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That has the potential to be an interesting read, considering Monk is the top-billed author.Scramby eggs and bacon. -
The down and dirty truth... Meh, it's probably nowhere near as interesting as we all thought it was. But I guess we'll have to wait to find out.American by birth. Southern by the grace of God.
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Eat Us And Smile - The Originals
"I have a very belligerent enthusiasm or an enthusiastic belligerence. I’m an intellectual slut." - David Lee Roth
"We are part of the, not just the culture, but the geography. Van Halen music goes along with like fries with the burger." - David Lee RothComment
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About the Book
Noel Monk, the manager who shepherded Van Halen from obscurity to one the biggest selling rock groups of all-time, goes behind the scenes to divulge the full story of David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, and the band that changed rock music.
In the early 80s, Van Halen was the biggest rock band in the world, and by 1984 - when they released their massively bestselling album of the same name they had become the biggest band, period. By any standard, their rise was one of the most thrilling the rock world had ever seen-their mythos an epic party, a sweaty, sexy, never-ending rock extravaganza. And during this unparalleled run of success, debauchery, and drama no one was closer to the band than their seasoned manager, Noel Monk, a man who'd worked with some of rock music's biggest and most notorious names before signing on in 1978 to help a budding band from Pasadena, California come of age. Serving as their tour manger first, and later becoming their personal manager, Monk stayed with them until 1985, when both he and David Lee Roth exited the band amidst controversy, backstabbing, and disappointment.
Now for the first time, Monk shares his side of the famous band's meteoric rise and abrupt halt, both of which left rock music forever changed. During his time behind the scenes, Monk saw it all and lived to tell, as he watched and helped the band grow from nervous amateurs anxious to take the stage to seasoned veterans of the rock scene who commanded arenas. Lifting back the curtain on one of the great untold stories of rock music, Monk shares the most outrageous escapades from his time as confidant, fixer, friend, and promoter-from the band's most sensational behavior on the road to Eddie's courtship and high profile wedding to Valerie Bertinelli to the incredible drug use which would ultimately lead to everyone's demise. Offering a detailed portrait of Eddie Van Halen through never before told stories, Monk reveals the unique combination of talent, vision, hardship, and naivet that shaped one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time, but also left him and his brother especially vulnerable to the trappings and failings of fame.
With biases, egos, and legend clouding many of the Van Halen stories reported to date, this is a tale that only Monk can tell, one that builds on the myth of Van Halen like never before, while also embracing the difficult and dark realities of one of rock's most infamous bands. Messy, entertaining, and most of all fun, RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL is classic lore from rock heaven from one of the few people who was there-on the road with the band, day in and day out. Complete with dozens of neverbeforeseen photographs from Monk's vaults of images, files, tapes, and other artifacts, RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL is a delicious, yet balanced inside account of one of the most successful, talented, and wild and bands of all time.Eat Us And Smile - The Originals
"I have a very belligerent enthusiasm or an enthusiastic belligerence. I’m an intellectual slut." - David Lee Roth
"We are part of the, not just the culture, but the geography. Van Halen music goes along with like fries with the burger." - David Lee RothComment
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The subtitle at one point was "...behind the rise of Van Halen." I wonder if a little birdy chirped in his ear, "Really dude? Change that word."Comment
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I still tend to think it would have a few interesting tales, if only because Monk did work closely with the band for the CVH years and was in a position to have actually been privy to the behind-the-scenes stuff.Scramby eggs and bacon.Comment
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I'm most interested in the '85 split, so hopefully he'll have something new to add there as I feel we've never heard the entirety of what really happened (and probably never will).
Speaking of clusterfucks, isn't the 20th anniversary of the infamous MTV VMAs sometime in the next couple of days or so?Comment
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I think the best overview of what happened with the split is the combination of these two articles....
Greg wrote this one -
But also read this one about Pete Angelus:
Why I listed both is because Greg wrote his article BEFORE the MTV interview with Angelus....
And it's the Angelus statement that the band had agreed to take a year off that makes me scratch my head.... They "shouldn't" have had a problem with DLR's movie ambitions if they were all going to take a year off, although it's quite possible that EVH/AVH just said fuck it and fired DLR.....Eat Us And Smile - The Originals
"I have a very belligerent enthusiasm or an enthusiastic belligerence. I’m an intellectual slut." - David Lee Roth
"We are part of the, not just the culture, but the geography. Van Halen music goes along with like fries with the burger." - David Lee RothComment
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I picture the conversation with the Van Halens wanting to slow down and do fewer but bigger shows and Roth suggesting they just take a year/a long break off instead and they say fine.
A while later when they sit down and think about it they decide that they have been stitched up, left to sit around while Dave builds his solo career up for a year making him more powerful.Comment
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The thing is, by the time 1985 rolled around, Ed had already guested on Michael Jackson's Beat It, played on an album with Brian May and various other guest player one-offs. It's hard to imagine Roth doing his solo ep as being something the Van Halens would have problems with, unless it was the fact that the ep and the videos turned out to be as successful as they were.
I can see the Van Halens by 1985 being tired of being told what to do by Ted Templeman, Noel Monk and being tired of Roth. By all accounts, Roth and the Van Halens were never all that friendly, and Eddie never really respected Dave as a singer. The tensions were there for years, but when they reached that career peak with 1984, it wouldn't be surprising to find out that the Van Halens had enough of being managed by others. Including Dave.
Like, what they had as a unit worked when they were all on the same page musically and on their way up, to the point where it overshadowed their personal differences. Once they made it, though, I'm sure Ed started questioning why he should have to be playing as many covers on Diver Down as he did, or having to fight to get a tune like Jump recorded. And apparently Dave wasn't too thrilled with Jump. Or I'll Wait. And wasn't thrilled with the music coming out of the rehearsals that ended up being the template for what eventually became 5150.
Once the musical chemistry was no longer working, I'm sure the personal differences slowly became more and more unbearable.Scramby eggs and bacon.Comment
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The only other person who might have been witness might be Ted Templeman. I'm not sure at what point the band was in recording their next album at the time Dave left the band, but it's possible the producer might have been up at Howdy Doody Mountain.
There must be a reason Ted went with Dave, and would only work with Van Hagar on F.U.C.K. which wouldn't be for another 6 years or so. And wouldn't come back to work with the reunited band in 2012, for that matter.Eat Us And Smile
Cenk For America 2024!!
Justice Democrats
"If the American people had ever known the truth about what we (the BCE) have done to this nation, we would be chased down in the streets and lynched." - Poppy Bush, 1992Comment
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