Editing David Lee Roth (section)

==Solo career: 1985–2006==

=== Commercial success: 1985–1991 ===

In 1984, Roth wished to record a solo EP quickly and shoot a film. "We've created a whole retinue of characters," he noted of his vision with Angelus. "It's a genuine film. It's not 'Dave Singing' or '[[Elvis Presley on film and television|Elvis]]'."<ref>{{cite magazine|first= David |last= Swift |title= I laugh to win |magazine= [[NME]] |date= December 3, 1988 |page= 21}}</ref> Entitled ''[[Crazy from the Heat]]'', the EP was released in January 1985, while the film was budgeted at $20&nbsp;million by [[CBS Films]]; however, the project folded after the consolidation of CBS Studios.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

In late 1985, now separated from Van Halen, Roth assembled a [[virtuoso]] supergroup, consisting of guitarist [[Steve Vai]] (previously of [[Frank Zappa]]'s band), bassist [[Billy Sheehan]] (previously of [[Talas (band)|Talas]]), and drummer [[Gregg Bissonette]] (previously of [[Maynard Ferguson]]'s big band). With veteran Van Halen producer Ted Templeman producing, Roth released his debut solo LP, ''[[Eat 'Em and Smile]]'' in July 1986. The album saw Roth's return to hard rock music, but incorporated some of his eclectic musical tastes, including a jazz cover of Frank Sinatra's "[[That's Life (song)|That's Life]]" and the bluesy, 1960s hit "[[Tobacco Road (song)|Tobacco Road]]". ''Eat 'Em and Smile'' met with widespread commercial and critical success, charting at No. 4 on the [[Billboard Top 200]], selling over 2 million copies{{citation needed|date=May 2022}} in the U.S. alone.<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/davidleeroth/albums/album/142208/review/5945590/eat_em_and_smile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014043240/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/davidleeroth/albums/album/142208/review/5945590/eat_em_and_smile|date=October 14, 2008}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=May 2022}} Roth and his band [[Eat 'Em and Smile Tour|toured arenas extensively in support of ''Eat 'Em and Smile'']] before returning to the studio in 1987 to record a follow-up album.

In January 1988, Roth released ''[[Skyscraper (album)|Skyscraper]]'', a more experimental LP featuring the hit single "[[Just Like Paradise]]". Co-produced by Roth and Steve Vai under the working title ''"Cliffhanger"'', ''Skyscraper'' peaked at No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' album chart and ultimately sold two million copies{{citation needed|date=May 2022}} in the US. Soon after ''Skyscraper''{{'}}s release, Sheehan left Roth's band due to musical differences.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.fullinbloommusic.com/billysheehan.html |title=Billy Sheehan, Interview, David Lee Roth, Talas, Mr. Big, Van Halen |website= Fullinbloommusic.com |access-date= August 9, 2011}}</ref> He was replaced in time for the album's support tour with bassist [[Matt Bissonette (musician)|Matt Bissonette]] (drummer Gregg Bissonette's brother).<ref>{{cite web| url=http://waddywachtelinfo.com/bretttuggledavidleeroth.html |title=David Lee Roth – Albums and Tours |website= Waddywachtelinfo.com |access-date=August 9, 2011}}</ref> The international [[Skyscraper Tour]] arena was a major production featuring, at different points during each concert, Roth [[surfing]] above the audience on a [[surfboard]] suspended from an arena's rafters, and lowered into the center of each arena in a descending [[boxing ring]]. Both parts of the stage show were featured in the "[[Just Like Paradise]]" music video.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_617227&v=I4qh_9vH1Ww&feature=iv |title=David Lee Roth – Just Like Paradise HD |via= YouTube |date=February 17, 2010 |access-date=August 9, 2011}}</ref> The show also featured the band in a [[calypso music|calypso]] segment playing Caribbean steel drums and in an unplugged segment where the band performed acoustic covers of old rock and roll songs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOzOpsghhs0&feature=player_embedded  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/KOzOpsghhs0| archive-date=December 12, 2021 |url-status=live|title=David Lee Roth – I've Just Seen A Face |date=March 10, 2007 |via= YouTube |access-date=August 9, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Following the tour for ''Skyscraper'', Vai left Roth's band to pursue a solo career and record and tour with [[Whitesnake]].

Roth hired 19-year-old guitar virtuoso [[Jason Becker]] to replace Vai prior to recording his third solo LP, ''[[A Little Ain't Enough]]'' in 1991. A hard rock album produced by [[Bob Rock]], ''A Little Ain't Enough'' achieved [[RIAA]] [[RIAA certification|gold status]] shortly after its January 1991 release. Before starting a support tour for ''A Little Ain't Enough'', Becker was diagnosed with [[Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis|Lou Gehrig's disease]], rendering him unable to perform onstage. Guitarist [[Joe Holmes]] stood in for Becker during the tour. Later in 1991, [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] and grunge rock emerged, altering popular tastes and suddenly making Roth's brand of hard rock seem unfashionable. Roth's band fractured shortly following the tour's completion.

=== Commercial decline: 1992–2003 ===
In April 1993, Roth was arrested in New York City's [[Washington Square Park]] for buying what he described as "$10 worth of Jamaican bunk [[Cannabis (drug)|reefer]]" from an undercover police officer. The arrest made headlines<ref>{{cite news| url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DB1438F934A25757C0A965958260 |title=David Lee Roth Is Arrested|newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 17, 1993 |access-date=August 9, 2011}}</ref> and became a late-night television punch-line. When asked by [[Howard Stern]] whether the bust was a publicity stunt, Roth said, "Howard, in New York City this small of a bust is a $35 traffic citation. It literally says 'Buick, Chevy, Other'. Your dog poops on the sidewalk, it's $50. If I was looking for publicity, I would have pooped on the sidewalk."

In March 1994, Roth released ''[[Your Filthy Little Mouth]]'', a musically-eclectic album produced by [[Nile Rodgers]]. The album failed to achieve significant critical or commercial success, proving to be Roth's first solo effort not to achieve [[RIAA]] Gold or Platinum status shortly after its release. Roth played smaller venues in the U.S., and larger venues in Europe on a support tour.

In 1995, Roth returned with an adult lounge act, performing largely in [[Las Vegas Strip|Las Vegas]] casinos, with a brass band that featured Nile Rodgers, [[Edgar Winter]], and members of the [[Miami Sound Machine]]. It also featured several [[exotic dancers]], who in Roth's words were "so sweet, I bet they shit sugar!"<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.vegastripping.com/news/news.php?news_id=2392 | title= Unchained: David Lee Roth and the Mambo Slammers: VegasTripping News Desk | website= VegasTripping.com | access-date= August 9, 2011 | archive-date= July 26, 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110726115511/http://www.vegastripping.com/news/news.php?news_id=2392 | url-status= dead }}</ref> In 1997, Roth wrote a memoir, ''Crazy from the Heat''.<ref name="Roth-Heat" /> The 359-page book was a selected collection of 1,200 pages of monologues, which were recorded and transcribed by a [[Princeton University]] graduate who followed Roth for almost a year. [[Henry Rollins]] is said to have worked on the memoir.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 6, 2022 |title=Henry Rollins: 'Mark Twain Meets Groucho Marx, Who's Also A Black Belt…That's David Lee Roth' |url=https://www.vhnd.com/2022/03/06/henry-rollins-mark-twain-meets-groucho-marx-whos-also-a-black-belt-thats-david-lee-roth/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |website=Van Halen News Desk |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1998, Roth released ''[[DLR Band]]'', another album of original material. The album featured a popular song, "Slam Dunk", which, like a majority of the album, was co-written by rising guitarist and longtime Roth fan, [[John 5 (guitarist)|John 5]]. The album was considered a return to form for Roth by critics. In 1999, Roth contacted the Songs of Love Foundation asking if he would be able to sing a song for an ailing child. He went on to record a "Song of Love" for 9-year-old Ashley Abernathy who was battling leukemia, which was released publicly many years later.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 12, 2006 |title=Songs of Love is a Hit on the David Lee Roth Radio Show!! |url=http://www.songsoflove.org/article/?vid=4921445073490152214 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420074456/http://www.songsoflove.org/article/?vid=4921445073490152214 |archive-date=April 20, 2014 |access-date=April 19, 2014 |website=Songsoflove.org}}</ref> In the late 1990s, Roth became an [[Emergency Medical Technician|emergency medical technician]] (EMT) in New York City, going on over 200 ambulance rides.<ref>Martinez, Erika. [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,138684,00.html "David Lee Roth a NYC Paramedic"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704160612/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,138684,00.html |date=July 4, 2008 }}, ''New York Post'' on FoxNews.com, November 16, 2004.</ref> Roth's EMT training was largely handled by Linda Reissman, who detailed this on an episode of ''The DLR Cast'' podcast.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The DLR Cast: Episode 53: A Little Bit More Vegas & An Interview With Dave's EMT Trainer on Apple Podcasts |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-53-a-little-bit-more-vegas-an-interview/id1522076433?i=1000548178839 |access-date=April 6, 2023 |website=Apple Podcasts |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2002, The "Song for Song: The Heavyweight Champions of Rock and Roll Tour" paired Roth with his 'nemesis' [[Sammy Hagar]], and it proceeded to revive the career of Roth.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rockcelebrities.net/when-sammy-hagar-made-temporary-peace-with-david-lee-roth/|title=When Sammy Hagar Made 'Temporary' Peace With David Lee Roth - Rock Celebrities|date=June 7, 2022}}</ref> Despite the monetary success and publicity generated by the tour, Roth's future with Van Halen seemed uncertain. [[Yankee Rose (song)|"Yankee Rose"]] appeared in the 2002 [[videogame]] ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'', playing on rock station [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack|V-Rock]], while generally, Roth became more visible than he had been in years, such as appearing on commercials for MTV with [[Justin Timberlake]].{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} In 2003, Roth released an album called ''[[Diamond Dave (album)|Diamond Dave]]'', which included one original John 5 collaboration among numerous cover songs.

=== Other ventures: 2004–2006 ===
{{main article|The David Lee Roth Show}}
[[File:David Lee Roth 2007-11-10 (1).jpg|thumb|upright|Roth in 2007]]
In 2004, Roth appeared on the TV series ''[[The Sopranos]]'' as a poker-playing guest of [[Tony Soprano]]. Regarding this, Roth was quoted on his website as saying, "Mom says I'm going to look like [[Lee Marvin]] in 10 years whether I'm in movies or not, so I might as well get after it!" On July 4, 2004, Roth performed with the world-renowned [[Boston Pops]] Orchestra at [[Boston]]'s annual ''Pops Goes the Fourth'' celebration. The performance was witnessed by over 100,000 people live in Boston, and by millions more on US television. In 2006, Roth covered two Van Halen songs for an album titled ''[[Strummin' with the Devil: The Southern Side of Van Halen|Strummin' with the Devil]]'', a tribute to his old band in bluegrass style. The album topped out at 66 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' country charts.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/various-artists|title=Various Artists Strummin' With The Devil: The Southern Side Of Van Halen Chart History|magazine=Billboard|access-date=January 1, 2020}}</ref>

In 2006, Roth was tapped to replace his friend [[Howard Stern]] on terrestrial radio, following Stern's departure from terrestrial to [[Sirius Satellite Radio]]. Roth's show lasted for four months and ended in a lawsuit. During the course of the show, Roth maintained a relationship with [[Howard 100 News]] reporter [[Steve Langford]]. Roth and Langford met frequently after shows, with Langford bringing tape back to Stern of Roth's complaints towards WXRK's management. Issues included Roth's firing, the missing podcast, and his show being cut off early. On Roth's final day, April 21, 2006, he performed [[the Rolling Stones]] song "[[You Can't Always Get What You Want]]" for Stern and discussed an impending lawsuit against CBS.

Later, on October 14, 2012, Roth began broadcasting a video webcast/podcast on his YouTube channel, Spotify and iTunes.<ref name="Baltin">{{cite magazine |last=Baltin |first=Steve |date=February 12, 2013 |title=QA: David Lee Roth Vents About Van Halen's Future |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/q-a-david-lee-roth-vents-about-van-halens-future-20130212 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref>