David Lee Roth says “hair bands” were imitating Van Halen

By mbrooks on October 9, 2019

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – SEPTEMBER 07: David Lee Roth performs onstage at The Brent Shapiro Foundation Summer Spectacular at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on September 7, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for The Brent Shapiro Foundation)

By Matthew Brooks

All the “hair bands” of the 80s were copying Van Halen, David Lee Roth says.

“Hair bands were the imitation of Van Halen,” he says.

In an interview with KKLZ, Roth says other bands turned the Van Halen into a gimmick.

“We spawned a whole lot of imitators who resorted to gimmickry and trade crap. It’s easier to imitate a haircut and a kind of pants and to exhibit bad behavior,” he says.

To prove his point he mentions that Van Halen had sold more than 10 million albums in the 70s, with its signature hair and leather before the “hair band” gimmick took off in the 80s.

He also told KKLZ that he hopes to make Las Vegas his permanent home. His stay in Vegas will last as long as his concert residency.

His Vegas residency starts at The House of Blues in January.