Via "David Lee Roth Is Letting His Art (Mostly) Do the Talking/Since the Covid-19 pandemic forced him off the road, the singer has been making comics at his Los Angeles home, and calling it performance therapy" (NYT).
“Humor — not jokes — humor, the best stuff, isn’t funny at all,” Roth said, defending his work. “My version is the truth dipped in sugar. And maybe it’s a little sugar and spice. But the good stuff compels discussions.” Art, he continued, “has been a constant in my life. My hand has always been in wardrobe, background sets, stage sets, album covers, video direction. This is part of it. And there’s craft involved, so there’s a little bit more heft to some of the statements.” Roth laughed. “This is the adult table; as a fellow artist, I sense you understand that.”The NYT interviewer grills him: "Many of your drawings include a reference to the 'Soggy Bottom.' I took this, at least in this context, to be a play on the phrase 'draining the swamp.'"
Froglike, he leaps — I should say jump — "If I explain it, it’s a bumper sticker. If I let you explain it, it’s art. But you’re very close to exactly accurate."
Is David Lee Roth right wing?! Conveniently, the NYT asks "Would it be correct to identify David Lee Roth as left-leaning?" Less convenient is his hilarious answer:
I love civil rights. Equal rights. Women’s rights. Kids’ rights. The rights of the rights. OK? The entire list. But conversely, I’m prepared to shave my head, join the Marines and go defend those rights. That in itself isn’t really a left-wing statement. Or it didn’t used to be when I was growing up. But I grew up in a really great time and a really great space during integrational busing in the ’60s. I went to schools that were 90 percent Black and Spanish, and I was in the color guard with a crew cut. Every morning at seven we’d march to put up the flag. And then at night we’d go to Kenny Brower’s brother’s house, smoke pot and listen to that new Doors record. Combat hippie!
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27 comments:
Boze de boze de bop! Se de bop!
I don't feel tardy.
Hope he went with Washington Redskins. That name just became available.
David Lee Roth is an interesting guy. He worked for years as an EMT (after Van Halen!) because he liked the intensity and he liked helping people. But on the other hand, he was a little too proud of his humble calling. He dropped EMT into every conversation the way someone else might drop Harvard or Yale.
Is David Lee Roth right wing?!
Probably not right wing exactly but by modern standards he's probably not left wing either. I've always felt that he was a bit of an anachronism even in his hayday though. Back in the 80s he seemed like an old school entertainer than some sort of typical rock star. He's sort of a scat singing lounge singer who joined a rock and roll band.
Interesting dude. Pretty funny and thoughtful. Sounds rather libertarian to me.
Loved David during his Van Halen years, still love that music. Covid may have taken him off the Road but having heard some of his more recent efforts I'd say the aging of his singing voice played a part in that decision. ;-)
If you enjoy Mr. Roth's young vocal style, or the Cocaine Two Handed Tapper, you must check this out if you haven't heard of it.
Every guitar lick, and vocal twist is artfully subtlety different than the first album, and imo BETTER.
Screw Warner Bros. for burying it.
Van Halen's First Album: A Light in the Sky 1
1977
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY8LHvzliUQ
Note even VH was corporately censored:
Beautiful Girls
originally was
Bring on the Girls
is he Still alive? That's BORING shouldn't he have OD'd YEARS Ago?
What a joke.
Dave recently toured with and opened for KISS. I thought he sounded great.
If he changed hi name to "My Bottom is Soggy" that would be really great.
All Military bases should be re-named "St. Oprah" - and the mob should take over.
If you're in the mood for three hours of David Lee Roth and Joe Rogan.
The Last True Rock Star.
"Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal" is a great book, if you want a taste of 1970s LA suburbia and live-band parties.
Get it through the Althouse Portal please.
I am Laslo.
Wonder if Roth steals his cartoons like he stole the arrangement of "Just A Gigolo" from Louis Prima?
He could be Kanye's running mate.
David Lee Roth's uncle, Manny Roth, was the original owner and proprietor of NYC's famed (and still extant) CAFE WHA?, where many famous artists, including Joan Rivers, Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, Kool and the Gang, Peter, Paul, and Mary,among others, began their careers. Jimi Hendrix was discovered there in 1967 by Animals bassist Chas Chandler, who took Hendrix to England, helped him put together the JH Experience, and acted as their manager.
Robert Cook said...
David Lee Roth's uncle, Manny Roth, was the original owner and proprietor of NYC's famed (and still extant) CAFE WHA?, where many famous artists, including Joan Rivers, Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, Kool and the Gang, Peter, Paul, and Mary,among others, began their careers. Jimi Hendrix was discovered there in 1967 by Animals bassist Chas Chandler, who took Hendrix to England, helped him put together the JH Experience, and acted as their manager.
7/14/20, 12:03 PM
Also where Andy Warhol discovered the Velvet Underground.
When Howard Stern quit terrestrial radio, KROQ replaced him in NYC and several other markets with David Lee Roth. I thought it might work, because he was so compelling a personality and guest on Stern, among other reasons, but it did not. Howard mocked him and even moreso KROQ for replacing him with a radio amateur. That was back when Howard still had an edge, so it was pretty mean. Roth harbored no hard feelings, though, and has been on the Stern satellite show a few times, including with Sammy Hagar ahead of that short-lived tour they did together. That feud, between Hagar and Roth, and overall the relations between both of them and Eddie, is fulsome material if you enjoy their characters or music. Eddie does not come across very well.
Shit, that was K-Rock, the NYC rock station, not the LA KROQ, where ClearChannel put Roth. I think they put Adam Corolla on KROQ and in the other west coast markets.
Click the DLR tag on this post and you’ll get to my old posts about the Joe Rogan episode with Roth.
Oh wow, thanks, before I'd discovered the blog here. I have to click on those tags more.
Among DLR’s claims to fame: the last celebrity ever arrested for pot in NYC, when he got punched buying some bags in Washington or Thompkins square. Such a wholesome celebrity drug story.
To Robert Cook and Kay - I had the pleasure of knowing Manny Roth in his later years. We swam at the same pool in Laguna Woods - formerly Leisure World - most nights for a couple of years.
He told me all about Cafe Wha? and how it came to be after he lost a previous club. He told me about his nephew, who came to stay with him during the summer - Manny and his wife lived above the club - and how his nephew would sit on the stairs most nights and watch the acts. It wasn't until he came back from a week away and told me how his nephew took to some awards show in Vegas, and how thrilled he was at seeing old friends, that was when I realized who his nephew was.
Manny was a really extraordinary person and I miss our swim and especially the conversation.
I've always liked DLR, even when the girl with the fury boots used me to get to him.
That cracks me up. The "Lee" becomes an "L" and he's so mature now.
Back about 10-12 years ago, my son was a Navy ER nurse stationed at 29 Palms Marine base in California. One night, David Lee Roth shadowed my son on a 12 hour shift. According to my son, Roth was very professional and took the job seriously. Apparently, in addition to being a paramedic, he was trained as a tactical medic to go in with SWAT teams. My son said, “Having David Lee Roth follow you around and call you sir was very cool.”
Larry,
I was working at the hospital that night in 29 Palms and yes he was there, there was a doctor who was a civilian who was a friend of his who also happened to own a tactical medicine course for SWAT teams in Palm Springs and the guy was totally cool. I worked in the MSW upstairs but whet downstairs to chat with him for a few minutes.
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