David Lee Roth Ponders Six Variations of Kiss Traveling The Continent – 2020 – New Interview

David Lee Roth was recently interviewed by the Lexington Herald-Leader. A few excerpts from the interview have been posted below.

Eddie Van Halen:

What I do can be derailed by a whole lot of things. My closest, dearest colleague Edward (Van Halen, the band’s guitarist and co-founder, who is reportedly dealing with cancer related issues) has run up against the wall on turn three. He’s not doing well. I’ve heard only what you’ve heard. I have not seen him in some time.”

KISS:

Kiss has transcended the bias of music the way Cirque de Soleil or Blue Man Group has. I, myself, would recommend to them if that, in fact, this is the final tour, perhaps go Blue Man Group. Why couldn’t there be six variations of Kiss traveling on the continent because it includes so much more than the music. It begins with the music, but it extends into theatre and, I’ll say with respect, circus.”

Van Halen’s Early Days:

I remember the days when we would set up the gear wearing overalls we bought at the War Surplus out at Silver Lake. Then we’d say, ‘Okay, let’s go have a cigarette and we would – four of us with one Marlboro. And we would take off our overalls and be rock stars for five 45-minute sets on a Tuesday night out at some little road bar in Pomona. I always thought it might be me that got sidelined first. I would fall off something tall or get rolled under something I shouldn’t have been trying to climb on. Singers usually fall quickest because what we do is so highly physical.”

His Influences:

Most of my material is a reprise of ‘When you’re a jet, you’re a jet all the way’ times Wilson Pickett. I didn’t spend time trying to imitate the fella in Led Zeppelin. I didn’t try to mimic the fella in the Rolling Stones. I spent my time trying to be black.”

Read the entire interview @ this location.