Who Knew
November 9th, 2009 at 2:07 pm by MicheleMaybe you did, but I didn’t…
I didn’t much love Van Halen growing up. I wasn’t into that kind of music. I did have a poster of David Lee Roth on my closet but he was facing the door. Firstly because my heartthrob of the moment was on the other side, and secondly because Diamond Dave was in ass-less chaps and I was 15. Funny because I don’t remember the heartthrob of the moment, but the ass-less chaps are seared into my brain.
Looking back I appreciate what a great entertainer he was. The powerful voice, the cheetah scream, the risque lyrics. He could tear up a stage with feats of athleticism that should have gotten him an olympic medal, all that and the stage presence and charisma of a pop metal tent revival preacher.
So today I was surfing around looking for tabs for Magic Man, because I’m sick of singing it a capella and scaring the family. I vainly hoped someone had adapted it for the acoustic guitar, but c’mon, how could you play Magic Man without the distortion and chugging power chords?
“You got your Joni Mitchell in my Ann and Nancy!”
“You got your Ann and Nancy in my Joni Mitchell!”
They kind of negate one another.
So no luck there, but I did stumble upon this gem:
Who knew he flatpick a pretty mean blues guitar? I guess it goes along with his kinesthetic genius. I imagine he got together with the Van Halens because he really wanted to do backflips off a stack of speakers and knew his Gibson would get in the way. I bet he could have done it though.
He probably would make a good kindergarten teacher too.
Except for all the pot and cocaine.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
It took you this long to discover the Alpha Male of what became “80’s Hair Metal”?! At least you finally found him. The “Dave Era” is what made that band larger than life.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:04 am
Haven’t we all been round and round about Hagar vs. Roth? I’m a Roth girl. That’s established. I didn’t give two sh*ts in the 80’s though. I was too busy making sure I showed the proper amount of disdain for Hair Metal around my musical obscurantist friends. If it wasn’t some scratchy bootleg tape of someone who bored me to tears I wasn’t supposed to like it.
What a wasted youth.
I should have spent more time looking at DLR’s asscrack.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:08 am
Oh…and the fact that he was the 80’s Hair Metal Alpha Male was always a given. I just didn’t know he was all that and a flatpicker too.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:41 am
I saw Hagar in concert five times, but Van Halen properly belonged to Roth. see also Everybody Wants Some.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I’m a “can’t we all just get along” kind of guy when it comes to Van Halen. In my mind they were two different bands with two different lead singers…and I enjoyed them both.
I do not have the refined musical taste that Michele does (remember, I’m down with Billy Ocean). But I have friends that always felt that Van Halen became “wussified” under Hagar. I don’t find that to be true:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dnBnjZxrLo
Darn it, Cranky…you forgot rule #1 when discussing music here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPUcVhwdCfs