![]() Record executives look for bands that have an album’s-worth of original material. Gazzarri’s was a cover band club, not the kind of place where bands that write original songs get discovered and signed by record labels. “But the owner, Bill Gazzarri, would advertise on a local radio station and they would say ‘Tonight at Gazzarri’s, Van Halen.’ Their name was on the marquee and it was a start for them.” It was much more of a 1960s go-go dancer place,” said Renoff. ![]() “At the time Gazzarri’s was a dying club. “Roth told them they needed to glam it up, to wear stage clothes.”Įventually they end up getting a gig playing in a Hollywood club called Gazzarri’s, which became the epicenter of hair-metal in the 1980s. They would wear Pendleton shirts and overalls,” said Renoff. “They were wearing jeans and t-shirts, flannel shirts. He wanted them to become rock stars, and for that they needed to look the part. ![]() He also pushed them to start dressing up. Roth pushed them to audition at clubs and expand their reach. According to Renoff, the Van Halens were content making good money playing shows in the Pasadena area that they would promote themselves for thousands of kids at a time. Roth also began pushing the rest of the band to think beyond playing back yard concerts. He wanted to do things like James Brown’s ‘Cold Sweat.’” The outcome of this negotiation was a hard rock band with a pop sensibility. “Those guys wanted to have Roth sing Black Sabbath, but Roth can’t sing Black Sabbath. Whereas the Van Halen brothers were into heavy metal, Roth loved the Beach Boys, Motown and funk. But they eventually let Roth joined the band, which consisted of Eddie and Alex and bassist Michael Anthony, in 1973. He’d say things like, ‘You guys can use the PA system but how about I sing a song tonight?’” Eddie Van Halen was the band’s singer at the time, and even though he didn’t have a great voice, the band was not impressed by Roth’s vocal abilities either. “One thing that Roth did was use his PA system as leverage. “The Van Halens were always looking to scrounge equipment because they didn’t have a lot of money,” told me Renoff. He owned amplification equipment, and he used it to work his way into the band. Unlike the Van Halen brothers (Alex on drums and Eddie on guitar), Roth came from money. In the end, our song asks that you not remember Eddie for dying but for living his wildest dream.Renoff explores in depth Van Halen’s reluctant journey from back yard band to superstardom and, in particular, the role of David Lee Roth’s ambition and entrepreneurial skills. Although the song doesn’t speak to Eddie by name, it talks about his early days on the Sunset Strip and the rock ‘n’ roll tapestry that Van Halen painted on our minds. It felt good to be sad and care so much about a person who had given so much to our lives. John, Chad, and I started playing along and pretty soon with all our hearts, a song in his honor effortlessly unfolded. The day after his death Flea came into rehearsal with an emotional bass line. “Sometimes we don’t realize how deeply affected and connected we are to artists until the day they die,” Kiedis said in a statement. “For what I did with David/ you know I’m talking David Lee.” ![]() “It’s only 1983/ please don’t remember me,” Anthony Kiedis croons over the mid-tempo rocker. Red Hot Chili Peppers have released an anthemic new single, “Eddie.” The soulful, meditative rock number reflects on late guitarist Eddie Van Halen and nods to David Lee Roth, who departed Van Halen in 1985.
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