Bob_R
06-29-2004, 12:45 PM
What, Grand Funk was busy? Roth joins Esplanade fun
By Larry Katz
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
The Boston Pops' problem: What do you do when Aerosmith, Boston's band of rock 'n' roll bad boys, backs out of performing at your nationally televised Fourth of July concert?
The wacky solution: Get Diamond Dave, the bad boy of rock 'n' roll, to do the gig instead.
Hard to believe, but raunchy David Lee Roth, the extra-extroverted ex-Van Halen frontman, will be the guest star at Sunday's Esplanade bash.
Roll over, Arthur Fiedler, and tell John Williams the news.
While Van Halen's Roth-less reunion tour with singer Sammy Hagar is one of the summer's hottest, the 48-year-old Roth's career appears on the down-slide. He did make news last week, but not for any musical reason. According to the New York Daily News, Roth has relocated to Manhattan from his estate in Pasadena, Calif., and spends several days a week training as an emergency medical technician.
``I want to be working in the outer boroughs,'' Roth told the Daily News. ``This city promises great color and insight in each and every neighborhood. On the Upper East Side, it's gonna be heart attacks and stomachaches. But in other areas, it's all trauma.''
Roth's interest in working as an EMT apparently has more to do with carrying on a family tradition than any financial desperation. Born in Indiana, Roth lived as a child in Swampscott and Brookline, where his father Nathan was a doctor.
``My father was a surgeon and uncles and my cousin were also in the medical community, so I come by it natural,'' Roth said.
But Roth's newfound desire to help mankind doesn't mean the confirmed bachelor has lost his leering interest in womankind. He confessed to the Daily News that ``My dream would be to save a Scandinavian hikerette.''
Will Roth tone down his usual lewd showmanship when he teams with the Pops? Or perhaps he was chosen because of it.
The local broadcast of the big show on the Esplanade begins Sunday at 8:30 p.m. At 10, the fireworks-filled last hour of the show goes national on CBS. Maybe, just maybe, CBS leaned on the Pops' brass to hire Diamond Dave to bring out more blue in what's been - at least until now - a G-rated celebration of the red, white and blue.
Not to worry. Roth won't get too naughty. He's scheduled to sing his 1985 hit remake of the Beach Boys ``California Girls'' and the Van Halen chestnut ``Jump.'' But it would be more fun to hear him and Keith Lockhart's band team up on ``Just a Gigolo.''
By Larry Katz
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
The Boston Pops' problem: What do you do when Aerosmith, Boston's band of rock 'n' roll bad boys, backs out of performing at your nationally televised Fourth of July concert?
The wacky solution: Get Diamond Dave, the bad boy of rock 'n' roll, to do the gig instead.
Hard to believe, but raunchy David Lee Roth, the extra-extroverted ex-Van Halen frontman, will be the guest star at Sunday's Esplanade bash.
Roll over, Arthur Fiedler, and tell John Williams the news.
While Van Halen's Roth-less reunion tour with singer Sammy Hagar is one of the summer's hottest, the 48-year-old Roth's career appears on the down-slide. He did make news last week, but not for any musical reason. According to the New York Daily News, Roth has relocated to Manhattan from his estate in Pasadena, Calif., and spends several days a week training as an emergency medical technician.
``I want to be working in the outer boroughs,'' Roth told the Daily News. ``This city promises great color and insight in each and every neighborhood. On the Upper East Side, it's gonna be heart attacks and stomachaches. But in other areas, it's all trauma.''
Roth's interest in working as an EMT apparently has more to do with carrying on a family tradition than any financial desperation. Born in Indiana, Roth lived as a child in Swampscott and Brookline, where his father Nathan was a doctor.
``My father was a surgeon and uncles and my cousin were also in the medical community, so I come by it natural,'' Roth said.
But Roth's newfound desire to help mankind doesn't mean the confirmed bachelor has lost his leering interest in womankind. He confessed to the Daily News that ``My dream would be to save a Scandinavian hikerette.''
Will Roth tone down his usual lewd showmanship when he teams with the Pops? Or perhaps he was chosen because of it.
The local broadcast of the big show on the Esplanade begins Sunday at 8:30 p.m. At 10, the fireworks-filled last hour of the show goes national on CBS. Maybe, just maybe, CBS leaned on the Pops' brass to hire Diamond Dave to bring out more blue in what's been - at least until now - a G-rated celebration of the red, white and blue.
Not to worry. Roth won't get too naughty. He's scheduled to sing his 1985 hit remake of the Beach Boys ``California Girls'' and the Van Halen chestnut ``Jump.'' But it would be more fun to hear him and Keith Lockhart's band team up on ``Just a Gigolo.''