David Lee Roth behaving like a hothead is just about as groundbreaking as florals for spring, but even this anecdote would send the Devil running in opposition. In a new Rolling Stone profile, drummer Alex Van Halen alleges that a planned Van Halen tour after the death of Eddie Van Halen was thwarted due to Roth refusing to incorporate a segment to honor the band’s co-founder. Van Halen got the idea to explore a potential tour after having positive conversations with Queen’s Brian May, who was able to successfully continue his band’s live performances following Freddie Mercury’s passing through creative and poignant staging decisions. This inspired Van Halen to think up something similar for the tour. “The thing that broke the camel’s back, and I can be honest about this now, was I said, ‘Dave, at some point, we have to have a very overt — not a bowing — but an acknowledgment of Ed in the gig. If you look at how Queen does it, they show old footage,’†he explains. “And the moment I said we gotta acknowledge Ed, Dave fuckin’ popped a fuse. The vitriol that came out was unbelievable.†Van Halen claims that Roth found the idea to be offensive and refused to entertain any type of tribute to the guitar virtuoso.
“I’m from the street,†Van Halen continues. “‘You talk to me like that, motherfucker, I’m gonna beat your fucking brains out. You got it?’ And I mean that. And that’s how it ended.†The drummer, who’s suffering from a severe vertebrae injury similar to Phil Collins’s, is unable to tour ever again and remains despondent that Roth behaved in this manner. “It’s just, my God. It’s like I didn’t know him anymore,†he adds. “I have nothing but the utmost respect for his work ethic and all that. But, Dave, you gotta work as a community, motherfucker. It’s not you alone anymore.†Roth declined to comment to Rolling Stone. Jumping away from accountability you say?