A QUESTION FOR CRAZYFHEAT

A Concerned fan wrote:

POINT 1: I was a big fan of the original VH. I bought all 6 albums when they came out, loved all of them (except diver down), went to concerts on the WCF, FW, and 1984 tours. Still have my FW and 1984 concert T-shirts. Was a very big fan of the band and all 4 members, Roth included. Was very disappointed when Roth quit to have a "movie career".

You know, I too am a big fan of the original Van Halen. Outside of them, there is not too much in modern rock that I like. Cheap Trick, The Beatles and Elvis are about the extent of it nowadays. I listen mainly to classical. To me, the Van Halen concert was a yearly event, because back in those days they usually toured every year. Me, my brother and the same group of friends would always go to the shows here in So Cal. The Us Festival was the coolest. All those bands and VH head-lining.  Like you I was very disappointed when I first heard Roth left. But, in many ways, can you blame him?

I was in my car driving home from work when I heard the radio announcer say, "Have you read what Eddie Van Halen said about David Lee Roth in Rolling Stone Magazine? It's true, Van Halen has broken up!" I went to the store and looked in the mag and their was a little article and Ed said that, "DLR is an asshole!" The next issue featured VH on the cover. A big article inside slammy Dave one word after another. And you know what, that magazine never gave Dave a rebuttal. They only thing they did was review his album and said it was garbage. I have never bothered to buy or look at RS magazine again. It was everywhere in all the magazines, Van Halen had the fans sympathy.

I looked at a tape I recorded from MTV back in 86. They had a half hour special on Dave and an hour special on Van Halen. There was Eddie, just take a good ten years off his face and it was the same damn interview he gave MTV in 1996. The same bitterness, that same ugly look. "Basically, we had a toothache for eleven years, " Alex said, "and we had it replaced with a gold crown." "Sammy came in and it was incredible." These guys said all kinds off stuff like that on MTV and the mags. What did Dave say? 99% of the time he was defending himself from remarks like, "We used to be a Volkswagen and now we're a Porsche" "Dave wouldn't let our wives backstage" "Dave wanted to be a movie star" "Dave wouldn't let no blondes in the band" "Dave can't sing" "We knew Dave for 11 years and he is still a stranger" "Dave can't sing" "Sammy sings better and writes better lyrics" "We have no limits on us no more" "DAVE CAN"T SING".

This went on for all the way to the present day. Van Halen did ALL they could to sabotage Dave's career. And what did Dave do? He let them keep the name, 3/4 of the band, and they still had the guitar player. What was their problem. I could understand the anger at first, but 5150 went No.1, they were on their way. They were they most ungracious s.o.b.'s of a winner that ever were. When most people win, they lay off their opponent. Holyfield had his ear chewed on and he says he "loves Mike". VH was the biggest sore winners in the music world ever. They were not happy to just "win" they wanted Dave to suffer. They wanted to DESTROY Dave. All Dave did was go solo. These guys went beyond a personnel change.

You people who say that happens in music all the time, then why didn't VH "get over it". What gets me is their are still ignorant people like dj's Mark and Brian who told ED and Al last year, "Hey you guys are a class act, you have always taken the high road." VH's propaganda worked. The press has been on their side for so long. Dave's career has been plagued with this filth from VH. He would have done so much better if they would have been professional human beings. He said the last time in 85 that he saw Eddie, they left with a "tear in their eyes". Same shit all over again with Sammy and Dave in 96, only this time the hunter has become the hunted.

Point 2: I also liked the Hagar-era Van Halen. IMO, 5150 was a great album, F. U.C.K. a very good one, 0u812 and Balance, pretty average. Saw them on the 5150 and 1988 Monsters of Rock tours. Always disappointed that Hagar refused to sing more Roth-era stuff. Overall, i preferred the original VH to the Hagar version....

When I first heard VH broke up, I thought for a minute, "cool, now twice as much music." But when I heard Sammy Hagar was the replacement I was so disappointed. I just read here somewhere that someone said "VH sounds different if you take away Mike or Al or Ed, but take away the singer and just the singer sounds different." OH YEAH??? If you think VH sounds the same as they did on their first 6 albums, I don't know what to tell you. I think most people would agree. Whether for better or worse, they sound very different.

The riddle that is Sammy Hagar is one I just cannot answer. How this band was successful under him is beyond me. If Dave would have been kicked out in 85 and he had the sympathy, this lame act would have enjoyed a quick and swift death. The sympathy of the people meant everything to this band. The guy is an average guitarist. Average singer. Looks like Joe Schmo... has no personality. Just imagine how well Dave would have done with some good press. I think Sammy didn't sing more Dave stuff for good reason. "Ain't talking about love"? "Panama"? Sounds like a bad kareoke effort to me.

Point 3: I was very happy when Roth re-joined the band in the studio last year, not so much because i disliked Hagar (i didn't, i liked him), but because i never thought the original guys would be back together. And like a lot of veteran fans, I eagerly awaited news on the GH album, and a possible tour. Like i was 11 years ago when Roth quit the band, I was pissed and disappointed when Ed, Al, and Mike decided to hire Cherone and not to bring Roth back permanently.

PAUSE. So I don't get it. Why are you so mad at Roth today? Why aren't you just as mad at Eddie? Who is being consistent here? Why should I give Cherone the time of day. The only reason I was interested in this group again was because they brought back Dave. I'm not here for Cherone. Don't use Roth to kill two birds with one stone Eddie. You brought back DLR to intentionally hurt Sammy and to get even with Dave, and you said you did it for the fans. I don't want this kind of fan appreciation. Screw you Eddie.

I was silent all those years. I let you do what you wanted. But don't disrupt me with a reunion and people reporting "Dave was the original singer of VH and will always be so from now on"  

"The sky is the limit!" said Mikey

"You can't BS the fans!" said Al

One week later it was over.

Here's the thing i just don't understand about the Boycotters:

1) Most of you are boycotting the band because they kicked Roth out again, and you want the original band back. BUT, did you do the same thing 11 years ago when Roth quit? Did you say "Roth broke up the band, so i'm boycotting his career until he rejoins Van halen, and I'm going to buy all the new Van halen stuff to support them in the mean time". Tell the truth! Did you boycott Roth's solo career 11 years ago the way you are boycotting van halen today??? Or are you hypocritically criticising van halen for kicking out Roth now, when you cheered roth when he "kicked out" van halen 11 years ago? Well, boycotters??? Show your true colors....

Roth broke up the band in 85. Did he go on to say "Eddie was never a good guitar player" "These guys were assholes" "Half the time it was hell in that band" ,"I have advanced so much more now"

Eddie broke up the band in 96. Same exact b.s., and he was the one who quit the band this time. "It took Dave 2 weeks to do a song (we had the chance to practice for 2 years)", "Dave is not the same Dave of 1984" ,"It would have ripped off the fans to tour with Dave", "DLR shows us why we parted company with him in the first place"etc. etc. etc.

What did Dave say? "Eddie don't suck, he just made a mistake." In his letter he said he loved these guys among other things. Basically, THAT IS IT!

Ed and Al a "Class act"?!! They always take the high road?!!

Quite contrarily, this time the fans that boycotted Dave in '86 need to be fair and boycott Ed in '97. What is fair is fair. Ed broke up and quit the band this time. Tell me who is being hypocritical here?

Now, forget all about me being a Dave fan. I am now (for this story's sake) a Sammy Hagar fan. Poor Sammy Hagar. He was ready to be in Van Halen for the rest of his life. He worked hard for this band. He helped give them four number 1 albums. Is there a higher number than 1? Man, Sammy was my hero. You s.o.b. Eddie!!! I went to those concerts and bought those albums because I liked Sammy just as much as you. HOW DARE YOU kick Sammy out for wanting a lil time off with his wife. HOW DARE YOU!!!

For Human Beings! A soundtrack!! A GH album!!! What was the frickin hurry??? What have you accomplished the last 3 years??? Screw you Eddie! And then you replace him with the guy who quit on you, the devil himself, David Lee Roth!!! How could you stoop so low. Was this his thank you? You have a sick mind Eddie Van Halen. You are one sick mutha. Sam, don't worry, I WILL NOT STAB YOU IN THE BACK! I will not support Eddie Van Halen and his evil doings.

Rock in Roll is music but also a business. Football is a game but also a business. What if your football team won the superbowl four straight years and your star QB gets cut by the owner over personal differences. He brings in some unknown quantity on the down-side of his career to replace him. You still call this the same team? What, you want to charge the same price? Wait a minute, I'm a fan of that star QB. I wanted to see him play. What you mean you also brought back the original star QB (DLR) and you gave him the boot too? You mean since this new guy is cheaper and a basically a raw talent? But you still want me to buy tickets? Screw that, I'll watch the game on TV. Don't screw with the people who got you there.

I did not boycott Van halen in 85 because Dave left, I boycotted because they wouldn't give him a fair chance. The extent of my boycott was not buying their records or attending shows. That's it. Pretty much the same now. Only now we have the internet.

I was the exception then though. Most people (Radio, media, Van Halen, the fans) boycotted Dave. Now Eddie kicks out 2 band members, gets to keep the VH name and blasts them in interviews and milk ads, and we are supposed to give him a fair shake. Dave got not sympathy in 85. VH, which has done the same thing x2, should not get any sympathy today. What is fair is fair.

No double standard here. Dave broke up the band in 85 and he paid dearly. Eddie broke up 2 bands in 96, why should I or any Van Halen fan give him or his new boy Cherone the time of day. It is time for Eddie to pay the price. Whether you like it or know it or not, Dave was boycotted in 85, by the fans, and especially by Van Halen themselves. One guy quits a band, he is labeled the bad guy. The other guy quits 2 bands and he is supposed be given another chance?

Screw that. Bring back Dave or Sammy or rename the band. No number 3 clone to come in and replace them with "tribute concerts". What Dave did was wrong. What Eddie did was twice as wrong. It's time for him to share the same fate. It is no longer a band. It is a family-owned band. Are we to embrace Cherone now only to have him get kicked out the first time he doesn't come running to 5150? Accepting Cherone in this band is no less than stabbing Dave and Sammy in the back.

If Dave or Sammy ever brought you any happiness, thank them. Show your loyalty and appreciation. DO NOT give Eddie the power to do whatever he wants without taking the fans into consideration. Do not support this "new" Van halen.

Don't sell yourself cheap. Don't think you make no difference. You are all the difference. Without us, there is no mansion, 5150. If he says he wants to move on. Then let him, WITHOUT US. You'll see how quick he'll conform. This is all about ego. Eddie says he doesn't need Dave, he doesn't need Sammy, he says he doesn't even need us. Well lets just see how much of that is true.

You could have so much better than a "tribute" concert. You can have the real deal. Shop around. Don't buy the first act that comes along, just because Eddie wants to control him. Stick up for yourself. It's just going to be the same damn solo he's played the last 20 years anyway.

Before you buy that "Mach III", remember Dave, remember Sammy.

What is that old saying, "Those who forget the past are condemned to re-live it" Think about that before you make Gary Cherone a star. That poor boy is going to be axed by Eddie in a drunken stupor. Wake Edward Van Halen up. Do something. Dave is still around. We can have the real deal. It is up to you.

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