Dave & Dave Unchained Van Halen podcast

EPISODE #126 - The original asskicker David Lee Roth is back on the road this summer with his “Don’t Love Me, Rent Me Tour.” Loud Dave saw the show in NY, Quiet Dave went in CT and Buddy Blanchard, lead singer of Romeo Delight, caught DLR’s shows in PA and NJ. The trio got together to discuss the tour in detail during a special live forum. A packed Van Halen News segment and busy mailbag session c...

EPISODE #125 - One of the most important people in making Van Halen a successful band was engineer/producer Donn Landee. He served as an engineer on the first six VH albums with David Lee Roth and as an engineer/producer on “5150” and “OU812” during the Sammy Hagar years. Landee was also responsible for building Eddie Van Halen’s home studio, 5150. The impact he had on Van Halen was immeasurable....

EPISODE #124 - Well, it’s been a decade of Dave & Dave Unchained reporting on everything Van Halen and despite the band being defunct, the spirit of the mighty VH roars on. The Daves’ journey began in April 2016 and has continued monthly ever since. For this episode, the dynamic duo interviews the creator of the Music Media Archives YouTube site that put up 53 Van Halen 1982-83 live shows in 2...

EPISODE #123 - One of Van Halen’s biggest albums featuring one of their best covers arrived in 1986 with the release of the band’s seventh studio effort, “5150.” The Daves celebrate the 40th anniversary of the record by conducting an in-depth interview with photographer Aaron Rapoport, who shot the front and back cover. A solid VH News segment and a full mailbag complete this March episode. Downlo...

EPISODE #122 - After the one-two punch of Van Halen I & II, the mighty VH were faced with a small window to deliver their third record, “Women & Children First” in 1980. The Daves do a full breakdown of this sleeper classic at the tail end of its 35th anniversary. A hefty VH News segment and a full mailbag complete this February episode. Download the podcast for free on Spreaker, iHeartRad...

EPISODE #121  - Before “Van Halen 3” was released, Loud Dave did an interview with the King - Edward Van Halen in December of 1997. At the time, the band was in the process of pulling “That’s Why I Love You” off the album and adding “Josephina.” EVH was hyped on the record, but he still dug into a lot of the past. This is a very intensely detailed interview that gets into some real old school nitt...

EPISODE #120 - Back in 1982, a movie was released that defined the Van Halen generation - “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Easily, the best character in the film was Mike Damone played by actor Robert Romanus. The Daves try to buy some VH tickets from him during a special interview. Meanwhile, guitarist Mark Tremonti from Creed and Alter Bridge talks about opening for Van Halen, being friends with...

EPISODE #119 - From 1988 to 1991, Matt Bissonette played bass in David Lee Roth’s solo band. His tenure included the Skyscraper World Tour as well as the recording of the “A Little Ain’t Enough” album. In this interview, Bissonette discusses his experience in full detail as well as playing with Joe Satriani, Elton John, ELO. his brother Gregg Bissonette and making his new jazz album, “Common Road....

EPISODE #118 - Nothing is better than blowing up stuff and that was Pyro John Watkins’ speciality when he toured with Van Halen from 1986 through 1993. Watkins shares stories from the past about VH along with his years with KISS, Bon Jovi, the Jacksons, Rick James and even Bobby Brown. The Daves also served up a stacked VH News segment that includes an extensive report on Sammy Hagar’s Birthday Ba...

EPISODE #117 - Loud Dave digs deep into his archives and pulls out a never before heard one-on-one interview with Diamond David Lee Roth, which he recorded in 1994 inside the Warner Brothers New York offices. At the time, Roth was promoting his new record, “Your Filthy Little Mouth” and spoke about all kinds of subjects including his review of Van Hagar performing his VH era songs.  A bonus new in...

EPISODE #116 - Heard you missed him well he’s back! Diamond David Lee Roth has hit the road with his solo band playing a solidly packed all classic Van Halen set list. Loud Dave has a spirited discussion with special guest Darren Paltrowitz (author of “DLR Book: How David Lee Roth Changed the World,” co-host of The DLR Cast) about Roth’s August 10th concert at The Paramount in Huntington, NY, whic...

EPISODE #115 - Back in 1995, Loud Dave did a one-on-one interview with VH drummer Alex Van Halen. He thought the tape was lost and even forgot that he had it. However, the interview has been recovered and remastered (to the best of his ability). Alex talks about all different subjects including an extensive analysis of David Lee Roth. Some fresh VH News and a new mailbag segment complete this July...

EPISODE #114 - The Demon from KISS, bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons opens up about his life and career, which includes discovering Van Halen. Los Lobos keyboardist/saxophone player Steve Berlin tells the tale of Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs, the real life band he was in that inspired the VH song from “1984.” Healthy scoops of VH News and a new mailbag segment complete this June episode. Download...

EPISODE #113 - David Lee Roth has returned to the stage and has even announced a 21-date summer tour of the U.S. Loud Dave went to the M3 Festival in Maryland as did Darren Paltrowitz from the DLR Cast. Together with their partners Quiet Dave and Steve Roth, both who watched Diamond Dave’s performance via YouTube, all four guys hash it out during an in-depth over 80-minute discussion. A ton of VH...

EPISODE #112 - “Hot for Teacher” is universally known as one of MTV’s most popular and creative videos. Model/actress Lori Tucker, who portrayed detention teacher Wanda, talks all about her experience working with the band. An extended VH News is included where the Daves breakdown the new Sammy Hagar single, “Encore. Thank You. Goodnight.” as well as the new David Lee Roth box set, “The Warner Rec...

EPISODE #111 - Manna from heaven descended upon Van Halen fans when James Vega unleashed the fury in the form of vintage VH videos ranging from 1978-1984. The Daves breakdown the entire lot including an exclusive email interview with Mr. Vega who answers all their burning questions in a special edition of VH News. Rock journalist extraordinaire Steve Rosen, author of “Tonechaser - Understanding Ed...

EPISODE #110 - Fan Halen is the biggest Van Halen tribute band touring the United States today. Loud Dave caught up with the entire band backstage at their Long Island gig on the eve of Eddie Van Halen’s 70th birthday. He interviewed each member about their role in the band and the detail they put into their performance. A VH News segment and a full mailbag complete this February 2025 episode.  Do...

EPISODE #109 - Happy 70th Birthday Edward Van Halen and Happy 30th Anniversary “Balance.” The Daves collectively celebrate these two special occasions with an unheard 48-minute interview with EVH by a young David J. Criblez circa 1995.  A VH News segment and a "lucky 13" mailbag complete this January 2025 episode.  Download the podcast for free on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Google podcasts, A...

EPISODE #108 - Sammy Hagar has had an illustrious career spanning from Montrose to a solo artist to Van Halen to Chickenfoot and back to being a solo artist. All of his 50 plus year journey is captured in author Tim Durling’s new book, “Red on Black: The Listener’s Guide to Sammy Hagar.” The Daves hold a deep-dive conversation with Durling about the Red Rocker. A year-ending VH News segment and a...

EPISODE #107 - We’ve waited all year and now it’s here…Alex Van Halen’s book, “Brothers” has dropped. Loud Dave does a full report from the Oct. 21 AVH book signing at Barnes & Noble in Manhattan where he paints a picture of the scene, interviews various fans and even has a brief encounter with VH’s drummer. This is followed by the Daves’ in-depth discussion about the book and Alex’s “Live Tal...

EPISODE #106 - It’s been four years since Edward Van Halen passed away and no tribute concert has ever been mounted. However, Derek Fuller, the lead guitarist of the VH tribute band Fan Halen, tried his best. The Daves have an in-depth conversation with Fuller about the story behind the show that was supposed to be held on Oct. 6 at the Whiskey a Go Go in Hollywood, CA. A massive amount of VH News...

EPISODE #105 - The Daves waste no time by diving into doing a side-by-side comparison of the stats for the careers of David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar. There’s also an in-depth interview with DDU listener Brad Snitzer who attended Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp with Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Vic Johnson and Steve Vai. Don’t forget, there’s plenty of VH News and a nice mailbag segment to round out...

EPISODE #104 - Rock journalist extraordinaire Steve Rosen brings his 500+ page book, “Tonechaser: Understanding Edward - My 26 Year Journey with Edward Van Halen” to life with a new audio version containing all his vintage interviews with EVH. Rosen discusses the process he went through and what the listener is going to experience. Plus, a ton of VH News and a hefty mailbag segment complete this A...

EPISODE #103  - Sammy Hagar has launched his Van Halen heavy tour, “The Best of All Worlds” packed with 15 VH songs. The Daves deliver a road report from the band’s Bridgeport, CT show. The dynamic duo also does a deep dive on the new Van Halen box set, “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” (Expanded Edition). Buckets of VH News and a deep mailbag segment completes this July 2024 episode. Download the p...

EPISODE #102 - Drummer Alex Van Halen recently opened up his storage facility to Backstage Auctions Inc. led by Jacques van Gool. AVH put over 370 personal pieces of his gear up for sale. Loud Dave conducts a one-on-one interview (Quiet Dave was on vacation) with van Gool about how the auction came about, what it took to put it together and the results. A bonfire of VH News and a power-packed mail...