Bass Legend BILLY SHEEHAN On Eat 'Em And Smile Reunion - "I Don't Know About (DAVID LEE ROTH), But I Would Love It"
April 21, 2011, 13 years ago
Longtime US-based writer Bryan Reesman spoke with bass legend Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG) for his Attention Deficit Delirium blog recently. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:
Billy Sheehan on an Eat 'Em And Smile reunion possibility: "I don't know about Dave (David Lee Roth), but I would love it. I'm not sure how Steve or Greg feel about it, and I don't know what's going on with VAN HALEN...but if Dave ever wanted to, I'd be real happy to do some Eat 'Em and Smile touring again. It would be great to just do ten shows. That's it. At Christmas Time we've twice done a little reunion dinner with me, Steve, Greg and Brett. We get together and laugh our asses off. Not only the stories from the old days but all our adventures since. It's a riot, it's unbelievable."
On the Mr. Big reunion: "When I say it, I often hesitate because I think nobody's going to believe this, but it wasn't money motivated at all. I've done fine, we've all done fine. A lot of fans have just been relentlessly baiting us, and that was probably more of a factor than anything else. Nobody came to us with a business offer."
On playing their classic material today: "I'm really trying to keep up with myself from the early days without mimicking it and without losing the sense of taste, I hope, that I've acquired over the years."
Check out the 40-minute podcast at this location.
David Lee Roth's Eat 'Em And Smile rose to #4 on the Billboard charts in 1986.
