Classic Van Halen singer David Lee Roth has reportedly refused to open for Motley Crue because he “influenced” them. 

Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue told the Los Angeles Times that David Lee Roth provided a brief comment when asked whether he would join them for their 2022 US tour dates.

“I don’t open for bands that I influenced,” Roth reportedly said.

He previously opened up about how Van Halen “spawned a whole lot of imitators” on The Mike & Carla Morning Show (via Ultimate Guitar).

“Hair bands were the imitations of Van Halen. Yeah, it is true, and spandex was what they came up with as something visual,” he said.

He continued: “I started off in leather, with the same haircut that Bono and Springsteen and the guys in Metallica had. A famous haircut – if I had that same haircut today, it would have its own Instagram.”

“But Van Halen was a ’70s band – we started off in 1972, and our first two albums were in the ’70s. We sold our first 10 million records before the ’70s were over.”

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“We spawned a whole lot of imitators who resorted to gimmickry and trade crap. It’s easier to imitate a haircut and a kind of pants and to exhibit bad behaviour.”

In other news, back in June Roth claimed that the ‘defund the police’ movement “[pisses him] off” during an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience.

“The idea that we’re going to defund the police? And expect what? You gotta be crazy,” he said.

“So here’s your solution – and that we haven’t gotten to it is starting to fucking piss me off…you got to triple the pay checks, and then you’ll start getting the genius-level, combat-proof, full-blast, industrial-strength brains.”

He continued: “Because you’re gonna have to be a psychiatrist, a social worker, a Delta team member, a SWAT team fella, all in one. I can get you that. Let’s start with $3,500 a week.”

“Police chiefs should be making what that grubby, fuck-shit lawyer down the street makes, which is $300 an hour. Yeah, an hour! And now, once you’ve established some proper, thoughtful pay checks. I have some reforms.”

For more on this topic, head over to the Metal Observer.

Check out David Lee Roth performing ‘Panama’ with Van Halen:

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