rustoffa
01-25-2005, 08:57 PM
We pick this back up as the interviewer points out that alot of people have had strange reactions to the keyboards on "Jump".....
STAR: A lot of people have had strange reactions to that.
DAVID: Yes, it is funny. Well, once you cast adrift and they don't have any frame or reference to deal with, like a familiar guitar sound or a specific vocal trick that somebody will do, then they are lost. you know, they can't plug in right away. You know, what does it sound like? They don't know. This is very different for us, obviously. Edward played the keyboards himself. We do it live onstage exactly as is-it sounds much better onstage because of the big bass sound. It is not lickety-split guitar, but still it is Van Halen to the max!
First and foremost, Dave admits "Jump" is very different for the group. "Obviously," he smiles.
"Edward played the keyboards himself. We do it live on stage exactly as is sounds much better than the record on stage because of the bass sound and the big sound. But still it is Van Halen to the max. It's just that it's different. It's not lickety-split guitar. It's not that kind of thing that is a distinct melody. It's just something we came up with then to just sit down and dream up. Something that's going to be 'Let's sound like this, or let's sound like that, or let's use this instrument .' We're really not interested in creating records that are commercial to sell."
Dave continues, "The whole thing behind Van Halen is that as long as we have a job every year, we get to go travel around and play. We make our music and if they play it on the radio-that's nice. But like, 'Jump'-it's over four minutes long. That's a minute to a minute and a half too long for a commercial record. Then the record company always complains, No, no, the cover is ot commercial enough. No, no, what are all these songs??? We need some hits. We can't sell the record!' So we (Van Halen) make all our money just off of touring. So I say, 'Just play me on the radio or at the video arcade and I'll see you at the Garden!' And David laughs.
He makes it sound so easy. Yet Dave has written all of the lyrics for Van Halen music. "And it's not poetry," he emphasizes. "It's more like some sort of an ongoing monologue. The whole record is. In fact, my whole career is!" And David roars again.
"An on-going monologue that sometimes is a diatribe, and sometimes is a benediction, and at times is a celebration, but most of the times, it is a toast . I'm happy. So it comes out like that.
Does't "Jump" sound a bit like the Shangri-La's girl group classic, "Tonight's The Night?" "It is quite possible that there is something rolling around in my brain that came out," Dave Roth says. "You know, that happens frequently. You'll write something down or record something and then weeks (or months!) later, somebody will tell you where it came from. Or you realize it yourself. And speaking about the ShangriLa's, that's one of the reasons why I say it, beacause that is quite possible. Somebody recently asked me, 'How many songs have we done as cover versions from around the 1964 time period?'
"And I've always been the one who chooses the cover versions of what we do. I chose them when we were playing in the bars way back when, and it never occured to me , 'Oh yeah, it all came down from "Dancin' in the street," and it's All "You really got me" ' and the girl groups -same time period. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that's something that was the single most important time of my life as far as my musical development. If I even have any!" David pauses for a moment and laughs heartily.
"But right at that whaole time period is when I first started buying records. When I first started becoming an official consumer. I mean, listening to the radio where I knew the DJ's names, and I knew what time they came onand I would call up and try to to win the contest, you know?
"I still remember the jimngles. And that has long since passed, you know, as far as time. I started listening to music and stuff long before the underground radio phase came along. That seems where our generation first was listening. I started listening to radio the last time that format was really hip. You know, the fast talking and screaming.
"And now the fast talking, scareaming DJ, on AM is back. You know the fast talking format. Or the format talked all the way through the music intro before the singer starts. Hey, that's a talent, man, you know. Like now, it is the biggest thing going. Even in LA we have three or four stations like that. And I'm sure you have three or four here (on the East Coast). It's a constant beat. It's 130 beats a minute. Just boom, boom, boom."
David sits back, closes his eyes and sighs. He seems a bit weary from the breaks between recording, interviewing, and touring; interviewing and touring again.
"You know, to percieve of supporting an empire such as Van Halen seems a real resposibility. But it's really more like a joy ride. You know, when you have an entrepreneur. You know, a group of people like guitar roadies and drum roadies and lead singer microphone roadies.. We have many roadies. And it's like a whole different society Sometimes I say it's like the foreign legion, and it is. You know, you've got your own police force. You've got the security team. And then you've got the soundtrack. You've got every department of society that is represented in a traveling group. It's like being a gypsy."
David stops and smiles, "You know, I always make fun of other bands. It's a fact that when Van Halen first started out, we first opened for Journey. In fact they were the first act that we ever opened for on any kind of a national tour with our first record. And when you first start out on the road like that, then you're very competitive. You're like trying to make your mark, you know. And the first people that you try and gun down is the guy who is top billed on your very first rookie show. That's the only reason I make fun of Journey, and go after them. I go after everybody. But I perceive a lot of this as professional wrestling. You know, Andre the Giant versus the Samoans. You know, a no-holds-barred match inside of cages."
"That's because I don't take this all that seriously as I might, or as I should. I go after Journey in particular because they seem to take it pretty seriously. And when I read their interviews and stuff, their manager Herbie does alot of talking about how he put the band together and he taught them how to sing, and he told them what to wear, and they had group encounter sessions. I don't know whether they touch each others foreheads, or get a vibe on it. Maybe they've got STP, or ESP, I don't know. So I go after that." David breaks and laughs.
"The age old saying is "If it sounds good, it is good.' And some of Journey's stuff sounds good to my ears. I like some of it. Others of it I don't like. The same with any tape that is on my desk right now. As far as corporate maneuver, that's one way to approach it; but if the person in front of the stage digs it, then mission accomplished. God bless you. Here is a Mercedes. Like that." And Dave chuckles again, loud and resonant.
"But back to responsibility...we're paid much better now...and all of our work is quality controlled. Everyone participates in Van Halen. We operate now like a big gang. But we don't really operate. Everybody is covering everybody's back. There is no one boss, and then everybody works for you. You know, they don't perceive it like that, 'cause then you start becoming isolated, and then you start getting out of fashion. You start not being current. You know? You get isolated living in your own little tree house and the world below you is changing constantly"
"Looking backwards, and looking ahead, I just want to go on and on. You hear our music changing already. You can be singing and dancing until your 90 years old. George Burns is on cable now five times a night, you know, doing his shake. How old is he, 88? And he didn't even start until he was 79. James Brown is still doing the triple spin with the splits and catching the mike right on time and he is 58. He can just go on and on. I'm not afraid I'll ever get too old to rock and roll."
The above was an interview transposed rather poorly from a "Starbook" published by Sharon publications, Inc.
Copyright©1984
STAR: A lot of people have had strange reactions to that.
DAVID: Yes, it is funny. Well, once you cast adrift and they don't have any frame or reference to deal with, like a familiar guitar sound or a specific vocal trick that somebody will do, then they are lost. you know, they can't plug in right away. You know, what does it sound like? They don't know. This is very different for us, obviously. Edward played the keyboards himself. We do it live onstage exactly as is-it sounds much better onstage because of the big bass sound. It is not lickety-split guitar, but still it is Van Halen to the max!
First and foremost, Dave admits "Jump" is very different for the group. "Obviously," he smiles.
"Edward played the keyboards himself. We do it live on stage exactly as is sounds much better than the record on stage because of the bass sound and the big sound. But still it is Van Halen to the max. It's just that it's different. It's not lickety-split guitar. It's not that kind of thing that is a distinct melody. It's just something we came up with then to just sit down and dream up. Something that's going to be 'Let's sound like this, or let's sound like that, or let's use this instrument .' We're really not interested in creating records that are commercial to sell."
Dave continues, "The whole thing behind Van Halen is that as long as we have a job every year, we get to go travel around and play. We make our music and if they play it on the radio-that's nice. But like, 'Jump'-it's over four minutes long. That's a minute to a minute and a half too long for a commercial record. Then the record company always complains, No, no, the cover is ot commercial enough. No, no, what are all these songs??? We need some hits. We can't sell the record!' So we (Van Halen) make all our money just off of touring. So I say, 'Just play me on the radio or at the video arcade and I'll see you at the Garden!' And David laughs.
He makes it sound so easy. Yet Dave has written all of the lyrics for Van Halen music. "And it's not poetry," he emphasizes. "It's more like some sort of an ongoing monologue. The whole record is. In fact, my whole career is!" And David roars again.
"An on-going monologue that sometimes is a diatribe, and sometimes is a benediction, and at times is a celebration, but most of the times, it is a toast . I'm happy. So it comes out like that.
Does't "Jump" sound a bit like the Shangri-La's girl group classic, "Tonight's The Night?" "It is quite possible that there is something rolling around in my brain that came out," Dave Roth says. "You know, that happens frequently. You'll write something down or record something and then weeks (or months!) later, somebody will tell you where it came from. Or you realize it yourself. And speaking about the ShangriLa's, that's one of the reasons why I say it, beacause that is quite possible. Somebody recently asked me, 'How many songs have we done as cover versions from around the 1964 time period?'
"And I've always been the one who chooses the cover versions of what we do. I chose them when we were playing in the bars way back when, and it never occured to me , 'Oh yeah, it all came down from "Dancin' in the street," and it's All "You really got me" ' and the girl groups -same time period. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that's something that was the single most important time of my life as far as my musical development. If I even have any!" David pauses for a moment and laughs heartily.
"But right at that whaole time period is when I first started buying records. When I first started becoming an official consumer. I mean, listening to the radio where I knew the DJ's names, and I knew what time they came onand I would call up and try to to win the contest, you know?
"I still remember the jimngles. And that has long since passed, you know, as far as time. I started listening to music and stuff long before the underground radio phase came along. That seems where our generation first was listening. I started listening to radio the last time that format was really hip. You know, the fast talking and screaming.
"And now the fast talking, scareaming DJ, on AM is back. You know the fast talking format. Or the format talked all the way through the music intro before the singer starts. Hey, that's a talent, man, you know. Like now, it is the biggest thing going. Even in LA we have three or four stations like that. And I'm sure you have three or four here (on the East Coast). It's a constant beat. It's 130 beats a minute. Just boom, boom, boom."
David sits back, closes his eyes and sighs. He seems a bit weary from the breaks between recording, interviewing, and touring; interviewing and touring again.
"You know, to percieve of supporting an empire such as Van Halen seems a real resposibility. But it's really more like a joy ride. You know, when you have an entrepreneur. You know, a group of people like guitar roadies and drum roadies and lead singer microphone roadies.. We have many roadies. And it's like a whole different society Sometimes I say it's like the foreign legion, and it is. You know, you've got your own police force. You've got the security team. And then you've got the soundtrack. You've got every department of society that is represented in a traveling group. It's like being a gypsy."
David stops and smiles, "You know, I always make fun of other bands. It's a fact that when Van Halen first started out, we first opened for Journey. In fact they were the first act that we ever opened for on any kind of a national tour with our first record. And when you first start out on the road like that, then you're very competitive. You're like trying to make your mark, you know. And the first people that you try and gun down is the guy who is top billed on your very first rookie show. That's the only reason I make fun of Journey, and go after them. I go after everybody. But I perceive a lot of this as professional wrestling. You know, Andre the Giant versus the Samoans. You know, a no-holds-barred match inside of cages."
"That's because I don't take this all that seriously as I might, or as I should. I go after Journey in particular because they seem to take it pretty seriously. And when I read their interviews and stuff, their manager Herbie does alot of talking about how he put the band together and he taught them how to sing, and he told them what to wear, and they had group encounter sessions. I don't know whether they touch each others foreheads, or get a vibe on it. Maybe they've got STP, or ESP, I don't know. So I go after that." David breaks and laughs.
"The age old saying is "If it sounds good, it is good.' And some of Journey's stuff sounds good to my ears. I like some of it. Others of it I don't like. The same with any tape that is on my desk right now. As far as corporate maneuver, that's one way to approach it; but if the person in front of the stage digs it, then mission accomplished. God bless you. Here is a Mercedes. Like that." And Dave chuckles again, loud and resonant.
"But back to responsibility...we're paid much better now...and all of our work is quality controlled. Everyone participates in Van Halen. We operate now like a big gang. But we don't really operate. Everybody is covering everybody's back. There is no one boss, and then everybody works for you. You know, they don't perceive it like that, 'cause then you start becoming isolated, and then you start getting out of fashion. You start not being current. You know? You get isolated living in your own little tree house and the world below you is changing constantly"
"Looking backwards, and looking ahead, I just want to go on and on. You hear our music changing already. You can be singing and dancing until your 90 years old. George Burns is on cable now five times a night, you know, doing his shake. How old is he, 88? And he didn't even start until he was 79. James Brown is still doing the triple spin with the splits and catching the mike right on time and he is 58. He can just go on and on. I'm not afraid I'll ever get too old to rock and roll."
The above was an interview transposed rather poorly from a "Starbook" published by Sharon publications, Inc.
Copyright©1984