Has-Been, table for one

"David Lee Roth said a singer hired from a TV search would make Van Halen into 'a novelty act."
If the revered rock band Van Halen really plans to seek a new lead singer through CBS-TV's "Rock Star" reality show, their first lead singer wants them to know he thinks it's a monumentally stupid idea.
David Lee Roth, lead singer of Van Halen (1978-1985) and now the morning host on WFNY (92.3 FM), also said yesterday on "Roth Radio" that he has a better one: Get the original band together for a reunion tour.
"People want the reunion," said Roth. "No one will pay respect to what any of us do [musically] until we get the reunion out of the way.
"Once Eddie [Van Halen] does that, everything else he does can be seen with a fresh eye."
Roth made no secret of his own enthusiasm for a reunion tour, indicating he'd already gotten the okay from CBS Radio executives to take a leave of absence if such a tour happened.
"Van Halen would go out for three months," he said. "That's all Eddie could handle. And then the next morning, I'd be back at this mic at 6 a.m."
A tour would also pay well. Roth said the band already has offers on the table for $1 million a show.
However much Roth may want the band to reunite, however, he wasn't using sweet talk yesterday to make it happen.
He compared Eddie Van Halen to Sly Stone, whose brief and ragged appearance on last week's Grammy telecast rekindled reports of substance abuse.
What's happened with Van Halen "may be on a par with what's happened with Sly Stone," said Roth.
Roth also dismissed recent Van Halen shows as "lite rock" and said touring with a singer hired from a TV search would make the band "a novelty act."
He said the situation was different with INXS, the first band on "Rock Star," "because their original lead singer was dead.""

Yeah, the lead singer of INXS is dead...unlike Van Halen, whoes lead singer has turned into a freaky plastic surgery victim and who looks a bit like Nicolette Sheriden. Dave, I'm just guessing, but if your new bosses are willing to let you take 3 months off just a few months into your new job.....well lets just say I wouldn't get too comfortable in Howard Sterns old office yet.