Regardless of whether David Lee Roth is changing his name or trying to make a topical joke — he's left his fans plenty confused. The Van Halen frontman posted his latest drawing of a frog on his social media platforms with the message on the piece stating, “Diamond Dave following Lady Antebellum's (now 'Lady A') example, will be dropping the 'Lee.' From now on he wants us all to call him 'David L. Roth' or simply 'El Roth.'”
Fans have been alternately posting their support for what they perceive as Roth's political correctness, deriding him for trying to appear au courant, or lambasting him for revealing a decidedly liberal bent. What none of them seem to realize is that Roth is probably JOKING, seeing as how the Lee in Roth's name comes from his father, who also shares the middle name — and not as a salute to General Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate States Army.
One thing's for certain. David Lee Roth is in the business of SHOW. Back in the day, “Diamond Dave” spoke candidly about the allure of living life on stage: “It's no good unless there's an audience. I can get away with more in rock n' roll. Y'know, I can, kinda, dance around from side-to-side; and if it's a little bit risky, y'know, 'Oh, is that acceptable?' Like that, that's pop entertainment. That's not even necessarily just rock 'n roll. But, what happens is one man's really badness is somebody else's wonderful. And that's how you wind up as the guy on the post office wall on the poster in one hand and on Muppets magazine on the other.”
