David Lee Roth has launched an audio recording through which he assaults Wolfgang Van Halen, son of the late Eddie Van Halen.
The recording, initially entitled “This Fuckin’ Child” however later retitled “This Loopy Child”, appeared on Roth’s official YouTube channel, and takes Wolfgang to activity for alleged behaviour on Van Halen‘s North American Tour in 2015.
The clip kicks off with an imaginary dialog between Roth and a squeaky-voiced ‘Jesus Christ’ character, throughout which Roth seems to recommend that Wolfgang solely bought the job with Van Halen due to nepotism. “Bro, I simply need folks to know I bought this job due to my expertise,” says Jesus. “I woulda had this job anyway even when my dad wasn’t God.”
Roth goes on to discuss with Wolfgang as “this schlemiel child” (‘schlemiel’ is a Yiddish phrase which means a silly, awkward, or unfortunate particular person) in a prolonged speech through which he particulars the misdemeanours of the then- 24-year-old bassist.
“This fuckin’ child, he’s complaining the complete tour like I’m not paying sufficient consideration to him on stage,” says Roth. “Like Santa Claus coming down the chimney and coming out on Christmas with no person paying consideration. Shalom to the dome, homie. I’m giving him one of the best. All the pieces I’ve bought in entrance of twenty, thirty thousand folks at a clip, and he’s complaining to all people round me – the enterprise supervisor, the safety man, the clothes girl – ‘Dave’s not paying sufficient consideration to me.’
“Lower to New York Metropolis. Glamorous, glistening, shimmering New York Metropolis, and we’re at Jones Seashore with twenty thousand of my closest buddies. I stroll out into the center of the stage and I’m gonna do Ice Cream Man, and I’m testifying to the brothers, Eddie and Al, ‘Man, that is what number of instances we’ve performed New York. That is spectacular.’
“And what I don’t know is that this child, this schlemiel child, has commandeered a few monkeys to go in again, behind my again, over to the aspect of the stage and throw out these two nice dames that I invited to be my friends to the present. And these dames are of their forties, okay? Enterprise girls.
“In truth, you aren’t gonna consider this shit. This fuckin’ child, what he doesn’t know is that these two dames work for the accounting agency that symbolize him, not me. However as typical, he, similar to his uncle and his uncle’s brother, stiffed them for tickets. I do know they’re gonna try this, so I bought forward of issues and I give them tickets.
“I put ’em means off to the aspect. And I’m not speaking about Mötley Crüe groupies right here. That is the actual deal. And so they’re each carrying huge satchel purses, proper? Like Gucci. Right here we go. And he throws them out of the constructing. He’s educating me a lesson. What this fuckin’ child doesn’t know, they’re carrying the pay cheques for all 82 folks on the highway crew.”
Roth goes on to assert {that a} related incident occurred on the band’s closing present of the tour, on the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
“Wolfie Van Halen’s gonna educate me a lesson by throwing out what he thinks is my girlfriend,” says Roth. “However guess what? Not solely is that this an accountant once more, and never solely is she carrying the pay cheques for 82 of us on the highway crew, however she’s carrying money bonuses for everyone there. You could wanna pull over on this subsequent one; you’re gonna pee your pants. Bear in mind New York Metropolis? It’s the identical fuckin’ girl!”
It is unclear what prompted Roth’s assault. In 2022, Wolfgang told Rolling Stone, “I don’t like to talk negatively about folks, however there are some those who make it very tough to do something relating to Van Halen… There was at all times some stuff that will get in the way in which from simply making music and having time.”
Final yr, Wolfgang told Classic Rock how Van Halen’s closing album A Different Kind Of Truth might have featured a music with the working title Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Panama – as a result of it captured the vibe of each songs – however that Roth scuppered the plans.