Van Halen's David Lee Roth Not Even 'Vaguely Happy'

Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth is known for his over the top personality and his huge sense of humor, but he says that the reason he is funny is because he is not even "vaguely happy".

Roth made the comments while answering an interview question from Forbes about who he looks to as role models as a performer.

He responded, "When I was doing rock and roll and learning stage craft we were imitating all the European acts, who were schooled from old British music hall and Vaudeville. All those Odeon's and theaters were still open when I did my first tours. And all the old guys and everything, Alfred Lagarde, in Holland and he would comment and stuff. And he would comment, he was a critic as well as a supporter. Old school, so that was very much in our DNA.

"I came from classic training, which was Gershwin, Bernstein, classic music like this. That edge is in Van Halen music. That dark minor key tone is in everything we ever made and that's why we have two diamond albums . Elvis doesn't have two. He has one and it was Christmas tunes and he didn't write them.

"That darkness, that little shot of sea salt in the caramel is what makes it work, the John Lennon note. Not the McCartney note. The reason I'm so funny is because I ain't even vaguely happy. And that's in your music all the time, from midrange down to here."

Wolfgang Van Halen Drops by Ola Englund's Studio

Sammy Hagar Launching 2026 Las Vegas Residency

Wolfgang Van Halen Shares 'Really Wanna' Video

Why Wolfgang Van Halen Pulled Out Of Ozzy's Final Concert

More Van Halen News

Share this article