It’s one of those things you don’t understand until it’s over. You don’t understand and so you don’t celebrate it, cherish it while you have it.

Keep it safe.

But we got along.

We all got along with each other and collectively.

Until we didn’t.

That first breakfast after there was a couple of days Preacher seemed off—when Tom and Shawn came down pissed right the hell off, and Preach looks like he’s been whipped, and Lyla’s not even fuckin’ there, and Tom shares he almost called an ambulance because he couldn’t wake up Dave, and Dave loses his mind Tommy’s tellin’ us that—things that were already on edge and we didn’t really get it, probably thought it’d just go away, got razor sharp.

Tom wants a clean tour, no booze, no drugs, cold turkey, and DuShawn is backing that and doing it hard.

Dave is ready to get up and walk away.

Tim’s high on something. We’re talkin’ about a clean tour and he’s wasted.

I don’t give a fuck, but to be honest, I could use a break and I tell the guys that.

Preacher refuses to weigh in, but he does this watching Timmy real close and I can tell something is turning over in his head, so I figure he’s eventually gonna back going sober. And I’m hopin’ he does ’cause if Preacher says it, even Dave is gonna pull his shit together.

Then, before we can lock that down however it’s gonna get locked down, Trelane strolls up and says he’s with us for the next coupla gigs.

We’re to the point in our careers…

And this isn’t the first time, Tommy worked hard at keeping the band’s reputation what it was back when we were on the road, playing bars in the Midwest.

So, it wasn’t about three pages of riders and some lackey picking out the green M&Ms in the bowls in our dressing room, or whatever the fuck.

Though we definitely had M&Ms [chuckles] and Snickers. Dave had a sweet tooth.

[Smiles]

And, you know, Van Halen pulled that shit as an easy way to know if the more important riders on their contract were seen to. You know, like reinforced stages so they didn’t fall through and break their necks while playin’, [grins in a manner that’s more a grimace] shit like that.

There’s a lot to be said about the life and times of the band Van Halen, but they got a bad rap with that M&M thing.

Just sayin’.

[Shifts in chair and settles]

We might not hit the stage on time, but we showed on time ready to do our thing.

But we didn’t slum it, flying first class.

Yeah, I said slum it, flying first class.

But there it was.