Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth was interviewed on recent edition of Scott Lipps’ podcast, Lipp Service. Here, the former Van Halen frontman discussed how important it is not to imitate one or more style or musical artist in the music industry, like many of his colleagues did with Ozzy Osbourne and Eddie Van Halen. Alternative Nation transcribed Roth’s comments.
Roth: Also, you have to be comfortable enough to assimilate a variety of styles that you just don’t imitate one or two artists. A lot of my colleagues have done that and you can tell. Oh, this guy watched Ozzy [Osbourne] and the guy in Judas Priest [a reference to Rob Halford] and that guitar player studied Eddie [Van Halen] and so on. It’s like designing a car. You shouldn’t be able to feel the seams. Well, that’s a lot like a Mercedes but then it kinda goes Lambo, no, no, no that feels like a fucking bicycle. You’re intrigued, what is this as opposed to: “well they sure as shit ripped Mercedes this year.” Really, you’re confronted, you work from resource, alright, like you’re gonna invent an entire new car starting from the frame – yeah right, sit down.
Roth continues:
Roth: What you can do though is say, this is classic composition, not unlike how you would write an opera, how you’d write a symphony. You’re going out in the desert then a Land Rover is a great way to go. Do not drive it off the showroom floor, out into bar so stop and let’s talk about your wheels. No really, we got about ninety things here. We gotta beef up the air conditioning, tint the windows, etc and that’s how you’re gonna write popular music. That’s how you do an opera or whatever. Otherwise you’re very liable to, and here I come circling back – arrive at dissonance. Easy, chaotic, freestyle without a thread that runs through it, that’s kind of easy – wild diversity.
