Dave WAS a total dick in the past, but he seems a lot more tame since he came back to VH. I remember an interview in the 80īs where he said "I try ro think of concept videos for Van Halen, but my drummer has a hard time understanding the concept". I could be wrong, but I think this was on the Late Night Show with David Letterman. However, since coming back he doesnīt say things like that anymore. Most likely, Eddie said "one strike and youīre out". He used to be great promoting the albums, but I didnīt see him do any interviews aside from one for Classic Rock Magazine in 2013.
I think that Roth never gets the recognition he deserves, ESPECIALLY from his own band. He crafted a whole image for the band, changed the wardrobe, the lighting, the stage antics and fireworks. Eddie was quite the intovert on stage before he joined, and played with denim pants and white shirts. Granted, this has nothing to do with the music itself, but VH was never "just" about the music. They created a whole lifestyle and a whole new genre of "party band from California", which would be imitated by many, but reproduced by none. And in the 80īs all guys wanted to be Roth, and all girls wanted to sleep with him. He may not have the best vocals, but his banshee screams were quite cool, and he put a lot of effort into improving.
Itīs hard to say what would have happened to "Mammoth" - the band that turned into VH - if Dave hadnīt joined. But if I was to guess, I think Eddie would evolve into a Jeff Beck kind of guy, with appeal only to other musicians and/or a VERY selective audience, not the gobal phenomenon he became.