David Lee Roth has made it crystal clear how he feels about Gene Simmons' suggestion that his career is over.
Roth issued a rebuttal via Instagram in the form of 18 middle fingers sent from "Roth to Simmons."
KISS resumed its postponed 'End of the Road' farewell tour last week, but without Roth and his solo band returning as opening act. Speaking to Rolling Stone ahead of the tour's return, Simmons obliquely addressed Roth's withdrawal, first complimenting his impact on rock music and then suggesting that the Van Halen co-founder's singing and dancing days are done.
"It bears noting that during Dave's heyday, nobody did what he did," Simmons said. "He was the ultimate frontman. Not [Robert] Plant, not Rod Stewart, nobody. He took being a frontman way beyond anything. And then, I don't know what happened to him… something. And you get modern-day Dave. I prefer to remember Elvis Presley in his prime. Sneering lips, back in Memphis, you know, doing all that. I don't want to think of bloated naked Elvis on the bathroom floor."
Announcing his comeback in 2019, Roth was forthright about the belief that his days as a performer are numbered. He said the ticking clock was part of the reason he decided to strike out on his own again instead of waiting for another Van Halen tour.
Naturally, Simmons would likely not have compared Roth's present day abilities to those of "bloated" Elvis were Roth still on tour with Kiss. And despite Diamond Dave's truculent reply, he still has not offered much clarity as to why he did not continue with the tour.
But he surely has his reasons. Roth apparently survived a bout with COVID last year. In addition to the pandemic being far from over, he revealed last summer that he underwent spinal fusion surgery on his lower back.