72 episodes

A podcast that unearths never-before-heard conversations with world-class musicians and comedians.

The Tapes Archive Osiris Media

    • Music
    • 4.8 • 68 Ratings

A podcast that unearths never-before-heard conversations with world-class musicians and comedians.

    Ozzy Osbourne 1974

    Ozzy Osbourne 1974

    This 1974 Ozzy Osbourne interview has never been heard until now. It's the earliest known long-form audio interview with the Prince of Darkness. It’s also the only audio interview with Ozzy relating to Black Sabbath’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album. 
    It is recommended this interview be watched on YouTube so you can see the captions. Ozzy is hard to understand at times. 
    https://youtu.be/-yRVDfrjs54
    The interview is conducted by Steve Rosen, one of the true legends in rock journalism. Rosen has a career spanning 50 years, thousands of articles, and several high-profile books with artists like Black Sabbath, Prince, Randy Rhoads, and others. But his most notable work is his recent Eddie Van Halen book, Tonechaser. Tonechaser is considered a must-have book for Eddie Van Halen fans and any music fan. No other book has uncovered so many untold stories about King Edward. 
    To order Rosen's Tonechaser: https://bit.ly/3MSVTo9
    Check out Rosen's YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/49hIu1Z
    Read Rosen's article written about when he met Black Sabbath in 1974: https://bit.ly/45TxeWX
    In the interview, Ozzy talks about:

    Early days of Black Sabbath

    Why Black Sabbath has stayed together, and why other bands break up

    Playing an honest gig

    Does he think about the money he’s making

    If he thinks Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is a different direction than previous Sabbath albums

    Why they didn’t record in LA again like they did with Vol.4

    Whose idea it was to add strings to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

    What the Sab 4 got tired of hearing about

    If he is fulfilled by being in Black Sabbath

    If he’s working on a solo record

    Why and what it was like producing Sabbath Bloody Sabbath by themselves

    If there is more of an emphasis on the lyrics on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

    If Black Sabbath’s songs mirror society

    If he thinks the press is unfair to Black Sabbath

    If Sabbath is working on a new album

    His fondness for synthesizers and spacey music

    Why he wants to make a solo record

    How he’d like to learn how to play guitar

    His love for Rick Wakeman vs Keith Emerson

    If he would have Wakeman play on his solo album

    Being on the road and away from home

    The movie soundtrack he would have wanted to make

    He sums up his current feelings on Black Sabbath and his belief he has helped people

    • 25 min
    David Lee Roth 2019 Interview

    David Lee Roth 2019 Interview

    Last week, we released an interview with David Lee Roth from 1984. This week, we are releasing another Roth interview, but 35 years later. We go from the height of Roth’s Van Halen career to his twilight years. I believe this interview is one of the most honest and humble interviews he’s ever given; he speaks very candidly on many topics. 
    At the time of this interview in 2019, Roth was 65 years old and promoting his line of tattoo skin care products called Ink the Orginal. In the interview, Roth talks at great lengths about his parents and growing up, the beginning and ending with Van Halen, why he never got married, why he’s never happy, plus so much more. 
    The interview was conducted by Debbie Millman and was originally aired on her award-winning awesome podcast Design Matters. We are so grateful that Ms. Millman is allowing us to share one of the most insightful David Lee Roth interviews with you. Please use the link below and subscribe to her podcast.

    Subscribe to Debbie Millan's Design Matters: https://www.designmattersmedia.com/

    00:00:00 - Intro to David Lee Roth interview
    00:01:17 - Debbie Millman intro
    00:02:19 - Start of David Lee Roth interview
    00:02:47 - His Uncle Manny Roth
    00:05:29 - His mother, Sibyl Roth, and her toughness on him
    00:07:49 - Wearing leg braces as a kid
    00:08:41 - His early jobs
    00:09:34 - Where his youthful drive came from
    00:11:14 - What the Roth family expected when they had get-togethers
    00:12:29 - When he first realized he had a talent for singing
    00:15:00 - Him being in plays as a child
    00:16:11 - He tells where he really learned to sing from
    00:18:59 - His parents threaten him with going to a foster home
    00:19:16 - If “bad” Dave comes from his mother
    00:21:08 - How he was taught to sing like the girls
    00:22:43 - How many instruments he plays
    00:23:25 - The first meeting with the Van Halen brothers
    00:26:31 - Why he and the Van Halen brothers were crosstown rivals
    00:28:26 - What inspired him to write music
    00:30:57 - The near-death experience that chokes him up even today
    00:34:38 - How much of his Playboy image is a story he was creating
    00:37:15 - If he is confident he would make it in show business
    00:37:33 - The idea of an album band
    00:39:00 - An obscure Dutch radio reference
    00:40:14 - Did they write Runnin’ with the Devil in 18 minutes
    00:42:25 - Who are the best teachers and coaches
    00:45:35 - When he has felt sorry for himself
    00:46:45 - Why he hasn’t fallen into a lot of traps, other Rock and Rollers did
    00:47:28 - Him stealing books
    00:48:31 - What kept him from succumbing to drug abuse
    00:49:55 - Where his ability to jump high comes from
    00:53:46 - Why did he leave Van Halen in 1985
    00:54:38 - Why didn’t he ever get married
    00:56:44 - His ability to mimic others
    00:58:54 - The teleplay he has been working on for three years
    01:00:33 - Why his favorite audience is disbelieving nonbelievers
    01:01:29 - Why he isn’t happy
    01:02:14 - His window time
    01:02:53 - How he’s always solving a catastrophe
    01:05:12 - Why he decided to start Ink the Orginal
    01:07:43 - Why take his life in this direction
    01:09:41 - Tattoos today
    01:12:11 - The process of making his product
    01:13:53 - How the business is doing
    01:14:22 - The difference between having a tattoo today and 30 years ago
    01:17:37 - What advice would he give someone who has writer’s block
    01:19:28 - Squeezing every single moment out of life

    • 1 hr 21 min
    David Lee Roth 1984 Interview

    David Lee Roth 1984 Interview

    A never-published interview with Van Halen's Diamond David Lee Roth. At the time of this interview in December 1984, Roth was 31 years old, and only months away from no longer being in Van Halen. In the interview, Roth talks about the future of Van Halen, his need for attention, whether he’s a bad role model, and what he wants on his tombstone. And in a Tapes Archive exclusive, Mr. Roth busts into an impromptu freestyle rap. 
    The interview is conducted by a new Tapes Archive contributor, award-winning legendary entertainment journalist, screenwriter, producer, and author, Ethlie Ann Vare. For decades, Ethlie ruled musical taste and celebrity gossip in newspapers, magazines, and TV. Her Top 10 Syndicated column ROCK ON ran in 1,700 newspapers worldwide. She’s interviewed A-list movie celebrities like Johnny Depp and Nicholas Cage and rock royalty like Ozzy Osbourne and David Lee Roth. She wrote for Billboard, Daily Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. She also reviewed rock concerts and albums for the New York Times, and discussed rock stars on The Gossip Show. Ms. Vare has more accomplishments than we have time to say here. Below is a link in to her website. We are honored she is allowing us to share some of her unpublished historical interviews with all of you. 
    Ethlie Ann Vare's website https://ethlieannvare.com/

    Watch the captioned version https://youtu.be/QodtYVn7tDQ

    00:00 - Intro to David Lee Roth interview
    01:46 - Start of the David Lee Roth Interview
    02:57 - The rumors about Eddie Van Halen wanting to leave the band
    03:58 - Was it an ego blow with Van Halen’s album 1984 not hitting #1 on the charts
    05:22 - Playing Black Sabbath music while watching a football game
    05:49 - Was having a pop hit with “Jump” harmful to the band?
    06:57 - About his love life and what his type is
    08:38 - Who is the real David Lee Roth
    09:29 - How Roth is a bit of a loner, and his need for attention
    10:21 - How he’s critical of other bands
    12:03 - Roth does a freestyle rap. (Not kidding, not A.I.)
    12:52 - His first and other jobs as a teenager
    14:01 - Who manages his money
    14:39 - Where his next adventure will be
    15:05 - How does he defend the criticism that he’s a bad role model
    15:55 - What’s next for Van Halen
    16:29 - What’s the Van Halen groupie scene like
    17:02 - The Hot For Teacher video
    17:42 - The auditions for his music videos
    18:42 - What would he want on his tombstone
    19:04 - Answering machines
    19:44 - What he wants back
    19:55 - A scene he likes from the movie Cotton Club
    20:41 - His Harley Davidson
    21:41 - What type of car he drives
    22:11 - His height and weight
    22:41 - The movie Amadeus
    23:10 - He was just offered a low-budget film
    23:57 - Who’s going to remember him in 500 years

    • 24 min
    Sammy Hagar 1997

    Sammy Hagar 1997

    A never-published interview with the Red Rocker Sammy Hagar. At the time of this interview in 1997, Hagar was 50 years old, freshly out of Van Halen, and promoting his new album Marching to Mars and his upcoming tour. In the interview, Hagar talks in detail about how he saw the break-up between him and Van Halen, his dislike for manager Ray Daniels, and his new musician best buddy Mickey Hart.
    00:00 - Intro to Sammy Hagar interview
    01:21 - Why his new album is not more aggressive after being fired from Van Halen
    03:38 - Detailed backstory on why it ended with Van Halen and him
    05:16 - How manager Ray Danniels wanted more than his fair share of money
    07:08 - All about greed and lack of integrity
    07:47 - What he thinks Eddie Van Halen lied about
    08:43 - Why did he still thank Van Halen on his new album
    09:50 - The support of his fans
    10:34 - His disappointment in Eddie and Alex Van Halen
    11:50 - How does he think the upcoming Van Halen record with Gary Cherone will do
    12:55 - How Eddie Van Halen is a musician, not a songwriter
    13:38 - How Van Halen hired a 72-year-old to help with lyrics
    14:00 - All the producers’ Van Halen went through
    14:44 - If Van Halen’s next album fails with Cherone how will Hagar feel
    15:43 - How Michael Anthony was mistreated in Van Halen
    16:50 - What Los Tres Gusanos is
    17:13 - What are the stand-out songs on his new album Marching to Mars
    18:28 - How he got together with Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart
    19:49 - Mickey Hart as a musician
    20:28 - His touring plans
    21:37 - The business side of his tour
    22:51 - Did he get to talk to David Lee Roth and the difference in their Gary Cherone stories
    24:15 - When he finally busted Eddie Van Halen
    25:02 - What would he change if he were the overlord of pop music
    26:40 - What else does he have going on

    • 27 min
    Alex Van Halen 1995 Interview

    Alex Van Halen 1995 Interview

    A never-published interview with Alex Van Halen. At the time of this interview in 1995, Alex was 42 years old and was promoting an upcoming Van Halen concert in British Columbia, Canada. In the interview, Alex talks about growing up and playing with his brother Eddie Van Halen, "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" producer Bruce Fairbairn, and the best thing about being in Van Halen.
    The interview is conducted by a Tapes Archive contributor, Canadian music journalist and author Steve Newton. During his four decades as a freelance music writer, he has interviewed everyone from AC/DC to ZZTop. We highly recommend that you head over to his Patreon page patreon.com/earofnewt and check out over 400 of his exclusive interviews. For only $5, you get full access. We are not paid for this endorsement; we truly feel it’s money well spent.
    Read Newton's article based on this interview: https://bit.ly/3YOyBnI
    Link to Newton's Patreon page: https://bit.ly/3WQBr9S
    For zero money, you can head over to Newton’s website, earofnewt.com, where he has posted more than 3,000 of his interviews, album reviews, concert reviews, and horror movie reviews.
    Link to Newton's website: https://bit.ly/3ij9GIa
    00:00 - Intro
    01:38 - Start of Alex Van Halen Interview
    02:06 - His earliest memories of playing with his brother, Eddie Van Halen, and his dad’s musical career
    03:24 - Who the Van Halen brothers would try to emulate musically
    03:43 - Who were his drum gods when he first started playing
    04:39 - Playing with his dad’s Jazz band and if he took lessons
    05:39 - If Eddie was part of his dad’s band
    05:52 - When did he know Eddie Van Halen would be a legend and his own guitar-playing
    06:31 - Did he know early on how big Van Halen would become, and early days with the LA club scene
    07:00 - The night Warner Brothers saw them for the first time
    08:43 - What’s his favorite David Lee Roth Van Halen album is
    09:29 - The essence and core of Van Halen
    10:03 - How Sammy Hagar could have replaced Roth back in 1978
    10:57 - How Van Halen has evolved since Sammy Hagar joined the band.
    11:58 - How producer Bruce Fairbairn got involved in producing “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge”
    13:34 - Van Halen’s process in picking a producer
    14:38 - Does he have any input into writing Van Halen songs?
    15:53 - How much longer does he see Van Halen rocking?
    16:26 - What’s the best thing about being in Van Halen
    16:41 - Alex talks about Van Halen’s USA Harvest can drive
    18:02 - Alex gives the name of the person Steve should talk to to get backstage.

    • 18 min
    Eddie Van Halen & Michael Anthony | The OU812 Interview

    Eddie Van Halen & Michael Anthony | The OU812 Interview

    In this episode, we have Eddie Van Halen and Michael Anthony. At the time of this interview in 1989, Van Halen was in Japan promoting their OU812 tour and record.. In the interview, Van Halen talks about how Eddie wants to be remembered when he dies, David Lee Roth and Ted Templeman, their album OU812, why Eddie is still not 100% sober, and so much more. 
    We have also added a bonus interview with Eddie alone from 1985.
    The interview is conducted by Steve Harris. To learn more about Steve, please check out our podcast-only interview with him, which is out now.
    00:00 - Intro
    01:03 - Start to Eddie Van Halen Michael Anthony interview
    01:15 - Is there a formula to make hit records?
    01:45 - Eddie Van Halen enters the conversation
    02:34 - Is Van Halen more like a family?
    03:03 - If David Lee Roth is a businessman
    04:13 - Is OU812 more straightforward?
    05:38 - How has the age of fans affected the music?
    06:42 - How Eddie wants to be remembered when he dies
    07:06 - What separates Eddie from his clones
    07:43 - Eddie talks about Jimmy Page
    08:28 - Can Van Halen burn out musically?
    08:55 - His playing when he first learned to play
    09:35 - If they think as they get older, they lose certain things
    09:59 - If they ever go back to the older Van Halen music and why he build 5150
    11:03 - If Eddie ever becomes too indulgent
    12:02 - How much input do producers have? Talks about Ted Templeman and Mick Jones
    12:45 - David Lee Roth and Ted Templeman’s theory on covering hit songs
    13:46 - Guns ’n Roses
    14:12 - Drugs and drinking
    14:51 - Did Eddie ever go too far with partying?
    15:31 - With David Lee Roth leaving, did that lift a cloud?
    16:09 - Does Eddie need to drink to write music?
    18:03 - Did Eddie and Al go sober at the request of their father?
    18:40 - Eddie tells the band to calm down during their first tour
    19:22 - Van Halen band meetings
    19:48 - Is Van Halen a democracy?
    20:33 - What would Eddie have done if he wasn’t a guitarist
    21:21 - Eddie talks about playing piano as a kid
    23:09 - Does Van Halen bring out violent impulses from fans?
    23:42 - Does he like any current bands?
    24:27 - Sammy Hagar walks in
    24:56 - Why Eddie started playing guitar [Start of the interview from 1985]
    25:58 - Was his guitar like his friend
    26:51 - Al and Eddie money making scam
    28:08 - How Eddie depends on Alex, and how Al took over Ed’s drums
    30:58 - What makes Van Halen good?
    32:17 - When did Ed know Van Halen was something special?
    32:51 - His love for his guitar and family
    34:52 - What will it take for him to realize people appreciate him
    35:56 - Eddie avoiding fame
    36:28 - Why does he go onstage?
    37:34 - Does he feel like a rockstar?
    38:18 - What he dreamt of when he first started with Van Halen
    38:53 - Alex throwing drumsticks at him
    40:36 - Why he detunes
    41:18 - He hates books
    42:28 - The backstory to the song Girl Gone Bad
    44:05 - Why was 1984 important to Eddie’s mental health?
    44:56 - Eddie Van Halen plays Crossroads
    47:50 - How old was he when he learned Crossroads?
    48:10 - Is he happy while playing?
    48:41 - Why he likes being alone
    49:00 - Have people told him he was nuts?
    49:15 - How has the success of 1984 changed him
    50:06 - Did he think Jump would be a hit?
    50:49 - Does he get pleasure from playing music?
    51:40 - Could anyone play like Eddie?

    • 53 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
68 Ratings

68 Ratings

magaoingo ,

Legendary Acts

Not going to lie, I don’t think the interview questions are always great, but so many legends being interviewed.

Bocaphreak ,

Great Interviews

Thanks for giving us an inside look at many rock legends

Egad Phork ,

Great Snapshots of Artists in Time!

The Tapes Archive is a great collection of exclusive audio interviews. Perfect for podcasting, the show provides insightful looks back at musicians and comedians and where they were at a particular time.

Marc Allan is a well-known (in Indiana) concert critic, and the show gives you a great look at how he developed his interview techniques over the years. I highly recommend the George Carlin and Neil Peart episodes.

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