Noel Monk managed Van Halen from 1978 to 1985 and, as you might imagine, he has some serious behind-the-scenes stories. In his memoir, "Runnin' With the Devil," he details everything from backstage debauchery to his thoughts on the band still playing today.
Noel, for one, celebrates the ideas of groupies and thinks they play a very important role. "Without women on the road, your band is going to go crazy,” Monk insists. “They’re going to be in a bad mood, David [Lee Roth] especially. Women are an intricate part of being on the road, taking away the tensions. And they’re really wonderful. Anyone that talks about groupies in a negative way doesn’t understand them, what they do. They’ve got no idea how genuinely nice they are!”
Despite the romance going on back stage, Monk says Van Halen was nothing, but professional once they hit the stage. “They never did a bad show. Never," he remembers. "I don’t care how or what they took before, during, or after — they were always spot on… They were an absolute amazing stage act. I think that’s what counted the most."
- While Monk has nothing but compliments when it comes to Van Halen in their heyday, he's not impressed with their current stage show. "If the band would have retired 10 years ago, that might have been a little better," Monk suggests. "David doesn’t really jump anymore. Edward has his problems. As far as I’m concerned, I think they were embarrassing themselves now.”
Source: Fox News