Former David Lee Roth guitarist Bryan Young has reflected on the tough but rewarding experience working alongside the rock legend.
Young sat down with Bode James on the Rock ‘N’ Roll Icons With Bode James podcast, in appearance that saw him muse on his time spent with David Lee Roth during a four-year stint in the early 2000s. Unsurprisingly, working with the David Lee Roth band is no walk in the park.
“It was great. To be in the David Lee Roth band, you’ve basically gotta go through this boot camp to toughen you up,” admitted James (as transcribed by Blabbermouth.)
“I wouldn’t say [he’s] difficult, but he expects a lot, and he’s demanding, and he’s a perfectionist for everyone else, even for himself. So working with him wasn’t easy,” he continued.
“I heard about his mood swings before I joined, but I didn’t see a single one for the first month. Then finally, when it happened, it was, like, ‘Okay, he can get where it’s like a volcano’s erupting.’ So he kind of has a little bit of an up-and-down mood-swing type thing. But when he’s in a great mood, it’s the coolest hang you’ll ever have in your life — absolutely. And when he’s in a bad mood, it’s a bummer. But like I said, the good thing is it’s training ground. After you play with him for a while, you can handle anything.”
Young resolved that playing alongside Dave and his band “toughened” him up as a session musician.
“I’ve always been pretty easy-going. And what I liked working with Dave is he’s the boss, and you know it. He’s paying everybody. It’s his name on the marquee, so there’s no argument,” he explained.
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“When Dave says something, you just do it. And I do like that. Because when you’re in a band with four guys, and there’s no real boss, then it can become more arguing and this and that — ‘Why do you say this?’ Or, ‘Why did you get more credit?’ But when you’re working with a leader, and it’s a for-sure thing that he’s the leader, it’s very easy to just go, ‘Okay…’ And whatever he says, whether it’s right or wrong, everybody agrees [with it] or not, you just go, ‘Hey, he’s the boss. It’s his way.’ And then, if it’s a mistake, he owns up to it. So that’s the part that made it kind of easy. You just do what Dave tells you, and everything’s fine.”
Check out the interview below.
Watch Brian Young reflect on his time with David Lee Roth on Rock ‘N’ Roll Icons With Bode James
