The Steve Vai Eat 'Em and Smile interview | w/Van Halen author Greg Renoff
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- Опубліковано 3 чер 2024
- In this never before-heard 2016 interview, Vai talks with author Greg Renoff about the landmark David Lee Roth album Eat ‘Em and Smile. At the time, it was the 30th anniversary of the iconic album.
In the interview, Vai talks about the song he thought he wrote but didn’t, the jock that wasn’t happy with Vai, the rumored Kim Mitchell song, and the infamous Lucky Strike reunion show that didn't happen.
The interview is conducted by Greg Renoff. Renoff is the author of two Amazon best-sellers and a must-read for music fans. Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal and Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music. If you haven't read these books, do yourself a favor and go get them now.
Read Greg Renoff's article based on this interview over on Guitar World. bit.ly/3eMS1Xf
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00:00 - Intro Steve Vai interview
01:20 - Start of Steve Vai interview
01:49 - The first time David Lee Roth called Vai
02:06 - Pete Angelus and the Fabulous Picasso Brothers
02:31 - Who was involved with the choreography
03:08 - If Aerosmith was involved
04:33 - Was the Kim Mitchell song Kids in Action recorded?
05:05 - Other possible guitar players
05:45 - What Vai has no memory of
06:47 - The song Vai thought he wrote, but didn’t
09:28 - What Roth’s name for Kids in Action was, and why
10:07 - Leaking to the press
10:42 - Getting a hold of Roth
12:14 - Early memories with Roth
13:43 - The jock vs. Vai story
14:49 - The very first Roth concert he played
16:12 - How Roth was his final mentor
17:38 - If Roth’s movie was originally for Van Halen
18:23 - If he’d do a reunion with the Eat ‘Em Smile band
19:16 - The infamous Lucky Strike concert
21:22 - Ted Templeman and the solo in Elephant Gun
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Read Greg Renoff's article from this interview bit.ly/3eMS1Xf
00:00 - Intro Steve Vai interview
01:20 - Start of Steve Vai interview
01:49 - The first time David Lee Roth called Vai
02:06 - Pete Angelus and the Fabulous Picasso Brothers
02:31 - Who was involved with the choreography
03:08 - If Aerosmith was involved
04:33 - Was the Kim Mitchell song Kids in Action recorded?
05:05 - Other possible guitar players
05:45 - What Vai has no memory of
06:47 - The song Vai thought he wrote, but didn’t
09:28 - What Roth’s name for Kids in Action was and why
10:07 - Leaking to the press
10:42 - Getting a hold of Roth
12:14 - Early memories with Roth
13:43 - The jock vs Vai story
14:49 - The very first Roth concert he played
16:12 - How Roth was his final mentor
17:38 - If Roth’s movie was originally for Van Halen
18:23 - If he’d do a reunion with the Eat ‘Em Smile band
19:16 - The infamous Lucky Strike concert
21:22 - Ted Templeman and the solo in Elephant Gun
Thanks for the subtitles for the non anglo-saxon people like me, mainly the conversations go fast, but that was ok to understand. Very good ITW.
THANK YOU A BILLION TIMES FOR THIS AND FOR TIME STAMPING IT! FRIGGIN AWESOME!
Like all of you, I searched for Bankok and the song by Kim Mitchell. Holy crap! The intro to Bankok is TYPICAL Vai! He's right! Even though they wrote, recorded, and released it before he even wrote it, they ripped him off! 😂. That song came out when I was a kid. I'm surprised I never heard that part of the song!
Kim Mitchell is a local guy in my town. ALWAYS thought he's an INCREDIBLE musician and how sad it is that he is from here, so doesn't get the recognition he deserves. His work with Max Webster is WORLD CLASS! The songs STILL are on a level which most music today could never aspire to be. He had some very good solo records too. If I don't know it, listen to his song "All We Are". OMG!!! Get a very good sound system and let the song sex your ear. He eventually went on to be a DJ on our local rock station for a number of years. He had Paul Gilbert on once when he was passing through on a G3 your and PG was in awe. Started playing Max Webster licks. I was amazed that PG knew this stuff, which I had thought was only being listened to in Canada. Now I see that Dave petitioned Kim for a song too. Now I'm happy to know that Kim was respected by some very successful people. Wow! I hope to run into on the streets some day so I can thank him for all the years he did his "Rock and Roll Duty".
stupid me! I know Kids in Action! 😂 just listened. Completely had forgotten the name Thought it was written way before the period it was actually released. 🤔 Guess not.
How to train a woman to leave seat up:
piss all over the seat.
We all need a "Eat em and smile" reunion tour more than than ever now in 2022. Time is moving too fast on us.
ABSOLUTELY!!😁🤟
Roth has retired per his doctors suggestion… He seems so fit but it may not be on the inside
Facts
Roth hasn't been up to it for 20+ years now he's cooked
I would totally go see that🤘🤘
His solo on “Big Trouble” absolutely blew my mind during the summer of ‘86.
It still does.
I graduated in 1986, that summer was magical...part of me is still there...
The Big Trouble solo is in my mind one of the greatest to come out of the mid 80’s. The chirps, squeals, runs, bends, and legendary tapping lick at the end is till this day absolutely iconic.
Vai is so down to earth. No rock star pretensions whatsoever. One of the greatest guitarists ever, and an incredibly humble, nice guy.
Eat'em and Smile is one of the greatest rock albums ever 🤘
Hands down. I feel bad for folks that are too young and did not see that show. I think they started with "Shyboy"..Man it was good. 🤘
Yes it certainly is
it totally rocked, what an album.....
I was a Van Halen fanatic and when Dave left my first thought was: "Who in the world could replace Eddie???" Then I hear this wonderful Steve Vai. The album was fantastic and the concert was superb. Fast forward in recent years--it was nice to hear that there was no animosity between Eddie and Steve and how they were friends and jammed out together.
Steve is always so generous and gracious. Impressive as a guitarist, composer, producer, and most of all human being.
I would love to hear a new DLR album with the classic lineup with Via, Sheehan, and Bissonette. That would be so cool.
Or how about the release all the demos and other songs they did? I know I'd buy a deluxe edition of EAS.
This album has never left my car. The production is flat out incredible. Ladies Night in Buffalo. That drum part after he says “alright”… you know the one. Turn that up to 11 and listen to the crispest sounding kick and snare and little cowbell. God damn.
Steve seems like a really down to earth dude, for an alien. Few players pour that much heart and soul into their instrument and music and his work is paramount.
I went to a clinic in 2015 and sat 10 to 15 feet from him, front row next to a 2 foot high stage, and watched him play and talk for 90 minutes. During the meet and greet I gave him a quote of his I'd printed, to autograph for me (vs the dick's with a shipping box with 5 pick guards, new guitars etc) and it stopped him in his tracks and he stopped for a minute to just talk to me. Put his hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes and said: "You clearly have a creative talent and need to stick with it. Things will get better for you."
Great guy.
I can confirm he is...
Ladies night in Buffalo and Big Trouble in my opinion both have amongst the greatest solos of the 80’s.
The phrasing, chirps, squeals ,and chops, are ridiculous.
Yet he's never written anything popular or memorable that will test of time.
@@daviclar867 Blue Powder, The guitar duel in Crossroads, For the Love of God, etc.
You Kidding?
Thank you, this was awesome, Eat 'Em and Smile was the soundtrack to my life back in the 80's. Still listen to this album.
Steve Vai is such a gracious, good guy, he never says a bad word about anyone. He accepts Dave and his egotistical ways as who he is and he appreciates him for that… Steve is confident in who HE is and accepts others for who they are it seems. The world would be a better place if we could all realize and act that way.
Steve Vai, once again proving to me what I have found almost without exception my entire life.
The higher up you go meeting people in organizations, corporations, athletes, World Championship teams, award-winning/best-selling musicians and actors, movie studio executives, motor racing drivers and team owners, and more, the nicer, warmer, more giving, more understanding, more available to help, more likely to treat you with dignity and respect, and more likely to remember you and be there for you in the future.
Let me give you the names of 4 people I've known over 40 years. Nolan Ryan, Roger Penske, Ann-Margret, and the late Paul Newman.
There are no bigger names in each of their businesses, ever than theirs. They always greet people like friends and peers with respect and compassion, often when there is plenty of attitude elsewhere all around them.
I used to listen to Eat 'Em and Smile on my Walkman on the way to and from track meets when I was in 7th grade. The guitar just blew me away. It was right about that time I started playing guitar, and I've been playing guitar since then and listening to Vai the whole time. And, Slip of the Tongue is the best Whitesnake album because of Vai.
Steve Vai comes over as I would expect... a smart, cool and (most importantly) nice guy!
Heart warming interview...
Pete Woodroffe Music UK
I have to agree with Steve regarding the Van Halen book. It’s one of the most detailed and coherently written stories about that band, or any artist, for that matter. It’s obvious that you put in a ton of research, as the bibliography is so incredibly long! But in the end, not all writers have the gift of telling a story in a manner that makes you not want to put the book down. I stayed up too late many a night because I had to keep reading. Bravo, Greg! Thanks for a terrific ride.
Thanks a lot for this jewel... Eat'em and Smile is a masterpiece, with all the excess of a bygone era but still a masterpiece performed by amazing musicians...
70% of kids today are listening to their parents music …. Because today’s is so terrible
Steve Vai is a Legend !
Vai's class always shines thru'
great interview & what a life changing album that was for me. Big Trouble is why i play...
a phenomemal record
I saw this in Vancouver with my band and my brother ( drummer ) loved it so much he saw it again in Edmonton . I watched Steve Vais dressing room in Edmonton when he was on the Whitesnake tour .
Will never forget that concert! Amazing. Vai was absolutely amazing!
The guitar solo that went on for 15 mins including The heart ,triple neck guitar, Dave’s showmanship, the songs…just awesome stuff.
Steve Vai: what a class act that man is... his quality always shines thru'
great interview!
This needs to happen, these guys aren't getting any younger. The time is now, give the people what they want !
I would love it too. But I'm not holding my breath. This interview was six years ago.
Incredible interview! I saw Steve Vai with Diamond Dave in Austin, TX in 1988.
I think I remember reading at least a part of this long ago. The "i was a noodle, and Dave took me to the gym" part. I'm sure it wasnt the only time he referred to that. Steve seems so humble. I would like to shake his hand and say Thanks. Sadly, time marches on.
That album, that line-up, those songs, that tour... Who else could pull off something like that nowadays?
I agree ☝️ a reunion of this classic line up is way over due. We need it very badly. I want some real music back in our souls
Nice interview , I saw Steve in the Palladium with Frank Halloween night. when I was barely familiar with him, then the eat em and smile tour Madison square garden
I remember thinking Cinderella sounded pretty good and that DLR band was going to have to rock ,The GTR tech hit a chord for a line check the sound that came out of that guitar alone dwarfed cinderella lol, I knew we were in for something special the show was phenomenal . All of them were amazing the interaction of Billy and Steve was epic, the only thing I had seen as powerful and awesome to that at this point in my life was Jeff beck with Simon Phillips "there and back tour. Special times for mind blowing musicianship and inspiration., (I also had already had seen Zeppelin , Floyed and Yes by this time @ MSG !) so the level of the Vai shows were of the charts trust me. also at the DLR show the security guy would't let me go to the bathroom until an intermission . we were chugging brews could't I hold it so I made good use of my empty beer cup rite there at my seat ! lucky to get away with that would't have wanted to miss this show !. I also caught the skyscraper tour Gregs brother was a great bassist but I still missed billy he's got to be one of the best in the world still to this day .A few years later I went to see Steve at his record release party for passion and warfare in the china club @ the upper west side NYC, this was awesome bc we got to meet him and speak rite out in the open , not a large place cool scene . private party we pulled that off bc my friend Chris was in a NYC signed band & I worked at a pro studio . I've seen him multiple times after through the years. safe to say I'm a fan ,
That would be unbelievable if they came back !
A Friend And I Were Fortunate To See The "Eat Em And Smile" Tour Back In 1986. It Was Held At The Las Angeles Fourm, Ca. An Incredible Concert!!
🎉👏‼️soooo fantástico!! Soooo fun!! Who’s having more fun!! Dave or us?? Obviously Dave is!! Lucky!! Lucky for us he’s letting us listen in on all of the fun!! Thank you so very much Dave!! You’re a force of nature!!🤘😍🥰😘♥️ and i appreciate all you have done and all you’re doing now!! Muchas gracias amigo!!
Stumbled on this .. Greg is such a relaxed interviewer.. I can actually sent it in the way he writes as well. Fantastic interview with Steve … Wow what a time.. I remember this well.
Ahora sí gracias 😃 😊 saludos desde argentina 🙏🙏🙏🎉🎉🎉👍🧿🧿🧿🧿
The first show of the eatem and smile tour was not Huntsville AL. it was Hampton VIRGINIA I was there. Cinderella opened and of course it was all fab
VH Rising is a fantastic book.
I saw that tour in Feb 87 & it's still in my top 5 best concerts ever. Actually, I probably have 5 number ones & that's one of Em.
Man... I just wish this DLR Reunion just happened.
I still remember how not so impressed I was with 5150 and how slick it was and how lame the lyrics were and then feeling SO relieved and so entertained by EEAS.
KILLER album.
Everything with Sammy sucked and I'm a HUGE Van Halen fan but with Hagar it was never Van Halen , his voice just never fit at all. Everything up to 1984 I loved but 1984 not so much. On another note Dave is way way way past the point of being able to sing , he was heavily criticized for not being able to get it done when Ed , Alex , and Wolf paired up with Dave and even that was a long time ago .
Same. I remember being super amped when the local rock station was going to debut the new VH single (Why Can't This Be Love?) and after it was over I just thought, that was it? And it was the same with the album. The first time I listened to it I kept waiting for a song to blow me away but none of them did.
@@topperharley1033 Yeah, I got a video compilation of "Van Halen" and it was Jump, Panama and Hot F.T. ~ Annnd then it was just a load of dreadful crappy Bon Jovie - tribute act sounding emo crap that was actually depressing!
They should have changed their name when Dave baled out.
Wow, that was fantastic.
No idea why Roth doesn’t just reunite this band and tour VH tunes with it. They could all ride out their careers with it
One of my top ten albums and the greatest concert I ever saw. Thanks for releasing this interview!
One of the most badass bands to assemble, it would be so sweet to have this line up go out to do theater type venues and play E.M.A.S. along with DAVE'S other solo stuff ,.
Greatest album 💯🤘🤘🤘🤘saw that tour @ the forum Inglewood California 🤘🤘🤘 Cinderella open up they were awesome 🤘🤘🤘 but Dave stole the show 💯🤘🤘 Billy & Steve killing it 💯🎸🎸 and Greg beyond killer drummer 🥁🥁 best night of my life i was 19 year's old 🎸🤘
Reunion hell yeah🤘🏻
Could you imagine? 🤘
What a gem
Awesome awesome interview
Thanks so much for this 🙏🏻
This is so great!....
Freakin' awesome! Such a great interview!
What an incredible interview.
What a great and informative interview. Well done.... cheers.
Thanks for this! Very cool.
Two great books Greg wrote!! Van Halen Rising and Ted Templeman!! I recommend both books, well written. 😉
Great interview!
you are fantastic at interviewing. thank you for this
Love theses lost Archive interviews, thank you!
Ah man that was awesome! What a great convo, didnt want it to end!
I thought the exact same thing...I'd love to have a two hour conversation with all of the band members and Templeman.
This is wonderful, thank you for posting. I soak up anything about EEAS, an album that for me has never been surpassed. Steve is so humble and generous here, what a beautiful guy. Great interviewing.
Wow Vai is pretty cool dude.thers nothing like getting it on tape... wow 😲😎👍❤️
Greg is such a great interviewer ❤
So excellent! Thanks for these !!!
Right on! Thanks for being a subscriber, most people who watch my videos aren't. 🤘🍻
Eat em and Smile was a great album, and an AWESOME TOUR, saw it at the L.A Forum
The world needs the original EEAS band to regroup, write & record a new album!
Agreed! Or at the very least issue a box set with bonus tracks.
Great interview. Steve clearly respects you and likes your work a lot. You must be stoked!
Just listened to this again! Absolutely Awesome!
Glad you enjoy it!
That album was electric! The production, the songs, the solos ofc.. I still remember watching the video clip of yankee rose on MTV the first time, it was amazing.. eventhough I do remember the music scene changing with the trash metal bands gaining more and more popularity.
Let’s go Dave!! Set this up
Well done.
What a great interview and over all good feeling you get from this. Great guy’s talking good great times. It would be great to get eat n smile tour?
Great video!
AMAZING!! Thanks for this!! Greg Renoff is the MAN.
I agree! I hope one day he allows us to put out some of his other interviews. His books are must reads.
Wow this is the coolest!
Greg Renoff is so cool !
Steve Vai what an awesome guy!
Fantastic interview. Second time listening and just so great.
Right on! Please hit that subscribe button if you haven't already. 🍻🤘
This is an awesome interview and this is my new favorite UA-cam channel!
Thanks Nige! Just know I may go months before posting again. But I always try to bring quality when I do.
What an amazing story about Chess. Thanks for sharing.
That was what stood out to me the most too. Oh and the gym story..lol
One of the few albums only I had out of all the guys I hung out with. Was quite late into, '97 actually... It was a garage sale bin I found it in from one of the older guys I drank with... Brought it with me everywhere I went, and was a constant on my weekly rotation for about 10yrs. Only thing weird about it was it seemed to pass by quicker than I wanted to. All of a sudden it was That's Life, and here we go again. Good times.
Love EEAS album!
@The Tapes Archive I'm discovering your channel, it's OutStanding!!!!
Thank you so much for posting this! I wish to hear Steve talk about Skyscraper in detail like this too. Would love to hear that Pete Angelus interview too
Glad you liked it! I would like to hear that as well, but I'm not sure it was the same good experience. I have no insight one way or the other. But to replace Billy's bass with keyboard was not good IMO.
Pete was VH Art Director...he and Dave directed Hot For Teacher video...can
imagine what they could have done with
a VH movie..but the VH bros just wanted to
stick with what they knew..the music..so
I get it. Funny Prince had a hit with Purple Rain film and Appolonia from that was going out with DLR but Prince told her not
to talk so it would look like he discovered her. DLR never married..but he got around.
Great interview.
I wish I had one with Billy and the other members.
steve is just the coolest
Please, please, please do whatever you can to get Kids in Action out in the open. When I read about how it got bumped for Tobacco Road I checked out the original and immediately heard why it was suggested. It compliments the DLR band of the day in so many ways...the guitar parts sound very Steve, as does the bass line for Billy, the backing vox and of course Dave. I expect its a KILLER version. I'm stupefied as to how Steve doesn't remember it...
I'm also stupefied as to how Steve thought he wrote Bangkok. It was, after all, the intro to Murray Heads major hit One Night in Bangkok...still getting rotation today. How could Steve not have noticed this?
I would guess it's up to Roth. Why they don't release a deluxe edition of that album is crazy.
The song is posted on UA-cam... Highly recommend those interested in hearing the original 1980 track, search *Kim Mitchell Kids in Action* and it will be the first result.
Classic album
I think I subscribed here after one of the Black Sabbath docs, and the content’s been of consistently good-quality ever since. ☮️
Thank you Hail Mary! I may not deliver videos too often, but when I do I try to make them good. If you don't see any for awhile, know I'm working on something. Thanks for the sub! 🤘🍻
Great interview, Steve Vai is one of the greats for sure.. Hey DLR @TheRothShow, if any footage exists of Crazy from the Heat movie, please put something together and release it somehow.
Thanks so much for this damn I wish they would tour again but I don't think Roth will do it now..
I agree..I know the rest of the band could do it. But might be a challenge for Dave. I wonder why they don't release a deluxe edition of that album.
Kim Mitchell recorded Kids In Action on his first solo album. It's a great song. It would have been great to hear the DLR band play it.
The song is posted on UA-cam... Highly recommend those interested search *Kim Mitchell Kids in Action* and it will be the first result.
Thanks … I’m pretty proud of that song and my almost famous moment …. It was all cuz of Billy Sheehan ..
@@kimmitchell7692 as a teenager I saw you in the parking lot of the Bala Bay Inn (decades ago)andmwas fanning out but far too baked to say cheers. . Just thought I'd let you know, cheers from Bobcaygeon.
A tour would be Amazing, i would pay to see them practice
I would have paid so much money to have been in Roth's basement to watch them jam.
As a 12 year old kid Van Halen were gods to me right from 78.I wish I would have seen the Eat em and Smile tour. Didnt see Dave til A little ain't enough tour. Of course by then that amazing band was gone. I heard how great the stage show was supposed to be. The boxing ring and Dave surfing above the crowd, etc. Sad to say I couldn't have been more pumped but was unimpressed with Dave and the band. It still couldn't kill my love for VH and never would
This Album Is Superb‼️ my 1st impression hear the Vai's whammy signatured in "Yankee Rose" Is waaaawwwwwwwwww is it Guitar Talk
gOOD INTERVIEW
Maybe now DLR will get some well deserved respect 💠👌
I think DLR gets respect. No? I mean IMO he was one of the best frontmen ever. And from 78-87 or so, he was the best.
@@TheTapesArchive Not lately but hey that's life🎵Yes It was a great album indeed but has not aged well IMO...I distinctly remember Vai saying he had to play a big body Ibanez jazz guitar on one track...lol the things we remember...
Good Stuff
Way cool
Get that tour in action! I'd go! 😎🎸
Or at least a re-issue of Eat 'Em with some bonus new tracks.
🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
Love Steve Vai! 🤘🏻🖤🤘🏻
Thank you for being a subscriber! You are doing your part to help this channel grow. 🍻🍻🤘
Eat ‘Em and Smile and Skyscraper were both great albums. Great songs and supreme guitar work by Steve. 10:50 Steve says that’s a great book regarding Van Halen Rising. First of all, I seriously doubt Steve read that book but he may have leafed through someone’s copy. 2nd of all, that book isn’t that great because almost everything in the book came from magazine interviews the band had done over the years ie; Guitar World, Guitar Player, Rolling Stone, etc. There were no new revelations about the band that I didn’t already know. Also, Greg Renoff - the author, doesn’t know the guys in the band, he never even met them - which he has said himself.
If you want an awesome book on Van Halen, get Running with The Devil by Noel Monk, the bands former road manager and later the bands manager. He was with the band from 1978 to 1985. He was there in person. He knew the guys before they became rock stars. He watched as the the band became famous and he has many great stories that no one already read in a magazine.