1984 Fan Documentary - 5 Part Miniseries

[Terry]

Bill Burr on David Lee Roth from his podcast this week.

What Burr said basically reflects my own feelings on it, where Dave's 'song and dance' lounge act schtick instincts were offset or for the most part well-balanced when he was in Van Halen.

His Just A Gigolo cover was something I liked well enough when watching the promo video, but I've never had the slightest desire to just hear the track on its own outside of the visual component.

Same went for I'm Easy and That's Life off of EEAS, I'm Easy really standing out as a bit fobbed-off and lazy (and putting it between Shyboy and Ladies Night In Buffalo just made those two qualities that much more glaring).

At least with Roth post-Van Halen he and whomever he was working with on any given album managed to conjure up a few to several tracks (depending on the album) that would capture some of the fury and essence of what made CVH so great vs. Van Halen post-Roth where none of it ever really got close to the Dave days.

[Terry]

The 1984 tour was doing crazy business. Additional shows were added in several markets to keep up the demand.

In so much I think one of the promoters - can't remember which state - sent a letter to Noel Monk and said that they will book VH in a stadium on their next tour.

Clearly the band was going to reach almost 1977 Zeppelin levels in terms of filling up stadiums.

But Dave, Ed and Al fucked it all up in '85.

When I saw 'em in 1984 in Providence they did two dates, back-to-back shows (if memory serves). The venue held, what, 12 to 15 thousand or so.

Saw a lot of shows there in 1983 through 1986, with plenty of big name hard rock acts at the peak of their 80's success, and Van Halen were the only band I saw who did two nights there.

[ZahZoo]

Episode 5 is coming next week... Stay Frosty™.

[AlanCBerry]

Out now! Final episode!

[Rikk]

In the middle of watching it now. Thanks, Alan.

[ZahZoo]

Great episode!

I was reminded of the disappointment I felt when this all went down in 85... still as confusing and mind-boggling now as to what, who, etc. as to why. What a fucking train wreck and mess those guys created for themselves and the rock world.

[Vinnie Velvet]

Great episode!

I was reminded of the disappointment I felt when this all went down in 85... still as confusing and mind-boggling now as to what, who, etc. as to why. What a fucking train wreck and mess those guys created for themselves and the rock world.

Agree 100%.

It was something that could've been totally avoided.

But thats not how it unfolded unfortunately. Drugs, booze, inflated egos. By the time Ted and Monk were let go there really wasn't anyone left in the CVH camp to help steer the ship to what would become an implosion.

This was indeed a great last episode to the series but a sad reminder of the disappointment.

[Rikk]

It still boggles my mind that it happened.

Every time I listen to 1984 (and I STILL listen to it often), I can't help but think, "What could have been?"

There was some good music on 5150. With Dave at the helm, it could have been a good follow-up. Dave would have thrown out DREAMS, LOVE WALKS IN and that terrible INSIDE song.

They could have worked through their shit and gone into the 1990s.

I love A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRUTH, but it still sucks that we only got one more real Van Halen album after 1984. And it took 30 years to get that.

Alan, I'm sorry you went through so much crap getting this documentary out there. But I still hope you manage to do more with this amazing band's story. I can understand if you don't want to...but your documentaries totally make me not care if the band ever does an official one. Your work here is some of the best I've ever seen.

[ZahZoo]

The world has changed so much since 84/85... the section on all the media reports hit home... the band breaking-up... not breaking-up... Eddie Loves Valery... Dave says... Ed says... bullshit on all the magazine covers and articles was really the only sources we had. That, and radio DJ's makin shit up from the same sources,

[Vinnie Velvet]

I will venture to say Ed was clearly more fucked up during '85 than Dave in their respective state of minds and in my opinion contributed more to the eventual breakup than Dave did.

Several other notable bands had gone through periods where their principle band members wanted to do outside projects, even movies, that put the band in a temporary hiatus.

But they didn't break up.

And their guitar players or other members didn't put ultimatums in front of them saying "its either us or you walk".

With that in mind, yeah RIP Eddie.....but FUCK YOU for this.

[Seshmeister]

I don't think I knew about the Roth v Rod Stewart thing. Initial reaction is it's a real asshole statement by Roth but the more I think about it fuck it Rod Stewart's ego was biblical in size so maybe it was good for him to be able to play pretend humble.

[Seshmeister]

The world has changed so much since 84/85...

Like Hagar saying there are no gay men in America?

[Seshmeister]

I need to go back or if someone else wants to check what choice was Hagar 4th, 5th, 6th?

We can then make that a thing, 5th choice singer Hagar...

It's been rewritten in the PR but a boozed coked up Eddie watching Roth go from success to success and various out of a gig singers like the guy from Journey aren't answering his calls? No wonder he went for a mediocre talent recommended by his mechanic not based on his back catalog but by him living locally and earning enough to have a nice car...

[Rikk]

Like Hagar saying there are no gay men in America?

Did he really fucking say that? What a fucking tool.

[So this is love]

I remember in 1985 when I heard of the departure of DLR and EVH moving on with Van Hagar. My first thought was that this was all planned by WB. I mean that it was a business decision to split them to make more revenues, to this day I still think it was all a business plan... I may be wrong...I cannot believe these guys could fuck something that was so good, after working all these years to get there. Van Halen is the best fucking band ever, but damn I hate how they treated their fans... And I know they don't fucking owe anyone anything but still...fucking motherfuckers.