#58 Steve Vai | The Eat 'Em and Smile interview

This 1974 Ozzy Osbourne interview has never been heard until now. It's the earliest known long-form audio interview with the Prince of Darkness. It’s also the only audio interview with Ozzy relating to Black Sabbath’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album.  It is recommended this interview be watched on YouTube so you can see the captions. Ozzy is hard to understand at times.  https://youtu.be/-yRVDfrjs54 The interview is conducted by Steve Rosen, one of the true legends in rock journalism. Rosen has a career spanning 50 years, thousands of articles, and several high-profile books with artists like Black Sabbath, Prince, Randy Rhoads, and others. But his most notable work is his recent Eddie Van Halen book, Tonechaser. Tonechaser is considered a must-have book for Eddie Van Halen fans and any music fan. No other book has uncovered so many untold stories about King Edward.  To order Rosen's Tonechaser: https://bit.ly/3MSVTo9 Check out Rosen's YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/49hIu1Z Read Rosen's article written about when he met Black Sabbath in 1974: https://bit.ly/45TxeWX In the interview, Ozzy talks about: Early days of Black Sabbath Why Black Sabbath has stayed together, and why other bands break up Playing an honest gig Does he think about the money he’s making If he thinks Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is a different direction than previous Sabbath albums Why they didn’t record in LA again like they did with Vol.4 Whose idea it was to add strings to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath What the Sab 4 got tired of hearing about If he is fulfilled by being in Black Sabbath If he’s working on a solo record Why and what it was like producing Sabbath Bloody Sabbath by themselves If there is more of an emphasis on the lyrics on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath If Black Sabbath’s songs mirror society If he thinks the press is unfair to Black Sabbath If Sabbath is working on a new album His fondness for synthesizers and spacey music Why he wants to make a solo record How he’d like to learn how to play guitar His love for Rick Wakeman vs Keith Emerson If he would have Wakeman play on his solo album Being on the road and away from home The movie soundtrack he would have wanted to make He sums up his current feelings on Black Sabbath and his belief he has helped people

Last week, we released an interview with David Lee Roth from 1984. This week, we are releasing another Roth interview, but 35 years later. We go from the height of Roth’s Van Halen career to his twilight years. I believe this interview is one of the most honest and humble interviews he’s ever given; he speaks very candidly on many topics.  At the time of this interview in 2019, Roth was 65 years old and promoting his line of tattoo skin care products called Ink the Orginal. In the interview, Roth talks at great lengths about his parents and growing up, the beginning and ending with Van Halen, why he never got married, why he’s never happy, plus so much more.  The interview was conducted by Debbie Millman and was originally aired on her award-winning awesome podcast Design Matters. We are so grateful that Ms. Millman is allowing us to share one of the most insightful David Lee Roth interviews with you. Please use the link below and subscribe to her podcast. Subscribe to Debbie Millan's Design Matters: https://www.designmattersmedia.com/ 00:00:00 - Intro to David Lee Roth interview 00:01:17 - Debbie Millman intro 00:02:19 - Start of David Lee Roth interview 00:02:47 - His Uncle Manny Roth 00:05:29 - His mother, Sibyl Roth, and her toughness on him 00:07:49 - Wearing leg braces as a kid 00:08:41 - His early jobs 00:09:34 - Where his youthful drive came from 00:11:14 - What the Roth family expected when they had get-togethers 00:12:29 - When he first realized he had a talent for singing 00:15:00 - Him being in plays as a child 00:16:11 - He tells where he really learned to sing from 00:18:59 - His parents threaten him with going to a foster home 00:19:16 - If “bad” Dave comes from his mother 00:21:08 - How he was taught to sing like the girls 00:22:43 - How many instruments he plays 00:23:25 - The first meeting with the Van Halen brothers 00:26:31 - Why he and the Van Halen brothers were crosstown rivals 00:28:26 - What inspired him to write music 00:30:57 - The near-death experience that chokes him up even today 00:34:38 - How much of his Playboy image is a story he was creating 00:37:15 - If he is confident he would make it in show business 00:37:33 - The idea of an album band 00:39:00 - An obscure Dutch radio reference 00:40:14 - Did they write Runnin’ with the Devil in 18 minutes 00:42:25 - Who are the best teachers and coaches 00:45:35 - When he has felt sorry for himself 00:46:45 - Why he hasn’t fallen into a lot of traps, other Rock and Rollers did 00:47:28 - Him stealing books 00:48:31 - What kept him from succumbing to drug abuse 00:49:55 - Where his ability to jump high comes from 00:53:46 - Why did he leave Van Halen in 1985 00:54:38 - Why didn’t he ever get married 00:56:44 - His ability to mimic others 00:58:54 - The teleplay he has been working on for three years 01:00:33 - Why his favorite audience is disbelieving nonbelievers 01:01:29 - Why he isn’t happy 01:02:14 - His window time 01:02:53 - How he’s always solving a catastrophe 01:05:12 - Why he decided to start Ink the Orginal 01:07:43 - Why take his life in this direction 01:09:41 - Tattoos today 01:12:11 - The process of making his product 01:13:53 - How the business is doing 01:14:22 - The difference between having a tattoo today and 30 years ago 01:17:37 - What advice would he give someone who has writer’s block 01:19:28 - Squeezing every single moment out of life

A never-published interview with Van Halen's Diamond David Lee Roth. At the time of this interview in December 1984, Roth was 31 years old, and only months away from no longer being in Van Halen. In the interview, Roth talks about the future of Van Halen, his need for attention, whether he’s a bad role model, and what he wants on his tombstone. And in a Tapes Archive exclusive, Mr. Roth busts into an impromptu freestyle rap.  The interview is conducted by a new Tapes Archive contributor, award-winning legendary entertainment journalist, screenwriter, producer, and author, Ethlie Ann Vare. For decades, Ethlie ruled musical taste and celebrity gossip in newspapers, magazines, and TV. Her Top 10 Syndicated column ROCK ON ran in 1,700 newspapers worldwide. She’s interviewed A-list movie celebrities like Johnny Depp and Nicholas Cage and rock royalty like Ozzy Osbourne and David Lee Roth. She wrote for Billboard, Daily Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. She also reviewed rock concerts and albums for the New York Times, and discussed rock stars on The Gossip Show. Ms. Vare has more accomplishments than we have time to say here. Below is a link in to her website. We are honored she is allowing us to share some of her unpublished historical interviews with all of you.  Ethlie Ann Vare's website https://ethlieannvare.com/ Watch the captioned version https://youtu.be/QodtYVn7tDQ 00:00 - Intro to David Lee Roth interview 01:46 - Start of the David Lee Roth Interview 02:57 - The rumors about Eddie Van Halen wanting to leave the band 03:58 - Was it an ego blow with Van Halen’s album 1984 not hitting #1 on the charts 05:22 - Playing Black Sabbath music while watching a football game 05:49 - Was having a pop hit with “Jump” harmful to the band? 06:57 - About his love life and what his type is 08:38 - Who is the real David Lee Roth 09:29 - How Roth is a bit of a loner, and his need for attention 10:21 - How he’s critical of other bands 12:03 - Roth does a freestyle rap. (Not kidding, not A.I.) 12:52 - His first and other jobs as a teenager 14:01 - Who manages his money 14:39 - Where his next adventure will be 15:05 - How does he defend the criticism that he’s a bad role model 15:55 - What’s next for Van Halen 16:29 - What’s the Van Halen groupie scene like 17:02 - The Hot For Teacher video 17:42 - The auditions for his music videos 18:42 - What would he want on his tombstone 19:04 - Answering machines 19:44 - What he wants back 19:55 - A scene he likes from the movie Cotton Club 20:41 - His Harley Davidson 21:41 - What type of car he drives 22:11 - His height and weight 22:41 - The movie Amadeus 23:10 - He was just offered a low-budget film 23:57 - Who’s going to remember him in 500 years

A never-published interview with the Red Rocker Sammy Hagar. At the time of this interview in 1997, Hagar was 50 years old, freshly out of Van Halen, and promoting his new album Marching to Mars and his upcoming tour. In the interview, Hagar talks in detail about how he saw the break-up between him and Van Halen, his dislike for manager Ray Daniels, and his new musician best buddy Mickey Hart. 00:00 - Intro to Sammy Hagar interview 01:21 - Why his new album is not more aggressive after being fired from Van Halen 03:38 - Detailed backstory on why it ended with Van Halen and him 05:16 - How manager Ray Danniels wanted more than his fair share of money 07:08 - All about greed and lack of integrity 07:47 - What he thinks Eddie Van Halen lied about 08:43 - Why did he still thank Van Halen on his new album 09:50 - The support of his fans 10:34 - His disappointment in Eddie and Alex Van Halen 11:50 - How does he think the upcoming Van Halen record with Gary Cherone will do 12:55 - How Eddie Van Halen is a musician, not a songwriter 13:38 - How Van Halen hired a 72-year-old to help with lyrics 14:00 - All the producers’ Van Halen went through 14:44 - If Van Halen’s next album fails with Cherone how will Hagar feel 15:43 - How Michael Anthony was mistreated in Van Halen 16:50 - What Los Tres Gusanos is 17:13 - What are the stand-out songs on his new album Marching to Mars 18:28 - How he got together with Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart 19:49 - Mickey Hart as a musician 20:28 - His touring plans 21:37 - The business side of his tour 22:51 - Did he get to talk to David Lee Roth and the difference in their Gary Cherone stories 24:15 - When he finally busted Eddie Van Halen 25:02 - What would he change if he were the overlord of pop music 26:40 - What else does he have going on

A never-published interview with Alex Van Halen. At the time of this interview in 1995, Alex was 42 years old and was promoting an upcoming Van Halen concert in British Columbia, Canada. In the interview, Alex talks about growing up and playing with his brother Eddie Van Halen, "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" producer Bruce Fairbairn, and the best thing about being in Van Halen. The interview is conducted by a Tapes Archive contributor, Canadian music journalist and author Steve Newton. During his four decades as a freelance music writer, he has interviewed everyone from AC/DC to ZZTop. We highly recommend that you head over to his Patreon page patreon.com/earofnewt and check out over 400 of his exclusive interviews. For only $5, you get full access. We are not paid for this endorsement; we truly feel it’s money well spent. Read Newton's article based on this interview: https://bit.ly/3YOyBnI Link to Newton's Patreon page: https://bit.ly/3WQBr9S For zero money, you can head over to Newton’s website, earofnewt.com, where he has posted more than 3,000 of his interviews, album reviews, concert reviews, and horror movie reviews. Link to Newton's website: https://bit.ly/3ij9GIa 00:00 - Intro 01:38 - Start of Alex Van Halen Interview 02:06 - His earliest memories of playing with his brother, Eddie Van Halen, and his dad’s musical career 03:24 - Who the Van Halen brothers would try to emulate musically 03:43 - Who were his drum gods when he first started playing 04:39 - Playing with his dad’s Jazz band and if he took lessons 05:39 - If Eddie was part of his dad’s band 05:52 - When did he know Eddie Van Halen would be a legend and his own guitar-playing 06:31 - Did he know early on how big Van Halen would become, and early days with the LA club scene 07:00 - The night Warner Brothers saw them for the first time 08:43 - What’s his favorite David Lee Roth Van Halen album is 09:29 - The essence and core of Van Halen 10:03 - How Sammy Hagar could have replaced Roth back in 1978 10:57 - How Van Halen has evolved since Sammy Hagar joined the band. 11:58 - How producer Bruce Fairbairn got involved in producing “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” 13:34 - Van Halen’s process in picking a producer 14:38 - Does he have any input into writing Van Halen songs? 15:53 - How much longer does he see Van Halen rocking? 16:26 - What’s the best thing about being in Van Halen 16:41 - Alex talks about Van Halen’s USA Harvest can drive 18:02 - Alex gives the name of the person Steve should talk to to get backstage.

In this episode, we have Eddie Van Halen and Michael Anthony. At the time of this interview in 1989, Van Halen was in Japan promoting their OU812 tour and record.. In the interview, Van Halen talks about how Eddie wants to be remembered when he dies, David Lee Roth and Ted Templeman, their album OU812, why Eddie is still not 100% sober, and so much more.  We have also added a bonus interview with Eddie alone from 1985. The interview is conducted by Steve Harris. To learn more about Steve, please check out our podcast-only interview with him, which is out now. 00:00 - Intro 01:03 - Start to Eddie Van Halen Michael Anthony interview 01:15 - Is there a formula to make hit records? 01:45 - Eddie Van Halen enters the conversation 02:34 - Is Van Halen more like a family? 03:03 - If David Lee Roth is a businessman 04:13 - Is OU812 more straightforward? 05:38 - How has the age of fans affected the music? 06:42 - How Eddie wants to be remembered when he dies 07:06 - What separates Eddie from his clones 07:43 - Eddie talks about Jimmy Page 08:28 - Can Van Halen burn out musically? 08:55 - His playing when he first learned to play 09:35 - If they think as they get older, they lose certain things 09:59 - If they ever go back to the older Van Halen music and why he build 5150 11:03 - If Eddie ever becomes too indulgent 12:02 - How much input do producers have? Talks about Ted Templeman and Mick Jones 12:45 - David Lee Roth and Ted Templeman’s theory on covering hit songs 13:46 - Guns ’n Roses 14:12 - Drugs and drinking 14:51 - Did Eddie ever go too far with partying? 15:31 - With David Lee Roth leaving, did that lift a cloud? 16:09 - Does Eddie need to drink to write music? 18:03 - Did Eddie and Al go sober at the request of their father? 18:40 - Eddie tells the band to calm down during their first tour 19:22 - Van Halen band meetings 19:48 - Is Van Halen a democracy? 20:33 - What would Eddie have done if he wasn’t a guitarist 21:21 - Eddie talks about playing piano as a kid 23:09 - Does Van Halen bring out violent impulses from fans? 23:42 - Does he like any current bands? 24:27 - Sammy Hagar walks in 24:56 - Why Eddie started playing guitar [Start of the interview from 1985] 25:58 - Was his guitar like his friend 26:51 - Al and Eddie money making scam 28:08 - How Eddie depends on Alex, and how Al took over Ed’s drums 30:58 - What makes Van Halen good? 32:17 - When did Ed know Van Halen was something special? 32:51 - His love for his guitar and family 34:52 - What will it take for him to realize people appreciate him 35:56 - Eddie avoiding fame 36:28 - Why does he go onstage? 37:34 - Does he feel like a rockstar? 38:18 - What he dreamt of when he first started with Van Halen 38:53 - Alex throwing drumsticks at him 40:36 - Why he detunes 41:18 - He hates books 42:28 - The backstory to the song Girl Gone Bad 44:05 - Why was 1984 important to Eddie’s mental health? 44:56 - Eddie Van Halen plays Crossroads 47:50 - How old was he when he learned Crossroads? 48:10 - Is he happy while playing? 48:41 - Why he likes being alone 49:00 - Have people told him he was nuts? 49:15 - How has the success of 1984 changed him 50:06 - Did he think Jump would be a hit? 50:49 - Does he get pleasure from playing music? 51:40 - Could anyone play like Eddie?

In this episode, we have the one and only Diamond David Lee Roth. At the time of this interview in 1988, Roth was 34 years old and was promoting his Skyscraper tour and record.. In the interview, Roth talks about Diamond Enterprises, if he thinks Ed and Al are sober, and what’s wrong with Van Halen, and he critiques Axl Rose, Ozzy, and Bon Jovi.  The interview is conducted by Steve Harris. To learn more about Steve, please check out our podcast-only interview with him, which is out now. Link to captioned version In the interview, Roth talks about: If he displays himself as the wild man of rock and roll If he’s different on stage than off? What’s Diamond Enterprises If he considers himself a dictator His street smarts If he follows what everyone else is doing The work you must put in  Who is his mentors If he’s perceived the way he wants to be His two friends What drives him What crowd he fit in with as a kid Where he developed his flamboyant swagger If he resented being bussed into minority schools How Steve Vai stacks up to Eddie Van Halen The toughness to his music and lyrics. If he can see the quality in other people immediately If he’s one big heap of ego If he listens to his own records His onstage presence What’s wrong with Van Halen How it was different with him in the band Eddie and Alex on the wagon Roth goes off the record about Ed and Al’s sobriety Why he isn’t lucky in love His critique of Axl Rose His critique of Ozzy Osbourne His critique of Brian Wilson His critique of Bon Jovi

In this episode, we have one of the greatest heavy metal vocalists of all time, Ronnie James Dio. At the time of the interview in 1985, Dio was 43 years old and was promoting his Sacred Heart album and tour.  In the interview, Dio talks about filling Ozzy Osbourne’s shoes in Black Sabbath, a mystical experience that almost killed his wife, his thoughts on Ritchie Blackmore’s playing, and his metal all-star project Hear ‘n Aid. The interview is conducted by a new Tapes Archive contributor, Canadian music journalist and author Steve Newton. During his four decades as a freelance music writer, he has interviewed everyone from AC/DC to ZZTop. We highly recommend that you head over to his Patreon page patreon.com/earofnewt and check out over 340 of his exclusive interviews. For only $5, you get full access. We are not paid for this endorsement; we truly feel it’s money well spent. Link to Newton's Patreon page: https://bit.ly/3WQBr9S For zero money, you can head over to Newton’s website, earofnewt.com, where he has posted more than 3,000 of his interviews, album reviews, concert reviews, and horror movie reviews. Link to Newton's website: https://bit.ly/3ij9GIa 00:00 - Intro 01:41 - Start of the Ronnie James Dio interview 01:53 - The Sacred Heart tour 02:42 - His project Hear ’n Aid and whose playing on it 04:05 - How he writes music while watching sports 04:33 - What his first instrument was and if he liked it 05:10 - His love for classical music and how it relates to guitar players 06:21 - Why anyone can like classical music 07:15 - What other singers he admires 08:12 - How well Sacred Heart is doing sales wise 08:58 - If the PMRC has affected him 09:24 - If he’s interested in the occult 09:53 - His strange mystical experience while recording Rainbow’s “Long Live Rock ’n’ Roll” 10:15 - An evil spirit who tried to kill his wife, Wendy Dio 10:55 - Filling Ozzy Osbourne’s shoes in his former band Black Sabbath 12:50 - What he thinks of Ozzy’s solo music 13:37 - If he thinks Heaven and Hell paved the way for a resurgence of heavy metal 13:49 - His favorite tunes he did with Black Sabbath 14:19 - If he wants to produce other bands 14:55 - If it’s true he has a degree in Pharmacy 15:05 - If he’s still friends with Ritchie Blackmore and what he thinks of his guitar playing 15:41 - His thoughts on Yngwie Malmsteen 16:05 - His kindness to Steve Newton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we have Black Sabbath’s guitarist and the godfather of heavy metal, Tony Iommi. At the time of the interview in 1984, Iommi was 36 years old and was promoting Black Sabbath’s Born Again album and tour. In the interview, Iommi talks about Ian Gillian joining Black Sabbath and blowing up his boat, thoughts on Ozzy Osbourne remaking old Sabbath tunes, the Born Again live show, Randy Rhoads, and how he really did disturb the priest.  The interview is conducted by a new Tapes Archive contributor, Canadian music journalist and author Steve Newton. During his four decades as a freelance music writer, he has interviewed everyone from AC/DC to ZZTop. We highly recommend that you head over to his Patreon page patreon.com/earofnewt and check out over 340 of his exclusive interviews. For only $5, you get full access. We are not paid for this endorsement; we truly feel it’s money well spent. Link to Newton's Patreon page: https://bit.ly/3WQBr9S For zero money, you can head over to Newton’s website, earofnewt.com, where he has posted more than 3,000 of his interviews, album reviews, concert reviews, and horror movie reviews. Link to Newton's website: https://bit.ly/3ij9GIa 00:00 - Intro 01:44 - Start of Tony Iommi Interview 02:07 - Ian Gillian joining Black Sabbath 02:21 - Playing Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water 03:02 - Why Ronnie James Dio left Black Sabbath 03:22 - The addition of Bev Bevan from ELO 03:58 - If former Sabbath drummer Bill Ward will be back 04:13 - The story behind Black Sabbath’s song Disturbing the Priest 04:50 - Blowing up Ian Gillian’s boat 05:18 - The comparison between Black Sabbath’s debut album and Born Again 06:10 - His thoughts about former bandmate Ozzy Osbourne’s music 06:22 - What he thought of Randy Rhoads 06:34 - On Ozzy remaking old Black Sabbath songs 07:06 - Black Sabbath’s influence on other bands 07:46 - What music does he listen to 08:11 - A very surprising favorite song of Iommi’s 08:23 - Talks about Born Again’s live show. 09:33 - Iommi plays a bit of a joke on Newton 09:58 - Why growing up he did not think he would play the guitar 10:26 - His main influences on guitar 10:48 - How he doesn’t actually play a Gibson SG 11:58 - His current amps Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this never before-heard 2016 interview, Vai talks with author Greg Renoff about the landmark David Lee Roth album Eat ‘Em and Smile. At the time, it was the 30th anniversary of the iconic album. In the interview, Vai talks about the song he thought he wrote but didn’t, the jock that wasn’t happy with Vai, the rumored Kim Mitchell song, and the infamous Lucky Strike reunion show that didn't happen. The interview is conducted by Greg Renoff. Renoff is the author of two Amazon best-sellers and a must-read for music fans. Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal and Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music. If you haven't read these books, do yourself a favor and go get them now.  Read Greg Renoff's article based on this interview over on Guitar World. https://bit.ly/3eMS1Xf 00:00 - Intro Steve Vai interview 01:20 - Start of Steve Vai interview 02:00 - The first time David Lee Roth called Vai 02:17 - Pete Angelus and the Fabulous Picasso Brothers 02:42 - Who was involved with the choreography 03:19 - If Aerosmith was involved 04:44 - Was the Kim Mitchell song Kids in Action recorded? 05:16 - Other possible guitar players 05:56 - What Vai has no memory of 06:58 - The song Vai thought he wrote, but didn’t 09:39 - What Roth’s name for Kids in Action was and why 10:18 - Leaking to the press 10:53 - Getting a hold of Roth 12:25 - Early memories with Roth 13:54 - The jock vs Vai story 15:00 - The very first Roth concert he played 16:23 - How Roth was his final mentor 17:49 - If Roth’s movie was originally for Van Halen 18:34 - If he’d do a reunion with the Eat ‘Em Smile band 19:27 - The infamous Lucky Strike concert Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.