EDDIE VAN HALEN On The Future Of VAN HALEN - “I’d Love To Make A Studio Record… I Don’t Know What DAVID LEE ROTH Is Up To Now”
February 17, 2015, 9 years ago
Guitar legend Eddie Van Halen spoke at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History on February 12th, in Washington D.C., about innovation as part of the national "What It Means To Be American" program in a sold-out event.
The institution recognized Van Halen, not only for his particular American journey as a Dutch immigrant, but also for his legacy as a inventor and innovator — someone who single-handedly rewrote not only how guitars are played, but also how they are built. He spoke to the question: is rock & roll all about reinvention?
When Rolling Stone asked Van Halen after the show about the band's current plans, the guitarist was ambivalent, noting that the group has no immediate plans to record or tour.
"I’d love to make a studio record," he says. "Depends on everybody’s timing. I don’t know what Dave [Lee Roth] is up to now. I don’t know if he’s living in New York or Japan or wherever he is."Asked how Van Halen, the band, adjusted to three different lead vocalists through the years — original singer David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone— the guitarist says it was more a case of the singers adjusting to the group: "You sing this, or you’re out of the band," Van Halen says, laughing.
Read more at RollingStone.com, and check out video footage from Eddie’s Smithsonian interview below:
