That time David Lee Roth told me that a reunion with Van Halen was possible as long as he could “bang that high note like a freebie from a Vegas call girl”

By Steve Newton

Back in June of 2003 I did my second interview with David Lee Roth.

At the time he was touring behind his most recent solo album, Diamond Dave, but of course I had to ask him about the possibility of getting back together with Van Halen, which had been on hiatus for a few years since recording an album with singer Gary Cherone, who’d replaced Sammy Hagar.

Have a listen (sorry about all my laughing, but the guy cracks me up):

https://earofnewt.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/davidleerothonvhjune202004.wav?_=1

Four years and three months after this conversation Roth did rejoin Van Halen, touring with them for the first time since he’d left the band in 1985.

To hear the full audio of my interview with David Lee Roth from 2003–and my interview with him from 1997 as well–subscribe to my Patreon page, where you can eavesdrop on over 500 of my uncut, one-on-one conversations with rockers since 1982.