The Hawk

Issue date: 3/14/07 Section: Entertainment

Eddie Van Halen will not be present for his band's induction.

I loved the '80's.

Not during the '80's, of course; I wasn't even four-years-old when the '90's hit. And not in a Michael Ian Black making cracks about leg warmers way, either. As recently as a few weeks ago, I genuinely loved the attitudes, the over-the-top showmanship, and most of all, I loved the music.

Few bands epitomized these characteristics more than Van Halen and Guns N' Roses.

This was supposed to be Van Halen's year again. The band was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and reunited with original lead singer "Diamond" David Lee Roth to launch a tour of stadiums across the country.

Three weeks after announcing the tour, it was canceled due to Eddie Van Halen entering much needed rehab. On the same day, it was announced that Van Halen would be releasing another greatest hits album.

Only bassist Michael Anthony (who is to be replaced by Eddie's son Wolfgang) and much maligned lead singer Sammy Hagar (also recently ejected from the band) were expected to be in attendance for the Hall of Fame induction Monday night.

Roth boycotted the induction due to what he felt was a slight by the induction committee. He alleges that he was asked to perform "You Really Got Me" with Velvet Revolver, the shattered remains of Guns N' Roses that were left when Axl left with the name. Roth didn't like the idea of playing a cover of a Kinks tune at his own Hall of Fame induction, and decided to stay home rather than sit through another band covering Van Halen's work.

"I don't make speeches for a living; I sing and dance for my dinner," Roth said.

The Hall of Fame, for their part, denied blame. In an e-mail to the Los Angeles Times, they stated, "We offered [Roth] opportunities to play and sing a Van Halen song of his choice with our House band, including his own guitar player or a song with Velvet Revolver and he refused those opportunities."

Twenty five years ago, a fight like this one would only have served to augment the band's reputation. Now, it just makes Roth look childish and petty. Van Halen is just another example of aging rockers who are stuck in the "me first" mentality of two decades past.

Meanwhile, Axl Rose, the sole remaining member of Guns N' Roses original lineup has pushed back the release date of Chinese Democracy, an album due out since 1998 once again. While Velvet Revolver is playing covers, their former front man has spent the better part of a decade promising one album. It is this bumbling egomaniacal behavior that makes rock legends the stuff of punch lines and back page news.

Continued...

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