Michael Anthony talks Van Halen Rumours, Hot Sauce, New Circle Album and Much More | Interview 2022

[@jordanmartinez2432]

Michael Anthony!!! Such a great guy, through all the years and all the drama he rose above it all!!!!👍😊🤘🤘🤘

[@edgarfoerster9831]

Agreed. No drama Mike! Just a cool guy.

[@qtheband751]

Mike didn’t have the ego. He just wanted to play music.

[@jedw9983]

Agreed.

[@joho58b]

I met Mike at The Los Angeles Boat show about 30 years ago no one recognized him, but being a huge VH fan I knew who he was! we talked about boats!!! no music just boats!! a super down to earth guy. towards the end of our talk I asked him about any upcoming VH tours, and he laughed and said "shit you know who I am!" he shook my hand and said Thanks Bro!!! I will never forget that!!!!

[@buddystewart2020]

I'll tell ya what Mike, you were one of the nicest rock stars I ever met. In 1982, I was in a band played at the Marriott in Worcester Mass. You guys were playing several nights at the Centrum there. In October 1982, you guys were staying in the same Hotel we were playing at, and you sat in with us. We did a couple of Mothers Finest songs and you got up on stage with us and sang them. It was a great time and I have several photos of it. You guys gave us tickets to your show, and it was awesome, as was the after show party at the hotel. You and Alex were super nice to us at the party. Dave I saw but never talked to. The night before I played some space invader with Eddie, he was very cool. I remember him and his wife Valerie sitting in a front row table when you were on stage with us. I don't tell this story much, because people don't believe it, but have the photos to prove it, which you can't post on YT.

[@tomholman4991]

i would get copies of those photo’s an put them in my wallet just to see the jealous looks on the doubters fases

[@buddystewart2020]

@@tomholman4991 ... lol, it's not that big a deal. I've posted them on FB before, my friends know it's true and have seen them. It's not like we were best friends, he probably wouldn't even remember me.

[@irammendez8683]

MICHAEL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A GREAT GUY, VERY RESPECTFUL THROUGH EVERYTHING..

[@tommybell1786]

Class act. He represents the best of VH.

[@tinafoos8018]

Michael Anthony seems like such a Gem if a guy!-So grounded, so humble, so upbeat!Thanks for this just fantastic interview with Michael!-Made me smile!

[@peterarvanitis6497]

Always Humble in his interviews and happy Michael Anthony Class act

[@klyter21]

I don't think there's an interview I enjoy more than the Michael Anthony interviews. I could listen to him all day about both Van Halen eras, his hot sauce, himself, etc.

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Truth!! He’s the man!

[@atomikpunk6038]

Michael Anthony very underrated bass player and a huge part of VH's signature sound with the incredible backing vocals. Also from all the stories I've read, interviews and videos (such as this one) seems to be a genuinely decent guy.

[@billknudson7895]

Always a breath of fresh air to spend time with Michael Anthony. One of the true gentlemen in the music business.

[@billhunter4111]

Michael, saw you in Indy a few weeks ago, YOU ROCKED and so did Sammy!

[@dwaynecole6636]

If Michael is involved with Dave and Alex on a tour, I would buy a ticket.

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

RIGHT?!

[@lrrpdude8694]

I would rather see Michael step in for Dusty with ZZ Top. Now that would be a show.

[@CamaroSS-sy2ei]

@@lrrpdude8694 I would definitely watch that show!

[@blak1lyte]

Only if Peter Thorn or Deraps is the gtrst. Not Satch or vai or some other a-lister

[@paulscountry456]

Dave is just a awkward sideshow his voice is just horrible for decades now.

[@philchigges2955]

Mikey will always be my favorite member of van halen.down to earth.no ego.

[@williamnimbach6419]

Love Micheal Anthony!!! Through all the stuff the van halen brothers put him through he never ever retaliated!! True class act and one of the best bass players of all time!!!

[@ThaiThom]

Michael Anthony is the musical anchor of Van Halen. They wouldn't have made it to the top without him.

[@golfinfool7233]

If there is a better guy in music than Mike, I don't have any idea who it would be.

[@VantagePointrocks]

What a great guy, and to still speak nicely about those people who possibly didn't treat him the best ...

[@NightWarriorAlive]

Wow, so Alex, Dave and Michael all spoke to one another! We never got a proper reunion/farewell tour from these guys, so hopefully the three of them can end it the right way.

[@richiecunningham7968]

Jeremy this is absolutely phenomenal! Even with internet issues, you and Mitch made this informative and fun to listen to. Thank you! Now please get Sammy on!! Cheers - R

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Thanks Richie!!

[@JohnnyBeane]

Awesome! Hey dudes!

[@douglasjarnagan3835]

Love hearing the musicians themselves talking about what went into the album, cause you're getting it from the horses mouth. And I respect that Anthony did it while not putting anyone down.

[@TopJimmyCooks1984]

Awesome interview Mike. Thanks for putting me there in the studio with you guys all the way back.👍

[@jjoosneaphh]

Love Michael, a talent and class act...Gob bless him

[@markbirchette8740]

Very cool that you leave the comments open! It would be criminal not to have founding member Michael Anthony.🤘

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Thanks man!! Hope ya subscribe 🤘🏻

[@jamesdavison2927]

MICHAEL IS THE BEST IF THERES NO MICHAEL, I WONT BE SEEING ANY VH TRIBUTE SOOOOO AWESOME SAMMY AND MICHAEL ARE STILL TIGHT

[@edgarfoerster9831]

Mike Anthony always such a cool guy. Like,forever he has been since the seventies.

[@micheandmikey]

Mikey's the BEST! Such a great guy and so humble. If there ever was a Van Halen tour again I hope they look at Phil X for guitar, he's basically an Eddie clone.

[@richardsmith7322]

My all time favorite bass guitarist that deserves so much damn credit it’s the truth Michael is a killer player one of the best ever

[@billpowley5882]

The Circle is a serious All-Star band.Hagar loves this band

[@kkwok9]

Nice job Van Halen made albums Van Hagar made singles Van Halen was a hard rockin band Van Hagar was a rock band Michael Anthony always provided the great harmony.

[@Xcorgi]

Hey Mike. How about letting Dweezil Zappa sit in for Eddie for the VH tribute show? He grew up next door to Eddie and Eddie personally gave him lessons and taught him every Van Halen song Dweezil wanted to learn. He even still has two guitars Eddie gave him.

[@gokhanersan8561]

I can’t skip watching an interview with Michael Anthony.

[@iddddaduncan]

Mike is the best!

[@reaganbrowne6373]

I wonder if Michael truly knows he was apart of the greatest rock band of all time! Nothing but respect

[@neverleftthe80s29]

'Live Without A Net' needs to be released on CD. They also need to release a Van Hagar era box set on vinyl & CD, including live, outtakes, whatever. Thanks for the interviews guys, excellent. Michael is such a great guy, humble and never get bored of him. Greetings from Australia.

[@vintagevinylvets1187]

Totally agree!!🙏🏻🎧🔥

[@edwardskol1812]

Nothing wrong with holding a tribute show or even tribute tour for EVH to celebrate the music. I won’t hold my breathe though. Just glad to hear MA was going to be involved. I was pissed when I thought they only talked to Newsted and not MA. Anyway, great interview as always you guys. I get the sense he really likes talking to you guys and wants to say more (though he’s too smart and too classy to trash anybody or say too much). You guys are able to get more out of him than most. I would give anything to read a book by him on the VH days but doubt he will ever do it.

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Thanks for the kind words man, we spoke off air for another 10 mins after. He’s a great guy! Surreal to me I get to talk to him honestly haha

[@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracle]

we all like hearing that MA was being brought back into the fold, Roth has been sincere in acknowledging his contributions as an integral part of their sound

[@tinafoos8018]

​@JeremyWhiteShow Your interview was just great, JeremyWhiteShow!!-I would feel so stoked to interview Michael Anthony, too!-He's awesome!

[@rcjr.7725]

Whether they do it or not I just want to say thank you Edward Van Halen for all the beautiful music you left us rest in peace fly with the angels

[@nicholassingleton7496]

Fantastic interview, thank you 🙏🏻

[@epvoxofficial2038]

Mike is the most awesome guy in the whole world!

[@TheRamyMeziane]

Michael anthony, what great guy! Loved the van halen stories man

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Thanks man!

[@backtoshallabal6662]

Jeremy, are you able to get JAke E Lee on the show?

[@BigRob5150]

Thank you so much for asking about the VH vaults and bootleg recordings! I’m not optimistic a release will ever materialize, 🤞🏼🤞🏼but I’d be the first in line to get it…or preorder in 2022😂 I think we all know there is killer material from all eras out there. Mikey gives further confirmation with the “duffel bag” statement..👌🏼👌🏼

[@tomjames8268]

Mitch LaFon, who once said he "didn't get" the Original VAN HALEN. Tool on an A+++ level.

[@garyrunnalls7714]

Live from Fresno, Paris, France circa 1977-78 bootlegs are Epic.

[@richardbelisle4807]

Micheal is the most happy, at peace of all the boys…

[@martinkulkarni3569]

He looks really good for his age!

[@bornagainbornagain6697]

just do it. Let his brother get his grief addressed. Help him to accept Eddie being gone. It can only help. Let Sammy show up, and Michael too! Do it right. And the singer from Extreme too!!

[@RealMenRescueCats]

I always liked Mike. Great bassist, and iconic backing vocalist.

[@KurtS5150]

Good job grabbing Mike, watching now

[@ozzydoop1473]

MA is a legend bass & vocalist of the classic rock & musical world forever ... their albums history shows the quality of their legacy: VH

[@enabledintergers9372]

Michael Anthony Is a living legend!! Him and Alex have been the strongest tightest live RYTHM SECTION Intergalactic Im sure theres others in some other galaxy? But here it was those 2!!!and lets be honest That guy can probably sing better and In my perspective has a better voice than every van halen singer that has sang for that band!

[@RyanConnell5150]

37:15 that can't be the explanation for why they didn't record a live album with Dave. Cuz Zeppelin released a live album The Song Remains The Same in 1976, and if Alex was such a big fan of LZ, he surely would have known about it. I think it's probably more the cost of recording a show back then on tape with the truck outside and everything.

[@RichardGrounds]

I think those "cheap, crappy" reproduction back stage passes were the ones that Def Leppard did for their Vault project. I remember a lot of people complaining about those. Great Interview guys!

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

🤫😂

[@vintagesounds5150]

Yeah Michael 🎶🎶🎶☮️🔊🔊

[@brentalan6210]

I miss the original line up when Dave could still sing. It’s a shame Michael was never appreciated until all these years later. Sammy got lucky becoming friends with Michael !!

[@JockeLundgrenTV]

Thank You very much!! 🙋🏻‍♂️

[@yeahwhatevermike]

Great interview guys, I met Mike at NAMM he’s such a cool guy. Only question I had hoped you asked or wished had come up was the 3 videos from that Oakland show. So this is Love, unchained, hear about it later. Question is where’s the rest of that show? Was it only the 3 songs they filmed? If so what a waste

[@R2R3Lockingnut]

Yes ✊🏼 let's talk about Mad Anthony's hot sauce ‼️

[@jonp8832]

Mike is the man!

[@LaneDenson]

Interesting how he glosses over the producer for VH3 - picking a guy who had never produced a rock album wasn't exactly a recipe for success. A particularly odd choice considering Glen Ballard knocked it out of the park with the two new tunes on the previous Greatest Hits set. And I agree with their comments about Live Without A Net - I wore that VHS tape out!

[@TopJimmyCooks1984]

The first 6 albums especially have some of the best bass playing of all time.

[@Victory1507ci]

Good luck to the Circle on tour- they’re playing xfinity center in Ma.- 17k seats and 3000 sold.

[@OpenRoader]

I bought a 3 pack of MA hot sauces and it was amazing. It was actually a mild, a hot and a hot mustard and the mustard was like hot lava. SO GOOD!

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Hell yeah!!

[@Jedizen07]

Great interview! When he's promoting the newest Circle album, ask him about the follow up recording to VH3, an album that Eddie Trunk claimed he had heard. Just curious if Mike was happy/not happy with that album and ( maybe ) why it never saw the light of day ( yet ).

[@ZumaDogg]

VH Tribute Tour Is A Go!!! I heard it's gonna be Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Kirk from Metallica, Wolf Van Halen, Zak Wylde, Dave Grohl, Steve Morse, Vivian Campbell, Brad Gillis, Sammy Hagar, Jimmy Page, Steve Lukather. Neal Schon, Richie Blackmore, every guitarist from every Van Halen tribute band in America, plus a hologram of Eddie Van Halen on stage at all times. Like a, "We Are The World," of guitars. Plus, Michael Anthony, Rob Trujillo, Pino Pallidino, Billy Sheehan, Flea and every bass player from every VH cover band in America on bass. David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, Nino Bettencourt, Pink, Glenn Huges, Ian Gillian, Ozzy Osbourne, Vince Neil, and Paul Stanley (lip synching) on vocals=all singing at the same time. Alex Van Halen isn't available so they will be playing to a click track. I read online that's what it's gonna be. Irving Azoff is preparing the contracts. Tickets on sale June 23rd. Feel free to print this story and make a KZbin video breaking the news.

[@VanHalensGuitarPick]

😂🤣

[@carlodestefano6628]

👍👍Thank you

[@chrisharmozi4527]

Your videos are really good .👍 I Subscribed you just now🙂

[@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracle]

solid show keeping rock alive

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

@@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracle thank you!!

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Thanks man!!

[@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracle]

@@JeremyWhiteShow how in the hell did not this not get run on Blabbermouth?

[@krishnasinghchandel8361]

@@JeremyWhiteShow Jeremy where can I contact you. Can u give ur email...

[@DavidLee-wj9sp]

He's twenty five percent of van Halen. Remarkable backing vocals

[@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracle]

as Roth said, he added immeasurablyh to the signature sound

[@roblamb5468]

Michael anthony awesome bass player and great voice their should be a tribute to edward and I hope alex makes it happen miss edward terribly r.i.p. edward .

[@AlexVanHalen_tribute]

Great interview gents! Did Mike have a secret delay/buffering button answering some of those great questions you asked? LOL. He'd start sharing some interesting info then delay spin/pixelization.... Anyway Michael is really a great guy and player, he still seems so hesitant to talk about VH the latter years/craziness (1997-04)... almost like he'd be sued by Wolf/AL for libel (defamation)! But that would be impossible (thrown out) if what he stated or wrote was fact. (Mike should do a tell all book, what insight) After what the VH brothers did to him, very underhanded, but that's why they were musicians and not very good business people.

[@ronthompson95]

Van Halen is not anything I have had an interest in without Michael. Previously and moving forward. Great kid Wolfgang is. But M.A. is the classic and signature background voice of the band. And a great bass player that was tailor made for the band.

[@paulscountry456]

Blood is thicker that water,Alex was just water to the brothers.

[@paulscountry456]

Nobody gives two shits about this hotsauce blabbering.

[@chrismadaj8751]

I remember in mid eighty's when I was living in Austin Texas Van Halen was playing with Sammy Hagar. David Lee Roth was playing his own gig we had really good seats and Anthony look at me right in the eye and gave me a thumbs up I always like Anthony the best class Number 1

[@AndiRelax]

I wish Dave, Alex, and Michael would be back on stage as Van Halen, just like Pantera recently had a concert with Zakk Wylde on guitar.

[@redskywalker3374]

Hi Mikey 😊

[@donaldyoung9838]

I Thank That Van Halen Is In Everybody’s Heart An On There Mind An Will Always Be There No Matter What An The Loss Of EVH The Worlds Greatest Guitarists Ever Will Be Missed An If There Is A Reunion Do For The Fans All Over The World An I Agree About Wolfgang Wanting To Do His Own Thing I Would Do The Same Thing An Plus Not Seeing His Father On Stage An Someone Else Instead An I Hope If A Reunion Happens I Hope Alex An Sammy Is Included An Definitely Micheal Cause He Was There Since Day One Thanks

[@ZumaDogg]

Michael/Alex/DLR might have been talking with Irving Azoff a year ago about a VH Tribute band; but David Lee Roth announced his retirement, since then, due to physical/health issues (and Dave's voice is shot/not up to par). And there is no discussion or rehearsing. (What are they waiting for?) A: It's NOT gonna happen. I wish the speculation would end. Again, there is NOT gonna be a VH Tribute band with Satriani as being milked in the press.

[@ralphbenitez4407]

The Circle is cool but what I want to know is will there ever be another Chickenfoot album and actual tour?

[@jestervanhalen7743]

⚘🤟

[@VanHalensGuitarPick]

I’m going to be the lone voice of dissent here. Mike can’t help making subtle digs at Dave - for a so-called ‘class act’, he just can’t seem to help himself. Meanwhile, it was a 40+ minute Circle jerk (see what I did there? 😔) as they elevated Hagar to heights unbefitting his talents.

[@johnblossom8447]

“Elevated Hagar to heights unbefitting his talents?” I can understand if you didn’t like Hagar in Van Halen, or if you don’t like his music at all, but you can’t deny he has talent. I liked DLR in Van Halen, but didn’t care for his solo career, but I’d never deny his talent.

[@VanHalensGuitarPick]

He has a voice for sure but his lyrics are just awful. He wasn’t right for Van Halen. I chuckled at this comment in Vulture magazine’s All 221 Artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ranked From Best to Worst: ‘But the idea of Hagar - who came in after the Van Halen brothers had had enough of Roth - having anything to do with a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame outside of sweeping the parking lot is comical in an entirely different way.’

[@johnblossom8447]

@@VanHalensGuitarPick, it’s strange that you say Hagar wasn’t right for Van Halen when they had their biggest success with him. Lyrics depend on personal choice. Roth wasn’t the greatest lyricist in the world, either. I mean, “Ah oh, who said that? Baby how you been,” isn’t exactly the height of songwriting.

[@VanHalensGuitarPick]

Dave would write lyrics with a nod and a wink, innuendo with humour, but there was also some really thoughtful wordplay there as well. He wasn’t a political lyricist, of course he wasn’t, but in the context of popular rock music, he was one of the best in my opinion. Hagar tried too hard to be the “party guy“ but it was a jocks-on-steroids kind of deal. “ Slip and slide, push it in” (Black and Blue) - Dave was never as crass as that. What about “Wham bam, Amsterdam“ (Amsterdam) or “You get every inch, flesh, blood and bone“ (Man On a Mission) or the awful-from-start-to-finish “Up For Breakfast“, which could be used in my English lessons as examples of awful metaphors? He could sing but he couldn’t write, IMO.

[@vanhenry98]

Rock on,VANHALENSGUITARPICK

[@craigorear1869]

Hot Sauce Bass coming next for Mikey!

[@ogre36]

Greg Renoff sent me here

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

My buddy!

[@gavinbuckett260]

Mikey, time to release a solo album man

[@jro4513]

Great interview. Michael Anthony is a class act. This so called VH tour just seems like a cash grab and not a tribute. But having Michael on board gives it credibility. Satriani is a great guitarist but to me you gotta have Wolfgang playing lead somehow. And you gotta bring Sammy along too. But that will never happen. Dave & Sammy don’t get along. Would be nice for the fans though.

[@NYVoice]

Think Concert For George (2002). He was gone but music's best came out to show respect. Let's stop the infighting and accord Ed's memory the same.

[@geraldhartley]

Satriani would be cool, BUT the only thing missing (that people forget) is how solid a backing vocalist Eddie was!! Michael gets all the credit for the high harmonies, but Eddie did an outstanding job on those LOW harmonies. His guitar prowess always overshadowed that fact. Whoever fills his shoes needs to have excellent vocal chops as well. Satriani can't sing.

[@akfreed6949]

He was the lead singer too , in the beginning

[@geraldhartley]

@@akfreed6949 Exactly

[@warthogA10]

Don't forget, Alex and Eddie were always known to be nothing less than brothers, in every single way. Them against the world, and no one.... NO ONE, was or is allowed in that club. They did what they wanted to do, random, sporadic, spontaneous... and they had their own secret plans together. In no way am I saying this is a bad thing, it's just natural for them and, if you were invited as a guest, or wanted to be a part, you had to do it all fully realizing and knowing, and understanding this, and always be ready for a sudden change up from left field, at any second. 🤷 You have to be a le to quickly adapt. The negative impacts on others were of no concern to them I love their music, but I never liked that way about them, and I figured it out early on.

[@jimgalligan50]

Mike I want a pick from Japan

[@dwaynecole6636]

I would bet the conversation with Newsted was about a tribute concert because if Mike agreed to do the tour, why would you need another bass player ?

[@johnblossom8447]

David Lee Roth mentioned, in an interview, wanting to have a backup at every position in the band due to COVID. Maybe they wanted Anthony with Newstead as the backup.

[@sdavis6806]

Love Michael, but in my opinion I always thought you can always hear his bass especially on VH1 to Diver Down, F.U.C.K maybe be more loud, but his other VH stuff wasn't like Newsted on Justice for all haha

[@markcatron8996]

Jason didn't record any Bass Guitar tracks on ....and justice for all. There is no Bass tracks on that recording.

[@sdavis6806]

@@markcatron8996 he did, but it was buried and turned down, but Michael's bass playing was always in the mix, and it's fucking incredible, listen to VH 2 or Fair Warning, my point is that it wasn't as bad as Jason's non bass

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

It's quite possible Irving Azoff was covering the bases (no pun intended) by talking to other bass players just in case Michael decided not to do it. Given his loyalty to Sammy I can see where someone would think he might not go on tour with Dave. I think it's a bit sad that Mike would imply Jason would stir up drama involving his former band just to promote something. If anything Jason's never been the type to do shit like that. A big reason why he left Metallica and went out on his own was that he's a principled person.

[@chasebeavers]

Jasons always been that type, plus he left metallica because he was strung out on pills

[@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracle]

Michael anthony is such a good guy, I am not sure what Ed's beef was with MA it is too bad they did not pathc things up. Of course Ed had some weird hang ups I mean we all remember that horrible interview he gave after Randy Rhoads died exposing his insecurities.

[@akfreed6949]

I think it had to do with Mike joining Sammy's POS Red book tour . And the book is a POS . I've read it . It was a smear campaign against the Van Halen Bros . Other fans have pointed out all Sammy's lies and crap in all these videos on KZbin . I think Ed was a dick by taking a week away Mike's royalties BUT I bet it really pissed him off when Mike went along with Sammy's bullshit .

[@pm2819]

Why, why were the brothers jerks with this guy?😎

[@gregeaster2479]

It all sounds good, but without EDWARD VAN HALEN 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸 it's just gonna be another band playing VH tunes, which is killer always, but it will never be the same, don't get me wrong ,I love Alex, he's the greatest. Their is simply no one on this planet to take the place of THE GOAT......

[@docloop6240]

And without the paradise part as well. Unless your idea of paradise is Vegas.

[@bobubastardbbqandmetal9908]

There is no Van Halen without Eddie

[@ianrosen1815]

At 25:00, I agree with a better bass sound on the F.U.C.K. album. Just listen to Judgement Day.

[@taskmaster65]

C'mon Mitch, the song is called Humans Being!

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

🙄

[@tommccarron324]

Everyone has such a problem with them doing a tribute. Look at how many tribute bands there are out there and nobody bitches about that?

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Mitch Malloy 🤮🤢🥴🤐

[@jayteesgear]

Joe would be the WRONG GUY!!! How has Steve Vais name NOT come up? You KIDDIN ME??? Steve over Joe AnyDay🙌🏻💯. Joe is too uptight of a player. Everythings always predictable. Steve has WAY more VH in him. There are also guys like Warren Demartini who would ROCK that gig!