Welcome! My name is Greg Renoff. I'm a historian and the author of the #1 Amazon Heavy Metal Musican Biography, Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal

<a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://vanhalenrising.tumblr.com/post/72148681571">vanhalenrising</a>: <blockquote> Edward #VanHalen and Alex Van Halen backstage at #Freedom Hall in #Louisville, #Kentucky on 2 August 1984 with members of Helix. From L-R, Paul Hackman, Brent Doerner, Alex, Edward and Daryl Gray. Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152105896689602&set=bc.AbrkuASmGkBliP4lJPV_kvdax1RQwdlq-bKF5xGiCE4JRIjSQRjE_8FORYnJCg8ClwN24_gknQ2auSC57lYZNwF1xiA9kxsYh12F8KrPs6dO4BRWDOQ7QE7JESklNVp8VV7bDMSkTxJdX_Ta9jDFiYtXnTGcZgKzp3bmNd6JPk3LFQ&type=1&opaqueCursor=AbqRXvyG4TSIb40XGZDtsk43uXmkPXGlBp2jPLZr2fwOHD7cW9qKYuT-2nKj0b9u89Tc24pD-RbCEEmtrrmTyOugktWZYX86uei9X7E9RmU_eePHP71eDSKVaGM1AcZGNyNkhkpJHaXCCVC6PvnensSysn4E68FzCRLOFDOWUzGd3LMXkSbKIipteE3tq8-UTfw7wZQuirtOuC8ZxnRzpKQ4HzLYR0D2jP5hG-8qIc4cJRy1trTzktdiPvqgbUykNFBmjHCnC81zE3jrFZEvKHdpTb-Iz3VQSHRw73PlQpMZ7Q&theater">Brian Vollmer</a> </blockquote>

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Hi All, It’s been a while, but I’ve got something fun for you today. Thanks to Van Halen Rising reader Al, here’s Van Halen’s August 1980 hotel rooming list for the band’s World Invasion tour stop in Little Rock. You’ll see a number of familiar names on the list: Ed’s tech Rudy Leiren, Al’s tech Gregg Emerson, manager Noel Monk and the band’s lighting director (and future Picasso Brother) Pete Angelus. But we also get to see the aliases the band used to register while on the road. Take a look. :)In other news, I’ve still got signed copies of <a href="http://van-halen-rising.myshopify.com/products/van-halen-rising-signed-copy">Van Halen Rising</a> and <a href="http://van-halen-rising.myshopify.com/">kickass VHR shirts and swag</a> all ready to ship. I’ll even ship to people named Hugh Jazz and Biff Malibu!

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Van HalenEddie Van Halendavid lee rothalexvanhalenvanhalen

<a href="https://soundcloud.com/greg-renoff/van-halen-oct-1982-uniondale-fm-promo-evh-breaks-wrist-news">https://soundcloud.com/greg-renoff/van-halen-oct-1982-uniondale-fm-promo-evh-breaks-wrist-news</a>

Van Halen: Oct 1982 Uniondale FM Promo & EVH Breaks Wrist News

<a href="https://soundcloud.com/greg-renoff/van-halen-unchained-live-in-greensboro-nc-25-august-1981">https://soundcloud.com/greg-renoff/van-halen-unchained-live-in-greensboro-nc-25-august-1981</a>

Van Halen, "Unchained," live in Greensboro, NC 25 August 1981

<a href="https://soundcloud.com/greg-renoff/john-waite-eddie-van-halen-wild-life-hollywood-palladium-11784">https://soundcloud.com/greg-renoff/john-waite-eddie-van-halen-wild-life-hollywood-palladium-11784</a>

John Waite & Eddie Van Halen, "Wild Life," Hollywood Palladium, 11/7/84

<a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://katidrew.tumblr.com/post/147263029618">katidrew</a>: <blockquote> Van Halen performs @ Detroit Cobo Hall ‘81 </blockquote>

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Greetings All, It’s been quiet on Planet Van Halen, but time marches on, and June is upon us already. So for Father’s Day, I’ve bundled the last of my Van Halen Rising Shirts with personalized, signed copies of my book at blowout prices: <a href="https://van-halen-rising.myshopify.com/products/fathers-day-bundle">VHR Icon Shirt & Signed Book: $30 ($15 savings!)</a> <a href="http://van-halen-rising.myshopify.com/products/fathers-day-book-cover-shirt-vhr-sale-bundle">VHR Book Cover Shirt & Signed Book: $35 ($20 savings!)</a>Hope you’ll take a look - Thanks! Greg

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Van Halenalex van halenEddie Van Halendavid lee rothvan halen risingshirtsbooks

Hi All, Last week, my friend Mark sent me this mega-rare Van Halen backyard party flyer – one I’d never seen before – for a show that was scheduled for May 31, 1975. Do note that this party, like a lot of Van Halen parties in the San Gabriel Valley during the 74-75 era, was sponsored by a car club. But in an effort to try to outsmart the cops, the hosts decided to hold it in Phelan, a desert locale far outside of Los Angeles proper. Take a look at the map.The club also promised “a giant bonfire & nude dancing” as part of the “largest party ever at the warm, starry, clean desert.” What Van Halen fan of that era could possibly pass that up? In the end, though, the police did get wind of the party, undoubtedly by way of one of these flyers, and busted the party before it ever got going. Still, you’ve gotta hand it to the hosts for their ambition here. Best of my knowledge, this would have been an utterly unique Van Halen party, if for no other reason that the location was so far out of town. That’s it for now - thanks again as always. Rock on … Greg P.S.: I’m running low on VHR t-shirts. <a href="http://van-halen-rising.myshopify.com/products/van-halen-rising-icon-t-shirt">Once they’re gone, they’re gone for good, so now’s as good a time as any to grab one</a> from the Van Halen Rising Store.

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Van HalenEddie Van Halenalex van halenmichael anthonydavid lee roth

David Lee Roth’s had a busy couple of weeks. After I speculated in an email to you guys that Roth’s lyrics to “Ain’t No Christmas” concerned Van Halen, Roth’s management first denied that the song was about Van Halen. Then just days later, Roth revised his position, saying online, “On second thought if all work is autobiographic, maybe this song is about Van Halen.”So there’s that. Is Roth in or out of Van Halen? We will have to wait and see. But just last night, Roth released a new video to the <a href="http://www.vhnd.com/2016/03/07/david-lee-roths-tribute-to-david-bowie/">Van Halen News Desk</a>. While ostensibly it’s a tribute to David Bowie, Roth’s main focus in it is to explain how Bowie influenced his personal style circa 1973 or so, right after he joined Mammoth (soon to be called Van Halen). So I thought I’d provide everyone with a visual to go along with Dave’s video: an unpublished photo of DLR from around the fall of 1973, taken by Elizabeth Wiley.It’s just as Roth details in his video: the high-waisted, ultra-tight jeans, the platforms, and what Dave calls his “Bowie haircut.”Now if you’ve read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Van-Halen-Rising-Southern-California/dp/1770412638/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1429042278&sr=8-1&keywords=van+halen+rising+how+a+southern+california+backyard+party+band+saved+heavy+metal">Van Halen Rising</a>, you know that at this time Roth’s musical and cultural influences didn’t jibe well with what the Van Halen brothers and bassist Mark Stone favored. The members of Mammoth loved Grand Funk and Black Sabbath and wore Pendleton shirts and Levi’s when they performed. Roth, in contrast, loved Bowie and James Brown and wore platforms and high-waisted flared jeans when he performed, which didn’t always sit well with the Van Halen brothers or their old-school Mammoth fans. No wonder Edward once said that Roth “got a lot more flack” for his fashions when he first started playing with them, “because he used to be into David Bowie, wear platform shoes and funny haircuts.”Yet in the end, Roth’s influences would go far in creating the classic Van Halen look and sound. But if you’ve read my book, you already know that. Thanks & Rock On … Greg P.S: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Van-Halen-Rising-Southern-California/dp/1515954412">The Van Halen Rising audiobook is out! Get it here</a>.

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Van Halendavid lee rothdavid bowieplatform shoes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tj1NIwAZzk

Greetings Friends, Last week, David Lee Roth released a new episode of his web series, The Roth Show, over at his new website. As usual, it featured Roth’s unique brand of stream-of-consciousness commentary.But Roth also offered up some new songs, including this somber acoustic number, “Ain’t No Christmas.” I’d urge you to take a couple minutes to listen to it, because my take is that the lyrics provide a commentary on Roth’s recent months with Van Halen and perhaps a window into the future of Van Halen. And here are the lyrics [thx to <a href="http://www.vhlinks.com/vbforums/threads/62130-David-Lee-Roth-New-York-City-Way?p=1881581&viewfull=1#post1881581">DRFC at VHL for the transcription</a>]: “Ain’t No Christmas” David Lee Roth Sure looked good on paper, once upon a lie. Happily never after, and I’m not OK to drive. You and me both, speaking the language of dreams. Now it’s dark glasses on a sleepless night, ain’t no Christmas for me. Let’s put the pin back in this one, and say we both survived. Last blank space on the map, I think we’ve arrived. Headway or getaway, makes no difference to me. This side or the other, ain’t no Christmas for me. Shakespeare’s heroes all drink ale, his villains all drink beer. I had to drink something bitter, or I wouldn’t be here. Have a pitcher full of pity, a shot of possibility, Tall cool glass of nothing else, make no difference to me. Dark glasses on a sleepless night, ain’t no Christmas for me. [spoken] Here’s where the narrative changes. Only hurts when I’m awake, that you can believe. Yeah, I’d do it all again, just not for free. If love’s a collect call, why-why’s it always for me? Quittin’ while you’re ahead ain’t quittin’, and I’m quittin’. Locals-only naked city, and the visit ain’t free. Was the pear on the ground, not the apple in the tree? Give me a pitcher full of pity, and a shot of possibility. This side or the other, ain’t no Christmas for me. No Christmas, ain’t gonna be no Christmas Ain’t no Christmas for me. Ain’t no Christmas for me. Not this year. Roth’s vocal performance here is mournful and somber. His lyrics express feelings of bitterness and regret. This song really affected me, and it’s stuck with me long after I listened for the first time.What does everyone think? Is Roth singing about a lost love? Or is he speaking about Edward?Let me know what you think.Rock On … Greg

Van Halendavid lee roth

Hello Friends, Last week, I promised you a great early days photo of DLR, one I ended up not using in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Van-Halen-Rising-Southern-California/dp/1770412638">Van Halen Rising</a>. Well, here it is, courtesy of Elizabeth Wiley (look for her name in the liner notes of Van Halen’s 1978 debut!) She snapped this picture of Dave Roth around 1974, long before he became Diamond David Lee Roth. Thanks for sharing it, EW. In other news, a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Van-Halen-Rising-Southern-California/dp/1515954412/ref=tmm_abk_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1429042278&sr=8-1">Van Halen Rising audio book</a> is in the works, and I still have some <a href="http://www.van-halen-rising.myshopify.com">t-shirts and other swag available for purchase here</a>. Oh, and I must say that I’ve so enjoyed hearing from everyone regarding the future of Van Halen. Thank you to everyone who has written me! I’ll be chiming in on this topic very soon and will share my thoughts (I’ve got lots of things to say - go figure) via the email list. Until next time, Rock On … Greg

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Hello All, Last week I put my historian skills to work, and struck Van Halen gold, especially for the VH guitar nuts on this email list. While at NAMM, a gentleman (I’ll be damned if I can remember his name) mentioned to me that he had a friend who’d had a 1970s-era yearbook with a cool Van Halen photo in it. I asked for the details, and this person told me it was from Don Bosco Tech, circa 1975-1976. When I got back to Oklahoma, I called the school, and low and behold, one of the teachers there kindly scanned and sent me this incredibly rare and cool photo of Van Halen playing at a dance. Right away, I saw a couple of unique aspects of the band’s history on display. Note the haze around the stage, and my “SMOKE POT” annotations and arrows on the photo, which point to the band’s homemade stage pyrotechnics. (I write about them in Chapter Six of Van Halen Rising). I’d hazard that the band had just blown them off, hence the smoke. Also, do take note of the band’s banner. All of us who love old school Van Halen know about the classic Mark Stone logo, which rendered the band’s name as VANHALEN circa 1973-1974. But by this point, around 1976, the band was calling itself “VAN HALEN” rather than “VANHALEN.”Okay, so now a quick disclaimer: I’m not a vintage Gibson guitar expert, but I can tell you that this is the *only photo* I’ve ever seen of EVH playing his Gibson ES-335 (or 345, more about that below).Here’s what EVH told Guitar World in 2009 about this particular guitar:I bought a Gibson ES-335 that had one of those Maestro Vibrola wiggle sticks with the bent metal tailpiece, like you find on an SG. I liked it but it wouldn’t stay in tune. I figured that maybe I could make the E, A and D string solid and just have the high three strings affected by the wiggle stick, so I sawed the Vibrola in half. My thought was that if the high three strings went out of tune, I would always be able to make it through a song playing chords that were on the low three strings that were in a fixed position—kinda like two guitars in one, a stop tailpiece and a wiggle stick on one guitar.Ultimately, though, as Ed explained to Guitar Player, he stopped playing this guitar after the guys in the band complained about it:I was playing a 335 for a while before we got signed, and it sounded fine. But the other guys would go, ‘Come on you look like Roy Orbison,’ Really, here’s this little skinny punk kid playing a Ted Nugent axe, you know. They said, 'You’re rock and roll; you ain’t Roy Orbison. Either get some dark glasses or get rid of the guitar.’ So I dumped that … So here’s where I may be on thin ice – so I’m looking forward to feedback from the EVH guitar obsessives on the VHR email list. EVH has always called this guitar a ES-335, but I’ve been told by an individual who knows the story of this particular instrument, that it was a ES-345. Part of solving that mystery may come from people chiming in about the specs for the different models when it came to the Vibrola tremolo unit …

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edward van halenEddie Van HalenVan Halen19751976

Dear Friends, The always awesome <a href="http://www.vhnd.com/2015/12/12/full-video-van-halen-rising-launch-party-ted-templeman/">Van Halen News Desk</a> has just posted the full Q&A session from my October appearance at Vroman’s Bookstore, which of course featured Grammy-winning producer Ted Templeman. If you weren’t able to attend in person, <a href="http://www.vhnd.com/2015/12/12/full-video-van-halen-rising-launch-party-ted-templeman/">here’s your chance, via this link</a>, to see and hear what we discussed about Van Halen’s beginnings and Ted’s role in helping the band reach the heights of superstardom. (And do listen closely for Ted’s answer to my question: “Would you produce another Van Halen album?”) Well, that’s about it for now. Thanks for all of the messages and posts of support! Just a quick reminder: if <a href="http://van-halen-rising.myshopify.com/">you’d like a personally signed book or other merch before Xmas, time’s running out, so please order here at the VHR shop before 12/15</a>. And if you’re in the Midwest, <a href="https://thelibrary.org/blogs/article.cfm?aid=4112&lid=63">I’ll be appearing at the Library Center in Springfield, Missouri on 12/15 at 7PM</a>. I’d be happy to sign a book for you in person there! Until next time, Rock On… Greg Renoff

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Greetings all, Just a quick note to tell everyone what I’m up to this week. On Wednesday, Dec. 2, I’ll be appearing at Half Price Books on NW Highway in Dallas, and on Thursday, Dec. 3, I’ll be at HPB North Lamar in Austin. On both nights I’ll sign books and answer questions about VH and Van Halen Rising, and both events start at 7PM. If you’re in the area, please come by and say hello. I’d love to meet you and sign a book for you! Rock On … Greg

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Van Halenhalf price bookshpbDallasaustinvan halen rising

Greetings all - To help celebrate the holidays -<a href="http://van-halen-rising.myshopify.com/products/vantastic-holiday-gift-package">I’m offering up a $50 Holiday Gift Package at the VHR Store!</a> It includes:<ul><li>a personalized, signed copy of VHR. </li><li>a VHR Book Cover t-shirt</li><li>a VHR Icon t-shirt</li><li>a set of koozies</li><li>and a vintage VH concert ticket bookmark</li></ul>If purchased individually, these items would sell for $80 – so you’ll get them for a savings of $30.(Psst!: and to celebrate last night’s Hollywood appearance of DLR with his Eat ‘em and Smile solo band, use the discount code EATEMANDSMILE to get FREE SHIPPING!)Let me know if you’ve got questions. Happy Thanksgiving!Greg

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<a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://austinkleon.tumblr.com/post/133314307646">austinkleon</a>: <blockquote> Mötley Crüe, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060989157/wwwaustinkleo-20/ref=nosim/">The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band</a> And I thought <a href="http://tumblr.austinkleon.com/post/100764128331">Please Kill Me</a> was depraved! Somebody on twitter recommended this to me after I posted about <a href="http://tumblr.austinkleon.com/post/132567868226">Van Halen Rising</a>. “The Dirt is possibly the ugliest book ever written,” writes Nick Hornby, in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1932416595/wwwaustinkleo-20/ref=nosim/">Housekeeping Vs. The Dirt</a>: <figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="406" data-orig-width="666"><img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/f5a19515ef6c0e4b8c4595ce19d2da2b/tumblr_inline_nxw22aGlP01qz6f4b_540.png" data-orig-height="406" data-orig-width="666"/></figure>Later, when wondering about the truth of the book’s contents, Hornby decides, “anyone depraved enough to imagine this is certainly depraved enough to do it.” It’s actually a pretty smartly constructed book — like Please Kill Me, it’s an oral history, but it has several great Rashomon moments, where the bandmates contradict each other. It’s also unexpectedly moving when Vince Neil talks about losing his little daughter to cancer. I liked this bit from the band’s “Cog Theory”: <blockquote>[Success] gives artists everything they have ever dreamed of, everything they could ever want except for privacy, solitude, friendship, stability, love (both familial and romantic), and peace of mind. </blockquote> Several parts are instructive in what NOT to do with your success. Here’s Nikki on how he failed to <a href="http://austinkleon.com/2013/08/01/keep-your-overhead-low/">keep his overhead low</a>: <blockquote>I had bought a full-on drug-dealer mansion. My overhead expenses were forty thousand dollars a month. That’s how much it cost just to wake up and go to sleep every day between my house payments and utilities bills. It cost twenty-five hundred dollars in electricity just to cool the house each month…</blockquote> Depraved, disgusting, but most definitely entertaining. Filed under: <a href="http://tumblr.austinkleon.com/tagged/my+reading+year+2015">my reading year 2015</a> </blockquote>

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060989157/wwwaustinkleo-20/ref=nosim/

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<a href="http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com/post/132931124846/252-van-halen-in-the-90s-round-table-this-week" class="tumblr_blog">digmeoutpodcast</a>: <blockquote>#252: Van Halen in the 90s Round TableThis week we’re kicking off the first of a series in which we revisit the 90s output of a band from the 1980s that was massive popular. For the first “in the 90s” round table, we’re tackling <a href="http://www.van-halen.com/">Van Halen</a>, who sold a combined <a href="http://www.statisticbrain.com/van-halen-band-career-statistics/">47 million albums</a> from 1980 to 1988, and enter the 90s with the successful For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album in 1991 that spawned the gigantic single “Right Here Right Now.” From there, the band fumbled through a not very live double album before the uneven Balance album in 1995, the final with Sammy Hagar. We revisit the wild months in 1996 that feature the departure of Sammy, return and quick departure of David Lee Roth and addition of Extreme singer Gary Cherone for 1998′s III. To make sense of it all, we’re joined by <a href="http://vanhalenrising.com/">Van Halen Rising</a> author <a href="https://twitter.com/GregRenoff">Greg Renoff</a>, <a href="http://ultimateclassicrock.com/author/mattwardlawgmail-com/">Ultimate Classic Rock</a> writer <a href="https://twitter.com/mwardlaw">Matt Wardlaw</a>, <a href="http://themeparkexperience.blogspot.com/">writer/author/podcaster</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric_Grubbs">Eric Grubbs</a>, and 80s Rock Savant/<a href="http://www.kidsinterviewbands.com/">KidsInterviewBands.com</a> proprietor <a href="https://twitter.com/chipmidnight">Chip Midnight</a> for a lively and lengthly discussion.Songs in this Episode:<ul><li>Intro - Man on a Mission </li><li>11:34 - Judgement Day</li><li>47:55 - Take Me Back (Deja Vu)</li><li>1:06:50 - Me Wise Magic</li><li>1:17:05 - Without You</li><li>Outro - Can’t Stop Loving You</li></ul><iframe id="audio_iframe" src="http://www.podbean.com/media/player/qnp6c-5a1d68?from=yiiadmin" data-link="http://www.podbean.com/media/player/qnp6c-5a1d68?from=yiiadmin" height="100" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player"></iframe></blockquote>

Dig Me Out Podcast

Season 5

#252: Van Halen in the 90s Round Table

This week, I had the surreal experience of opening up the latest issue of Rolling Stone and seeing Van Halen Rising reviewed. This amazing moment for me as an author, I must tell you all, could not have happened without your support: your Facebook posts, your retweets, and your willingness to tell your friends about the book. Rolling Stone only reviews books when they have a buzz – and you guys made that happen. Thank you! To show my appreciation, watch for some more Van Halen rarities – including a super-rare cover song from my archives – to come this week. Until next time – Rock on … Greg

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<a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://austinkleon.tumblr.com/post/132567868226">austinkleon</a>: <blockquote> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1770412638/wwwaustinkleo-20/ref=nosim/">Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal</a> by Greg Renoff Lemme get this out of the way: I’m not a huge Van Halen fan. But man, this is a pretty fun read. A lot of biographies of artists try to cover the whole life of the work — I like this book because it only focuses on the *rise*. The rise is what is so helpful to young artists when they’re starting out and trying to succeed: to read about how their heroes did it, sure, but if the biography is good, it knocks down most of the myths and shows much context and luck and charisma and chemistry and hard work had to do with it. This biography does that. Take Eddie Van Halen — almost everyone agrees that he was extremely gifted and able to emulate pretty much any riff and any guitar guitar player: <blockquote>“In an age before guitar tablature books and YouTube guitar tutorials, Edward’s amazing ear gave him the ability to listen to a song once and then start playing along.”</blockquote> But it’s also emphasized that he practiced “incessantly” for thousands and thousands of hours and gave up a lot of goofing off an socializing to do so. A friend says: <blockquote>“Ed would stay at home and not leave his room. A lot of people think it came natural for Ed to play. No, he practiced his ass off. We would leave him sitting on the end of his bed. We’d come back four or five hours later and he would be in the same spot still playing.”</blockquote> EVH worked hard, but he and his brother had a lot of genetic, natural musical talent to work with. In contrast, David Lee Roth, who I’ve never really given two thoughts to before reading this book, comes off as the real hero: a guy who oozed charisma and smarts but had to fight like hell to get something decent out of his voice. (He once said a coach told him he had a terrible voice and that he’d never amount to anything.) Repeatedly in the book it comes out that most people thought he would do *something* with himself, but didn’t think <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IArxakPsPE0">he was a very good singer</a>. He made up for his lack of natural singing talent with his sense of showmanship and style and savvy promotional and business mind. One of the funniest stories is the way DLR actually got into the band: they rejected him multiple times, but he vowed he would get in eventually. He had a great PA system that the band rented for gigs. Eventually, after bugging them repeatedly, they decided it’d be cheaper to let him in the band than to keep renting his PA! Roth later admitted that revenge was one of his main drivers: <blockquote>“His musical ambitions, he later explained in the pages of Musician, were “primarily motivated by fear and revenge … My songs, my interviews, the way I dress … every time we go out and play, yeah, I’m having a great time, but I’m also dancing somebody else into the dirt.”</blockquote> Roth also brought an invaluable pop sensibility to the band: <blockquote>“I will personally check every song for danceability,” Roth guaranteed. “And we’ll play rock tunes, but ones that you can dance to.”</blockquote> He was also the cheerleader: he got everyone to dress right and “play the part” and pumped them up with confidence. He did a great job hyping his bandmates — here’s a typical DLR exchange with a friend before a gig: <blockquote> “Yeah we’re gonna open up for them, but I feel sorry for him.” A perplexed Tracy cocked his head. “Who? Whattya mean?” “Edward’s gonna blow him off the face of the fucking earth.” “What?” “I feel sorry for Michael Schenker. Edward’s gonna wipe the floor with him.” </blockquote> (Bands grew to loathe having Van Halen as an opener — Ted Nugent once shouted at his crowd, “Fuck Van Halen!” after they kept hollering for them to come back out.) The band gigged their asses off — like so many bands, they started off doing exclusively covers and made a name for themselves playing backyard parties in Pasadena. Eventually, over time, they’d slip in originals to their set. Their manager says of the band’s work ethic: <blockquote>“Wherever we could get a job, I took it, no matter how much money it cost for us to go there. My formula for success was that this was not a recording artist; this was a live rock and roll band. The more people you put Van Halen in front of, the better. They then became your PR. They’d say to other people, ‘Oh man, I just saw the greatest band!’ So I took everything I could get.”</blockquote> Gene Simmons, bassist for KISS, pointed out that they gave every little show everything they had: <blockquote>the whole group, especially David, was playing the stage as if it was Madison Square Garden. And that’s the sign of greatness. You’ve got to be good in the first place, but when you treat a small, intimate gathering as if it’s a spectacle, you have the makings of a star.</blockquote> Hearing about their promotional adventures, I was reminded of Mike Watt’s “gigs or flyers” summary of the activity of The Minutemen: “you’re either doing a gig or posting a flyer for the gig.” <blockquote>Roth explained to Tiger Beat, “We used to drive all over town putting flyers up on every lamp post, bathroom wall, gym locker, just so that people would get to know our name and come and see us play.”[ 590 ] As Anthony told Guitar for the Practicing Musician, it all paid off: “I’d look out and see five thousand kids that we’d drawn because we put fliers on everyone’s car at Anaheim Stadium, where Aerosmith was playing an outdoor show.”</blockquote> After years of playing gigs, when they finally got that record deal, they were so prepared, they basically just got in the studio and hit “record”: their first album cost only $54,000, and went platinum several times, when most albums in the Top 20 at the time cost at least $100,000-$150,000. For a record company who suspected heavy metal might be on the way out, that was a big deal. Jeez, who knew I’d ever be able to go on so much about Van Halen? I realize at this point I’ve left out drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony, both who brought a ton to the mix. But hey, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1770412638/wwwaustinkleo-20/ref=nosim/">you can just read the book</a>. Filed under: <a href="http://tumblr.austinkleon.com/tagged/my+reading+year+2015">my reading year 2015</a> </blockquote>

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1770412638/wwwaustinkleo-20/ref=nosim/

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One of my main goals in writing Van Halen Rising was to lay bare the way in which Van Halen, a band that was an unknown act outside of LA in early ‘78, built their worldwide fanbase during their long 1978 tour. I recently got this email from VHR subscriber Glenn, who was kind enough to share his memories of seeing Van Halen open for the Stones and the Doobies in New Orleans on 13 July 1978. I immediately got chills as I read them! Read them for yourself and you’ll get a great sense of how VH broke so big that year: In the summer of 1978, I was thirteen and was learning guitar. I was already a big fan of KISS, Queen, and Ted Nugent, even though New Orleans had a terrible rock station. I got invited by some older cousins to see the Stones at the Superdome in July 1978. Some Girls was their huge album that summer. We were glad that the Doobie Brothers would be play right before the Stones, because we had been listening their Best Of album around that time, too. On the day of the show we were milling around outside the Dome when someone said a guy named “Van Haven” would open the show. We shrugged our shoulders. I imagined Van as a sort of folkie, maybe a cross between James Taylor and Dave Mason? Surely, this Haven guy was not as cool as Peter Frampton! I thought, Hmmm, maybe I’d seen Mr. Van Haven on the Midnight Special as I was fighting sleep some late Friday night? Soon enough, we were in inside the Superdome and the real Van Halen hit the stage. Dave and Ed ran right out onto Jagger’s catwalk (it was shaped like a tongue — you can bet they were told to stay off it by Mick and the Stones!) My first thought was: This band is very Led Zep. But, wait a second — Plant never leapt like that! Page doesn’t play like that! Zeppelin doesn’t rock this hard! It was quickly apparent that Van Halen was offering up something new, a new sound, which came from the energy of a band that seemed to have four Ted Nugents onstage, with a bit of Paul Stanley thrown in. They were, as they claimed, On Fire! We didn’t know any of the songs, but their tunes were punchy and explosive. The only two songs I’m sure they played are “I’m The One” (because of the shoo-bee-doo-wah part) and “Ain’t Talkin’ 'bout Love” (because I remember the “got no time to fuck around” line and the “HEY! HEY! HEY!” part, which reminded me of the Ramones’ phrase “Gabba Gabba Hey!”) Oh, and I can still recall vividly DLR declaring to the audience: “Ladies and Gentlemen, the premiere guitarist of the 1980s, Mr. Edward Van Halen!” right before “Eruption.” Wow! I saw them again a few times between 1979 and 1982, and they were always great. While I became alienated with their direction by 1983, I never lost the love for their first few albums and the first VH shows I saw. Again, thank you for conceiving and attacking this project! I always wanted to know more about their early, hungry days. In 1978-1979, Van Halen was all testosterone (and, I suppose, Krell) put to music! You’re welcome Glenn, and thanks for sharing your memories! Rock On … Greg PS: If you’d like to read a fuller account of that New Orleans show, it’s all in Van Halen Rising – <a href="http://van-halen-rising.myshopify.com/">and you can get your personally inscribed copies of the book here. I’d love to sign one for you!</a>

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Van HalenSuperdomenew orleansnew orleans saintsRolling Stonesthe stones1978doobie brothersdoobie bros