Noel Monk book out 13th June

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Dave just responded to the book, and yes, Dave being Dave:

(can't embed)

"In anticipation of inevitable inquiries & questions posed to David Lee Roth in regard to the publication of this “book”..."

"Mr. Roth’s responses are as follows:
Answer No. 1: Yes
Answer No. 2: Probably
Answer No. 3: My lawyer says I can't remember."

"Final response: What a long great trip it's been, stay frosty."

[Seshmeister]

His first tweet(s) in 9 months.

[Seshmeister]

Jeez Twitter No!

[Terry]

Make...Roth...Great...Again...

Bigly yuge!

[Terry]

Love this quote!

ultimateclassicrock.com/noel-monk-van-halen-book-interview/

What were your thoughts when they brought Sammy Hagar into the band?

I didn’t give a s—. Van Halen was over. They brought Cherone in — What did I think? Nothing. This is not Van Halen; this is Van Cherone. This is Van Hagar. But without Edward and David, and I gotta press this point, there is no Van Halen. You cannot take the two seminal people who created that band and take one of them away. And right now, this guy Hagar [Laughs] is trying so hard to be Van Halen, he’ll even split it with David. It’s unbelievable! He will give up anything to have his legacy that he’s “a real Van Halen.” Give me a f—in’ break.

That's really the essence of Hagar's whole "let's get me and Dave both touring with Van Halen on the same stage" nonsense as of late.

It's Hagar, despite his public bluster, knowing deep down that the majority consensus is he is merely "the guy who tried to replace David Lee Roth"...and that the Van Halen [Hagar] was in sold less than half the records the original Van Halen did.

So a Roth/Hagar co-headlining tour would somehow give a degree of legitimacy to Hagar's notion that he was somehow as important to the band as Roth was. Or that Van Hagar's musical output was on the same level of CVH's. The truth of the matter is that by the time Roth left in 1985, Van Halen were already successful to the point where any number of then-name rock singers could have stepped in and produced commercial results similar to what the band did with Hagar.

I mean, at this point a co-headlining tour probably would be more financially viable than another Van Halen Mach 4 tour or a Van Hagar tour, but that has more to do with the age of the band and the sense of things winding down at this point than anything else: every time these guys tour these days, it is potentially the last time you'll have to see them. Admittedly, there probably are more than a few people out there who liked Van Hagar and would like to hear those songs played again. However, Sammy has had a longtime habit of overstating what the version of Van Halen he was in did in simple, factual commercial terms: if the truth about that stuff had been good enough for him from the beginning, he wouldn't have had to have lied about all that stuff from day one.

[Seshmeister]

Roth would be absolutely crazy to do it unless he is hurting for money which I don't believe he is.

[Terry]

Roth would be absolutely crazy to do it unless he is hurting for money which I don't believe he is.

Roth wasn't above pairing up with Hagar 15 years ago to ignite some controversy and hype and help revitalize interest in Roth as a solo act. Even with that, though, Roth was careful not to take the stage with Hagar. When it came RnRHoF time, once the Van Halens decided not to attend, Roth also in the end decided not to show. As to if the Van Halens requested Roth not to go, or if it was the result of Roth being told by the RnRHoF organizers that Roth couldn't perform the song he wanted to (Jump) with Velvet Revolver and being treated like supplicant at his own induction (can you imagine, btw, the absurdity of that from Roth's perspective? Roth is being dictated to by Velvet Revolver in terms of song selections for a proposed performance to highlight an honor that is being given to Van Halen?!?), in the end Roth was better served by not having attended when one considers how pathetic Velvet Revolver's performance was and how lame Hagar and Anthony came across being the only ones who showed up, subsequently having to perform an under rehearsed tune with Paul Schaefer's house band. Would Roth really wanted to have been associated with any of THAT?

I think ultimately it is as Roth has always said, in that he believes Sammy Hagar is at best an average talent. When the rest of Van Halen tapped Hagar to be their new lead singer, that was their problem, not Dave's. It was one thing for Roth to hit the road with Hagar in 2002 as a combined solo acts tour, but quite another to share a stage with Hagar fronting Van Halen. History tends to remember best what one does last. Van Halen can safely be said to have entered their sunset years: better to depart the arena with some sense of dignity and respect for what CVH accomplished intact than to make your Swan Song stacking up CVH tunes alongside Sam Halen swill. Some things are worth more than money, like self-respect.

[vandeleur]

Some things are worth more than money, like self-respect.

Not sure any one involved with van halen can ever lay claim to thinking that

[DavidLeeNatra]

What I really don't get at all is that anyone with a clear mind would expect a Hagar reunion with MA on bass or whohaveyou to be a success. We HAD that tour in 2004! It was a debacle overall.

I can't think of a promoter wanting to get in touch with that with a ten feet pole. That's why the three twin sisters sucked it up biiiiiig time and went with Dave.

[FORD]

You have to wonder if it was Hagar himself, or the embarrassing cheese ballads which made Eddie into a complete trainwreck on that 2004 tour. Van HALEN is timeless rock n roll. Van Hagar was corporate trendy synth pop crap, commercially well designed for the time it was released, but sounds as bad on the radio today as any Poison or Culture Club record does. And Eddie has to know that as well as we do. I honestly don't think he ever wants to play those songs again. And who could blame him. There's a reason the Stones don't play much from "Their Satanic Majesties Request" or that mid-80s period where they were close to killing each other. Probably embarrassed by it......

[Va Beach VH Fan]

What I really don't get at all is that anyone with a clear mind would expect a Hagar reunion with MA on bass or whohaveyou to be a success. We HAD that tour in 2004! It was a debacle overall.

I can't think of a promoter wanting to get in touch with that with a ten feet pole. That's why the three twin sisters sucked it up biiiiiig time and went with Dave.

I disagree, somewhat....

No, I don't think any variation of DLR/SH/MA/WVH will be regularly selling out barns/ampitheaters nowadays.... I think the novelty has worn off.... They will still make money off that tour, but it won't be a rousing success.....

But where I disagree is the Van Hagar aspect of retouring.... Nowadays, there's a certain segment of the concert-going public that would most definitely go, even if it's just to sit back in the lawn and have a few beers..... I'm referring to the 40'ish men and women who want to hear those cheesy ballads that FORD referenced....

So again, not going a big seller in any variation, but this is most likely Van Hagar's nostalgia opportunity....

The more I think of it, I'm hoping DLR doesn't sign up....

[DavidLeeNatra]

I disagree, somewhat....

No, I don't think any variation of DLR/SH/MA/WVH will be regularly selling out barns/ampitheaters nowadays.... I think the novelty has worn off.... They will still make money off that tour, but it won't be a rousing success.....

But where I disagree is the Van Hagar aspect of retouring.... Nowadays, there's a certain segment of the concert-going public that would most definitely go, even if it's just to sit back in the lawn and have a few beers..... I'm referring to the 40'ish men and women who want to hear those cheesy ballads that FORD referenced....

So again, not going a big seller in any variation, but this is most likely Van Hagar's nostalgia opportunity....

The more I think of it, I'm hoping DLR doesn't sign up....

I was referring to a strict Van Hagar Linup. An "all-star"-Line up would be a huge success!

[Va Beach VH Fan]

I was referring to a strict Van Hagar Linup. An "all-star"-Line up would be a huge success!

They would make a profit with a Van Hagar lineup, but nothing close to sellouts except in select locations.....

I honestly don't think the All-Star lineup would be that much more successful.... A bit more, that's it......

[DavidLeeNatra]

They would make a profit with a Van Hagar lineup, but nothing close to sellouts except in select locations.....

I honestly don't think the All-Star lineup would be that much more successful.... A bit more, that's it......

The all-star line up brings back the old Nescar Rothism...people would show up half for the race...the other half to see the crash! It would be huge...a huge circus.

[DLR Bridge]

I'm enjoying the book. Feeling confident the majority of it is rooted in truth with mild embellishments here and there. Just finished reading about the "No Problems" tour of South America '83. Proclamations like, "the guys did not speak a word of Spanish" ring odd after knowing how Dave held his own quite well with all of his in between song banter we've heard on recordings. I'm sure more pressing issues will be debated by the band members, should they be called out on anything from the book in an interview.