Customer Reviews

Crazy from the Heat

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is a gem. He is a man (referring to David Lee Roth) that has traveled the world, knows many hobbies and has dated many beautiful women. This book might sound like fluff but it truly is not. He knows more than today's youth, as well as thousands of adults who wished they were this experienced. You find out (in the book) that he speaks Spanish, and takes you into his inner world he experienced as child, teen, and adult while playing in the legendary Rock Band "Van Halen." He doesn't trash anyone on here but you laugh and learn at the way he says things. As for his hobbies, these are some of them: Climbing Mount Everest, rock climbing, traveling to third world countries, has read many books, and has Kayaked Manhattan island which he did in 9 and half hours. This book is recommended to Hollywood stars as well as to us commoners who only dream of such a life. This guy is amazing. He also has his own site in case you decide to google. Yes, fine piece of work, includes hilarious pictures in color and in black and white. Sometimes you wonder how he would do if he went to College in these days (in 2005). Why do i say this? He is so knowledgeable; he absorbs everything, he is basically a walking sponge. The higher message to this book is always about learning everything in life, to travel, to read many books, as well as having tons of hobbies so you can make your life very rich......I recommend this book because this Rock star: David Lee Roth, gives you knowledge that is priceless.

What can I say? Within ten pages of reading this book I cursed myself for wasting my life. DLR has sailed the Amazon, climbed the Himalayas, slept with hordes of women, rode his bike on every continent, mastered several forms of martial arts and rocked tens of thousands of people at a time...he's lived more lives than most of us can dream. What is also great is that he reveals himself to be a highly intelligent individual with a positive zest for life that is ultimately more uplifting than ANY self-help book on the market. Whenever I'm down, I pull this book out and start to randomly read from any point and reconfirm my love of life. Even when the guy's facts are wrong, his amusing ramblings never once become boring. You can't fault a guy for having a personal philosophy and sticking to it. His self-confidence almost crosses into arrogance, but it's evident that the guy is willing to play the fool...and only because it's more fun! He was once asked in an interview why such an obviously intelligent guy has to sink to the lowest common denominator and he answered "Hey, I can go on and pontificate about Voltaire, but why bore anyone? They can go and do that on their own. I'm here to entertain. Life's a party that we've all been invited to and I'm your host." At least he doesn't suffer from delusions of grandeur. The best sections of the book, however, are when Roth talks about what drives him...his liberal Jewish upbringing, his early epiphany after having to wear braces on his legs in early childhood that he was an outsider, his need to explore and read everything he can get his hands on, the ups and downs with the boys in Van Halen. Supposedly this book was whittled down from a 1200 page manuscript...I would die to get my hands on that! An all-out, vigourously entertaining and uproaringly funny read! Keep this in your bathroom for your houseguests. They'll sit in there for an hour. Guaranteed.

As a Van Halen fan, and also a big fan of David Lee Roth, I was excited that he came out with an autobiography. This is actually, honestly, one of the best I've ever read, and that is not so much because you learn about the persons life, but you learn about their mindset and philosophies. Many people have brushed Dave off as a "space case" or "just another burned out rock star". This is not what we have here. What we have here is an individual who loves life, and lives it to the fullest. A person who treats others as he would want to be treated, and a man who's yearning for adventure has never stopped through the years.

I enjoyed reading about the Van Halen reunion mishap during the MTV music awards in 1996. The way they used Dave and treated him was absolutely horrible and I'll never have any respect for the Van Halen brothers after reading, and even watching some on TV, what really went down that night at the awards ceremony.

This book makes you want to LOVE LIFE! Dave goes about his business with an old fashioned hard work ethic but always makes sure that there is plenty of fun filled in! His adventures as professional mountain climber in some of the grandest places on earth are truly a "trip" and make you have a new-found appreciation for him. His friendships and relationships are heavy throughout the book, as well as tragedies that have come into his life, and how he handled them.

It also has many of Dave's funny one liners in a section of the book..one of my favorite is "money can't buy you happiness, but it can buy you a big yacht so you can drift up next to it and offer it a drink". Hehe..no wonder Dave was never short of girlfriends!

Whenver your feeling like the world has got you down, or are yearning for a little adventure, or perhaps just wanting to know about the inside business of the music world (Dave talks about how useful the internet is now...where before he had to search far and wide for things like paintings used for album covers like 1984 and Fair Warning) or just yearning for an adventurous yarn about a martial arts expert who's also a rock climber and also a rock star...read this, and then you'll know why so many people are crazy about the life and times of David Lee Roth!

I kid you not. When I tell others what a masterpiece this book is, they give me a "You've got to be kidding me" look. I owe an enormous debt to my friend Adam Wexler for turning me onto this book a few years ago. I suppose people would shoot down the notion of this being such a great book simply because of the author.

This book is not a Van Halen book. It is a biography of a man with many talents and interests. DLR is all about having fun, and he definitely lives life to the fullest, whether it involves mountain climbing, vacations to third world countries, or even kayaking around the island of Manhattan - Diamond Dave has done it all. I found his critique of all the money-hungry cronies in the music business to be the most interesting section. He talks about early on in his career when Van Halen was making millions, but he was barely making enough money to survive. He talks about the importance of overseeing where all your money goes (agents, managers, promoters, etc.) and managing those finances yourself. DLR also talks about wandering around Southern California as a teenager - he claims he always saw himself as an african-american! This book sparked my interest in Rudy Ray Moore's DOLEMITE movies. Roth was a huge fan and I am as well thanks to this amazing book. There's also plenty of decadent content to fulfill your desire for stories about the Rock-N-Roll lifestyle, but this book takes you far beyond that.

My favorite part is from the last chapter when he talks about when he was on his way to a radio interview and he was stuck on a long bridge. He ended up getting out of the car and running along the bridge to the radio station while everyone in their cars cheered him on! What a great book. I recommend it to anyone, not just Van Halen fans.

The comic strip Bloom County once noted that the United States has "been going to hell in a handbasket" ever since David Lee Roth left Van Halen. After reading this book, you'll understand why.

The text reads like an extended DLR interview. Anyone looking for linear thought patterns or a chronological history of ... well, anything, will be disappointed. This is not that book. Instead, it's Dave explaining why he does what he does. And those explanations are fairly consistent with his actions, even post-book. It seems a safe assumption that Dave is authentic, and authenticity is a valuable commodity.

In that respect, Dave's a bit like the late British comedian Benny Hill. Sure, Hill repeated the same jokes for thirty years, and his act was regarded by many as corny and unsophisticated. But that's what it was *supposed* to be, and in many instances the output was pure genius. Same with Dave.

My sister once met an old high school friend, many years after graduation (Ain't this a great segue? Just like the book). After the usual /live/work/family/hobbies questions had been raised and answered with the standard replies, there was a long pause in the conversation. Then the friend, who'd apparently been reflecting on his life for a moment, said "You know, I probably spend way too much time thinking of ways to get David Lee Roth back in to Van Halen." If there's a better tribute to a man, a band, or what it represents, I don't know what it is.

Once I started reading it, I could not stop.

I wanted to buy a copy for everyone in the whole world.

All the secrets you need to know are in here!

Think back to the last time you and a good friend decided to get drunk together at home. It is now very late, you are both drunk and quite happy to let your friend talk away because you simply don't have the energy to make conversation yourself. Your friend is telling you all sorts of things he probably wouldn't have done if he was sober. Eventually, he falls asleep and you tiptoe out of the room, leaving him to it, content within yourself that you at least listened.....

That is what reading DLR's book is like. Regardless of whether or not you are (or were) a Van Halen fan, this book is for anyone keen to learn more about the man most male 30-somethings today aspired to be. DLR doesn't try to be the funny man in the way he was portrayed by countless music magazines in the 1980's. He talks openly and honestly about who he is, what makes him tick and how he became the legend he is today. He makes a particularly interesting point within this self-penned autobiography. He says he is as well known as the "guy on the dollar bill." He is right. Don't read this book with a view to discovering previously untold stories about Van Halen. Read it with a view to discovering a side to rock's greatest frontman you probably never new existed.

From the very first page, it is obvious (sometimes painfully so) that this book was not ghostwritten. It's Dave, and nothing but Dave, in all of his rambling, schizophrenic, gramatically incorrect glory. This is no Hammer of the Gods. But when it comes to Dave, do we really want a serious, analytical discussion of his life? I don't think so. What we get is a look back through Diamond Dave's eyes at one of the most incredible careers in rock and roll. This book is a lot like his music. It's not meant to be taken all that seriously. It's not meant to be studied and analyzed. But when you look below the surface, you see that hint of brilliance that has made him one of the most talented performers in show business. This book reads a lot like one of Dave's interviews (and if you have ever heard him interviewed, you know what I mean). He just sort of rambles about events of the last several decades that have molded his life. No outline. No plot. The events described aren't even in chronological order. It just sounds like he took a tape recorder and talked about anything that popped into his head. But that just makes the book more enjoyable. Dave's life has been like a roller coaster and this book makes you feel like you are along for the ride. It's twenty plus years of girls, records, arenas and explorations into the deepest, darkest parts of the world like the Amazon and Himilayas. This is an incredible tale, told by an incredible performer. Just hold onto your hat and enjoy the ride.

Like most (I think) I was hoping for peek into the interpersonal relationship of the band and some insight into the making of the music, writing of the songs.
That said, it was a great read. I had fun with it, I really enjoyed the rambles. I could really hear his voice and see his face through the book. Technical writing would not have been able to do that. His personality really showed through and that was a big bonus.
The nature of that personality is certainly a question of taste.
However, in this day and age of over production... especially DLR's it was refreshing to read something so straight for the horse's mouth.
After reading the book, regardless of the b.s and the lack of detailed info, I thought... this is a person that I would love to spend an afternoon with. Either to call bluff or climb a bluff. Whatever, I am sure it would be a blast. The book was as well.

It might seem like an odd choice, but "Crazy From the Heat" retains a permanant spot in my beach bag for one very simple reason: Diamond Dave understands island time.
The prose is VERY laid back: in fact, I strongly suspect someone gave Dave a list of topics, turned a tape recorder on, then simply transcribed the resulting stream-of-consciousness rambling that came forth.
There's very little slagging his former band here: In fact, I found Dave to be generally complimentary about the Brothers VH (and we can forgive a little dig here and there). And guess what? Legendary ego aside, Dave is the first one to admit that he doesn't have the greatest singing voice in the world; in fact, he says he sounds like four flat tires.
This book is part biography, part music industry commentary, part travelouge and part philosophical manifesto. The photos and captions are a hoot. There's some BS here and there -- I'm not sure I believe his rif about scrubbing stages late at night before a show (C'mon Dave... give us a break...) -- but all in all this is a fun, disarming, light-weight read. If you're From The Eighties, love music and travel, I'd say throw this one in your beach bag too.