Watch David Lee Roth’s 1986 Interview Without Van Halen
David Lee Roth in a 1986 interview with Larry King - CNN / Youtube
For purists, Van Halen was purely Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen, and Michael Anthony. This scathing lineup ran for a good decade or so before Diamond Dave left the band in 1985 to pursue a solo career.
Back in Roth’s teenage years, he was alternating solo singing stints and appearances with the band, Red Ball Jets. At the time, Eddie and Alex Van Halen were busy with their group Mammoth. The Van Halen brothers rented the Red Ball Jets’ PA system frequently, which led to Roth joining the band. They eventually changed the band name to Van Halen in 1974 when another group took ownership of the Mammoth name.
While the band was on a streak in their time together, there was a notable tension between Eddie and Roth as the former wanted to create sublime records while the other wanted partying/fun themed cuts. This escalated when Eddie constructed a home studio that allowed him to create music without the input of the band, ultimately leading to Roth’s departure in 1985.
You can watch David Lee Roth on the video below as he promotes his first album without Van Halen, Eat ’em and Smile, in 1986. Here he converses with CNN’s Larry King with the details about his then-fresh solo debut.
