Eric Martin of Mr. Big Fame and Michael Anthony speak on Ed auditioning Eric for the band when Roth left.
ENTER ERIC MARTIN
(the Inside Interview with Michael Anthony)
The Inside: Before Sammy joined the band in 1985, there was a rumor that you guys were considering Eric Martin from Mr. Big. Is this true?
MA: Eric's name had come up, but nothing really happened. We even discussed others like Jimmy Barnes and some people thought Patti Smyth. A lot of this was just kicking around names but we weren't serious about it.
(Eric Martin Interview)
Something I also wanted to ask you about… I think the time was about 1986 and just before you hooked up with Mr. Big, I think you were between gigs and actually auditioned for Van Halen.
I remember reading something from Sammy Hagar saying you were getting off the plane and he was getting on the plane and you crossed each other on the way and on the way back from auditions or something. I just found that really a funny thing to hear.
It was kind of a trip, but when I talk about it now people will go, "Why didn't you do it?" Basically, I chickened out.
What?
Yeah, I'm probably going to get in trouble for this. It was probably '86 or '87, I got a phone call from Danny Kortchmar saying he ran into Eddie Van Halen on the Letterman show.
I've got a video clip of Eddie on that Letterman show, isn't that funny.
Yeah, and he was sitting in with the band or something and Kooch, Danny Kortchmar 's nickname, Kooch called me up and said Eddie was talking about getting a new lead singer for the band and I was going, "David Lee Roth is out?" - you know, I was so not hip, and he goes, "yeah, and I gave him your record and he's going to be giving you a call in a couple days." And I'm going, "you're kidding?" I never left the house.
No, you wouldn't would you?!
Yeah, for about 3 days and I'm going… I remember at that time I was doing a lot of demos with Jonathan Cain and I'm telling Jonathan, "Eddie Van Halen is going to give me a call," and he's going, "Yeah, yeah, sure whatever." And I go, "No, no, no," and then so he gave me a call, and I recorded it.
Oh really? You recorded the call?
Oh hell ya! <laughs> I'm a fan, you know! I knew what he was calling for, if it didn't work out, I'm a fan dude. I had a tape recorder and one of those suction cup things you put on the telephone.
Guess how I'm recording this right now?...
He calls up and his voice is totally different. He goes, "Hey this is Edward Van Halen"… my voice when I listen to the tape is all, "Hey man, cool man'" you know. And he goes, "Kooch gave me your record and I've got to tell you, I don't like your record, but I love your voice." And I'm going, "OK" - the record had just come out and I'm excited about it and we're going on tour with Eddie Money or something at the time.
Oh Eddie Money, what a character.
Totally. And so here he's talking to me and he says he wants me to come down to L.A. and come and audition, and I'm going, "You're shitting me."
I was saying, "Are you sure you want me? I can't fill David Lee Roth's shoes." He said, "I don't want a David Lee Roth, I want a soulful rock singer. I want a Paul Rodgers type of guy," and I was like, "Cool, OK."
So I went to L.A., and at that time it was with, I think it was around the time with Neal because we were doing something for… I ran into him for some kind of thing, it could've been for Teachers but it could've been for Iron Eagle, because we had a song in that movie called, "The Eyes of the World". When I went down there I was staying at another Australian's house, a guy named Don Grearson.
Oh, I've heard that name.
He's the head of A&R for Capital.
Sure, OK.
And then he went on to Epic and he's doing other things, so I'm at his house and it's a really rainy day and Eddie's telling me how to get to his house in Cold Water Canyon and I go to his house and go through the gate, big pool, nobody's there, I'm kind of looking for Valerie Bertinelli, nobody's there, I go to 5150...we talked a little bit and he's playing and we're talking, "Hey, what do you think of this, what do you think of that," and a really good friend of mine who worked for Eddie at the time and worked for the Eric Martin Band his name is Zeke Clark, and Zeke is there, and I just sort of chickened out.
I couldn't say anything, I couldn't do anything, and I went back and he goes, "Do you want to come over again, and maybe we can do something?" and I went, "I've got things to do, but I'll try to make it up next weekend." I just blew it.
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Originally Posted by wiseguy
