Eddie Van Halen to speak at Smithsonian Instituion on February 12.

[DLR Bridge]

'How many say I' is what you get when Ed does vocal melodies...

Funny you should mention it. If I recall correctly, Ed had said the music to VH3 was composed entirely after he had read Gary's book of poetry and lyrics. So, his "the music always comes first" was a bit off.

I almost fell out of my chair when Ed brought up Mark Stone. I'll bet Mark did, too.

I think the with the way he mentions his son having new music coming out, he could be referring to Tremonti.

The Q & A at the end was pretty disappointing. Except for the little kid's question. That was cute, and not something he's asked every day.

[Seshmeister]

I'd be pretty shocked if those questions hadn't been screened in advance.

[DLR Bridge]

I'd be pretty shocked if those questions hadn't been screened in advance.

The first guy asked something that Ed already talked about. He should've had some back up questions at the ready.

[Seshmeister]

There were half a dozen elephants in that room that no one was allowed to mention.

[BITEYOASS]

He said that he tells their singers what to sing?

Looks like Eddie has gone into Van Liar mode again. It's along the line of his other famous sayings:

If Gary's in, he's in for life.

Baby steps

I need a hip replacement this year. (Which he said in 1996, but didn't do until 5+ years later)

We can't tour without a new album. (Which he did TWICE!)



Jesus fuckin' H Christ I could go on forever with this.

[vandeleur]

If am honest I wouldn't really attack ed for half the shIT he has said, he was off his tits for most of the last dozen years prior to 2007.
I bet he can't remember half the shit he said and is probably trying to forget the other half.No pun intended.

[VHscraps]

He said that he tells their singers what to sing?

Really? Dave didn't write the vocal melodies on good Van Halen? Sounds pretty fucking unlikely to anyone that has heard any Van Halen record he didn't sing on.

'How many say I' is what you get when Ed does vocal melodies...

He was trying to get a laugh, and right after said it was a joke. Although maybe a Freudian would say that therein resides his deepest wishes - that he might be able to tell his singers what to do.

I always thought the songwriting was probably a lot more collaborative, and that - up to 1984 - Dave did a little more than write the words and melodies. A bit of arranging - you know, 'he Ed, what if we move that part here, or leave this part out?'.

Sure VH always sounds like VH because of Ed's guitar and Al's snare - but their songs as a whole also sound like whoever their singer is. It's why Van Hagar sounds very little like Van Halen.

Dave's melodies in a lot of classic VH are not really of the hard rock template. Listen to something like 'Bottoms Up' - that vocal line is very jazz / swing to my ears. Take away the music, sing along to the words and melody .... that there is a song in itself! I'd be surprised if Dave didn't have an influence on song structure, dynamics and chord changes.

I think he has always been seriously underrated as a vocal stylist and songwriter (writer of melodies).

[Whorehey]

EVH is aging like a President...

[Seshmeister]

Writing a good vocal melody over music without being able to change the music is really difficult.
When Ed claims he did all the work by delivering the music completed he misses the point entirely. Most guitarists could sit there coming up with riffs all day the genius is turning them into songs.
The perfect recent demonstration of this is Blood and Fire.

[fraroc]

Funny you should mention it. If I recall correctly, Ed had said the music to VH3 was composed entirely after he had read Gary's book of poetry and lyrics. So, his "the music always comes first" was a bit off.

I almost fell out of my chair when Ed brought up Mark Stone. I'll bet Mark did, too.

I think the with the way he mentions his son having new music coming out, he could be referring to Tremonti.

The Q & A at the end was pretty disappointing. Except for the little kid's question. That was cute, and not something he's asked every day.

Well, that's percisely why I consider VH3 to be the Eddie Van Halen solo album.

[DLR Bridge]

Well, that's percisely why I consider VH3 to be the Eddie Van Halen solo album.

So, if you were to make a solo album, would you write music around someone else's words? I don't think 3 was a solo album, but it wasn't a Van Halen album either, of course. As much of a control freak as Ed was (is), he still collaborated with someone.

[Von Halen]

Why don't you fags just call Dave and ask him if you can suck his dick?

Ed was fucking JOKING when he said he just tells the singers what to sing.

There is no doubt what is brought to the table when Ed and Dave collaborate. It's chemistry. It's magic. They know this. I think you fuckers spend more time trying to give one more credit over the other, than they do. It's rather obvious their production without each other, is subpar.

Dave is a fucking snake oil salesman, and you motherfuckers are buying every bit of his inventory. Dave should win an academy award for his act. FACT!!

[DLR Bridge]

It's obvious he was joking. He also has a history of down playing anyone's contribution to the band's sound, aside from his brother.

[ZahZoo]

When Rolling Stone asks Van Halen after the show about the band's current plans, the guitarist is ambivalent, noting that the group has no immediate plans to record or tour. "I’d love to make a studio record," he says. "Depends on everybody’s timing. I don’t know what Dave [Lee Roth] is up to now. I don’t know if he’s living in New York or Japan or wherever he is."


Yeah, that's a bit odd, considering all of the times Dave mentioned a "special project with Van Halen" was in the works, plus his constant phone contact with Alex. For Ed to not even know where Dave is seems strange. Par for the course, I guess you could say.

It seemed things were heading towards VH the band getting active... Dave making the FF appearance. But I'm inclined to believe Ed's statement of not knowing where or what Dave's doing is probably mostly true. Does make you wonder if Ed even knows Roth performed with the FF...

I've seen a couple of mentions that Dave is in frequent contact with Alex... But can anyone provide a direct quote, video, whatever from Dave or Alex having uttered those words in the last year or two? I doubt that's the case...

There's still something fishy with the Live in Tokyo announcement in that other than that one Canadian radio station leaking it, plus the VHND getting a green light to run it... but still nothing from any other industry media, radio, but more importantly nothing from WB or the band's official sites.

Ed stating they are "waiting on a release date" makes you wonder... Is there a hold-up internally?

The Van Halen Clan™ is out and about, healthy looking, publicly talking and seem ready/willing to do something... if something positive doesn't come out of the Roth Cave real soon, is Dave is the hold-up..?

2015 was supposed to be the year they planned on doing something. Who's MIA, gone dark in their basement? As the bumper tune on the Roth Shows™ used to say... Where is David Lee Roth..?

[DLR Bridge]

As I sit here, Mel Brooks is on my TV singing "hope for the best, expect the worst". No truer words, especially in the case of all of these nut bars.