Did David Lee Roth Predict His Own Retirement?
David Lee Roth announced his retirement earlier this week, he claimed it was his "first, and only, official announcement" regarding the matter.
But in revisiting the former Van Halen frontman's catalogue, it appears he actually gave fans a nearly three-decade heads up.
Roth's 1991 music video for "A Little Ain't Enough," the title track to his third solo studio album, featured a number of outrageous scenes — scantily clad women, cheerleading squads, a hot pink Jeep. Towards the end of the video, however, Roth visits a genie with a crystal ball to get a glimpse into the future.
In Roth's vision of the future, he arrives at his sold-out "Diamond Dave: the Absolute Final Tour" in a spaceship-like contraption, several pounds heavier and surrounded by press dressed in more metallic space gear. The date across the screen reads "October 10, 2021," (Roth's 67th birthday), which falls just nine days later than Roth's announced his real-life retirement.
There's an even earlier music video prediction that may yet be fulfilled. At the end of Van Halen's 1984 "Hot for Teacher" video, the various members are depicted in future post-band careers. Roth's is that of "America's favorite T.V. game show host."
Whether or not Roth turns to television remains to be seen, but in the meantime, he's planning to make the most of what he says are his final performances in Las Vegas, a run of five shows that kicks off New Year's Eve. “I know that when I am in the audience, whether you come out with a ukulele or a marching band, all I ask you give me everything you’ve got to give,” he said. “That’s what I did for the last 50 years.”
Watch David Lee Roth's Music Video for 'A Lil' Ain't Enough'