Van Halen’s ‘Tattoo’ a Bad Ink Job
by Hunter DuesingVan Halen recently played a much-discussed show over at Cafe Wha?, a small club owned by David Lee Roth’s nonagenarian uncle. The small crowd was made up of celebrities, music industry types and journalists like Grantland’s metal guru Chuck Klosterman, who proclaimed the show to be “incredibly, insanely, undeniably awesome.”
There is no doubt in my mind that seeing Van Halen, fronted by the mega-personality of Roth, in an intimate club setting the way God intended us to exhibit rock n’ roll, must be akin to a religious experience.
Along with the pop-culture powerhouse of KISS™, Van Halen helped usher in the era of ‘80 heavy metal, when mainstream rock n’ roll was all about partying hard and living in the red, before MTV switched from cocaine to black tar heroin in the ’90s, and everyone playing music became depressed and started killing themselves.
“Eruption” announced to the world that Eddie Van Halen was pretty much the gnarliest guitarist around, and Roth’s Jim Dandy-influenced stage persona made him the model frontman of that era. After a wildly successful run, the band kicked Roth to the curb, bringing Sammy Hagar into the fold, leaving Roth to find some success as a solo artist before slowly fading away. Despite doing four solid albums with Hagar, he too was eventually shoved out, leading Van Halen into a chaotic period that included an aborted reunion with Roth and an album with Extreme’s Gary Cherone on the mic that most would rather forget.
Long story short, bassist Michael Anthony, whose soaring backing vocals were a big part of classic Van Halen tunes like “Dance the Night Away,” was given the boot to make room for Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, and Roth was finally brought back in for a full-blown reunion and a much-anticipated new album. Last week, we heard Van Halen’s first single with Roth since 1984, “Tattoo.” Generally bands put their best foot forward when tossing a single off, and if “Tattoo” is any indication, this new album is gonna be a snoozer.
There’s no denying that even though Roth may be too old at this point to do crazy windmill kicks, his energy as a frontman hasn’t diminished much at all. But “Tattoo” is a song that sound like moldy leftovers from Roth’s original tenure with the band, like a tune they wrote and cast aside because it wasn’t up to scratch.
Old rock stars talking about getting Elvis tats and ink of the number of the labor union a family member comes off as forced and ridiculous. Anthony’s presence is also sorely missed, and having Eddie’s kid in the mix, who is barely out of high school, reeks of nepotism. But Anthony is better for it; he and Hagar are making music superior to this stuff in Chickenfoot with the great Joe Satriani and Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Seeing Van Halen’s latest line-up live must be an excellent experience; hearing Roth belt out classic tunes from his original stint has to be as cool as Klosterman described. But having high hopes for the new album seems a bit optimistic, as re-vamped rock groups that had their heyday before the scourge of grunge don’t play well. The music they produced is about youthful pleasures, and such music gives its creators a short shelf-life when it comes to cranking it out. This is why bands like Rush and Iron Maiden can keep making music as old men and it doesn’t give anyone pause, because their music has nothing to do with youthful themes. They’d rather sing about Ayn Rand or Frank Herbert’s “Dune,” respectively.
Perhaps the new Van Halen album is better than its first single indicates, but right now, “Tattoo” makes it look like Van Halen will join the ranks of Motley Crue and KISS as bands producing tired material that makes futile attempts to recapture the sound of their glory days.
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
80 Comments
Give the album a chance, they are not gonna make it big like 84 anymore but let em try. The song is ok, I think better ones to come on the album next month. And don't lump them in with kiss and motley crue, they have not sold well for years before van halen 3. Chickenfoot is not setting the world afire either these days, eddie van halen over satriani anyday. I do miss mike anthony in vh though.
I write this as someone who never got to see the Roth-led Van Halen in concert. They broke up when I was 13 and I never quite forgave them for it. Van Halen was the perfect, and defining, band for the 70s Rock to 80s Rock/Hair Band transition. And 30+ years later, their music doesn't still just hold up, it is superior to most of the guitar-oriented music today.
Just playing the number game, any concert Van Halen plays will at most be 13 songs/52 minutes (according to Amazon.com's "A Different Kind Of Truth" album length this morning.) Hoping for a standard 2:15 concert, that leaves 83 minutes of the old Van Halen to be played.
That's 83 minutes of being 13 again.
I'll take that.
Providing of course they can actually stay together for a tour.
Dear God, hold it together men. I wanna be 13 again for a little while.
Why oh why can't you leave me with my memories? What's next, an acoustic version of "Everybody Wants Some?"
"before MTV switched from cocaine to black tar heroin in the ’90s"
A perfect analogy for that shift in musical "eras" – well said! Van Halen to Nirvana. Guns n Roses must have done coke AND heroin.
I saw Van Halen and AC DC in the same year 1981. While Van Halen was a better band musician wise, AC DC put on a much better show. Probably because AC DC were on stage rocking out their tunes non-stop while Van Halen's show was 50% stoner David Lee Roth babbling about how many groupies he was going to boink after the show and other such inanities.
I'm hoping for better from them if for no other reason than a resurgence in guitar rock. I miss the solos and most of todays bands haven't shown an ability to pull it off.
You have doubts? Have you never listened to GnR's "Mr. Brownstone?"
It is a pity, but I don’t like the song. I hope the album is better. A lot of band from the late 70’s and 80’s have released some good stuff lately from Duran Duran to Tesla. By the way, I believe Gene Simmons discovered VH.
This is the second time I've heard this… I closed my eyes this time. The guitar tone is pretty sweet, but it's not their best songwriting effort, not bad though. Joe Satriani is the man though, but he's post Van Halen, so you have to give Eddie all credit. The Chickenfoot stuff is just ok, I think Joe is trying to figure out how to not do everything himself and leave room for vocals. Sammy still sounds great at his age, and Dave still sounds pretty good really. I might be the only guy that liked Van Halen III, but I'm a big Extreme/Gary Cherone fan. Out of everything he's ever done Van Halen III is definitely his weakest project. As for Mike Anthony, it's nice he's got Chickenfoot going on…. I'm not sure how much he ever contributed to Van Halen, I've always thought of him as very average on the bass, he gets the job done. Welcome back Van Halen!
I'll take a past it's prime Van Halen then the whining brats and quasi rap crap that tries to pass as rock and roll nowdays.
Yes, he bankrolled one of their early demos.
The sad truth is that DLR, while a prototypical front-man, never had great range. Mike Anthony's backing vocals went a long way to masking this and the band as a whole has suffered. Shortly after ousting Sammy, VH stopped being band and became Eddie's personal cash cow that has little to no interest in putting out quality music. The buzz around this long-delayed album was that it was going to suck bigtime and if this was the chosen single I guess the rumors are true.
If only they went with Mitch Malloy instead of Gary Cherone. Who knows what could have been.
You are one funny dude Hunter.
I thought we buried the word "dude" too. Why does it constantly rear its head? Thanks for the heads up on Satriani.
Booting Anthony is bush league. I know family is family but in this instance it reeks. If we are talking about a Wolfgang Amadeus (I know I'm mixing metaphors here so to speak) then maybe I get it. It's not like the other young Wolfgang doesn't get enough attention from the chicks already. Enough said. I won't presume to understand what the circumstance were.
The last time I saw David Lee Roth was at a gig at Del Mar (the racetrack) when I was living in Solana Beach. Had to do a double take. Roth had only one way to go from that gig. Up.
Great review.
the song aint that bad…its actually a reworked version of an older song not put on an album circa 78 or so called Down in Flames… here are some comparisons http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az-LobV87Vo
still a fan. Saw them in the late 70's, early 80's with DLR, saw'em once with Sammy…they rock. even caught the 2007 tour. sure they are old, but they rock it.
That song sucked!!!!!!!!! Old guys singing Rock N Roll, they look stupid. Of course, I am old like them now.
I will stick to the OLDVann Halen thank you very much.
I saw them several times in the late 70s – early 80s (including the massive US Festival), so I was a little apprehensive about their reunion tour a few years ago. I didn't have anything to worry about. It was a really good show. Felt like old friends getting together after years (decades) apart. I don't know if I'll be able to catch the tour this year ($$$) but I'm looking forward to the new material. Will it replace VH 1 thru 1984? Of course not, but I'm hoping to enjoy what they have to offer.
Keep sober, guys, and you'll be generously rewarded by your old friends … and their kids!
I wouldn't say Van Halen was the defining rock band of the 70s since they didn't even show up with their first album until 1977-78 but that one was a doozy. Just so many great bands in that era doing their best stuff from Zep, Stones, great glam bands, Southern rock, ACDC, etc etc. The 70s might have been besmirched by disco but that was a great period for rock.
Just put Panama on replay, crank it up and do a 2-year Hollywood fade out…
Tattoo? Is that like Rhiyana's Umbrella ella ella….
Sad.
With Roth, Van Halen is a more fun band.
With Hagar, Van Halen is a BETTER band.
With Cherone, they had the perfect balance of both Roth and Hagar… and unfortunately saddled him with the pathetic post-Hagar writing of Eddie Van Halen. It's too bad, too, because Cherone is a more talented musician and showman than Hagar and Roth.
PS: Tattoo sucks.
Ok Hunter. There a lot of factors that go with picking a single.. Mostly the record company that signed you.. I'm sure Van halen had some say but it was mostly interscope. It's a decent song with great parts. I've bought albums where the single was the worst song. I think the album will be awesome. I know people have waited 28 years but it could have been a poor choice of first singles… Don't judge one song based upon 12 others you haven't heard yet…. But I guess you had to fill your column for the week
I always thought Squier would have been a good fit post-Hagar.
As DLR gets older, he looks more and more like French Stewart.
16 years. They released the Best of Volume one which had two new songs with DLR. A lot better than this song, that's for sure.
Michael Anthony is a bigger part of VH than you realised. Have you heard some of the lines he did on Women & Children First, Fair Warning and Diver Down. Mike played some REALLY tasty stuff on those – let alone all the GOOD b/g vocals. I'm gonna be completely honest and say that VH3 wasn't as bad as what I've heard so far – but because it has DLR on it, it'll sell. I've seen Chickenfoot twice, and they were definitely worth the ticket price…and that I don't think VH can compare on, considering they want over $100 per seat. EVH isn't what he used to be, Alex is at this point pretty much deaf and the harmonies are no longer there (gee, I wonder why)…
Wow – where to start? First off, DLR left VH to do the solo thing after his "movie career" didn't pan out. He didn't get pushed off the ledge, he jumped (no pun intended).
I'm just a gigilo and every where I go people know the song I'm singing . . . 'cause, I – ain't got no bo-dy . . .
Van Halen and Social Distortion are great local bands. The members in both bands did not do well with their immense talent and fame. But they sure have talent and are a lot of fun to listen to while working or driving. Both bands plays local parties and clubs in the early 80's before "making it" and losing their moral strength.
Me wise magic sucked and can't get this stuff no more was a good track… Also older material from what I read… again everyone is getting their granny panties in a bunch its one song and its nowhere near thr abortion to Van Halen 3 material…
"…But having high hopes for the new album seems a bit optimistic…"
Therein lies your problem. I came in with very low expectations and wasn't disappointed. I mean, it's Van Halen. I even listened to the song twice and I'm not even pissed about the 9 minutes of my life I just wasted.
I don't know, these guys who work for websites like this don't know anything about the band should be the last one's to review a band. I really think the lead in single, Tattoo, is okay. I must have listened to it 50 times on youtube in as little as a few days, because I wanted to, and I am a die-hard fan of the Roth years.
What the author gets wrong he gets really wrong. David Lee Roth was not kicked out of the band. For Eddie Van Halen, this was what caused so much trauma for him and the original line-up. Roth left when the band was at the top of the heap, top of their game and after releasing the mega-hit wonder 1984.
What else the author here gets wrong is this idea of "Generally bands put their best foot forward when tossing a single off". This is so not true. Stone Temple Pilots could have saved their 4 and Shangri La Dee Da releases and even their comeback album with a better single of those albums. The same is true of a lot of bands. Record companies lead in with crap for singles, and I think this is the reason the music industry is killing the music industry. Everyone is afraid of intensity in music and afraid of showing musical prowess. Tattoo, while I like the song, is just the kind of watered down beer we come to expect in a single. So I hope the readers of this article don't listen to what this Hunter guy has to say, he doesn't know what he's talking about and yes, all of you can afford a little optimism as far as the new Van Halen album.
To paraphrase: Why is it lots of "metal maniac" critics love Korn and hate Van Halen? Because lots of music critics look like Hunter Duesing. Um, just kiddin', Hunter.
I may be mistaken but I think Mr. Nolte may have written a piece last year with an opinion on why there are so few classic songs from the last 20 years. Randy Rhoads was seemingly with us for five minutes in the '80s but his "Crazy Train" riff still starts off so many pro and college sports games. May Van Halen, Sabbath (good luck to Mr. Iommi in his fight) and other veterans rock on for ever. An aged DLR back with VH will do fine; I'll take what I can get. Or, feel free to step up and fill the void, next generation.
It's not "1984" but I'd buy it before I plunk down another dime for a new Metallica album. And it sounds more like Van Halen than Van Hagar, which is nice. I'm anxious to hear the rest of the CD.
Guns n Roses must have done coke AND heroin.
And then some….
Was anyone really expecting the new VH to sound like "Ain't Talkin Bout Love" or "Everybody Want's Some"?
It is what it is. Catch them live if you can, relive old glories, and leave it at that. I remember seeing Kiss reunite the first time back in 96 and when they finally released a new record a year or two later the last thing I expected it to sound like was Destroyer.
I said they were the defining band for the transition from 70s Rock to 80s Rock/Hair Band… and that they were. They did not define either movement, they were the evolution of both.
Remember Patty Smyth was a female option for a while. That would have been a whole different band.
How has sh**** 80's synth-pop made a comeback?
"Randy Rhoads"
Talk about the most ridiculously stupid accidents in human history; okay, I exaggerate only slightly.
I went to Flying Baron Estates in July of 2010, the manager, Keith, was very cool and led me the 100 or so yards from the office to the front lawn of the house. It was kind of surreal being there but also mad me sad.
Best listening/release party I EVER attended-Van Halen's debut.Everyone's jaw dropped,and the eyes said it all-WTF?
…and I saw their show here in Jacksonville,in 1980-just nuts!We got the "last show of the tour" line gag and out come the giant champagne bottles!
Yep!
70's,I first heard them here on the east coast in '78,well past the local/regional fm scene.
No one's gonna step up man.I've worked with AMAZINGLY talented musicians,here,in my town,who's mother is a top 40 signed artist,and he's VERY skittish about "offending" because he's brilliant,AND he turned DOWN the dream in 1994.We had the(business)acknowledged best new band in ALL of America in 1994*,and were offered a contract-HORRORS!Because we were from the southern US,he was worried about being labeled "southern",and ended our project we had worked on since 1977.
No one's gonna step up now,I've seen it.
*opened for C.Daniels,Little Feat,L.Skynyrd,S.Wariner,C.Appice,and others,while at the day job,I got to work with Al Hirt,Dizzy Gilespie,Les DeMerle,Anthony Barcaro,Miles Davis(just wow),and many others in this league.
BTW,there is definately a line of boys and of men in modern rock.Let's hope for the future.
I'm impressed – this song captures some of magic of the group's early days and even the first solo album by Roth (Skyscraper). I like the funky, R/B chorus and soaring solos. It would have been much worse, if they tried to reinvent themselves to fit into mainstream rock.
So what if Roth sings about his uncle joining a union.
Good to see Roth back in the saddle again where he belongs.
Sounds like classic Van Halen to me.
I saw their reunion show with Roth in 2008 and it was great. I'd never seen them before because when they were big in the 70's and 80's I was either working night shift when they came or none of my friends liked them.
But I wish Anthony was still in the band.
And please, Don't mention Van Halen and Kiss in the same breath.
I saw AC/DC in Jacksonville, took my son, who was already addicted to music (playing it, he learned everything Eddie Van Halen did on the guitar!) Van Halen was not there…but AC/DC ROCKED!!!
Here's my son's version of 'Master of Puppets'…..can't get a contract, because they're too conservative! Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfttSXRadKg
Until Van Halen does an Unplugged I will NOT be impressed with EVH
Into the great wide open, under them skies of blue, out in the great wide open, a rebel without a clue…..
The song is mediocre. It would have been something 30 years ago. Michael Anthony is SORELY missed. Sad. I saw the Sammy Hagar iteration of Van Halen in concert three times, and they were awesome. Also saw Sammy when he and Roth did a double-bill concert series some years back. Didn't stick around for Dave's half of the show.
Also, Roth QUIT the band the first time, thinking he would be a bigger star solo. It was Eddie's Italian mechanic (who also worked on Hagar's Lamborghini) who suggested he call Sammy.
Bring back Michael Anthony!!!!!!!!!!………….it just ain't complete with out him.
"I thought we buried the word "dude" too. Why does it constantly rear its head? Thanks for the heads up on Satriani. "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbLhHtaVIO4
Never got into VH myself, I was a bit young and my older brother was into Hip Hop. I didn't get into Rock until the late 80s.
Saw ACDC in late '70s in a small nightclub in Ft. Lauderdale (right before they hit big). They were insane! The thing that made them great was their total lack of "rockstar-ness". It was kinda like, "Hey, Bill! Look, it's those guys from the bowling alley! Hey they got a band!".
Ever seen Pink's 'acoustic version' of Zep's 'Gonna leave you'? It's on the Funhouse tour Blueray. Get it. Now.
Gonna go check out Chickenfoot
Because oddly enough it still sounds contemporary.
Critics love Korn? Ive never read a single good review or a nice thing said about them by any critic. Furthermore, Korn is really yesterday.
Christ! Cafe Wha? is *still* open?
"Last week, we heard Van Halen’s first single with Roth since 1984, “Tattoo.” "
Actually, they released a single with Roth fronting the band in '96 for their "Best of Van Halen Volume 1" disc. Good, hard rockin' tune called "Me Wise Magic": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA-DmFtryFY
Yeah, but Cherone was a better singer with Extreme anyway. Should have stayed with that band.
So true, and so sad.
Sorta the "Missing Link?"
"Rock" for the past twenty years is missing something. Balls, and from the women, t-ts. Too much of what passes for music during this period is just whiny, wrist-slashing, suck-a-tude.
Don't tell me you've never heard Strummin' With The Devil? http://www.cmhrecords.com/web/page.asp?pgs=produc...
You're right, I completely forgot about that one, ack!
Obviously they (Van Halen) did too, judging by the quality of "Tattoo". They almost sound tired and confused.
I agree with your first sentence. But most road traffic fatality investigators will tell you for all the accident scenes they’ve worked on, they’ve seen very few that were accidents. No different on March 2, 1982.
According to bassist, Rudy Sarzo in his book “Off The Rails," while Rhoads had no trace of drugs in his system, the pilot/tour bus driver had traces of cocaine in his system. One mystery is why Sharon Osbourne’s never piqued as to why a trained aircraft pilot would take a job as a bus driver, particularly with his history. My guess is the driver wanted access to drugs while earning a buck?
Sarzo again: Sharon said to Jake (tour management?) “You b******! How could you let them go up in that plane after he’d been driving all night? And without my permission! Don’t you know that man had already killed one of Calhoun’s kids in a helicopter crash?”
Rhoads had informed Sarzo that he was leaving the Blizzard of Ozz after that tour. Sadly, just like you felt on that front lawn, fate intervened and condemned Randy to an eye’s blink in rock history.
Critics like Hunter S. Duesing (let’s give his title some panache) seem to think that bands like Kiss and the Crew have to somehow reinvent the wheel to avoid producing “tired material” and being just also-rans making “futile attempts to recapture the sound of their glory days.” With porn you know it when you see it; with music, you know what you like when you hear it.
This stuff doesn’t have too hard for the next Gen to figure out and step to the plate. I remember being about the age of the characters in the movie “Stand by Me” when my buddies and I in 1974 thought it would incredible to get ourselves into a rock music festival in a small neighbouring country town in Australia to see this up-and-coming band that had an incredible guitar player not much older than us.
It was truly an incredible experience and the music that band, ACDC, plays today seems almost the same sounding stuff as they played that day in 1974. If people make music that other people like they can have commercial success, and for a long time but being commercial with a lot of young artists is apparently a dirty word.
LOL. You’re an idiot. My only knowledge of Korn is a few non-harmonious sounds and an episode of Southpark . The paraphrase is a play on words I often think of when people criticize something. If you click on Mr. Duesing’s bio you’ll see this “metal maniac” recently wrote a piece on upcoming release by “yesterday’s” Korn with the heading “Korn’s Surprising ‘Path of Totality.’”
The original quote by “Diamond” Dave is “The reason music critics love Elvis Costello and hate Van Halen is because most music critics look like Elvis Costello.” The quote can be universally paraphrased, too. Try this: The reason many people voted for Barack Obama is because many of those people look like …. Marxist? What’s a Marxist?
Now since you don’t read much and the paraphrase went right over your head, go read the last paragraph of Mr. Duesing’s critique of, yes, Korn’s ‘Path of Totality’, and you’ll apparently read your first good review about that band. But somehow I think you dislike that review because of the second last paragraph. Now go knock yourself out, Troll!
I concur “Rock” has been missing something in the “balls” department but I’ve been quite chuffed by the development in breast augmentation. Safer. Better. Bigger. I could go on. Everyone to their own musically but when Coldplay and payola’s Maroon5 are considered great acts I feel a little cold myself. That’s why it’s always great to see the likes of VH on the scene again, be it with Dave or Sammy.
But don’t forget that Al Gore’s Internet gives us an ability to seek out the music that the music business refuses to help promote and develop. Bands like UFO and Uriah Heep, et al. never went away they just faded into obscurity. But it doesn’t have to be that way:
"Two clean shirts, I’m puffing on an old cigar
I still love women, sex and fancy cars
What you don’t conceive is just what I believe
My doctor says it ain’t right
For a man my age to fight
He don’t get it
He ain’t in it
I’m pushed to the limit"
- "Pushed To The Limit"
UFO, 1995
I just got my copy of Rudy's book this afternoon and haven't yet got to the specific recollections of the day. My own theory is that whomever was sitting up front with the pilot was freaked out and stiffened up their legs against the foot pedals in exactly the same way as a passenger in a car will push their feet into the footwell in an effort to brace themselves if they think they are going to skid into the car in front of them (or perhaps they are wishing they had brake pedals and are hoping for the best,, lol).
I didn't ask Keith what he heard or what his theory was, as it was a business day and I wanted to be a polite guest–get a few pictures, look around, have a moment of silence and then let him get back to his work. I guess I could have taken a bit more time, as when we got back to the office he invited me and my sister into his office and he rummaged through several thick file folders of newspaper clippings looking for the coverage, but he couldn't find any.
I will have to ask my nephew, who is a pilot (and presently on his way back from Libya on a Canadian navy ship), what the effect would be on a plane if one were to hammer on the pedals.
If there is a silver lining in Randy's early demise, it is that he has legend status among fans and players. I suck at guitar but I still enjoy noodling on my '82 Ivory Les Paul Custom (though I rock on my black and white 4003 Rick bass, lol
).
The 30 Years After Blizzard dvd is spectacular; Zakk and Ozzy et al speak in reverent tones about Randy.
Randy wasn't a blink as much as he was a thermonuclear explosion.
Uh oh, I missed an obscure reference by some idiot using Alan West as an avatar. My day is ruined. Score one for me taking things literally! By my count though you guys are winning that game by at least 100-1.
The reason many people voted for Barack Obama is because many of those people look like …. Marxist? What’s a Marxist?
And someone who makes this statement is intelligent? You morons are so far right you think Hitler is a liberal.
Now since you don’t read much
Ive probably read more in the past 2 years or so than you have read in your entire lifetime. Again, excuse my "ignorace" if i didnt pick up on an obscure reference from a 20 plus year old DLR review. Nerd. Do you spend the rest of your time hanging around comic book stores riding people for not knowing the first appearance of obscure marvel characters too?
But somehow I think you dislike that review because of the second last paragraph
Is that insinuating I like Korn?
No, I dont like Korn and based on your comments it seems you're just another Con obsessed with nostalgia and old glories and havent listened to any music that was conceived post 1987.
What? You mean keyboards? A progressive instrument just like piano and guitar? How about another excerpt from the book of a 1000 cliches on dysfunctional marketing? And Lil' Wayne shills don't have an opinion.
Sorry I haven't heard of it. The 16 year old fan in me probably would hate it. Is it good? Thanks!
Again, driver was a cocaine user and had driven a bus all night. Filling in the blanks, albeit sad, is pretty easy.
Yep, everybody associated with Rhoads seemed to really adore him. Enjoy the book. Sarzo does a good job in covering that sad part of the Blizzard of Ozz tour. He learnt a lot about music critics on those tours, and you’ll understand why as you read through it.
Pg 93: “By now I’ve come to realize that the ones who can actually play go on to become real musicians while the ones who can’t go on to be critics.”
Another highlight for me was Sarzo recounting the actions and behaviour of a woman he’d met which in seconds made him aware he was looking at his future wife. And it’s not like Sarzo wasn’t meeting his share of broads although there’s little of any salacious stuff in the book. That wife-meeting narrative is pretty much what every guy hopes to come across: the difference between a hooker/groupie/porn star/liberal hag – and the dream wife.
Anyway, Rock On, brother!
Every community needs its Village Idiot and that would be you.
My curiosity was piqued so I returned to that Korn article and this time read it thoroughly and came to a definitive conclusion that it is a) informed, b) fair, and c) incontrovertibly positive. But wait, this time my peripheral vision picked something up in the comments section. YOU! You’d already, apparently read this article with your myopic view of life, and Korn, and yet you arrogantly had the temerity to post a reply that you’d never read a good review or nice …
It well known that people that troll conservative sites like all things Breitbart are on the Internet all day and night; or, svelte, needy, with self esteem issues, and look like a young Joseph Goebbels, club foot and all.
Finally, there’s only the inevitable Seinfeld moment that can be applied to your ilk: When George berates old Mr Cantwell in the coffee shop about being so close to the end, the elderly man rises and pushes Costanza down and leaves uttering the words, “life too short to waste on you.”
You are a fool.
I know this thread is ancient history by now, but I tried to reply to your comment via mobile and it didn't take, so here it.
It's not bad, if you like Bluegrass and Country. I think it's more of a novelty. But it is very interesting to hear DLR himself singing some VH hits backed up by banjo and mandolin.
Thanks Chris! I'll check it out.
You must be logged in to post a comment.