VAN HALEN Is EDDIE VAN HALEN And DAVID LEE ROTH, According To Original Manager

According to The Pulse Of Radio, VAN HALEN's early manager, Noel E. Monk, maintains that although the band has gone through many incarnations, the key ingredients are Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth. Monk, who joined on as the band's roadie in 1978 and severed as their manager from 1979 through 1985, has just published the new memoir, "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".

During a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Monk pulled no punches when discussing the DNA of the mighty VAN HALEN. He threw a few elbows at post-Roth frontmen Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone when he explained: "VAN HALEN is Edward and David. That's it. There's no 'Van Cherone' — there's no 'Van' anybody. I'd like to see any of those other 'Vans' jump off a drum riser 15 feet in the air, do a split and when they landed, we'd take ‘em to the hospital. No one could do what David could do — I give him his just due."

When pressed about his thoughts on the band once Roth was replaced with Hagar, Monk admitted: "I didn't give a shit. VAN HALEN was over. They brought Cherone in — What did I think? Nothing. This is not VAN HALEN; this is VAN CHERONE. This is VAN HAGAR. But without Edward and David, and I gotta press this point, there is no VAN HALEN. You cannot take the two seminal people who created that band and take one of them away. And right now, this guy Hagar [laughs] is trying so hard to be VAN HALEN, he'll even split it with David. It's unbelievable! He will give up anything to have his legacy that he's 'a real VAN HALEN.' Give me a fuckin' break."

Monk also says he has no interest in the current version of VAN HALEN, with Wolfgang Van Halen handling bass duties rather than Michael Anthony. "And that they're going out now is typical nostalgia tour," he said. "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."

Although David Lee Roth refused to comment directly on any of the allegations in Monk's book — including the fact that there are a number of Roth sex tapes in existence from back in the day — he did tweet a few typical "Diamond Dave-isms" for the fans.

He tweeted: "In anticipation of inevitable inquiries & questions posed to David Lee Roth in regard to the publication of this 'book'... Mr. Roth's responses are as follows: Answer No. 1: Yes Answer No. 2: Probably Answer No. 3: My lawyer says I can't remember."