DAVID LEE ROTH Says He Is Not Allowed To Perform At ROCK HALL Induction

Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times reports that David Lee Roth, VAN HALEN's frontman for the band's first decade, said Thursday (March 8) he will not attend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony because event officials have turned down his repeated overtures to perform.

"I don't make speeches for a living; I sing and dance for my dinner," Roth said, adding that the decision to skip the event "rips my heart out."

The Hall of Fame's event organizers plan for VELVET REVOLVER to perform some VAN HALEN classics, much as METALLICA stood in last year to play BLACK SABBATH songs while that band's members watched from the audience. "So it appears this is a television producer's decision," Roth said.

The choice of VELVET REVOLVER was in response to a sticky situation as far as what lineup of VAN HALEN could take the stage to perform with Roth. VAN HALEN's revered guitar hero, Eddie Van Halen, and his brother, drummer Alex, had already sent signals that they would not be in New York. The Van Halens have been in lock-down mode since their plans for a summer reunion tour with Roth collapsed last month. Roth said he last spoke to Eddie Van Halen's camp a week ago, and he said he could not determine the truth about reports that the guitarist is seeking help for alcohol problems.

"Ed is indisposed and working toward a better future here," Roth said. "If Ed ever dries up, this is going to be a stadium act, man.... What's happening here with this [New York event] is part and parcel of the same spiral that screwed up the tour."

Read the entire article at the Los Angeles Times.