10 Minutes Backstage With David Lee Roth At Coachella

David Lee Roth popped retired astatine Coachella connected Friday to singing Van Halen’s classical “Jump” pinch Teddy Swims. After nan show, we grabbed a fewer minutes pinch nan 71-year-old stone star, who wore a beaded vest and tight silver-and-black trousers and sipped from a reddish integrative cup.

Ted, Teddy, Theodore — what do you telephone Teddy swims?
I telephone him Teddy. Teddy Swims is 1 of nan champion names ever — everybody’s saying it. All astir successful nan metropolis present are visitors from Germany, Holland, Japan, China, and they each cognize that name. Something for illustration Greenberg? Helfenbein? [Shrugs]

What if you’d been Dave Roth?
My afloat sanction is David Lee Roth — it’s an anagram. When I was born, I had a traumatic commencement — I was backwards, I had nan cord around, I was hyperactive. My grandfather, who was a 70-hour-a-week expert — graduated aesculapian schoolhouse successful 1920 — took a look astatine maine 2 hours aft I was calved and told my mom, “He’s gonna beryllium trouble.” And Mom’s measurement of saying “Go schtup yourself,” she added nan mediate sanction Lee. If you reverse nan letters, it comes retired nan devil.

You ever been to Coachella before?
This is my first clip connected this stage, and it’s nan astir forgiving audience. What a colorful, noisy bunch.

A forgiving audience? What does that mean?
It intends if you spell to Kenny Chesney, you gotta person nan chapeau — nan girls person to person nan cut-offs. There’s rules. If you spell dense metal, you gotta trim nan sleeves disconnected a achromatic garment — not blue.

And present it’s catch-as-catch-can?
It’s inventive, creative, imaginative without rules — nan measurement artwork possibly utilized to beryllium successful nan mediate ’80s. In 1985, schematic art, sculptural art, automotive creation — location were nary rules. Today, you’re not getting connected immoderate assemblage walls without a governmental bias. And today, here, I’m not judge what nan bias is. I tin deterioration thing for illustration this and it’s like, “Too bad you showed up successful your time clothes.”

What is this outfit?
This is Artemis satellite mission. I’m vacuum-packed for your information — kid-tested, mom-approved. She likes it because it’s bully for ’em. I for illustration it because it’s gonna sensation truthful good.

“I sewage my backmost against nan grounds machine,” from “Jump.” Could you explicate to nan kids what a grounds instrumentality is?
It’s a jukebox. And it’s a ocular — for illustration Broadway: [Sings] “When you’re a jet, you’re a pitchy / All nan measurement from your first cigarette…” Now, I cognize Tony for illustration I cognize maine — nan playground is neutral territory.

Wait, who’s Tony?
“West Side Story.”

What’s a jukebox person to do pinch “West Side Story”?
It suggests an image of a quality being leaning against a jukebox saying, “I whitethorn not beryllium nan champion point successful your mind coming — but I’m nan correct instrumentality for nan job.”

Van Halen’s highest-charting azygous — what was it?
Either “Panama” aliases “Jump.”

It was “Jump” — a No. 1 deed successful 1984. Remember what was No. 2 down it?
Oh my God, “Boogie Oogie Oogie”?

“Karma Chameleon,” Culture Club.
OK, that’s Boy George.

You ever meet Boy George?
Yes, I did. Boy George would person fresh into Coachella perfectly. Where is he? A Boy George comeback astatine Coachella? Stop lying.

What’s nan champion Van Halen song?
It depends what verb you’re attaching.

You choose.
Pairing, for example, nan correct alcoholic beverage pinch nan correct firearm is important. A ray Pilsner goes pinch that caller Czech instrumentality pistol we saw successful nan past John Wick movie. And a Benelli shotgun for Guinness stout. Van Halen euphony is nan aforesaid thing: What verb are you participating in? Are you dancing? How long? The full night. Are we running? Sure. Who with? The devil.

What’s successful your cup here?
This is what made maine what I americium coming — fat and unemployed.