EDDIE VAN HALEN: The Ball Is In DAVE LEE ROTH's Court

Eddie Van Halen spoke to Guitar World magazine about the current status of VAN HALEN following the departures of vocalist Sammy Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony.

Rumors continue to swirl that original singer David Lee Roth, who was replaced by Hagar in the mid-1980s, will return to the fold, despite years of enmity. Roth, who has recently worked as a radio DJ and a paramedic, told Billboard.com in May that he saw it "absolutely as an inevitability."

"I'm telling Dave, 'Dude, get your ass up here and sing, bitch! Come on!'" Eddie told Guitar World. "As it stands right now, the ball is in Dave's court. Whether he wants to rise to the ocassion is entirely up to him, but we're ready to go."

Eddie has brought his 15-year-old son, Wolfgang, into VAN HALEN as the veteran rock band's new bass player. Father and son, along with Eddie's drummer brother Alex, have been rehearsing for a 2007 tour.

"Wolfgang breathes new life into what we're doing," said Eddie.
"He brings youthfulness to something that's inherently youthful. He's
only been playing bass for three months, but it's spooky. He's locked
tight and puts an incredible spin on our shit. The kid is kicking my
ass! He's spanking me now, even though I never spanked him. To have my
son follow in my footsteps on his own, without me pushing him into it,
is the greatest feeling in the world."