With Alex Van Halen’s new memoir, Brothers, scheduled to be published on Tuesday, October 22, the Van Halen drummer recently took part in his first interview since the 2020 death of his brother and bandmate Eddie. Chatting with Rolling Stone, Alex revealed details about a planned Van Halen tour honoring Eddie that never came to fruition.
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The 71-year-old musician explained that the trek didn’t happen because of two main reasons—his own health issues and David Lee Roth’s poor attitude about paying tribute to their late bandmate.
Alex said he began rehearsing with Roth for a possible tour, while members of Diamond Dave’s solo group filled in for other musicians that would’ve been brought in to take part in the outing. They intended to have Joe Satriani play guitar and possibly bring in longtime Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony as well.
During rehearsals, Alex said he began experiencing numbness, peripheral neuropathy, in his feet and other parts of his body. Although he didn’t realize at the time, Van Halen had serious issues with his back that would soon get worse.
Meanwhile, the drummer explained, he chatted with Queen’s Brian May to get advice about how to best pay tribute to Eddie during a concert, since May had plenty of experience with his own band honoring its late frontman, Freddie Mercury.
Alex told Rolling Stone that when he broached the subject with Roth, the singer’s response immediately quashed the planned tour.
About Roth’s Reaction to Paying Tribute to Eddie Van Halen
As Alex recalled, “The thing that broke the camel’s back … 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.’ And the moment I said we gotta acknowledge Ed, Dave f—in’ popped a fuse. … The vitriol that came out was unbelievable.”
Van Halen said he was extremely angry at Roth, who refused to pay tribute to Eddie and, for some reason, thought doing so was offensive.
“I’m from the street,” Alex said regarding his reaction to Roth’s attitude. “‘You talk to me like that, mother—er, I’m gonna beat your f—ing brains out. You got it?’ And I mean that. And that’s how it ended.”
Reflecting on how Roth responded, Alex told Rolling Stone, “It’s like I didn’t know him anymore. I have nothing but the utmost respect for his work ethic and all that. But, Dave, you gotta work as a community, mother—er. It’s not you alone anymore.”
Rolling Stone reached out to Roth for his side of the story, but the singer declined to comment.
About Alex’s Back Issues
As it turned out, Alex’s back issues likely wouldn’t have allowed him to take part in the planned tour anyway. In 2022, he was at a shooting range with some friends, and suffered a broken back after firing a rifle. The injury has left him unable to play drums for the past couple of years.
The injury also made it difficult for him to walk, although he has been recovering slowly. Alex credits his recovery in part to “experimental stem-cell therapy” treatments he received.
Alex’s Opinion About a Van Halen Tribute Tour
Alex told Rolling Stone that he has mixed feelings about the aborted tribute tour.
“It’s too bad on one hand, but it’s fine on the other,” he said. “Because now, in retrospect, playing the old songs is not really paying tribute to anybody. That’s just like a jukebox, in my opinion. … To find a replacement for Ed? It’s just not the same.”
Of course, Sammy Hagar, who replaced Roth as Van Halen’s lead singer in 1985, mounted a VH tribute trek this year with Satriani and Anthony dubbed The Best of All Worlds Tour.
According to Rolling Stone, Alex didn’t even say Hagar’s name during the interview, and barely mentioned him in his memoir.
“The heart and the soul and the creativity and the magic was Dave, Ed, Mike, and me,” the drummer said of Van Halen.
Alex Remains Somewhat Close to Roth
Even after the falling out over the planned tour, Alex and Roth still keep in touch. According to Rolling Stone, the drummer got along better with Dave than any of his Van Halen bandmates. When Eddie died, Roth was the first person that Alex called.
Alex also doesn’t take too seriously Roth’s recent comments criticizing Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, over incidents that occurred while Wolfang was playing bass in Van Halen.
“To me, it’s a sign of respect,” Alex said of Roth’s jabs at Wolfgang. “[It means] he actually thinks that Wolfie’s on the same level as the old master Dave, right? The other thing is that Wolf can easily take care of himself. It’s not a problem.”
Brothers can be pre-ordered now.
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