Michael Anthony: Grace Under Assless-Pants Fire
Proving he comes from a very different generation of celebrities, embattled erstwhile Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony is not using the most publicity he’s ever had to pitch a hissy fit, make a scene, or otherwise embarass the band following being dumped from the much ballyhooed reunion tour with David Lee Roth, probably figuring Eddie will do a bang-up job with that on his own. In fact, just about every rapper out there could take a lesson from Anthony in how to take indignities on the chin without stooping to beef with his old crew, at least according to his cucumber demanor in this MTV interview:
“That’s the one thing that’s really kind of sad,” Anthony continued. “It would have been cool to get onstage with Dave again, but I’m not going to whine about it, because that’s the way it is. Why waste my time trying to make a stink about it?”
“I know in the past there’s been a lot of fighting and drama, but I’m not into all of that, especially now,” he said. “And I’m not going to sit there and whine about it and call these guys mother——s and the whole bit. It is what it is, and if [Eddie] wants his kid to play with him, fine. But they’re really throwing him into the lion’s den right off the bat. This is going to be a tough enough tour for those three guys, having not played for so long, and then throwing [Wolfgang] in the mix? … I hope he does OK. It’s sad that the fans aren’t going to see the original lineup.”
At least someone’s thinking of the children. He also says he’s pleased that the fans “spoke out” to have him reinstated to the first Van Halen album cover after he was unceremoniously airbrushed out of the band’s history. Why does something tell me that if this Van Roth reunion tour ends up floundering on clashing egos, smashed liquor bottles, cancelled dates, and primadonna bullshit, Anthony is going to end up looking like the classiest guy in the room, even if he is still hanging out with Hagar?
