Interviews of David Lee Roth are not my favorite things because … he says whatever he wants to say and the interviewers rarely seem to get him to answer the question.  In fact, in those video interviews of yesteryear, David literally admits he answers the questions any old way he wants.  So, finally getting around to listening to the September 5 interview done by Stone Cold Steve Austin suggested by Camaro Cowboy, thanks for that one CC, I was surprised at how good this interview actually is.  Apparently the interview came to be because David did two episodes of the Roth Show on professional wrestling and that topic made it to Steve Austin, a former professional wrestler who, like David, has an internet podcast.  As for my surprise, well let’s just say David actually answers questions.  Sure he does that deflecting laughter at the beginning, but Steve gets him to talk.  The interview is long, and David seems to be into it.  Really cool to hear were little places where David talks like there will be more songs, and I took that to mean from Van Halen.  The interview is below and in the show starts at about minute 41:00 (going for approximately 20 minutes).  At approximately minute 49:00 David answers Steve’s question about how David writes songs, saying he collects little parts of conversations or snippets of things he sees and talking in enough detail about the process so as to make it seem like he really currently is working a song referencing a bumper sticker he saw in Texas that said “no talent, no skills, just heart”.  Later, David says he is writing a song about professional wrestling called “stomping ground”.  Steve asks pressing questions about the Van Halens; David replies that they practice three to four nights a week.  David even does a pretty good job at explaining what the relationships are like, essentially saying that to be rock star (meaning in the public eye, giving much credence to my use of the word rock star to mean doing a good job, something that drives everyone I know crazy) one must have confidence.  Translating this to my language, what David really means is that to be a rock star one must be an “alpha”.  He says in a normal band, there is one, maybe two alphas, but in Van Halen, the Van Halen brothers and he are all alphas, so there is bound to be conflict.  All in all, this was an interesting listen, and it gave me hope for more Van Halen music.  I mean seriously, otherwise why practice three to four nights a week and why write down bumper stickers for song inspiration?  So?  I’m holding out hope for a song, a Van Halen song, in 2014 (or whenever) that says something about talent, skills and heart.  And this makes me think of another story, but I suppose that’s better left for another day.  Until then…

Link to interview (click Interview # 44):

http://www.steveaustinshow.com