Uploaded February 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
In 1974 bassist Michael Anthony joined the Van Halen brothers in the band that bears their family name. By the time of our interview seven years later, he was regularly delighting concert goers with an extended bass solo that climaxed with his jumping on his bass. Most of the time, though, he played a supporting role. As Eddie said at the time of my interview with Michael, “Mike Anthony is a damned good bass player. When my brother Al and Mike are playing, it’s an open world for me. I can do whatever I want. They’re right there backing me up, feeding me.” Michael’s harmony vocals were essential to the classic Van Halen sound.
Shortly after recording Fair Warning, Michael agreed to do a wide-ranging interview on his role in the band. Our conversation took place on July 22, 1981. As you'll hear, we discussed his musical upbringing, instruments, the evolution of his extended onstage solo, and the limitations of playing hard rock. He explains how Van Halen arranges songs in Dr. Roth’s basement and the role producer Ted Templeman plays in this process. Michael also covers his favorite recordings with Van Halen and the benefits and pitfalls of success. We wrapped up the conversation with his advice for young players. An edited print version of this appeared in the October 1981 issue of Guitar Player magazine.
In all, Michael played bass on Van Halen’s first 11 albums. In 2006 he was permanently replaced by Eddie’s son Wolfgang. After that, he worked with former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar in Chickenfoot, featuring Joe Satriani on guitar. He currently plays with Sammy Hagar and the Circle. You can follow his exploits by visiting his official Mad Anthony Café website at madanthonycafe.com/.
I hope you enjoy this unique recording, and be sure to check out the other historic Van Halen interviews on the Talking Guitar YouTube channel. To help us continue producing podcasts, please hit that donate button and send some cheer our way: paypal.me/TalkingGuitar.
A special thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for enhancing the sound of the 42-year-old master tape and to Michael Anthony for approving our posting it. For more guitar-intensive podcasts and articles, visit my online Talking Guitar magazine at jasobrecht.substack.com/. #vanhalen #michaelanthony #eddievanhalen #edwardvanhalen #jasobrecht #talkingguitar #nikhunt #guitarplayermagazine
In 1974 bassist Michael Anthony joined the Van Halen brothers in the band that bears their family name. By the time of our interview seven years later, he was regularly delighting concert goers with an extended bass solo that climaxed with his jumping on his bass. Most of the time, though, he played a supporting role. As Eddie said at the time of my interview with Michael, “Mike Anthony is a damned good bass player. When my brother Al and Mike are playing, it’s an open world for me. I can do whatever I want. They’re right there backing me up, feeding me.” Michael’s harmony vocals were essential to the classic Van Halen sound.
Shortly after recording Fair Warning, Michael agreed to do a wide-ranging interview on his role in the band. Our conversation took place on July 22, 1981. As you'll hear, we discussed his musical upbringing, instruments, the evolution of his extended onstage solo, and the limitations of playing hard rock. He explains how Van Halen arranges songs in Dr. Roth’s basement and the role producer Ted Templeman plays in this process. Michael also covers his favorite recordings with Van Halen and the benefits and pitfalls of success. We wrapped up the conversation with his advice for young players. An edited print version of this appeared in the October 1981 issue of Guitar Player magazine.
In all, Michael played bass on Van Halen’s first 11 albums. In 2006 he was permanently replaced by Eddie’s son Wolfgang. After that, he worked with former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar in Chickenfoot, featuring Joe Satriani on guitar. He currently plays with Sammy Hagar and the Circle. You can follow his exploits by visiting his official Mad Anthony Café website at madanthonycafe.com/.
I hope you enjoy this unique recording, and be sure to check out the other historic Van Halen interviews on the Talking Guitar YouTube channel. To help us continue producing podcasts, please hit that donate button and send some cheer our way: paypal.me/TalkingGuitar.
A special thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for enhancing the sound of the 42-year-old master tape and to Michael Anthony for approving our posting it. For more guitar-intensive podcasts and articles, visit my online Talking Guitar magazine at jasobrecht.substack.com/. #vanhalen #michaelanthony #eddievanhalen #edwardvanhalen #jasobrecht #talkingguitar #nikhunt #guitarplayermagazine
