Former Van Halen manager criticizes Eddie Van Halen for poorly treating Michael Anthony

Former Van Halen manager criticizes Eddie Van Halen for poorly treating Michael Anthony

Ultimate Classic Rock recently interviewed former Van Halen manager Noel E. Monk who has written a tell all book entitled Runnin’ with the Devil: A Backstage Pass to the Wild Times, Loud Rock, and the Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen.

Monk stated as follows with respect to Van Halen‘s now former long-time bassist Michael Anthony: “…He was a real integral part of the band. That voice was seminal to the band. He was a fun guy and he played a good bass. The thing that probably hurt me the most is how they treated Michael. You have this incredibly brilliant guitar player – probably one of the most brilliant guitar players ever. If you’re that good of a guitar player, why do you have to downgrade an OK bass player who fits in, who has an incredibly beautiful voice? What is the point in knocking him?”

In terms of Van Halen‘s live performances during his tenure as their manager, Monk stated (with slight edit): “People ask me what’s the best show I ever saw them do. That question is backwards. The question is, “What’s the worst show you ever saw them do?” Because I never saw them, no matter how f—ed up they were, do a bad show – except the US Festival, our biggest show, they f— up. They were always brilliant.”

However, Monk had some stark words for Van Halen in terms of their live performances now with David Lee Roth: “… You can only last so long. And that they’re going out now is typical nostalgia tour. They’re not the band that made them great. They are the band that people want to dream about – they’re the fantasy band. Now you’re not going to see a Van Halen show, you’re going to feel good. I saw a little bit of what they did [recently], and it was pathetic. Don’t get up there and embarrass yourself and be a shadow of what you were.”

You can read the rest of the interview with Monk at Ultimate Classic Rock.