October 2004 Featured User

Von Halen

A peek into the mind of...

Von Halen

Where were you born/raised?
 A little town in the middle of nowhere in Kansas.

Brothers/sisters?
 None

Are you married/have kids?
 Married 14 or so years to my wife Denise. One 21 year old step-son named Chad, and one 5 year old son named Vaughn.

Play any musical instruments?
 I attempt to play guitar. I am horrible at it.

Favorite movie? Why?
 Pulp Fiction, because it's crazy as hell.

Favorite sport to watch?
 Hockey and Football

Favorite sport to participate in?
 Basketball

Which single store would you choose to max out your credit card?
 Best Buy. I am a gadgetaholic.

Finish this statement: If I won a million dollars I’d...
 ...go crazy. I’d blow it on a bunch of mindless bullshit. I’d buy a Ford GT. I’d have a whole bunch of fun, that’s for sure. And I’d try and hire the real Van Halen to play a party.

How many different cities have you lived in? What’s the best thing about where you live in now?
 I've lived in a bunch of different towns, but Detroit is the only real "city" I've lived in. The best thing about living in Detroit is there is always something to do.

If you could go back in time and revisit the favorite time of your life how old would you be and what was it about your life at that time that makes you long to revisit it now?
 1979 or 1980 when I was in High School. The real Van Halen was a band then! There is no other reason to go back to that time, other than to see real Van Halen again, and a few family members that have passed on.

When you were a child, what did you always want to be when you grew up? Did you end up doing that, or something else?
 I wanted to be a rock star or a drag racer. And no, I am not either! I have no musical talent.

Best musical moment?
 July 19, 1979. Front row center stage for the mighty Van Halen on the VHII tour. It was pure magic. Far and away the best concert experience of my life.

1st concert you ever attended?
 Kiss - 1977

Favorite concert of all time?
 The 5 times I saw Van Halen from the front row.

What songs did you use to like that everyone else hated? You know, it'd come on the radio and you'd turn it up, sing along, maybe even buy but you'd NEVER admit it to anyone...
 Probably Styx stuff. I like the “The Grand Illusion” and “Pieces of Eight” albums by them. That was before they got pussified with that “Mr. Roboto” crap.

What song(s) do you want played at your funeral?
Does this mean I'm gonna die someday? Anything from the original Van Halen.

Describe the first time you heard Van Halen.
 My friend Barrie handed me an 8 track tape of the first VH album and told me to take it home and give it a listen. I did, but surprisingly, I wasn't really blown away by it. Then about a week later, I asked him if I could borrow it again, and the rest is history. That band became an obsession, and everybody in school nicknamed me Von Halen.

Favorite VH album/song.
 Women and Children First. I love that album. Favorite song is probably "Take Your Whiskey Home."

Favorite DLR album/song.
 DLR Band. I like a lot of Dave’s solo stuff, but I’m not as fanatical about it as I am the Van Halen material.

Show us some of those great concert pics of yours.
 Sure!
        

When did you first get into the online scene?
 I got into the online scene as soon as it became available. I belonged to the original Van Halen mailing list. Thinking back now, that seems like such an archaic (sp?) way of communicating. But hey, it was all we had, and it didn’t take us VH fans long to find each other. Powerful stuff that band.

What’s the real story behind the origins of ddlr.com? (if this is a touchy subject, feel free to skip it)
 Not touchy at all. That dude from the Atomic Punks deleted the DLR Army site, and Sarge had a lot of stuff going on in his life at that time. I wasn't sure if the Army would be back anytime soon, so we threw up the DDLR.com site. It was originally intended for the regulars of the Army site to have a place to go until the Army came back. If the Army site had come back right away, we'd be gone. We have considered a merger of sorts with them, but at this point I don't really know if I'm interested in being that big. We kind of like staying in our little corner of the internet. Besides, the atmosphere of the VH/DLR sites seems to have changed so much. This fraudulent Van Hagar tour has really screwed up the terrain.

What need do you hope your site fulfills? What is your dream for your site?
 DLR/VH information and bootlegs for the fans. If I had the means, I’d put up every Van Halen audio and video bootleg I could get. I believe in sharing the greatness of that great band. I cannot understand why anyone would want to rathole anything they might have from this band. Pictures, audio, or video. Van Halen was a celebration. By putting out the rare stuff, it allows us all to celebrate their greatness, even more. A Van Halen concert was an event. How the hell can you have an event by yourself? You can’t. Anybody that wants to keep stuff to themselves, has no concept of what an event and celebration a VH show was. If they truly understood that, they’d want to share and celebrate with all of their peers.

Have you met anyone from message boards in person?
 Sure. I’ve met DiverDowninKy, Filthylilmouth, WARF, SpanishFly Guy, Light Up The Sky, Laceration, Twonabomber, Alex P Grimes, and maybe a few others. If I’m forgetting anyone, it’s because my brain is fried right now. WARF was the first person I met. We were in Florida and I called him. My wife was tripping out about it, but hell, how bad could he be? WARF was actually pretty normal!

Have you met any members of Van Halen?
 Just Dave.

What would you say is the biggest difference between your personality online and your personality offline?
 Nothing. I’m pretty much the same. I’m a smartass in the real world too. And I like to have fun.

Are Hitch and Sarge really the same person?
 I don’t know, but I’d like to meet both of them.

Have you posted under any aliases? Ever been banned?
 Yep. I was Big Pussy at the Army. It’s why PanaMark and Redblkwht hate me. I tried to tell them that I didn’t necessarily have the same opinion and beliefs that Big Pussy had, but they didn’t buy that disclaimer. I was banned at the Pleasure Dome. I’m not sure if I was banned at the Links, or if I just forgot my password for awhile. I’d love to have a VH/DLR convention so we could all meet up. That would be cool. I believe that even the people that think they hate each other on the message boards, would actually get along great. Hell, I’d even let Van Hagar fan come so we’d have someone to harass.

James Cameron just sealed the deal to produce a factual movie about your life story. What will it be about, who will play you and and most importantly how will it end?
 This question really sucks. Well, we know it would be a crazy movie. I have no idea who would play me. Maybe Steve Buscemi. I can’t figure out how somebody that ugly ever made it famous in the movies. You think he has groupies? It would end with a Van Halen concert, that’s for sure.

Anything else you’d like to add….
 No.