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You are here: Home / David Lee Roth / 5 Things You Didn’t Know about David Lee Roth

5 Things You Didn’t Know about David Lee Roth

by VHND — updated August 12, 2010 40 Comments

From 411mania.com:

Apparently Van Halen is planning on releasing their first new album in over a decade next year. That is not all though, David Lee Roth, who has not appeared on a full Van Halen album since 1984, is in the studio recording with them. So, in recognition of this fairly exciting development, here are five things you didn’t know about David Lee Roth.

1) The 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide Vol 2. described Roth as “the most obnoxious singer in human history, an achievement notable in the face of long tradition and heavy competition.”

2) Roth was ranked by Hit Parader nineteenth on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Singers of All Time.

3) The infamous “Brown M&Ms” clause written into Van Halen’s early contract riders was included in contracts not because of ego, but rather to make sure that structural stage specifications in the contract were read thoroughly and were adequately provided.

4) In January 1991, Roth released A Little Ain’t Enough. The stage show for the accompanying tour featured two devil statues that urinated whiskey at Roth’s audience and a pair of giant inflatable legs positioned “spread-eagle” wearing ripped, fishnet stockings.

5) In April 1993, Roth was arrested in New York City’s Washington Square Park for buying what he described as “$10 worth of Jamaican bunk reefer” from an undercover police officer. The arrest made headlines and became a late-night television punch-line. When asked by Howard Stern whether the bust was a publicity stunt, Roth said, “Howard, in New York City this small of a bust is a $35 traffic citation. It literally says ‘Buick, Chevy, Other’. Your dog poops on the sidewalk, it’s $50. If I was looking for publicity, I would have pooped on the sidewalk.”

You learn something new every day.

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Filed Under: David Lee Roth, Van Halen

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LATEST COMMENTS

  • catoj catoj Was absolutely devastated when I found out Dave left Van Halen. Found out Sammy was taking his place and although I really liked Sammy's music, I was skeptical about him being in Van Halen. But...

    David Lee Roth on Eat ‘Em and Smile, the Van Halen Split, and the New Van Halen with Sammy Hagar (1986 Interview) ·  3 hours ago

  • Kobayashi Maru Kobayashi Maru Looks like you are looking for another angle to bash Hagar. How redundant.

    David Lee Roth on Eat ‘Em and Smile, the Van Halen Split, and the New Van Halen with Sammy Hagar (1986 Interview) ·  4 hours ago

  • Kobayashi Maru Kobayashi Maru Nope. That sounds more like you're projecting. My point was simply that people leave hugely successful bands all the time, so the premise that "people just don't leave bands like...

    David Lee Roth on Eat ‘Em and Smile, the Van Halen Split, and the New Van Halen with Sammy Hagar (1986 Interview) ·  4 hours ago

  • Phaige Martin Phaige Martin Everybody gets the be the (protagonist) in their own reality I suppose... suggesting bias requires evidence thereof 🙂 some call it fruit What do we call it here post history? heh

    David Lee Roth on Eat ‘Em and Smile, the Van Halen Split, and the New Van Halen with Sammy Hagar (1986 Interview) ·  5 hours ago

  • RocknronVH RocknronVH Nope. Wrong hater as always. Live long and prosper.🖖

    David Lee Roth on Eat ‘Em and Smile, the Van Halen Split, and the New Van Halen with Sammy Hagar (1986 Interview) ·  5 hours ago

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