“I thought it was appropriate and fitting in the context of what rock and roll was doing at the time – causing nothing but trouble”: Alex Van Halen recalls the first time he and Eddie saw David Lee Roth’s band live
“Some guy pulls a knife,” says the drummer.
Image: Ethan Miller / Getty Images
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Alex Van Halen has opened up about the eventful first meeting between he and his brother Eddie, and their future Van Halen bandmate David Lee Roth.
In a new interview with Ariel Levy, Alex reveals that he and Eddie’s then-band, Mammoth, were set to play an outdoor show in a park but had to cancel due to a mix-up about who was providing the sound system and lights. Roth’s band at the time, Red Ball Jet, somehow learned of the situation and stepped in to take their place at the last minute.
“So we came back, and lo and behold, there’s another band playing,” Alex recalls. “And we’re going, ‘Who the hell is this?’ It turns out it was Dave’s band. So we’re standing out there, not too happy about it all, but, ‘What the hell? Let’s just listen to the band.’ A couple of the guys we knew, the Komora brothers and I knew the bass player and I knew the drummer. I just didn’t know Dave yet.”
Before long, a confrontation broke out, which ended with the police getting involved.
“So, in your infinite wisdom of having false courage with [a couple of beers], you walk up, ‘Hey, man, what the hell are you doing here?’ And push comes to shove. And the park guy got really pissed off, and he was a very muscular guy, and he starts pushing people around. And then some guy pulls a knife. Now it’s not play time anymore, okay? Now, it’s bigger time. ‘Put the fucking knife away, pal.’”
“And the guy, they got into it, they arrested him. But that was my introduction to Dave’s band! I thought it was appropriate and fitting in the context of what rock and roll was doing at the time, which is causing nothing but trouble.”