On 'Van Halen,' I was a young punk, and everything revolved around the fastest kid in town, gunslinger attitude. But I'd say that at the time of 'Fair Warning,' I started concentrating more on songwriting. But I guess in most people's minds I'm just a gunslinger.

Music kept me off the streets and out of trouble and gave me something that was mine that no one could take away from me.

I think Clapton is brilliant. He's the only one who moved me. The only one who made me want to play the guitar.

I'll be making music 'til the day I die. I've done all kinds of stuff, and more is coming.

I was trying to take the band in a direction that I thought was appropriate, and Roth was trying to take the band in more of a Las Vegas direction. And there he is.

I'm blessed with a good pair of ears. That's how I fooled my piano teacher. I'd watch his fingers and I'd listen to it, and I just kind of basically learned it by myself.

I boil the strings so they stretch.