"I Got Van Halen The Gig @ The Starwood, & Broke Them on KROQ" - Rodney Bingenheimer

[@e.a.l5960]

Thanks for documenting this VH history. Have the "reminder" for the whole interview tmrw night

[@seanclancy918]

Cant wait for the whole interview tmrw!!!

[@PaulLoughrin]

Wow. That is so awesome. Thanks so much!

[@lousekoya1803]

Thank you !

[@markesquivelarvizu6942]

I remember in 78 KMET (whoaaa) and KLOS I thought they weren't giving VH enough airplay and someone told me that Rodney played them on the ROQ. The station had kinda moved to by then to Punk and more New Wave. Found out about some great new bands even though!

[@lukebuchwald9252]

I was living in Cali in the late 70's and was blown away by hearing Halen on the radio --- Rodney really helped to break 'em big in L.A.

[@jamesgist8582]

Thank you Mister Mayor. Rodney is a national treasure. He was in the right place at the right time...again.

[@sunsetsoundrecorders]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4mzhpl7nrZ2kJY

[@infin8mas]

On the strength of the demo and Gene Simmons name why VH didnt get multiple offers is crazy on its own..... But not to get any is probably the strangest thing ever in rock and roll history.

[@markesquivelarvizu6942]

I think part of it was they didn't fit in with rest of the scene of the time. The Eagles, ABBA were the big sellers

[@heyjarrod]

@@markesquivelarvizu6942 Yeah, I tried to be really objective about it. And listen to those early demos as if we didn’t all know of them today. Totally hard to make that disconnect. But for how cool it is to hear Eddie’s style so early on, and all the guys, it really just wasn’t fitting in at the time-and wasn’t all that amazing for the most part. Hate to say that, they’ve been my all-time favorite since I was a kid. Just trying to put myself back there over 40 years ago listening to a demo, ha ha. But now I look back, just today watching the old gig from ‘78 in Fresno on their first tour. They were absolutely amazing! And turns out they were just way ahead of their time. Just needed a little team effort from everyone to get them on their way. It’s all good. Looking forward to this interview. 👍🏻🎸

[@markesquivelarvizu6942]

@@heyjarrod I agree GS was a not a good producer he did not bring out the natural beat in them....if you listen to live shows of that year they were way better than the Simmons demo...KISS had the same problem ...crappy sounds in the studio, except when Eddie Kramer or Bob Ezrin was behind the board.

[@dwaynejessome1728]

@@markesquivelarvizu6942 Maybe GS wanted a little too much on the side (finders fee) & none of the record companies would bite. It is GS we're talking about

[@markesquivelarvizu6942]

@@dwaynejessome1728 If you listen or read to Gene's KISS and Tell I remember he said if nothing came of the demo they were free go and he would rip it up and he never released per the brothers request

[@davidevans3175]

If you don't know Rodney, you're missing something amazing. His influence goes way beyond KROQ. The film "Mayor of the Sunset Strip" details most of it, he is an absolute legend. You really should watch that film.

[@randyj420]

Good stuff - love it! Thanks Rodney!!! Thanks Van Halen - for helping my teenage years be rad.

[@heyjarrod]

I’m all over this, ha ha. I can’t wait until the full interview. I see Sunset Sound must be reading through the thread a bit, and I got a ‘like’ 👍🏻😎. If you’re still there, Sunset Sound, I was going to mention that my grandpa‘s ophthalmologist was Dr. Roth. I just heard in this clip that Rodney mentioned Dave’s dad being a local Eye Doctor. I have some connections to the band, and I know Mark Algorri personally. That’s why I always try to get his name out there, ha ha. Just for fun. Great guy, great family. He may have been the one that drove them down in the van that Rodney was talking about. I remember mark telling me something like that. He would load all the guys up and their equipment, so that might’ve been it. Thanks for the like! That is amazing-great KZbin page here, and legendary studio of course. I love all these interviews you guys are putting out!!! 🎸👍🏻🎥

[@sunsetsoundrecorders]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4mzhpl7nrZ2kJY

[@BillyBongwaters]

WE LOVE RODNEY

[@reneefernandez9866]

Thank you for having Rodney on...I do not think people understand what a legend he is and how he has helped so many people in music...Sadly he never gets the credit he deserves. We totally need a Rodney day in Hollywood...

[@dustjacket1000]

Turns out he also liked to sexually assault 15 year old girls…

[@ROCKNROLLFAN]

It amazes me that Prince's 1999 double album is now 40 YEARS OLD. There will NEVER be another like it on this realm.

[@algernonblackwood1707]

Was Prince in Van Halen?

[@jacewhite9866]

I remember talking with Rodney several times at the Starwood… really cool cat… Unfortunately, it was “Punk Night” on Wednesday’s that eventually shut that club down

[@lukebuchwald9252]

Rodney is a great dude but he invested too much of his soul into punk music --- we all knew it had a short shelf life

[@nuwavedave]

@@lukebuchwald9252 I don't know that local metal bands had enough vinyl product to sustain Rodney's show. Van Halen and Quiet Riot had demos, but other than that, there wasn't much metal in LA when Van Halen was getting ready to break out. But, there were tons of Punk bands releasing independent vinyl. At Bomp! we handled distribution for nearly all the American Punk bands - plus discs we'd receive from Rough Trade in England through a trade-out deal. Rodney got most of his Sunday night music from us. As you know, LA radio (except for KROQ) was very resistant to new sounds. "Punk" at the time was an umbrella for Punk, New Wave, Rockabilly, Power Pop, Industrial, Two-Tone Ska - just about every genre that wasn't part of the mainstream. Rodney wasn't a trend-follower. He played what pleased him. His show was very organic, and anything could happen. I'm glad he followed his heart. It was an exciting scene.

[@ricardomerluza687]

Yup, Rodney played VH on KROQ before KMET and KLOS. Starwood the place where 714s were passed around like candy.

[@heyjarrod]

I think a key figure I don’t hear enough about (even though I know he’s mentioned in Van Halen Rising, and on Wiki) is, Mike Algorri... who was thought of as their very first manager very early on, and used to caravan all the guys down to Hollywood from Pasadena. Mark is the one that got Bill Gazzarri to give them another chance to audition. So they finally got that gig, that was pretty pivotal. Mark, and Rodney, both great connections from Pasadena. But with support from most of that whole town, and then farther out around LA, they were destined to make it. Looking forward to this interview!!! 🎥 🎸👍🏻😎

[@markesquivelarvizu6942]

The interview they need is Donn Landee....he is the gatekeeper of the sounds and fine details for the early VH.

[@imtheonevanhalen1557]

There were no "ferrying drivers" according to Noel Monck's version...their car broke down, and the entire band ran to the meeting with Ted and Don

[@heyjarrod]

@@imtheonevanhalen1557 I’m not sure if this is a reply to my comment. But if so, I wasn’t talking about that first meeting. That is a great story though, great book by Noel!!! 👍🏻 But way before that, Mark would load up everything and drive all the guys down to Hollywood. Eddie had just turned 19 at that time, when they first played Gazzarri’s in 1974. 👍🏻🎸

[@lukebuchwald9252]

I'm a big VH fan for 40 years and I never heard of this Mike Algorri fella?

[@lukebuchwald9252]

@@imtheonevanhalen1557 --- yeah I loved Monk's book --- that meeting at the LA restaurant reminded me of the scene from "Bohemian Rhapsody" --- some record executive meeting a bunch of young kids thinking they can change the world --- and THEY DID

[@BillDerBerg]

love Rodney he is an LA music treasure

[@thefonzkiss]

Nice wig!

[@JesseJuup]

Sit on it!

[@markl6984]

The only wigs around here are the poor folks wiggin’ out cause Rodney never lost his hair lol

[@belotface]

That reminds me I gotta get coconut at the grocery store.

[@lukebuchwald9252]

Rodney is 74 years old --- is that his real hair?

[@YtuserSumone-rl6sw]

I am baffled. What is going on there? An occult alchemist could write a book about it and Greek fables about Chaos and Order could be sung inspired by his head piece.

[@Twobarpsi]

Funny that whenever there is money to be made, Gene magically pops up 😃!!

[@lukebuchwald9252]

He's a Jewish kid from the Bronx --- what did you expect 👍🏻

[@vitosantangelo1]

2:00 Gene Simmons brought VH to New York in '76... springtime, I think. Rodney is remembering '76... the Templeman at the Starwood was in '77 - Feb. 2nd, yes? 👊😎 ...any chance getting Donn Landee in there for a sit?

[@sunsetsoundrecorders]

Starwood was 76

[@vitosantangelo1]

@@sunsetsoundrecorders Simmons Starwood '76, springtime... Templeman Starwood Feb. '77 ...lovely rainy winter eve 😄

[@lukebuchwald9252]

I don't remember the exact timeline on the Simmons demo recording but spring '76 sounds about right --- and yeah Templeman talks about that fateful night in his book --- one of the rainiest nights in L.A. weather history --- there were two people in the crowd at the Starwood LOL

[@vitosantangelo1]

@@lukebuchwald9252 yeah, love hearing about all that stuff

[@chrisridenhour]

We saw Rodney at a Dennys back in 2005. The singer in our band introduced herself and he invited her to sit with him. Not sure if he ever played our CD but it was a cool moment.

[@karenhollenbeck658]

Time to induct our friend into the RRHOF…long overdue. Thank you for telling Gunnar about the Starwood show, he was one of the few in attendance on that rainy night.

[@karenhollenbeck658]

Rodney is the best friend a band ever had.

[@stevenlovell3300]

Tell Paul that Steve said hello and thank you. Are you guys doing anything with Sabrina Claudio?

[@donkarnage6032]

If I remember correctly, part of the reason why VH didn't get signed from the Gene Simmons demos was Dave's singing. You can definitely tell a difference in Dave's singing between the GS Demos and the first album where much more time was spent on producing the vocals.

[@markr.devereux3385]

I wasn't totally on board with VH at first. It was bombastic and gimmicky.( little did I know). But ROTH 's vocal on RUNNIN WITH THE DEVIL is shockingly awesome.

[@AmazingColorizing]

Rodney didn't bring Van Halen to Kiss' attention. That was my sister, Elissa, who was dating David Lee Roth ever since they were known in the Valley as "Mammoth". She met Ace Frehley at a Halloween Party in Hollywood - and asked him to check out her boyfriend's band. She was friends with Rodney, who definitely helped Van Halen break through - but, he's taken all the credit.

[@michellerosebrown]

‘The Mayor of the Sunset Strip’

[@lukebuchwald9252]

He really was in the late 70's

[@markgrant1302]

The Demo didn't do anything for Van Halen, Gene tried to make them sound like kiss. According to Bill Aucion, who was the manager of Kiss, he thought Eddie was a great guitar player but didn't sign Van Halen because they didn't have a song that he thought would break them. Ted Templeman felt the same way which is why he had them covered "You Really got me".

[@johnrodriguez5872]

interesting seeing you guys using the neat king bee

[@davidmerlin6787]

Love the hair

[@JeffPulinski]

Where is the full video?

[@sunsetsoundrecorders]

Out tmrw

[@markr.devereux3385]

My favorite hairdo of the week! Definitely lol

[@sunsetsoundrecorders]

😂😂😂

[@DavidSmith-is4ph]

So when's the whole interview being uploaded?

[@DavidSmith-is4ph]

@@sunsetsoundrecorders what?

[@sunsetsoundrecorders]

@@DavidSmith-is4ph tmrw

[@sunsetsoundrecorders]

@@DavidSmith-is4ph here ya go kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4mzhpl7nrZ2kJY

[@ROCKNROLLFAN]

Does peggy or David Z have any stories of what it was like seeing Prince & Jill Jones record those sessions for Lady Cab Driver and any of the other songs from the 1999 album.....

[@nuwavedave]

Back in '77 my sister Lisa was dating Dave Roth, and she was trying to help VH get noticed. They were at the Whisky, and Lisa hung out in Rodney's circle. I was with Bomp! Records and Lisa wanted me to pass a cassette and promo pic to Greg Shaw - but, we were into Punk and New Wave. I told her, "Your boyfriend looks too much like Jim Dandy (Black Oak Arkansas)". Lisa knew Ace Frehley, and asked if Kiss would check them out, which they did. When VH's album came out - I felt like a schmuck for dismissing them.

[@farrington7971]

The Mayor Of The Sunset Strip This is Godhead Rodney

[@jimmyjennings4089]

Thank you Rodney you helped save rock and roll for a while at least, long enough for my teen years up till now im 61 and i guess the kids of today are SOL unless they figure it out.

[@algernonblackwood1707]

What is perplexing about a lot of these Sunset Sound Van Halen videos is that the interviewers don't know their basic Van Halen history or chronology. Gene Simmons paid for and produced the VH demos in early November 1976, three months before Templeman saw them in early February 1977.

[@Victory1507ci]

Is this Phil spectors cousin?

[@crsantin]

For a guy who talks for a living, he doesn't have much to say.

[@lukebuchwald9252]

Rodney looks like a guy who lived 10 lives LOL --- he's pretty much said everything he ever needed to say

[@5150Rockstar]

Enjoy prison

[@augustusbetucius2931]

What's with that hair!?

[@DavidSmith-is4ph]

Eddie Nash is dead.

[@errorsofmodernism9715]

Someone neeeds to tell him