I don't care if he can play "Eruption." Eddie Van Halen's an angry, petulant, classless little prick [View all]

[Miles Archer]

The guitarist saved his most scathing words for former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, who was pushed out of the group after their 2004 reunion tour with Sammy Hagar. "Every note Mike ever played, I had to show him how to play," Van Halen said. "Before we'd go on tour, he'd come over with a video camera and I'd have to show him how to play all the parts."

Van Halen shockingly refuses to concede that Anthony's background vocals were vital to the group's sound. "Mike's voice is like a piccolo trumpet," he said. "But he’s not a singer. He just has a range from hell. Mike was just born with a very high voice. I have more soul as a singer than he does. And you know, people always talk about Mike’s voice on Van Halen songs, but that’s a blend of Mike’s voice and my voice. It’s not just him."

When reached for comment, Anthony remained gracious. "I am proud to say that my bass playing and vocals helped create our sound," he told Billboard. "I’ve always chosen to take the high road and stay out of the never-ending mudslinging, because I believe that it ultimately ends up hurting the Van Halen fans."

Back in 1998, the group attempted to tour with a third singer, Extreme's Gary Cherone. "It was a strange thing with Cherone,” says Van Halen. "We were getting ready to go on tour, and all of a sudden, I see this John Travolta outfit — these big lapels and a crazy jacket. He’s like, 'This is my stage outfit.' That’s when I realized it wasn’t going to work. But I don’t dislike Gary at all."

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/eddie-van-halen-on-david-lee-roth-he-does-not-want-to-be-my-friend-20150619