Alex Van Halen has opened up about his experiences with the late Eddie Van Halen, as well as themes of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, in his new memoir, Brothers. He also examined the band’s dynamics and the exit of original vocalist David Lee Roth in 1985.
He remarked, “Me, Ed, and Dave were very subversive in the way we looked at music and the political system and the way we looked at people in general… The band was dysfunctional. It was completely running on three wheels, if you will. I think Ed was quoted as saying ‘but we always played well,’ and that was ultimately what kept it together until it was no longer together. It was a very sad moment when that whole thing fell apart.”
Alex described the split with Roth as “the most disappointing thing in my life, the thing that seemed the most wasteful and unjust. Until I lost my brother.”
Following Roth’s departure, Van Halen continued with Sammy Hagar as their vocalist for several years before reuniting with the original members, including Wolfgang Van Halen on bass, for a tour in 2015.
Alex had intended to organize another show to honor Eddie’s memory in subsequent years, but Roth reportedly disrupted those plans. Despite this, he mentioned in his book that Roth was the first person he reached out to after his brother’s death in 2020.
Regarding his current relationship with Roth, Alex stated in an interview with USA Today, “I think Dave is laying low right now. I don’t know his mental state in terms of how he’s dealing with all of this. I was taught early on that the music field isn’t about the notes and things; it’s about relationships, and what we all had [in Van Halen] was deeply entangled.”
He added, “I don’t hold [Roth leaving Van Halen in 1985] against him. We’re not here to hold you prisoner. But it was very telling how the dynamic of certain entities got warped by the people around him. Dave was in the middle of [huge success] where he wasn’t thinking clearly, and he would admit that now. That’s the reason I called him first—only to find out that 23 years changes people.”
