The surprising hobby David Lee Roth called “a perfect metaphor” for making it big
The 1980s were defined by bombast, and in music, few embodied this bold and vibrant spirit more than David Lee Roth. As the frontman of Van Halen and the dynamic counterpart to the band’s guitar virtuoso, Eddie Van Halen, Roth established himself as the quintessential glam metal frontman. With his catchy vocals, playful lyrics, spandex-clad style, and electrifying stage presence, he became a larger-than-life figure who epitomised the era’s outlandish charm.
Despite the first chapter of Van Halen being widely hailed as their best, wherein they would pioneer this new form of metal for the 1980s, with Roth leading the charge and adding an extra bit of flavour to offset the incandescent playing style of Van Halen, things fell apart when the group were at the peak of their powers. Their iconic album 1984, released in January of the eponymous year, might have awarded the band their first number-one with the synth-heavy ‘Jump’ and produced other big hits in ‘Hot for Teacher’ and ‘Panama’, but the writing was on the wall for this iteration of the quartet.
Due to creative and personal tension, with Roth wanting more pop hits and Van Halen striving to try darker material like their older releases, as well as continue to explore the synthesiser, after the tour for 1984, Roth decided to leave the group, which left them in dire straits. Luckily for the band, they would soon link up with Sammy Hagar, who would give them a spectacular second wind despite being initially unsure about joining due to his differing approach. He was a much distinct frontman from Roth, but it was what they needed at the time.
As for Roth, now unchained from his old outfit and the creative direction of their guitarist, he could explore whatever music he wanted, and typically of the colourful, unapologetic vocalist, he delved deep into the era’s predilection for bombast.
In 1985, he released his Crazy from the Heat EP, which launched his successful solo career with a number three cover of The Beach Boys’s ‘California Girls’. Following that, he continued on his path. In 1986, he released his debut studio album, Eat ‘Em and Smile, which featured the band comprised of virtuoso guitar legend Steve Vai, bassist and future Mr Big member Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette. A typical record of the era, its gaudy glam metal sound was a tremendous success, boasting singles such as ‘Yankee Rose’ and ‘Goin’ Crazy!’.
For the second album, 1988’s Skyscraper, Roth was emboldened to follow his creative whims and keep up with shifting listener tastes like his old band. Resultantly, this record would match its glam metal bombast with the heavy use of synths, and it was a divisive record because of it, particularly for longtime fans. Demonstrating the ridiculous essence of the era, the lead single ‘Just Like Paradise’ was majorly over-the-top, featuring lyrics such as the opener’s “Rockin’ steady in her daddy’s car / She got the stereo with the big guitars / And that’s all right”, Vai’s wailing guitar, and cheesy synths.
Undoubtedly, the aspect of the song that was most characteristic of its era was the video, which showed Roth performing on stage and undertaking his long-term hobby of rock climbing up a mountain. It painted the rocker as a sort of action hero, another trope that was massive during the period. During an interview with Nina Blackwood in 1988, Roth was asked about his hobby, and despite the song and video being utterly ridiculous, he did offer some strange wisdom. He called the sport “a perfect working metaphor” for the music industry.
He said: “This is something that I’ve been doing, basically, for 12 years, going real vertical in the last three. Rock climbing is a perfect working metaphor for music business, straight up or straight down. But, on the other hand, you know, you do a little climbing, it’s like making an album, it’s a little bit of poetry. Climbing is something, though, that really looks like the music sounds. It’s a real going, ‘Ugh’, it’s real aggressive kind of a look.”
Although the last bit was very, well, David Lee Roth and symbolic of the era when it was said, the vocalist’s analogy works. It’s certainly out of left field, but it makes a lot of sense, particularly given the mouth from which it emerged. The 1980s was a time when many acts fell as quickly as they rose to the top, and Roth had seen it numerous times and had even danced dangerously with the drop himself.
