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Hot for . . . BBQ sauce?
December 9, 2005
Take heart, Van Halen fans. Sure, the band hasn't made an album in eons. But at least the time off is giving bassist Michael Anthony time to work in his sauce laboratory. Today, Anthony -- the stocky dude who usually has a beard -- appears at the Hard Rock Cafe on Clarendon Street to promote his latest, Mad Anthony's BBQ Sauce. Between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., fans can stop by to meet Anthony and get BBQ sauce or have their bottles, ticket stubs, and VH albums autographed. (Hot sauce won't be sold at the Hard Rock; go to Anthony's website for it.) We spoke with him by phone.
Q. Why did you start this sauce thing?
A. I like hot sauce, and some years back people starting sending me some. I decided to try my own. Unfortunately, it was a time that Joe Perry came out with his hot sauce. But I still wanted to do it.
Q. Did you actually create one?
A. Yes. You'd be surprised just doing a little thing, putting in more pepper, can change the whole sauce. And then you get it to how you like it. We have to let it sit out, and sit in a refrigerator.
Q. Why does it have to sit?
A. You don't want to buy a good-looking hot sauce and a week and a half later there are little hairs growing on it.
Q. How about another thing you create. Bass lines. What's your favorite?
A. I could go easily with ''Running With the Devil." But that's an easy bass line. ''Girl Gone Bad" when Roth was in the band. Back then a lot of stuff wasn't planned out and Ed would take a solo and we'd just jam.
Q. So who is a bigger sauce guy, David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar?
A. Sammy is, but he can't eat a lot because he gets that reflux thing.
Q. Acid reflux?
A. Yeah. The night before a show he definitely can't eat it.
Q. Has he tried Nexium? They say that works.
A. I really have no idea.
Q. Can I say the words ''Gary Cherone"?
A. Sure. In fact I'm going to see him when we're in town. I have no problem with Gary. Him and I got along great.
Q. So this meeting. Is it the first step to bringing him back to Van Halen?
A. No. I might likely guest on something he might do.
Q. Are you joining Extreme?
A. No, they went to Japan and did a bunch of shows a couple of years ago, and Gary actually asked me about doing that. But I had some other stuff I was doing.
Q. And you're in Van Halen!
A. That's why I didn't do it.
Q. Tell me the truth. That Joe Perry stuff. Doesn't his stink?
A. I've got a bottle of his sauce in my refrigerator right now.
Q. That's scandalous.
A. Everybody's trying to pit him against me, but there's room for everybody out there.
Q. Very polite. You should be Van Halen's official spokesman. Here's a crazy question. I heard Eddie Van Halen no longer has a tongue.
A. He had a cancerous growth. He had a couple of operations on it. They just cut out a small part.
Q. So he has a tongue?
A. He talks kind of like Quasimodo. [Laughs.] I'm just kidding.
Q. I think Van Halen's going to need a new bassist.
December 9, 2005
Take heart, Van Halen fans. Sure, the band hasn't made an album in eons. But at least the time off is giving bassist Michael Anthony time to work in his sauce laboratory. Today, Anthony -- the stocky dude who usually has a beard -- appears at the Hard Rock Cafe on Clarendon Street to promote his latest, Mad Anthony's BBQ Sauce. Between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., fans can stop by to meet Anthony and get BBQ sauce or have their bottles, ticket stubs, and VH albums autographed. (Hot sauce won't be sold at the Hard Rock; go to Anthony's website for it.) We spoke with him by phone.
Q. Why did you start this sauce thing?
A. I like hot sauce, and some years back people starting sending me some. I decided to try my own. Unfortunately, it was a time that Joe Perry came out with his hot sauce. But I still wanted to do it.
Q. Did you actually create one?
A. Yes. You'd be surprised just doing a little thing, putting in more pepper, can change the whole sauce. And then you get it to how you like it. We have to let it sit out, and sit in a refrigerator.
Q. Why does it have to sit?
A. You don't want to buy a good-looking hot sauce and a week and a half later there are little hairs growing on it.
Q. How about another thing you create. Bass lines. What's your favorite?
A. I could go easily with ''Running With the Devil." But that's an easy bass line. ''Girl Gone Bad" when Roth was in the band. Back then a lot of stuff wasn't planned out and Ed would take a solo and we'd just jam.
Q. So who is a bigger sauce guy, David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar?
A. Sammy is, but he can't eat a lot because he gets that reflux thing.
Q. Acid reflux?
A. Yeah. The night before a show he definitely can't eat it.
Q. Has he tried Nexium? They say that works.
A. I really have no idea.
Q. Can I say the words ''Gary Cherone"?
A. Sure. In fact I'm going to see him when we're in town. I have no problem with Gary. Him and I got along great.
Q. So this meeting. Is it the first step to bringing him back to Van Halen?
A. No. I might likely guest on something he might do.
Q. Are you joining Extreme?
A. No, they went to Japan and did a bunch of shows a couple of years ago, and Gary actually asked me about doing that. But I had some other stuff I was doing.
Q. And you're in Van Halen!
A. That's why I didn't do it.
Q. Tell me the truth. That Joe Perry stuff. Doesn't his stink?
A. I've got a bottle of his sauce in my refrigerator right now.
Q. That's scandalous.
A. Everybody's trying to pit him against me, but there's room for everybody out there.
Q. Very polite. You should be Van Halen's official spokesman. Here's a crazy question. I heard Eddie Van Halen no longer has a tongue.
A. He had a cancerous growth. He had a couple of operations on it. They just cut out a small part.
Q. So he has a tongue?
A. He talks kind of like Quasimodo. [Laughs.] I'm just kidding.
Q. I think Van Halen's going to need a new bassist.
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