soloing... creating the stripped paint job so no one would steal his guitar modifications... another big one... Allowing other band members to work outside "his" band... even though it's OK for him to venture out.

While Edward does seem to recognize his musical contributions more so as he's finding his way out of his substance abuse fog... He's still dragging enough bullshit baggage with him to fertilize the Grand Canyon. But he still has a significant issue in sharing his trade openly and happily with the world.

Dave's not much different in a sense... while he used to be much more publicly accessible, that's fallen off significantly. He also can only collaborate musically in top secret private sessions and requires all around him to live for eternity under a cone of silence. He loves entertaining more like most musicians, but sharing a stage outside his "band" literally scares the shit out of him... His comfort zone has wider and deeper motes around him than any other public performer in the business.

It's all such a shame... these guys can put more smiles, get more feet tapping and hips swaying than most bands on the planet. But their mind games almost make the venture too damn hard to get off the ground...

Well, as the years have wound on, Ed and Dave pretty much come across as having the cocooned or bunker mentality at times.

Maybe that's just how some people deal with fame and success. I mean, those two guys have been told they were the shit for the last 40 years or so. Dave seems to, at times, have a firmer grip on reality than Edward. I mean, how badly did Van Halen have to tank post-1996 before Ed woke up to the realization of what fans of the band wanted to see? Pretty fucking badly, and Ed looked like he was going to drop dead at any moment from 2001 to late 2006. The guy looked like a fucking hobo. Someone who lets themselves go THAT fucking bad for that many years clearly has several screws loose. And Dave came across just as screwy when he was touring with Hagar in terms of appearance and attitude, like he still thought it was 1985 or some such nonsense.