David Lee Roth Says He Was Van Halen 'Musical Director'

William Lee | 02-01-2020

David Lee Roth has described himself as the "musical director" for Van Halen, saying he pushed for the direction of that band that helped them enjoy rapid rise to stardom.

Roth reflected on the band's early days during a recent interview with Las Vegas Review-Journal about his residency show. He said, "When I was music director for Van Halen, the first seven years, when I left, that's when the music changed as well as the vocal, I bullied, harassed, threatened and insulted till I got my way and we sold 14 million records.

"I'm sorry. I officially apologize. But what we also officially bolted into place, inexorably and until the last syllable of time, is a universal sound. Even on that first tour, 40 summers ago, we opened for Black Sabbath in England and two weeks later, quite successfully, opened for Journey at the height of Steve Perry.

"That's a billion-dollar sound each way. There is no other band that you can think of, right now on this call, that could successfully do that, can you?"