I had a solo career before Van Halen. My fan base filtered through Van Halen with me and came right on out the other side with me.
I had written lyrics to a song called The Silent Extreme, which Alex later renamed Humans Being.
In Van Halen there were moments, like in some of the ballads, I put my heart and soul into those records. Those lyrics when I sang ’em, I gave myself goosebumps.
So many things can get you high, I’m gonna try them all just once before I die.
I was loud and electric at night, got all shook up with Elvis.
Yeah, yeah, I’ve been Beatled, I’ve been Rolling Stoned.
Write me up for 125, poster my face wanted dead or alive. Take my license all that jive, I can’t drive 55.
Yes, I’m looking at you, looking at me, looking at you, looking at me, looking back at you.
I would like to enlighten people.
I’m still raising kids myself, so I don’t feel like a grandpa.
I didn’t think I’d be around 30 years later.
It’s hard to say this about a guy like Eddie Van Halen, one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived, but he’s really limited to a style and they’re locked into it.
We needed time off from each other after our last tour because there was a lot of personal stuff we had to take care of. Eddie needed hip replacement surgery. Al needed his back worked on. And I was going to have a baby.
When I left Van Halen, I went in the studio and made a CD called Marching to Mars with all studio musicians. I did it immediately. With the disappointment riding on my shoulders of the breakup of the band.
When we were on the road, I found out that my greatest hits album went Gold. They freaked out. Things really came to a head when we started arguing about a Van Halen greatest hits package.
The good thing about breaking up is that you have nothing else to lose.
The reason I didn’t fly over from Maui at their beck and call is my wife was about to have a baby at any time. Those guys knew that. These guys would not compromise and meet me halfway.
I looked at Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and the boys up there thinking, I want to be that.
The reason my voice is sounding more passionate is because I’m singing directly from the heart.
I can be singing about cat food and I’ll make you think that I mean it.