In a newly published interview with Modern Drummer, Alex Van Halen spoke about the "strange chemistry" that David Lee Roth shared with the band Van Halen.
"Part of it was the conflict between the band and Dave," Van Halen shared. "One of the things that made everything work was that we came from opposite ends of the spectrum. Dave was vaudeville. … Ed and I were coming from Cream, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath."
He added, "So having that strange chemistry is what made it work, oddly enough. But you do need a mediator. Otherwise we would never have gotten anything done."
Conducted prior to the death of Eddie Van Halen in October of 2020, the interview also covers the differences between Roth and his replacement, Sammy Hagar
Van Halen noted that Hagar "has a great rhythmic sense and of course that voice," while "Dave was much more of a poet."
"Dave is creative - 90 percent of it is garbage, but that 10 percent is f---ing worth it," he said.
(Photo: Craig ONeal)
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