David Lee Roth knows what talent looks like. Not only does he understand artistry when it’s right in front of him, but he knows the power of prioritising musical creativity over mutual respect and collaborative ease. After all, he worked with Eddie and Alex Van Halen for years despite being “bitter rivals” who “always hated each other, right up until the last phone call”.

This is why Roth often looks much deeper beneath the surface when pinpointing musicians with true talent. Although many of his interviews centre around the rise and fall of Van Halen and the aspects of their dynamics that made them doomed from their inception, many figures captivated his attention for positive reasons.One such maestro was the late Queen frontman himself, whose powerful vocals and electrifying stage presence were enough to charm any observer. However, for Roth, Freddie Mercury’s fearless originality and ability to break musical boundaries truly set him apart as a genius. In his view, Mercury was a living example of musical unity, which few could master.

Following the release of Bryan Singer’s Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018, the band experienced an explosive resurgence propelled by the movie’s titular track, which epitomised everything the band stood for. Fearless innovation while blending operatic grandeur with rock and roll’s raw energy was their biggest selling point, which inspired not only those within similar glam rock circles but also the industry on a grander scale.In 2019, Roth admitted he had yet to experience the movie, but he did share a memory of attending a Queen concert at the LA Forum when he was younger, incidentally when ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ had just been released as a single, despite the many warnings in the band’s inner circle about letting it work its magic with the general public. What Roth witnessed, however, was anything but trepidation. Instead, to him, Mercury was a “major prime”.

Recounting the experience in 2019, he explained that Mercury didn’t just possess immaculate stagecraft; he also yielded charisma that superseded any sense of restriction. “His sensibilities in terms of music weren’t just three chords and an attitude,” Roth said on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

“Freddie brought a whole wealth of listening to different kinds of music, whether it was orchestral, big band or bistro,” he added.

In this way, Roth views Mercury as someone who was not only a master at blending genres but also someone with unparalleled technical skills and eclectic influences. He didn’t try to embody others in his representation of various genres or sensibilities; he was completely himself, which gave him a self-assured individuality and allowed him to redefine what it meant to be a rock star.