Michael Anthony: Our Complete 1981 Van Halen Interview (Audio)

JasO

In 1974 bassist Michael Anthony joined the Van Halen brothers in the band that bears their family name. By the time of our Guitar Player interview seven years later, he was regularly delighting concert goers with an extended bass solo that climaxed with his jumping on his bass. Most of the time, though, he played a supporting role. As Eddie said at the time of our interview, “Mike Anthony is a damned good bass player. When my brother Al and Mike are playing, it’s an open world for me. I can do whatever I want. They’re right there backing me up, feeding me.”

Shortly after recording Fair Warning, Michael agreed to do a wide-ranging interview with me on his role in the band. We discussed his musical upbringing, instruments, the evolution of his extended onstage solo, and the limitations of playing hard rock. He explained how Van Halen arranged songs in the basement of the home of David Lee Roth’s dad and the role producer Ted Templeman played in this process. Michael also covered his favorite recordings with Van Halen and the benefits and pitfalls of success. We wrapped up the conversation with his advice for young players. An edited print version of this appeared in the October 1981 Guitar Player as “Michael Anthony: Q/A.” With Michael's blessing, I've just turned the audio of our July 22, 1981, interview into a podcast. If you're interested in listening in, this podcast is available for free via this link:

Michael Anthony: The Complete 1981 Van Halen Interview (Audio)

JasO

Here's a sample, in which Mike describes the evolution of his onstage bass solo and answers a question I've only asked once in my career as a guitar journalist: "What's the best kind of bass to jump on?"

Michael Anthony, 1981: The Evolution of My Onstage Bass Solo With Van Halen