In his new book, Alex Van Halen reveals that David Lee Roth asked Eddie Van Halen to play fewer guitar solos as he became increasingly jealous of Eddie’s rising popularity. Roth’s insecurity reportedly played a significant role in the lead-up to his departure from the band.
The tumultuous relationship between Roth and the rest of Van Halen has long been known, characterized by both chaos and success. Alex’s recent comments indicate that this dynamic persisted, as he explains in his memoir, “Brothers,” that Roth’s issues were a factor in why his planned tribute to his late brother never came to fruition.
Alex recounts that tensions escalated around the release of Van Halen’s iconic album “1984,” with Roth unable to cope with Eddie garnering more attention. According to Alex, Roth expressed concerns, stating, “He couldn’t handle the fact that Eddie was getting more attention than he was. He kept asking Eddie to play fewer guitar solos. Dave was convinced he was going to be a movie star.”
Ultimately, Roth left the band the following year to pursue a solo career, marking what Alex refers to as “the real Van Halen.” He describes the end of their initial success as “the most disappointing thing I’d experienced in my life, the thing that seemed the most wasteful and unjust. Until I lost my brother.”
Despite past conflicts, Alex has stated that he harbors no anger towards Roth, emphasizing his respect for him. In a previous interview with Billboard, he remarked, “He was one of the three main components of the band. At the time we didn’t recognize it because we were constantly battling things out. That’s why I mentioned in the book that the first person I called when Ed died was Dave because I felt like I owed him that, to the work we had done together and the fact that our families knew each other.”
Reflecting on their relationship, Alex noted, “I don’t know where things went wrong…I have nothing but the utmost respect for Dave and his work ethic. I just think some of his choices were really strange to me, but that’s not my job to figure it out.”
To coincide with the release of “Brothers,” Alex Van Halen recently unveiled what is presented as the last song he wrote with Eddie.
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