Michael Anthony Drops Alex Van Halen Divorce Bombshell

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Van Halen has seen several lineup changes and incarnations over the decades, however, one that usually flies over the radar of fans is when Extreme frontman Gary Cherone fronted the group from 1996 to 2000. Cherone would only last one album with Van Halen, Van Halen III before David Lee Roth, who recently had this sad truth revealed, would soon see himself back in the fold once again.

However, during a recent interview with Jeremy White and Mitch Lafon, Van Halen icon Michael Anthony discussed this period of time and revealed how it was a bittersweet one due to the fact that one member of the group, Alex Van Halen was going through a divorce at the time. Credit to Ultimate Guitar for the following transcription.

“And just getting back really quickly when you were talking about Gary Cherone being in the band, that you liked that. I don’t even go into the recording process on that album, because that album just took us frickin’ everywhere. Alex Van Halen was going through a divorce at that time, and Edd played drums on some of this. I mean, it was just the craziest thing that the band had ever done. He played bass on some of it as well. There was some stuff that our producer that was… I don’t even like to talk about it.”

He continued: “There were only a couple songs on that whole album that we, as an actual band, played together in the studio, when we were recording. It’s sad because it could have been a lot better. Going on that tour was a breath of fresh air. Gary wanted to play the new Van Halen, the old Van Halen, all of it. And we were playing some of the earlier Van Halen stuff that we hadn’t played in years that you will never hear.”