Topics › All Forums › General › Van Halen News › Intersting Take on the Billboard Interview
| June 22, 2015 at 8:16 pm Quote #46193 | |
 jroundy (1418) | Alex didn’t really contribute either…. Ed has always said he really writes the music, and Dave or Sam would write the lyrics. For me… Mike brought as much to the band as Alex. The poor folks play for keeps down here…They’re the living dead. Nobody rules these streets at night like Van Halen!! jroundyQuote |
| June 22, 2015 at 8:31 pm Quote #46194 | |
 VOODOO (2375) |
Alex helped with arrangements and was always in charge of the album art. They’re a brother team and now with Wolf, it’s really family and, like it or not, they will truly do what they want. If it wasn’t for Wolfie, we wouldn’t have had the past two tours, a new studio CD, the live CD set and the upcoming summer tour. So, I guess I’m glad Wolf is there instead of Mike. VOODOOQuote |
| June 22, 2015 at 8:58 pm Quote #46196 | |
 guitard (7354) | I think Al quietly operates in the background fulfilling the role of big brother and long before Wolf came along – it was Al who kept Ed from going completely off the rails. I doubt anyone else could have played that role. So while Al doesn’t write any music – his influence is still very significant. guitardQuote |
| June 22, 2015 at 11:37 pm Quote #46200 | |
 Dutchie (1799) |
I dont get it when people say that. Drums seem to be the most underrated instrument on the planet. OU812 almost has no bass on it but its still listenable. Imagine it with no drums…. Bands like Led Zeppelin & Rush… Imagine those 2 bands with different drummers. Drum beats dont write themselves. …And Justice For All is another example of an album with no bass but is still great. To say Mike bought as much to VH as Al is silly. Imagine HFT without that drum intro… DutchieQuote |
| June 22, 2015 at 11:45 pm Quote #46201 | |
| jroundy (1418) | You all missed my point… Al’s drums of course had an impact. Van Halen would be very different without Al. He was most definitely keeping Ed on track when he was out of his mind on whatever he was taking. Wolf has had more of an impact getting Ed sober, since Al was unable to do it. If it weren’t for Wolf, Ed could very well be dead by now from drug abuse. I was simply saying Al doesn’t write music. Mike’s vocal’s were just as important to me, as Al’s drums. But neither wrote any music. The poor folks play for keeps down here…They’re the living dead. Nobody rules these streets at night like Van Halen!! jroundyQuote |
| June 22, 2015 at 11:54 pm Quote #46202 | |
| jroundy (1418) | There is no doubt Van Halen is better off with Wolf in the band, but that still is no excuse for Ed to be dick. Ed can think whatever he wants about Mike, but he shouldn’t be bashing him in public. Wolf is a better bass player than Mike… he has proven that with the last record and last tour. Wolf also has a great voice, not as good as Mike’s, but still great. Mike has always been a much better performer than Wolf. Mike has always been more interesting to watch and see live, Wolf seems a bit shy about performing live… almost uncomfortable at times. The poor folks play for keeps down here…They’re the living dead. Nobody rules these streets at night like Van Halen!! jroundyQuote |
| June 23, 2015 at 3:04 am Quote #46212 | |
| Dutchie (1799) | Mike, Sammy and Dave have bashed Ed over the years way more than he has of them. Sammy more than the other 2 though. I dont think I’ve read an interview with Sammy without him talking smack about Eddie. I’ve never seen a reaction like this before for whatever any of those guys said. They have all be dicks to him too. Again, I dont doubt for a second that Ed taped bass lines for Mike to learn to play them like Ed wanted. Obviously, Mike could play bass, otherwise he would not of been asked to join the band, but Ed wanted them a certain way. Also, not everyone is a fan of Mikes BV’s. He sounds great on the albums and when he’s singing in harmony with Ed live, but those high pitched screams he used to do were woeful… I always hated them with a passion and I’m happy as fuck I dont hear them anymore. I like Mike as much as anybody but I just dont understand how people seem to think he is the most important member of this band. Most bands have a replaceable member, Mike is that person in VH. You would think he was John Lennon the way people have been carrying on about him. DutchieQuote |
| June 23, 2015 at 7:52 am Quote #46216 | |
| guitard (7354) |
The way the band performs live has changed dramatically since the early days, which is the case with all bands because guys can’t get as crazy on stage when they’re in the 50s like they did when they were in their 20s. Even less so now that they are in their 60s. So even though Wolf is in his 20s, he has to conform to the rest of the band’s performance style. In other words, if Wolf had joined the band as a 20-something in 1980, I’m sure he would be much more acrobatic on stage. Hell … he’d probably weigh around 30-40 pounds less than he does now from all the running around that he would be doing. guitardQuote |
| June 23, 2015 at 9:26 am Quote #46218 | |
 Dave (2308) | |
| June 23, 2015 at 9:40 am Quote #46220 | |
| jroundy (1418) | When has Mike ever said anything bad about Ed? As far as I have seen… never. The poor folks play for keeps down here…They’re the living dead. Nobody rules these streets at night like Van Halen!! jroundyQuote |
| June 23, 2015 at 10:06 am Quote #46221 | |
| jroundy (1418) |
This is all true… but I don’t believe it’s part of Wolf’s personality to be a great stage performer. He seems to be quite reserved in his personality, almost shy. His stage performance was certainly better in 2012 than 2008, but he still seems reserved, not outgoing. He doesn’t seem to be having a lot fun, unlike Dave and Ed. Dave and Ed are still performing for the audience, and Wolf seems content just to hang back, and be in the back ground. Playing drums would suit him better, and he probably would prefer to be the drummer. The poor folks play for keeps down here…They’re the living dead. Nobody rules these streets at night like Van Halen!! jroundyQuote |
| June 23, 2015 at 10:08 am Quote #46222 | |
| VOODOO (2375) |
I agree with you 100%. You’ve mirrored my earlier post in that I never understood why so many people are freaking out about Mike’s vocals not being on the album or “missing” them live. I’ve been a fan my whole life and I honestly like the new sound better. I am also 100% in agreement with you that those squeals and screams Mike used to do were like a nails on a chalk board. I don’t think his singing was all that great and when Ed said he has “more soul”, I think he’s actually right, now that he quit the smokes and his voice is a little clearer. Mike had a very flat vocal and Ed’s is more gravely/gruff. I don’t think either of them are great vocalists, but Ed is right that the majority of the “Classic Van Halen” sound was a mix of Ed, Mike and Dave, not JUST Mike. And lastly, I also agree when I said before, that you’d think this guy was John Paul Jones or John Entwistle or something the way people are carrying on about the bass player not being there. Yes, it would be cool to see the original line up performing together again, but that ain’t happening. When Mike decided to start touring with Sammy when Eddie was dealing with the cancer, divorce, hip replacements, drug and alcohol addiction, etc…he sealed his fate. Ed wasn’t happy with him for a couple decades and then for Mike to go out on tour with Sam after Sam left the band was the last straw, IMO. VOODOOQuote |
| June 23, 2015 at 10:15 am Quote #46225 | |
| VOODOO (2375) |
The only thing I remember Mike ever saying about Ed was simply what everyone else already had saw and said after the ’04 tour when he simply said Ed was dealing with demons on the tour and Mike said he wished they could have done that tour with him clean, but that didn’t happen. It wasn’t a slam and if I recall, the comment was made when Ed put himself in rehab and Mike was wishing him the best and hoping for a full recovery. Gary has also made similar comments, but never openly discussed details. Just that “there were things going on with the band back then that I couldn’t be a part of” and he left it at that, but still praised Eddie and a musician and appreciated his talent. That also seems odd to me that Ed would make a comment about Gary, of all people, unless he was somehow goaded into making these comments by the interviewer. Gary and Mike are the nicest guys in the world and have continually taken the high road. Sam has been shooting off at the mouth forever and when Ed was doing all those interviews when he was drunk and drugging himself to death calling Mike “Sauce Sobolewski” and Dave “Cubic Zirconia” and he made a comment about Sam, too. I think he was calling him “Little Red Rocker” or something like that…these guys need to stop with the childish bashing and enjoy their lives. VOODOOQuote |
| June 23, 2015 at 10:27 am Quote #46229 | |
| jroundy (1418) | I think you referring to the Howard Stern interview with Ed. He also was bagging on Mike and Sammy as being fat….. and ironically Wolf is bigger than Mike and Sammy. Ed was wasted then, so I cut him slack for saying stupid shit, but now he is sober, and he shouldn’t be saying stupid shit. The poor folks play for keeps down here…They’re the living dead. Nobody rules these streets at night like Van Halen!! jroundyQuote |
| June 23, 2015 at 10:29 am Quote #46231 | |
| VOODOO (2375) |
I agree he shouldn’t have said anything, but he’s never been one to keep opinions to himself and it really does seem that the interviewer was trying to get this type of reaction out of him. I mean, why even bring up Gary at all at this point unless the guy asking questions was digging up old dirt? VOODOOQuote |
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