brought2ubyletterC wrote:^This.
Yeah, I know he's not hurting for money, but I was a little surprised to hear about that, considering that most people assumed that the royalties were split 4 ways, as they are always credited as such in the songwriting credits.
But yeah, I do think that the VH reunion is less about the brothers actually wanting to tour or make new music, and more about this being a springboard for Wolfie's musical career. The kid is playing for the guy from Alterbridge right now while Ed recovers from his health problems. I kinda figured when they brought Wolfie into the band that it was to introduce him to the world and let people get to know him as a musician, so when he puts out his own stuff, he'll have a built-in audience.
My boyfriend met the entire band back on the Balance tour, and he says Michael Anthony is the coolest guy ever. He said everyone in the band was cool, actually. When he went to see them again for the Sammy reunion tour in '04, Mikey remembered him and gave him a huge cup of Jack Daniel's from the stage, saying, "this is for my buddy over there!" Awesome.
I think that Anthony actually signed away some of his royalty rights (at the VH brothers' insistence) during the 2004 tour with Hagar- it was the only way that they would allow him to come out on the road. Anthony probably did that because a) He didn't really need the money, and b) Probably knew this would be his last chance to tour with Sammy (as Van Halen), so he probably did this for himself, and for the fans. His estimated $60 million net worth isn't that far behind the VH brothers, so he did probably get his fair share prior to 2004.
Using VH to launch Wolfie's career is probably one of the VH brothers' motivations for sure, although I do think that there has been a persistent demand for a reunion from the fans for many years now. They were able to say that "they did it", primed the retirement fund pump, and got Wolfie a few publishing points in order to get him established in the business.
I also think that Ed obviously loves his son, and wanted to be able to look back and know that he and his brother were able to tour together- once they are too old to tour anymore. Any father would surely want to help his son, and also do some shows and an album. I understand where Ed (and Uncle Al) are coming from on that, even if I don't like what they did to Anthony.
I saw some tour footage and interviews with Tremonti (Creed/Alterbridge guitarist), and the hookup with Wolfie was almost by accident. His original bass player had to bow out of the tour for personal reasons at the last minute, and Wolfie happened to be in town, and had his rig with him. They rehearsed together only once, and the first show of the tour was the next evening! The live footage sounded good, and I think that it turned out to be a good thing for all parties concerned.
As far as personalities in the band go, I always liked Anthony the best. He and Sammy seemed to be a lot more down to earth than the VH brothers and David Loin Cloth! lol!! I think both versions of the band were great, regardless of Roth or Sammy, although I couldn't stomach VHIII with Cherone.
On a final note, I was in junior high when the first VH album came out, and was already fiddling with guitar and piano by then, but wanted to quit after I first heard Ed- it was unbelievable! I'd never heard anything like him before.
