VH: ultimate melting pot band

**Little Dreamer** · 02.23.03, 10:02 PM

One thing that has rarely been discussed here is that the original VH was actually the most ethnically mixed of all the major bands of their era (and even since). If you think of Aerosmith, Led Zep, Sabbath, all these bands were totally white.

In VH, you had two half-dutch half-Indonesian guys, one son of Polish immigrants, and one Jewish guy.

They never promoted that aspect of the band (not that they necessarely should have) so it's never been really discussed anywhere.

I believe some of the musical diversity in the early albums can be attributed to that, with european classical music influences as well as funk/jazz tidibts.

Plus they also had a black man trapped in a Jewish man's body, of course!

**Zahzoo** · 02.24.03, 06:38 AM

Yes it's a little known fact that VH were pioneers in cultural diversity...

Let's see how far this thread gets before it get's ugly...

**Ikeda** · 02.24.03, 10:26 PM

i always thought it was pretty cool. i didn't know dave was jewish til later, but what/ why promote yourself like that? like li'l dreamer says, the music shows who they are.

VH is probably lucky that they didn't get pigeonholed as "the benneton ad band" or living color before living color. i think musicians as a group tend to be more tolerant, but the industry can be fucked up. i'm still disappointed mikey dropped his last name. maybe he just didn't want to get in trouble with his folks

**AVH Blues** · 02.25.03, 11:03 AM

I don't think on college campi today they consider 4 white European guys as diversity. Just because they are from different parts of Europe they are still all classified as white guys in the eyes of most meaning little or no diversity.

**Jedi Master** · 02.25.03, 11:14 AM

Great post Little Dreamer...i didn't know that mike parents were Polish immigrants..,thanks for making me wiser dude !!!

VH rules!!

**man of the people** · 02.25.03, 01:21 PM

Ultimate crack-pot band.

**Rocket** · 02.25.03, 02:07 PM

What is MA's real last name?

**Ikeda** · 02.25.03, 02:40 PM

mike's family name is sobolewski. i liked it so much, i wrote one of my stories around it.

http://www.inkburns.com/html/ein_herbstmaerchen.html

and maybe VH doesn't meet the star trek/ marines ulitmate diversity of every gender and every race, but i think two immigrants, mixed marriage and three different religions (assuming mikey's catholic since his family is polish chicagoans, and the van halens were christian, coming out of the netherlands) is an interesting mix. it's enough to get you kicked out of bob jones u.