Singer Mitch Malloy talked to The Real Music Observer, where he mentioned the names he worked with in the past, Desmond Child being one of them, and also revealed that he refused to work with Van Halen because of vocalist David Lee Roth.

Here’s what Malloy said:

“I wrote with (Desmond Child) a lot. I mean, you know, he is amazing. In fact, people don’t know this and not the transition into Van Halen ’cause, you know, whatever. I mean, we can talk about it in any other. But he was part of that, and that’s kind of not widely known that he was part of that.”

About the letter (Desmond Child’s idea) he sent to Van Halen announcing his rejection of becoming the band’s new vocalist, after he saw the band members presenting the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards with David Lee Roth, Malloy said:

“In fact, he’s the one who suggested I write the letter to them saying, ‘Thanks, but no, thanks.’ That was his idea. He said, ‘You know what?’, ‘Cause I called him, and I’m like, ‘Look, man! They just went on MTV, and they did this thing, and bla bla, and it’s like getting weird, and I don’t know what to do.’

”He goes, ‘What do you want to do?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t think I wanna do it because I don’t think it’s gonna work.’ And he goes, ‘I think I agree with you. Write them a letter and pass on the gig.’ I was like, ‘What?’ Yeah, that’s a good idea. I think I’d already decided (to leave), but he was the one who suggested the letter.”