Why does Alex Van Halen hate David Lee Roth so much?

[light 'em up!]

Will somebody please tell me why Alex Van Halen hates David Lee Roth so much? Even Ed doesn't profess that kind of hatred toward Dave, nor Sammy Hagar for that matter. They all slam Dave, but I get the sense that Alex truly hates him. Where does the bad blood come from? Does it have anything to do with the first breakup of the band in 1984? What did Dave do to make Alex hate him so much?

[guwapo_rocker]

Re: Why does Alex Van Halen hate David Lee Roth so much?

Originally posted by light 'em up!
What did Dave do to make Alex hate him so much?

His girlfriend:D

[light 'em up!]

Or maybe his wife...

[Figs]

Alex = Yoko


Alex "i-deserve-more-recognition-than-Roth-because-the-band-is-named-after-me" Van Halen.

Well, named after me and Ed I guess.

[DLR_EngineRoom]

Originally posted by light 'em up!
Will somebody please tell me why Alex Van Halen hates David Lee Roth so much? What did Dave do to make Alex hate him so much?

1) Jealousy - Alex KNOWS for a fact that Dave was better at business decisions than him, better at P.R. decisions, and quite frankly, has a much better sense of humour than him. Considering that Alex is one half the namesake of this band since it's inception, this bothers him everytime there's any reference to what we call 'Classic Van Halen'.

2) Hurt, Denial, Failure and Ego - Alex is older than Eddie, and psychologically speaking always felt a sense of 'responsibility', common for most elder siblings. When Dave announced he was leaving, Dave and Ed may have cried and hugged, but Alex wasn't part of 'that'. Alex naturally feels responsibility for 'his' and Ed's band, so Dave leaving made them both feel very vulnerable, especially Alex. So to cover up this vulnerability, Alex continues to defend his ego with 'denial'...how wrong Dave is/was etc. But the truth is, he's still hurting from being 'rejected' by Dave, and this, I feel, is the only reason there hasn't/isn't/won't be a true lasting reunion. Dave leaving Van Halen in their prime made Alex feel like a failure, all joking aside.
I will go on record to state that in my opinion, the ONLY thing that will best assure a lasting reunion without grudge is an apology from Dave, without any expectation whatsoever, for leaving them in 1985. That doesn't mean I think that it's right, or that I side with Alex. I'm just stating that 'a wound cannot heal if the knife is still buried'. In Alex's eyes, whether it's conscious or not, he believes that Dave owes him an apology without any expectations.

[light 'em up!]

Maybe Alex is screwed up in the head more than Ed. He's holding some kind of grudge against Dave.

[Vanstonica]

I think it all goes back to the fact that Alex is one miserable fuckin' human being.

Even when he's not asked about anything pertaining to Dave, the guy tries to get a shot in. I think the main reason for the hatred is pure jealousy. Everyone talks about Eddie and Dave, and to a certain extent, even Mike. Alex has got the "Napolean Complex" in the worst possible way.

[Nitro Express]

Eddie kinda strikes me as a live in the moment type person that gets over stuff quick. Eddie even admitted he's a big fan of Roth and thinks he's talented but being around him was stressful. Alex has nothing good to say about Roth and probably shit a brick when he found out his brother was socializing with Dave again.

I think Alex is simply on a power trip. He sobered up and with Sammy and Dave gone, he became the band leader and had control of Eddie. When it became clear to Alex the Van Halens weren't successful on their own, he compromised and let Sammy back in the band with stipulations. Sammy cannot do interviews without Alex. That says a lot right there.

[DLR_EngineRoom]

Originally posted by Nitro Express
Sammy cannot do interviews without Alex. That says a lot right there.

Great point!

[rustoffa]

I think he looks back in anger alot....comes off really bitter about Dave's role in the band's history.

Bitter people seem prone to lie to justify their hate as well.

[scottydabodi]

Alex's opinion doesn't count. He dumber than Hagar AND Ed PUT TOGETHER.

[ROTHandRoll]

The Vh bros do have many mental/drug/relationship issues above the norm. They feel inferior to Dave and thus come out mudslinging to make themselves look good. Alex is trying to replace Dave in decision and business issues and constantly tries to guess what Dave would do in certain situations but hasn't guessed right yet. This in itself is eating him alive.

[BrownSound1]

Dave banged Alex's girlfriend back in the day, and she eventually became one of Alex's wives. Alex has never forgiven him for that, and that is the root of all the problems.

[Nitro Express]

Alex is a lot like Rocky Balboa's fat, jelouse brother in law in the Rocky movies. An angry, drunk, jelouse piece of shit that needs what he hates to make a living. No matter how much money he makes, he manages to lose it.

[lms2]

Isn't she one of his ex-wives now... Damn, Alex, get over it.