David Lee Roth Says Van Halen Isn't Breaking Up | Letterman

[@ROOKTABULA]

Dave was so chill and uncaffeinated here. I dig it.

[@adamturner1563]

Un coked you mean. 😂! (Not the Soda)

[@louiscypher4275]

Which Dave?

[@doodlebob3758]

​@@louiscypher4275This is important. Is the original comment a joke about Dave, or a sincere thought about other Dave?

[@louiscypher4275]

@@doodlebob3758 it was legit.

[@jamesgilliam5278]

You can see in his eyes how he loves the adoration. And you can tell he's an entertainer to the bone.

[@surfshack2]

Dave was/is the best. God when this aired I was 17, me and all my buddies rocked out to VH all through high school and we partied the whole time. I graduated in '85. It was 4 years of decadence before I had to clean up and get a little serious. Diamond Dave inspired many a high school boy to be a man and have some fun. The 80's were incredible to say the least. I miss it but the memories are incredible. I wish i could do it all over again. 😃👍🎈

[@AntonioBarsanio]

Amazing music, amazing movies, amazing politics even unlike today everything is about political correctness. Technology today is a blessing but also a curse in my opinion.

[@thepatchooleyexperiment3193]

Yep same memories lol - $5 keg parties all you could drink and the mighty VH

[@TheToekutter]

"Diamond Dave inspired many a high school boy to be a man" LMAO!!

[@surfshack2]

@@TheToekutter Good sh** isn’t it. 😆👍

[@yootoob1001001]

He's still alive.

[@bluebassett2]

Diamond Dave... I saw the Eat 'Em and Smile tour with Steve Vai & Billy Sheehan and the Skyscraper tour , with Vai and the Bissonette brothers tours back to back in Portland Oregon. Great stuff. Them I saw Van Hagar at the Monsters of Rock tour in Seattle, 1988. The eighties were some great times.

[@surfshack2]

Yes they were. The best.

[@Revelator2025]

No doubt. Eat ‘em and Smile: great tour. Great era! Nothing like it. 🎉

[@therealwilfreddierkes9980]

Monsters of Rock 88 LA Coliseum!! The best! 🤘🏼

[@paulcavigliano6388]

Damn. Good memories for you.

[@hockeynutt9434]

This interview was just classic. Best frontman and guest.

[@leonardhill4440]

How many light years was David Lee Roth ahead of everyone else, brilliance at it purest. Love to shake his hand someday.

[@epgrelicful]

My thoughts exakery 😉

[@FIXTREME]

Absolutely Zero. Sammy, on the other hand...

[@ryanwilson7687]

Did you see that weak handshake, he's a wo-man. Not a man

[@papas12341]

You should watch some of Jim Morrisons interviews 😮

[@adrianaprado9527]

Same do I , along with a little chat.

[@zmbently4906]

5:35 Diamond Dave making a Spinal Tap reference not long after it was released. Very cool.

[@fredwerza3478]

I can remember many rock stars being angry about that movie --- thank God that Dave was one of the few who saw the humor in it

[@therealwilfreddierkes9980]

Way cooler if it was now.

[@Blizofoz45]

Paul Schaffer actually being in Spinal Tap adds a layer to it.

[@jacquesdemolay5171]

Over forty years later, and who would've thought that Dave would be ten times more intense and animated when doing interviews? This is so tame compared to his appearances on Joe Rogan and anything else from 2020 onward. Amazing.

[@wbwills2]

I turned 16 in 85. Had a Tiny Honda hatchback with speakers everywhere I could find to install one & a bunch of VH on cassettes..Talk-about the goodies days!good times

[@semmcstevenson]

I was sad when he quit in 1985, glad he came back briefly in 1996. Glad he was back in 2007 permanently until the end!

[@glenngrinter6818]

Met him backstage of the Glens Falls Civic Center during his solo tour, a normal guy all around.🎼🎹🥁🎸

[@billschlafly4107]

"Normal"

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

hehe, good one.

[@rh5466]

I took a bus from Toronto to New York, and it stopped in Glens Falls. Quaint little town.

[@fredwerza3478]

Was that back when he would bike around every town he toured in?

[@memyselfandi6862]

@@fredwerza3478 i saw him describe biking around towns and how that was important to him to prevent feeling the tour grind aspects. dave is nothing if not endlessly curious :)

[@carlin2235]

Diamond is Diamond, shines every time.

[@gussygoro2469]

I like a David Lee Roth interview! Funny, very talented guy.

[@mikewhite4560]

Also Dave did EMT Work for 2 Years in NYC in the early 2000s....

[@pinkaholic09]

He could do anything with his gift of gab.

[@deplorablecovfefe9489]

Saw him Solo in Toledo Sports Arena... he had all his trapeze toys and rappeling gear....fun show!

[@keefriff99]

I find DLR fascinating…his appearances on Joe Rogan’s podcast (who I’m not particularly a fan of) are quite interesting and extremely entertaining. He occasionally sets aside the “Diamond Dave” shtick and talks about real life, but those moments are few and far between. He’s just one of those guys who became his public persona and now refuses to turn it off. I wonder if it’s even possible to know the real Dave.

[@Local_yokels_monsters_myths]

Are any of us truly who we are?????

[@harrodsongs]

@@Local_yokels_monsters_myths Whoooooo are you? Who Who. Who Who.

[@ftm84]

@@harrodsongs I remember throwing punches around and preaching from my chair - well who are you?!!

[@fredwerza3478]

Why does he have to "turn off" his public persona if he's extremely charismatic while using it? It's like a magic wand that I'd never turn off.

[@kennykistler6735]

​@@fredwerza3478 Dave would be wise to turn it off. His public persona has been ridiculous and embarrassing going on 20 years.

[@TikiHutGuitar]

Dave in his Jeff Spicoli phase.

[@doodlebob3758]

Tasty waves and a cool buzz, man. 😂

[@endezeichengrimm]

4:25 This is the first time I've seen DLR actually become uncomfortable in an interview.

[@missiontotransition641]

Talented and funny guy. The more interviews i watch, you know he is very smart. One interview with Sammy, he admitted David ran the band when he was in it. I could believe that. Sammy said he basically ran VH also. The brothers were more interested in making the music.

[@PMC47]

Diamond Dave best front man ever!👍

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

I guess you've never heard of Mick Jagger.

[@robinblackmoor8732]

You never saw or heard Robert Plant or Ronnie James Dio?

[@fredwerza3478]

I'd say Freddie Mercury was tied with him --- but Freddie couldn't do split jumps!

[@kevinlogozzo3952]

I will just say that Jimmy Koplik (rock promoter for over 50 years in CT, MA & NY) picked DLR as his all-time best front man. Of course it’s subjective but in his prime, he was hard to touch.

[@PMC47]

Late replying lol. I guess I just don't pay close attention to comments. 😉 Saw Jagger(all time favourite) 20ish yrs ago with 485000 friends ...amazing, Plant 90s on Plant and Page, Dio on Heaven and Hell, and watched the concert at Wembley on TV when I was a kid. Where they were all great(er) vocalists, None of them could put a show on like Dave. 👍

[@JakeDavidLeeSeeBach]

That one didn’t age quite so well… 90 days later he left the band! Diamond Dave best frontman ever..

[@gotohoward]

I like Dave. He's pretty honest, and he stands for exactly what rock is supposed to be. A collaborative effort. He was ahead of his time. The internet has become just what he said. Technology bringing us closer together. I'm surprised he doesn't have a bunch of lawsuits he's dealing with-and being cancelled.

[@somethingyousaid5059]

The weirdest dream I ever had was of the late author Philip Roth substituting for David in Van Halen. He and the rest of the band were performing their song "Jump".

[@bb-gc2tx]

thats deep

[@switch625.]

R.I.P EDDIE

[@jamesb7168]

I love when he says in this dog eat dog world we live are you a hot dog or a lil weenie lol

[@rha101]

Dave always looks like he is about to do something wicked while, simultaneously, looking like he just did something wicked.

[@memyselfandi6862]

lol, The Rock's got nothing on Dave's right eyebrow !!

[@unnameduser1045]

Great comment that's hold true for both Roth and Letterman.

[@JonnyHolms]

Hard to believe that this was 39 years ago, remember this time like it was yesterday...

[@fredwerza3478]

I miss the days when rock stars were authentic 24 hrs. a day --- nobody more colorful than Diamond Lee!

[@chadroeder]

🤮

[@bobloblaw7030]

True. Ever since around 2015 the world has drove right off a cliff. People only spread hate and lies now (mainly crazy right wingers) and have just about completely destroyed society beyond repair at this point

[@fredwerza3478]

@@bobloblaw7030 it's mind-blowing how racist and crazy the right wing has become --- they actually seem proud of being Nazis

[@kennykistler6735]

You mean Diamond Dave.

[@kmoecub]

Dave was never authentic. He's always been playing a role whenever he was in public.

[@grobbler1]

In the beginning, Dave is speaking of VH in the past tense. Says it all.

[@Hawkrvo]

THE lead man of Van Halen ! and frontman icon.

[@michaelgretzky1056]

I remember going to see Van Halen and as we got to the parking lot before entering the arena telling a friend. ‘Think about it, Eddie Van Halen is somewhere in there right now.” I’ll just leave it at that!!!

[@juanferreira3850]

well, it's true they didn't break up but he didn't say he ain't leaving 😂

[@wcreview8227]

At his prime... you can hear it in his voice

[@popeyethesailorman75]

You cant beat Dave for Charisma or the best Showman possibly ever.. Even his Vocals in 84 was Superb. He would suite being a Cabaret Showman too. Sam Hager was a better all round Singer however Dave had the package.

[@tylerthompson1842]

Or as a wordsmith

[@memyselfandi6862]

@@tylerthompson1842 you're so right. his play on words was unlike any other. he could sell ice to an eskimo, no question !

[@mattchomo]

He's also got charasthma

[@thelettermanpodcast]

DLR broke the mold.

[@JustinCase780]

He was so hysterical in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"

[@keithkilmister]

IMO, Diamond Dave is the greatest front man in the history of rock and roll - bar none!

[@fdrstan]

Yeah, except not at all. Robert Plant makes him look like Kid Rock. 😂

[@chiefscheider]

Roger Daltrey blows Roth away as a singer and front man. Better looking and more charismatic too

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Nope. Jagger, Ozzie, Mercury, Plant, Tyler, Grohl, Daltry, Morrison, Springsteen, Hetfield, Rose, the list is endless of people equal to or greater than DLR.

[@keefriff99]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH You named some great ones, but DLR deserves to be mentioned with all of them.

[@brianseneca3546]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH I would have to take out Springsteen and Axl but I agree with rest.

[@wrennewman6868]

David Lee Roth. Diamond Dave. I remember this David. 😊

[@lisas424]

The best frontman of all time.

[@akfreed6949]

There's a video of Valerie Bertinelli and Edward Van Halen at a Hard Rock Cafe or a Planet Hollywood and they were talking about Dave promoting his Crazy From the Heat EP . In the clip , Ed said He and engineer Donn Landee made 2 albums worth of songs . They just weren't mixed together . Ed played all the instruments individually . And these weren't the original 5150 demos . The individual tapes only had codes to ID each tape . The codes were placed on a Radio Shack computer which crashed and the data couldn't be recovered .

[@nicholassmith479]

Maybe even in those days one might write things on a piece of paper, just saying

[@JustK009]

Nobody beats prime DLR..Nothing beats prime VH..However watching the interview and knowing the tensions within the band it’s easy to see why he got sacked

[@marklechman2225]

Roth owned that interview.👍

[@mhmrules]

LMAO! Dr. Ruth was also on! XD

[@mikal]

I feel bad for Roth here. He's telling jokes that everyone EXCEPT Letterman gets. It's like he's having to explain everything to Letterman, but chooses not to, for good reason.

[@LuisRodriguez-cf4tf]

I feel Letterman did get them. Actually deeper than most of the audience. Even today…😏

[@BaalDavaR999]

Letterman is a dolt.

[@JohnSmith-cb4sb]

They didn't break up. He left.

[@matthewmolnar8140]

He mentioned Tomato, from The Screamers. Legendary

[@fluxcapacitor1621]

Brush with greatness: I once made David Lee Roth jump. Around 1988, he was coming out of a nightclub with a hot chick in a skimpy red dress. They were speed walking with their heads down to avoid being recognized. DLR was about to run into me then he lifted his body and jumped back to avoid the collision. We were face to face about 2" apart. I didn't recognize him until he backed off. Before I could say his name, they ran across the street, jumped into a red convertible sports car then drove off.

[@memyselfandi6862]

i don't doubt your recollection at all, totally possible. BUT dang wish it'd been me - i'd of kissed him sooooo hard, lol.

[@kdbwiz]

Might as well Jump!

[@cdick]

I met him in Hollywood Florida in the early 80s.. he told me I was gorgeous. I was intimidated, so instead, I went to bed with the stage manager and then smoked with Alex VH in the stage managers hotel room. good times

[@massapower]

DIAMOND DAVE BaBy!!!!😁👍🏻

[@atariblue]

It's fascinating to watch DLR talk about VH and getting into the studio in 1985 now knowing that this would be the year he leaves VH due to creative differences and that the band wouldn't release a new album until 1986 with new lead man Sammy Hagar.

[@MrDuds1984]

I don’t believe it was creative differences

[@atariblue]

@@MrDuds1984 well take it with a grain of salt, but I saw that on the Wikipedia page for the VH 1984 album.

[@ceddyharris6340]

@@atariblue Word. I'm sure it was a little of both creative and personal differences... but you can clearly hear the creative difference between 5150 and Eat 'em and Smile. Dave's album rocks, and 5150 is a pop album aimed at women who were young in the 80s.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Pretty sure the rest of the band were sick of this blowhard. Don't get me wrong, DLR era was the best VH IMO, but Dave was not easy to take in large doses.

[@MrDuds1984]

@@atariblue Dave wanted to be a movie star, the band didn’t want to wait on him and decided to move on as they were sick of his attitude, that’s pretty much it

[@RicahardFanelli]

Diamond Dave😊

[@BJ-fj6jw]

If a lion, king of the jungle were to assume human form and prance across the stage and roar majestically and shake its mane and preen in interviews with aplomb and flair and regal flash it would be called DAVID LEE ROTH, front man of one of the hottest bands in Rock n Roll.

[@Amber_xo_133]

Young DLR is so handsome 😍😍😍😍

[@stacybearden]

Diamond Dave is fairly normal here. 🤷🏼

[@mws755]

A lot of Rockers point out women in the crowd and get their reps to approach them. It's not unusual

[@natalipribilski9404]

Наконец я вижу Дэвида в коммуникации,как он артистичен,красив и весел. Такой непосредственный и наглый. Прелестно!!

[@FIXTREME]

1:22 "Cable television is dead" Dave was 30+ years ahead of his time😂

[@liveclassictunes]

I love DLR... hilarious, colourful dude.

[@kellyelrington5663]

Magnificent creature he is.

[@douglasbroccone3144]

Dave predicted Podcasts

[@lindaellen808]

His were the the first I ever saw and loved.

[@stacybearden]

Every time I’ve seen one of these lately I wonder if the celebrity died.

[@ilgridiron1]

So do I. It’s like reading obituaries. I was pleased to see this wasn’t one of them. But this site is how I found out about Olivia Newton-John

[@The_momur]

Same here.

[@robinblackmoor8732]

Yup, I was watching the Olivia Newton-John video and then realized moments after, that she had passed.

[@dennismartin4659]

Hilarious. I was wondering the exact same thing. DLR Is a prime example of someone whose star burns too bright, too hot, and too quick, to sustain it for very long.

[@robertabray-enhus3198]

Dave’s alive and well

[@dustinprewitt]

Van Halen isnt breaking up... today....

[@canadasweetie]

David Lee Roth is So friggin funny!!!!! ❤

[@susanpritchard7521]

I never appreciated David Lee Roth and his spandex...but this show gave perspective on his sense of humor and talent.

[@marcdavis2745]

Just An Amazing Charismatic Electrifying Performer

[@karenbitter8857]

Look at this Gorgeous mans sweater😅

[@MrRwk314]

I cant picture Roth singing any of those 5150 songs.

[@therealwilfreddierkes9980]

He didn’t even try. Last night Sammy played his bday bash in Cabo and him and Mikey played Running with the Devil. The whole feud between them just seemed to me that Dave couldn’t believe VH went on without him and acted so burnt by the whole thing. Sammy would just stick up for himself. IMO

[@scott7521]

6:15 Not once had I ever seen DLR get embarrassed until this.

[@todd-1]

Spicoli with a 200 IQ

[@captaintruth3219]

Dave tells a story better than Rock Hudson, Jim Nabors, or Liberace.👨‍❤️‍👨

[@carolclmcm1214]

i would recognize his voice anywhere. he is so unique.

[@felixthelmocevallosmorales41]

David Lee Roth (Bloomington, Indiana, 10 de octubre de 1954) es un cantante estadounidense de hard rock. Es reconocido especialmente por haber sido el vocalista original de la renombrada banda estadounidense Van Halen, primero durante el período 1974-1985 y, varios años más tarde, desde 2007 hasta la disolución del grupo en 2020 tras el fallecimiento de su guitarrista, Eddie Van Halen. Entre tanto, se lanzó a una carrera en solitario que si bien cosechó bastantes éxitos en la década de los 80, no le valió la misma fama y atención que su tiempo en Van Halen. También es conocido por los pseudónimos "Diamond Dave" y "El Roth".

[@pb6270]

huh

[@Revelator2025]

All lies Félix! 🍦

[@yournamehere7182]

Roth & Roll

[@gongqi67]

And then it was over. Shoulda' never left Dave.

[@morbidmanmusic]

Who left Dave...?

[@longlivebytor]

This is such an interesting clip to see right after reading Noel Monk's book.

[@mude.mcmudskipper8907]

Dave says goodbye to VH, as his hair is saying goodbye to Dave.

[@johnferreira7419]

Dave meets Dave it’s like a sling shot too the Giants head for Night Time TV.

[@j_freed]

Such a surfer dude here... You can't make a new band to replace Van Halen.

[@BruceStephan]

Its only recently where Dave said he knew even his bandmates were calling him weird and 💩 . He didn't have any fun making 1984 because it was made at Ed's place and there would be no more fun at Sunset Studios . And Ed's attitude changed when the band started to see how much they were all making with a better contract . Nowadays, I don't think Dave was being as selfish as he was when he quit .

[@RicahardFanelli]

Vh forever😊

[@mrchad97z49]

now we know what he meant by being a "little wiener" for 1 more year. He meant he was staying with VanHalen for 1 more year then he was going to do his own thing and be a "hot dog"

[@judewessel5713]

Unfortunately 1985 brought the end of the greatest hard rock band the world will ever know.

[@k.c.3567]

David Lee Roth: Super-Cool. David Letterman: Super-Douche.

[@MrRwk314]

Why is he a super douche?

[@NicholasChorba]

He's right. They didn't break up.

[@RicahardFanelli]

When VH wAS VH😊

[@nickfuller20]

Letterman had a lot of backstage chicks, he probably learned from Dimebag Dave in this interview!!

[@2BitCarnyHypnotist]

I thought this meant David Lee Roth died. Letterman's channel has become an announcement channel for celebrity deaths! I had to do a double take!

[@johnforan2973]

I know nothing and just guessing here that Dave was trying to say that "I got initiated and cannot speak no more and said enough"

[@gboschini]

They broke up about June/July that year when his antics were still going and not securing dates to go back to studio with the Van Halens, it was not meant to be...

[@southsidetommy]

What he was saying, no one understood. He was gonna be a little wienie for one more year, meaning, I'm leaving Van Halen next year - and he did. At 31 years old, even Dave knew that he couldn't keep up the acrobatics and flying splits as Van Halen's front man. The future needed to be something different for Dave, and it was.

[@ugaais]

David Lee Roth hate Letterman…lol

[@bb-gc2tx]

6:18 poor dave at the height of his fame his hair is starting its own farewell tour lol

[@CaveManOogaBooga]

Can you explain?

[@bb-gc2tx]

@@CaveManOogaBooga you can see how thin its getting in front and hes starting to receed within a year he was wearing wigs for all his videos from eatem and smile.

[@CaveManOogaBooga]

@@bb-gc2tx what cause thinning?

[@hwabag7]

@@CaveManOogaBooga Life.

[@therealwilfreddierkes9980]

@@CaveManOogaBoogaStupid questions.

[@SnarkNSass]

DLR💖

[@mdog2435]

Feeling like I might as well Jump. Jump!!

[@TinCupChalice40]

When David Lee Roth left the band they still had so many cool songs to write in my opinion. Van Halen stopped being Van Halen the day he left. I can give a damn if he was in love with himself, those guys made good music together. The red rocker lucked into a good thing but he didn’t add anything to the band whatsoever

[@therealwilfreddierkes9980]

Okay homie. 👌

[@happy_jcg]

1985 DLR was starting to become “Creepy Uncle Dave”. He just seems to hold himself differently, the walk is awkward, the stance is awkward. Gone is that high kick, sexy strut. He still has that ability to spew his word jumbles. Not hating, just observing.

[@dirtyd7931]

Ha ha ha letterman is so mad that Diamond Dave is funnier than him. Watch your back DLR is in the building!!

[@CarltonSanderson-j3i]

His solo success went to his head and Alex & Eddie are allowed to have the big ego's in VH.

[@timmbos]

Man.......back when Late Night was only 10% politics. I sure miss those days.

[@canadasweetie]

Even back, then, he still had that same laugh, but he didn’t do it as long in his later interviews. He does that last more often and it last longer and he seems much more ego driven. I prefer him and his older interviews, he’s funny.

[@mariawelsh3190]

Dave could do the whole interview by himself, book a 200 city tour, produce and direct all music videos for any band that ever asked him lmao. This guy is The Entrepreneur of Entrepreneur's. Diamond Dave!🤗💜🤍💜🤍💜🤍💜👏

[@chadroeder]

🙃

[@therealwilfreddierkes9980]

😂😂

[@tbone5040]

Kinda cool seeing DLR getting a bit embarrassed and cornered by Letterman.