VAN HALEN Drummer Says New Songs Are 'Absolutely Brilliant'

November 8, 2004

Steve Penhollow of The Journal Gazette reports that VAN HALEN is a volatile band, and drummer Alex Van Halen is the first to admit it.

"We're volatile only to the extent that we're as good of friends as we are," Van Halen said in a phone interview. "It's because we are so intense.

"It's part of our nature. As much as I love (brother and guitarist Eddie),if you put us in a room with no one else for 15 minutes, we'd be at each other's throats.

"But it's always about creative differences. Always. It's never personal.

"Music is a dialogue. It's about an emotional reaction. We're very needy people, you know," Alex Van Halen said, laughing.

Alex Van Halen has nothing bad to say about VAN HALEN's previous singer, Gary Cherone (ex-EXTREME).

"He was just the wrong choice. It's that simple. No harm, no foul," Van Halen said. "Nobody sets out to make a bad record. I just think the chemistry was wrong. It was just one of those things."

Alex Van Halen says the band finally grew up.

"There is an intensity and depth in Van Halen that didn't exist before when things got ugly… real ugly. We just decided to say 'Why would we want to relive that? Let's forget it.' "

Every time it looks as if VAN HALEN is about to take on a new or slightly used vocalist, there is always much speculation about whether the band's first frontman, David Lee Roth, will return.

VAN HALEN says Roth fans just need to accept the fact that Diamond Dave is history, at least as far as this group of guys is concerned.

"I can say something comic, but let me preface that by saying, 'He needs meds.' I am very serious about that. It's that simple. It's not even his fault, really.

"Whatever our personal differences are, there are no bigger fans of this band than the people who are in this band. So we understand why people would love to see that sort of reunion. But that’s just not going to happen. Some things are impossible. THE BEATLES will never get back together and David Lee Roth will never again sing with VAN HALEN."

The return of Hagar to VAN HALEN coincided with one of the slowest summers in the history of rock touring. Lots of bands, including VAN HALEN, were forced to sell tickets at cut-rate prices and throw in food vouchers as an added enticement. Alex Van Halen downplays the seriousness of all this.

"I think it's been great, otherwise we wouldn’t be doing it. It's nice seeing everybody again — not that I am implying that I have a close personal relationship with every one of our fans."

Van Halen says the band is currently writing material that he believes is its best in a great while.

"I can't put it into words, unfortunately, but the stuff is absolutely brilliant," he says. Read more.

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).