The DLR Cast

[Nickdfresh]

biya

[Kristy]

That's it. I'm going back on the weed.

[Mushroom]

I see Kristy is trying really hard to be on her best behavior. Respect for DLR!

[Kristy]

It's a good show. Not my style in terms of music but it's a lot better than most of the crap that's out there. Just listened to the Stephen Pearcy episode and have to commend the guy being well over 60 and still active in writing songs which seems to be a rarity these days.

[paltrowitz]

I listened to a few episodes of this "DLR Cast" and it's not bad. It's a lot of classic rock hokey pokey which isn't my drift but I found it to be more cerebral than most podcast out there. I was expecting a frat boy reminiscing type where the "pod casters" sit around and tell stupid racist/sexist jokes, talk over each other and go on and on about how unimportant and utterly boring their miserable lives are and then do 6 minutes of shitty ads. These guys at least know something about the history of the people they interview, ask intelligent questions and allow for the person they interview to complete their thoughts.

So...four stars. I'd give it five but then again, I'm an asshole.

Thanks for listening to the show. Much appreciated.

[Kristy]

Even Kristy made it through 3 good posts before her poor disposition made a return...

That's all on Von. I take no responsibility

[Kristy]

I listened to a few episodes of this "DLR Cast" and it's not bad. It's a lot of classic rock hokey pokey which isn't my drift but I found it to be more cerebral than most podcast out there. I was expecting a frat boy reminiscing type where the "pod casters" sit around and tell stupid racist/sexist jokes, talk over each other and go on and on about how unimportant and utterly boring their miserable lives are and then do 6 minutes of shitty ads. These guys at least know something about the history of the people they interview, ask intelligent questions and allow for the person they interview to complete their thoughts.

So...four stars. I'd give it five but then again, I'm an asshole.

[Terry]

Dave quit Van Halen because he didn’t think he needed them anymore. Sting quit The Police around the same time for the same reasons. Dave had a pretty good solo run. Grunge kill him though. Van Hagar was able to keep going because they became a pop band. Van Hagar was more commercial than Van Halen was. Unfortunately I went to a 0U812 show and it was full of gayness, glitter and unicorns. I had to take a long shower afterwards.

Gayness, glitter and unicorns...

Fantastic, in that it sums up Van Hagar perfectly.

Well done.

[Terry]

Kristy, did someone hack your account? You don't generally require an editor for your posts, but this is in need of one. I would do it, but frankly, I'm too lazy.

You are correct. "Diamond Dave" is a schtick. A stage persona. Most of us wish to believe that the Diamond Dave persona is really how DLR is in real life. We as human beings do this to a lot of larger than like characters. Only to somewhere along the way meet them in person and discover the truth, or see an A&E Biography on them, that generally exposes the ugly truth. Dave is no different. Dave however is one smart motherfucker, and has done an extremely good job of keeping his private life, the real Dave Roth life, private.

I will beg to differ with your claim that Dave possessed "little talent". Van Halen more than likely never makes it out of the Clubs without Dave. Without Dave, Van Halen wouldn't have been as diverse as they were. Nothing proves my point better on this subject, than Van Hagar. Van Halen with Dave could cover virtually anything. Van Halen with Dave had the ability and chemistry to exploit different genres not just on different albums and different songs, but within the songs themselves. Van Hagar never had that ability, and had Clichegar, or any other "singer" been in VH, it wasn't and wouldn't have been the same. Dave's issue with talent was when he tried to exceed his talent. But, he often refers to rock and roll as "sport", and Dave is a competitive guy. He had to push himself and try to go places that were beyond his capabilities. That helped him, but also hurt him in the long run. When Dave got it right though, he fucking got it real right. He benefitted from the gargantuan talent of Ed. But Ed benefitted from the larger than life persona of "Diamond Dave" too. Chemistry. That band was dripping with chemistry. We may not all like every piece of Dave's work, but he's a very talented dude. Nobody could have written and performed those songs the way he did.

Which brings me to my next point. Dave is anything but a "mediocre songwriter". The dude is a genius songwriter. Other songwriters will tell you this. Producers will tell you this. Other musicians will tell you this. I cannot even believe you put that statement into your diatribe. Dave may be a lot of things, but "mediocre songwriter" isn't one of them. Maybe you should listen to more Van Halen than what you hear on the radio.

Why the obsession with the guy? Because he's THE GREATEST FRONTMAN IN THE HISTORY OF ROCK AND ROLL! As far as Roth milking his fans, he's not forcing them to buy the tickets to the shows. They are doing it willingly. Roth has played huge festivals, stadiums, arenas, clubs, casinos, and fucking STATE FAIRS! He's never forced one person to buy those tickets. We all did it willingly! I choose not to go this time, because of my own personal way I want to leave the Van Halen legacy in my mind and my memory. If someone else wants to see Dave perform, even if he can no longer hit the high notes, good for them. They will more than likely have a good time, because those songs evoke good times and allow people to create and recreate good memories in their minds.

There is plenty to give Dave shit about. He quit Van Halen. (Wasn't "fired" as you suggest.) But his talent and contributions within Van Halen can NEVER be disputed or minimized. That music has and always will, stand the ultimate test. Time.

As to where Dave is at today career-wise and his demonstrated live abilities over the last 10-odd years, I haven't been unduly harsh in terms of the opinions I stated: I retract nothing, because everything I said was how I felt.

In terms of when Dave was fronting CVH and, well, certainly the first three full-length solo albums (sorry but I was never huge on the CFTH EP and from YFLM forward to present the output - DLR Band album excepted - was a bit dodgy at times)...Roth was the fucking bomb. Best rock front man for my money during those halcyon CVH days and the first 5 years of his solo career.

The best. To the point where post-1991 it didn't matter if the output was uneven: ain't nothin' ever gonna take those 13-odd years when he was the King of the Hill away from Dave.

[Mushroom]

We need more mushrooms. Even a bare wall is entertaining when you are on shrooms.

Don't worry, we will have plenty of baby mushrooms after Kristy and I procreate

[Nitro Express]

You guys are being quite harsh on Dave. He's an artist in my book. An artist can be multi-talented and their art can be reflected in multi-faceted ways.

We need more mushrooms. Even a bare wall is entertaining when you are on shrooms.

[Nitro Express]

You guys are being quite harsh on Dave. He's an artist in my book. An artist can be multi-talented and their art can be reflected in multi-faceted ways.

Dave got too old for monkey hour.

[ZahZoo]

Shroom, you're right... Dave is just an artist and definitely doesn't take himself as seriously as some of his fans.

I was enjoying the thoughtful conversation... been awhile round here!! Even Kristy made it through 3 good posts before her poor disposition made a return...

[Mushroom]

You guys are being quite harsh on Dave. He's an artist in my book. An artist can be multi-talented and their art can be reflected in multi-faceted ways.

[Mushroom]

What do you call a rock musician with no girlfriend? ----

Gay