UPDATE: This article was originally published before the new video premiered today. Now that we’ve seen it, there’s something important Van Halen fans should know:
Despite being billed as an “EXTENDED CUT,” this isn’t simply a longer version of the 15-minute video released last month. It’s 32 minutes of additional footage from the conversation, with no repeated dialogue from the first video.
TEDxFargo has released “Beyond the Stage,” featuring Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and acclaimed artist Robert Vargas from their July 30 conversation at TEDxFargo’s 2026 “CHARGE” event.
And there’s plenty of great Van Halen talk.
At one point, Roth remembers meeting Alex for the first time:
New METAL EVH License Plate Frame at Van Halen Store
“I’ll tell you, when I first met Al, he was terrifying. He tried to cadge money out of me in front of the 7-Eleven over on Altadena Boulevard. I was terrified. He was so big, but I thought he was cool.”
Dave says Alex later picked him up hitchhiking a couple of times and the two talked about music.
It also offers a great glimpse into how grassroots Van Halen’s early club days really were.
The band members weren’t just the musicians. They were their own road crew. Roth remembers them wearing navy jumpsuits with the sleeves cut off while they set up their equipment at the clubs. Then they’d go behind the amps, take off the jumpsuits and emerge as the band.
“We wore many hats,” Alex says.
The conversation also turns to the work ethic behind Van Halen’s rise. Alex recalls the band playing five 45-minute sets a night, as many as four nights a week, and building up a repertoire of roughly 120 songs.
“You have to physically do it,” Alex says. “These songs get transferred into your being and then you put your own spin on it. Don’t duplicate it. Don’t imitate it. Don’t regurgitate it. Take that and then from there you go a little further.”
The three also get into songwriting, originality, work ethic, Roth’s unmistakable voice, Alex and Eddie’s musical upbringing, martial arts, art, books and the experiences that shaped them creatively.
We watched both TEDxFargo videos, and we actually enjoyed this one even more.
Watch all 32 minutes of “Beyond the Stage” below.
