Music Notes: Van Halen Project on Hold

ByABC News
July 17, 2001, 2:34 PM

July 17 -- It may not be Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth's fault if they don't rock together again.

The '80s hair band has been known for feuding with its former lead singer, but according to Van Halen, they are not what's delaying new projects.

The guitarist, who is still battling cancer, tells Maximum Golf magazine he and Roth were heading toward a reunion last September when the lawyers complicated the situation.

"These cats had me so beat down and confused it made the cancer seem like a tiny zit on my a--," said Van Halen. He added, "At this point I don't have a clue what's going on."

The interview appears in the August issue of the publication.

Van Halen says his health is improving, but he's not willing to share many details.

"I don't know why people want to know what only my wife and son and maybe my best friends have a right to know," said Van Halen, who is married to actress Valerie Bertinelli. "I say to everyone else, 'Look, all I have to say is that I'm doing great.' But I'm not about to go into details until the cancer is completely gone."

Bob Dylan Plans Fall Release

Just as kids head back to school, their parents will have a new Bob Dylan album to enjoy in their spare time.

The Grammy winner recorded Love and Theft with his touring band, including guitarist Charlie Sexton and bassist Tony Garnier.

Dylan says the new recordings don't sound much like his last album, the Grammy-winning Time Out of Mind, or his mid-1970s classic, Blood on the Tracks. He told USA Today the album sounds more like the earlier songs on his greatest hits compilations. The new work, he says, is "without the hits; not yet, anyway."

Moreover

The Rolling Stones may celebrate its 40th anniversary quietly. They had hoped to bring fireworks and special effects along on tour, and now organizers think the elaborate staging could be too costly British safety inspectors are being called in to approve of Eminem's upcoming concert. The rapper will perform in London on Aug. 23 and must first run through his act for the authorities who can stop the show if "something dangerous to the public is going on."