Published 18:00 IST, October 19th 2020
David Lee Roth discusses the Japanese art of ink painting, calls it "graphic therapy"
David Lee Roth is now a painter. In an interview, David discussed learning the Japanese art of ink painting. He also talked about his journey as a painter
David Lee Roth is now a sumi-e painting expert. In a recent interview, David spoke about Halen’s death and how he stayed in Tokyo for two years to learn the Japanese art of Ink Painting. Apart from discussing painting, David Lee Roth also spoke about his experience as a medical emergency technician.
David Lee Roth showcases his ink painting skills
Singer David Lee Roth needs no introduction. He is one of the members of the rock band, Van Halen. Back in the day, Roth was known as “Diamond Dave” as he was a ball of energy on stage and nobody could match his crazy stamina. However, Diamond Dave has been away from the stage for some time.
For the past few years, David Lee Roth and his band Van Halen have taken a break from the limelight. This break came after Van Halen’s guitarist and found Eddie Van Halen was diagnosed with throat cancer. On October 6, 2020, Eddie passed away in Santa Monica after battling cancer for five years.
In a recent interview with CBS, David Lee Roth spoke extensively about how he is making a mark for himself away from the music industry as a painter. In this interview, David Lee Roth revealed that he is now completely trained in sumi-e technique, which is a Japanese art of ink painting. He also revealed that for his first six months of training, he was painting on bamboo.
After the completion of these six months, Roth was also painting on a “little house with snow on top”. While discussing the art form, Roth described it as "graphic therapy". But this is not the first time David Lee Roth chose to take a break from his rock star status. According to CBS’ report, back in 2004, the Van Halen member became a certified emergency medical technician in New York.
Also read | Eddie Van Halen's Best Songs To Remember The Rockstar: Dance The Night Away, Jump, & More
He is used to answering emergency calls in New York’s Bronx region. While talking about his brief stint as a medical technician, David Lee Roth revealed that answering those calls made him feel like a “rock star”. He added that “I wasn’t somebody until I put on that 511-uniform and went on my first calls”. While recalling the experience, David Lee Roth called his brief stint a “humbling experience”.
Updated 18:00 IST, October 19th 2020