David Lee Roth shed tears as he delighted the audience at a recent solo concert with a heartwarming story about his “full circle” songwriting experience with Eddie Van Halen.
The tender moment happened during Ross’ Tuesday performance at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, Pennsylvania. You can watch footage from YouTuber Jim Powers below.
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David Lee Roth looks back on his and Eddie Van Halen’s equally humble beginnings
Sitting on a stool while strumming a classical guitar, Ross begins the conversation by reflecting on his and Van Halen’s similar upbringings.
“Most of the songs I wrote with Ed were written in very, very small, small spaces,” he recalled. “I started out in exactly the same situation. My father just happened to be in school on the GI Bill when I was there. Back in 1954, the Fender Stratocaster came out and so did I.
“And we lived in student dorms for the first 10, 12 years of our lives,” the singer continued. “It was very small, about the size of a drum riser, and there was a little space for a washer and dryer, and just enough space to sit on a concrete block with a foam rubber cushion.”
As it turns out, Ross’ future Van Halen bandmates also had similar childhoods. “When I met Ed (now Van Halen), I went to their house in Pasadena, California,” he said. “When I first walked into Ed’s house, [room]It wasn’t even in the room. It was the same process I grew up with. I had to go from the backyard to the kitchen, through what was called his room, which was just a small alcove for the washer and dryer, and eventually I was there too. ”
Watch David Lee Roth cry as he remembers Eddie Van Halen
At this point, Ross leaned away from the microphone and fought back tears as he continued.
“Every song we sing tonight started with Ed,” Ross said. “He had an electric guitar, but his mother wouldn’t let him connect it to an amplifier. So I had to listen to it without an amplifier, and it was so close that my knees were almost touching.
“So, God, how many hours did I spend those first few years hunched over like this?” asked Ross, leaning forward and pretending to stare at Van Halen’s fingers. “I recorded a tape on a little Sony thing with a push button and a cassette player. I took it home, wrote the lyrics, brought it home, and said, ‘I think it’s a song about running with the devil or something. What do you have next?’ It was so quiet that our knees were touching the whole time. We didn’t even notice.”
Ross then shared a funny anecdote illustrating his early head-butting with Van Halen. He said, “Yeah,” and that’s it for us. One cigarette for two people. “Do not put” in the hotbox. It’s just lip service. Well, you too. Oh, thank you twice. He’s running with the devil, what does that mean? There was some friction early on, but we liked it.”
How David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen have come ‘full circle’ in the decades since they met
Fast forward to Ross’ short-lived 1996 reunion with Van Halen, which produced two new songs, “Can’t Get This Stuff No More” and “Me Wise Magic,” which were the last songs released by the band’s original lineup (Ross, Eddie, Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony).
“About 30 years later, Ed and I both have Tombs with a View, whatever it is, and I call them big houses. They’re as big as this whole building,” Ross said. “And Ed built himself a multimillion-dollar studio, which had all the latest equipment. And I was away from the band for a while, and, well, it’s great healing. When we come back, he says, ‘Okay, I’m going to write two more songs.’ That’s great. “
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Many things have changed since then, but one thing remains the same. “And I was sitting in the middle of the room — the size of this damn room, no way — sitting in a chair reading a paperback, waiting for him,” Ross recalled. “And when he came in, he came in with a cigarette in his mouth, got a chair in front of me, sat there, and moved forward until our knees touched. That’s how I wrote the last two songs. It came full circle.”
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Ross told the audience, “When I met Ed in 1973, my God, it was a great time for music. Queen had just made their first album. It was a blast. And David Bowie had shaved his eyebrows and had that vertical haircut. Oh my god, no one saw shit. His hair was as high as his platform shoes. No one had ever seen that.” [anything like] that. “
The singer performed a freewheeling version of John Brim’s “Ice Cream Man,” which Van Halen famously covered on their self-titled debut album. Similar to the recorded version, Ross’ acoustic performance swelled into a full band performance filled with searing guitar solos.
“I was playing guitar in a folk club,” Ross told the audience before playing the song. “And it was Ed who said, ‘Maybe we should shorten it,’ because if you don’t shorten it, we can have great careers.” Here’s the original version. ”
Ross’ tour continues Saturday in Boston. The singer is currently scheduled to tour until mid-August.
Eddie Van Halen Year: 1977-2017 Photos
We see long hair, short hair, a variety of his most famous guitars, and all three of his band’s lead singers.
Gallery credit: Matthew Wilkening
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