Billy Sheehan: any question

[78/84 guy]

Got it. I just wasn't clear what you meant.

I mean, the whole Mike Anthony thing is just a case of what CVH fans want apparently doesn't line up with how Eddie has valued Mike's contribution to the band going back a long way. Even as far back as 1982 in an off-the-record interview where Eddie said that at least Roth pulls his own weight within the band, unlike Anthony. It took decades for the audio of that interview to be released, but when it finally was it made a lot of sense when put into context of Ed's more recent public comments regarding Mike's bass playing (where Eddie claims he had to literally show Mike what to play - a bullshit claim which nobody outside of Eddie actually believes) and Mike's background vocals (where Eddie claims that in fact Eddie's background voice was more responsible for the signature CVH background vocal sound than Mike's had been - another bullshit claim which nobody with a pair of functioning ears actually believes). Combine that with Eddie making sure Mike's royalty percentage on the publishing was adjusted downward over the years (in conjunction with the claim that Mike didn't provide much in the way of actually writing any of the Van Halen music, which I'd tend to think is more than a bit plausible) down the line to not even wanting Anthony on the 2004 tour, nor wanting Anthony to play on the Van Halen III album or the BOBW tracks...and all sorts of rumors of Eddie playing bass on various Van Halen albums going back as far as Fair Warning...the upshot of all of it being that Eddie Van Halen doesn't think much of Mike Anthony. Not even close to as much as the fans who want to see Anthony back in the band do.

I think it's also safe to surmise that had Wolfgang not joined the band in 2006, it's just as likely than not that what the band has managed to do with Roth in the last ten years may well not have happened. I mean, Ed was a fucking wreck for a good chunk of the early and mid 2000s. He looked like he had given up any semblance of cleaning up, getting sober and getting his act together. Even as recently as late 2006, his NAMM appearance displayed him in a semi-coherent condition, not really able to play up to par. From appearances, he got a buff-and-shine rehab detox treatment in early 2007 (which I tend to think was conditional on the part of promoters before they agreed to even book another Van Halen tour - Roth or not - after what happened in 2004: even the word of Azoff alone wasn't going to be enough to convince moneyed promoters Ed would be in a condition to play: Eddie had to SHOW the public he was sober before any guarantees for live appearances would be given). The 2007 leg of the Roth reunion tour started off strong. Lest we forget, Eddie relapsed on that tour after a few months. The explanations of "diverticulitis" and "arthritis" were provided for his condition. Perhaps both of these were true. However, when I saw them in Tampa in 2008, I could practically smell the booze and see it sweating off of his pores on the Jumbotron. He passably held it together for the first 6 tunes. Slowly but steadily, Eddie unraveled at that gig. The two most telling moments for me were the ending of Little Guitars, where Eddie is performing his fingerpicked outro: Roth was standing next to him onstage, and Eddie meekly fumbles through the outro, then rests his head on Roth's shoulder while Roth looks at the audience with an expression that was as much an admission of Eddie's condition as it was an apology for the audience who had paid not unsubstantial ticket prices to see it. The other was Ed's solo spot near the end of the show, where you could literally see in 30 foot tall digital clarity that Ed couldn't coordinate his picking and his fretting and the whole spot dissolved into this whammy bar feedback wanking that literally left the audience silently asking themselves: what is going on with Eddie Van Halen? Keeping in mind that by the time the Tampa 2008 show took place the band had been on the road for 6 months (so this wasn't a case of early tour jitters) and this wasn't an isolated incident.

Eventually, Eddie got his act together. And I think one of the prime motivating reasons for it was the love he has for playing music with his son. I honestly get the feeling that Eddie is fairly indifferent to performing with Mike Anthony because there's no respect or love there on Eddie's part. Eddie has treated Anthony like a worthless employee who brought virtually nothing to the band, piggybacked to fame and fortune on the coattails of what Eddie did, then stabbed Eddie in the back for preserving a friendship with Sammy Hagar and not attending Eddie's mother's funeral. Anthony's touring percentage was whittled down, his image at one point was erased from an online representation of Van Halen's first album...I mean, Anthony publicly has taken the high road about all of this. All I can figure is that by the time the 2004 was over, Anthony finally reached the point where he had enough of dealing with Eddie Van Halen, and going forward from that Anthony sees no upside in trashing Eddie publicly: Anthony is financially solvent, he plays with people who appreciate him being onstage with them, and Anthony isn't looking to go back to a diminished percentage role with the Van Halens and be treated like a parasitic subordinate by Eddie Van Halen.

And, really, why the fuck SHOULD Anthony go back to Van Halen at this point? Beyond the mere reason that fans would like to see it? I mean, nobody in Van Halen has Mike Anthony's back. Not Roth, not Alex and definitely not Eddie. Mike has had no relationship with Roth to speak of (and admittedly that relationship was never all that close even when they were both in Van Halen) for decades. Alex does what his brother wants, and his brother has no use for Mike. Were I Mike, if the Van Halens approached me for performing on a one-time reunion tour, I'd say "Okay. I get 25% of the split, non-negotiable": if you're going to be onstage with three other people who are at best apathetic to your presence and participation, but your participation is part and parcel of the value of whatever a CVH Reunion/Farewell tour would be at this point, you may as well get paid what you are worth.

For Anthony to agree to anything less than that makes him nothing more than the doormat the Van Halens have treated him like for decades now. I mean, if Anthony would want to agree to anything less than that and continue to be Eddie's bitch, I suppose it is hard to break free of relationship roles. I also think Anthony honestly would be willing to take a pay cut out of genuine concern "for the fans"...but I hope he doesn't. I hope if such a scenario comes to pass Anthony displays a set of balls...

I mean, it's all moot and academic anyway at this point. Even with Anthony aboard, Van Halen are too old to cut the mustard - or even lick the knife - regardless of who is singing with them or playing bass for them. The idea that if only somehow the planets harmonically converge, all the fruit in the slot machine lines up and we actually GET the CVH reunion we have wanted and that will somehow make the band sound substantially better than they have over the last ten years...nope.

I disagree that they couldn't sound great again. Bottom line is the 3 players in the band were very good the last 2 tours as a unit. It's been Roth's mediocre vocals that have brought the performances down. He is fine on one song then butchers the next 2. Mike's background vocals would help out. Wolf can sing o.k. but doesn't have Mike's high range. I think this would benefit Dave. But yeah he would need to get his own shit together first like in 07. Or at least close to that. He needs to do that regardless of if he stays in Van Halen if he plans on hitting a stage again. Mike already said he would go back. He's mostly refurring to the duel singer type tour though. It's a business for these guys at this point. They don't need to get along to hit a stage together. The cash is way too much to pass up. But I don't se it happening with Wolf around. As long as he wants to play bass for V.H. the gig is his. If he says I'm out who's to say Ed will even want to tour again without him ? If we get a 40th anniversary tour my bet is on the same version we got the last 3 tours. I'd go this time because I think that will be it.

[Nickdfresh]

Roth's mediocre vocals may be more to do with being sick and still fucking inexplicably SMOKING FUCKING CIGARETTES like a retard rather than a rapid decline with age. He's never going to how and yelp on Running With the Devil like he's 21 again, but his vocal style should adapt well with age....