Van Halen - Eddie & Alex Talk of Sammy Leaving & Backstage Fight with David after 1996 MTV VMA Show

and Sammy was away Dave was recording new songs for the greatest hits collection and everything seemed to make sense, but there was so much more. Here's more of Eddie and Alex telling our own Chris Connley exactly what happened between the band and their former singers. We're trying to be gentlemen about this and I guess we're going to get a little nasty right now, you felt like he didn't put in 100% effort, put it this way, no judgment, no judgment, just a fact, wait a minute, down . The line is the work ethic sucks, okay now, if I wanted to be in this band and be a team player I'd be here right now.

Well, what happened at the MTV Awards that changed the nature of your relationship with David, um, wasn't his. Mischief stage, which, for my part, I thought was embarrassing, and disrespectful, to dissect, very disrespectful to Beck, since he's trying to do it, you know, he made a video with me, people, this acceptance speech, he to be. Days of doing this, you know, and it's like I didn't know. For me it was embarrassing, but it was more behind the scenes, where he basically spit in my face. They took us to the first mafia press conference and everyone you knew was shouting questions and Dave just wasn't answering any of them, he was doing his thing.

B, the best piece with the OP, so I walked over and said look everyone, here's what's going on. Two songs, the best of the volume. One of us would like us to make two videos and that's it if you think we're going to go on tour. In the summer, forget it, I can go out and take your money and if we ever tour with Roth in the future, we'll have to write and record a new album first, okay, we're

talk

ing about the future, not now. that's what he said this is not what this is not what we're saying now no, oh no, I'm saying this in the

backstage

press conferences, okay, and I said December 16.

I need a new hip, okay, so I'm going to throw in a little wrench. It works, uh, either, after about three of those solos. Dave's Vibe changed instead of coming to me and saying, "hey, come on, just don't mention your hip thing." I had to go to him and say: what's wrong? What happened suddenly? all happy and stuff and now you're like he's mad and whatever he does he'll be fine hey tonight's about me man not your hip tonight's about me I just bit my tongue and I said, okay, Dave, next time, you, Alex Michael, do it, but Answer the questions and I won't mention my help.

I will try to do the best I can in my personality. I better not went, yes. I mean, Scotty Ross's manager almost had to do it because he was ready so you know it's like all those years were there. and I just said, if you ever

talk

to me like that again, you better use a glass. Did you ever tell him categorically this is before MTV that he wouldn't be in the band and that he wouldn't be on tour, period? Yeah, absolutely baby steps, you know? because every day he was calling me, he was calling Ed, when are we going, when are we going to take this on tour, the closing, Dave, Dave, we haven't even recorded a song yet, when are we going to take one on tour, or he was high and just No.

I didn't hear the truth, but they never told him or we never alluded to him returning to the band. We'll have some final thoughts from Eddie and Alex in a moment, but as promised, here are some people who never accepted, uh Sammon, okay, you know, Roth Roth. Well you know there are people who aren't going to accept Gary, it's just life, you know you can't, if we don't please ourselves first then we're not being honest with our F and we'd be exactly living a lie. It has to come from the heart we have to be happy with it so we turn it off if we touch a person with it mission accomplished you