Why the Daleks Don’t Like Van Halen: Part 2

Some day, I'd like to visit the Royal Albert Hall.
Perhaps for a concert by Van Halen?

It’s fitting that we never hear music played in the first Doctor story “The Dalek Invasion of Earth.”  Those humans who have survived the Dalek bombardment, and thus far managed to evade capture, join the resistance movement.  Yet no one smiles or laughs: the Daleks have driven all joy from their lives.  When their attack on the Dalek spaceport fails, Barbara and Jenny push Dorman’s wheelchair through London in a mad dash to escape the city.  They travel across Westminster Bridge and through Trafalgar Square.  One of the buildings that lay in their path is the Royal Albert Hall.  Barbara, Jenny, and Dortman skirt the far side of the royal Hall to avoid the Daleks surrounding the Prince Albert Memorial. 

I don’t know if Van Halen has ever played at the Royal Albert Hall.  I don’t know that they ever will.  Yet the concert hall has hosted similar rock music acts, and continues to do so.  And it is this building, built to commemorate a prince who promoted the arts, that helps them survive.  While these soulless aliens have robbed the humans of everything that lightened their spirits, two members of this desperate human trio will ultimately go on to defeat the Daleks.  I find a delicious irony in that.

With the release of "A Different Kind of Truth,"
Van Halen (and my life) come full circle.

Since we’ve returned from England, the original lineup of Van Halen, apart from Michael Anthony, has reunited and released a new album.  I’ll admit it: I wondered if they could create the same magic they had once found together.  I needn’t have worried.  Their new songs resonate in me today, just as fully as the ones they recorded in the 1970s and 80s.  I had not realized I had missed them so.  The original lineup’s breakup had left a void inside me.  Perhaps it had even ceased to ache.  More likely, their absence had been covered over by all the other little knocks we receive, from so many sources, over the decades.  But now, hearing their distinctive sound, energy and thoughts again, I am torn.  Part of me aches at what has been lost: all the great music these incredibly talented men could have created, had they stayed together.  But another part of me rejoices.  For they have returned and filled the void inside me. 

New songs such as “Tattoo,” “China Town,” and “Stay Frosty” merge with older favorites like “Jaime’s Cryin’,” “Dance the Night Away,” and ”Pretty Woman.”  In doing so, they have inscribed themselves into the soundtrack of my life. 

Related Dragon Cache entries

A History of Conflict

Those Fearsome Daleks

The Penultimate Stop on our Dalek Adventure

Related Internet Links

Doctor Who locations for “The Dalek Invasion of Earth”

Van Halen’s Website

Why the Daleks Don’t Like Van Halen: Part 1

In the Doctor Who story "The Chase,"
the Daleks pursue the Tardis
in their own, newer time machine.

Isn’t it amazing how music brings us together?  Whether sung in churches, in public houses, or in concert venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, music brings out something special in us.  It unites us in a way not easy to define.  The sound of finely tuned instruments and voices lifted in song lightens the soul.  Lyrics inspired by fiction, tradition, and historical events flow through our minds, and become part of the soundtrack of our lives.  Music can make us feel more energized and alive than the most potent drugs.  Songs can evoke emotions from within us that we had thought locked up and forgotten.  The best music fuses with the universal human experience, or the consciousness of our day, and thus creates communities out of disparate individuals.

In Junior High School, when my own individual tastes began to diverge from that of my parents and my church, one of the first music groups I bonded with was Van Halen.  I don’t think there was one particular aspect of the group that I liked more than any other.  David Lee Roth’s singing radiated individuality and vitality.  Eddie Van Halen played his guitar with enthusiasm and artistry.  Michael Anthony’s bass guitar, and Alex Van Halen’s drums, served as the foundation of the group, rooting and grounding the ensemble’s signature sound.  When I started to make my own money, theirs were the first records I bought.  Their songs made me smile, filled me with energy, and helped me see the world in a more complete fashion.  At least they did until I destroyed them.

The Daleks pursue the Doctor and his companions
across space and time.

One summer, our pastor hired a youth leader.  He came to our church, befriended us, and spoke with an intelligence and passion that impressed us all.  Then one Sunday night, he delivered a sermon that transfixed us.  His usage of scripture struck terror into our hearts.  What was his message?  How Satan used secular rock music to corrupt our souls, and separate us from God.  I don’t remember the particulars of what he said, but I do remember the result.  Many of us went home and broke all the records, eight-tracks tapes, and cassette tapes in our collections.

I’ve always regretted those acts of ruthless violence.  In destroying my beloved music library, I created a void in my heart that nothing else (not even the best Christian Rock music) could fill.  It took awhile, but over time, I came to realize how the man’s arguments, and my consequent actions, had left me bereft.  It took several years, but gradually I replaced most of what had been lost, thus regaining the songs so precious to me.

The Tardis finally lands on a planet with man-eating plants,
where the Doctor & company decide to make their stand.

In the original “Doctor Who” series, one of my favorite moments from the first Doctor era comes in “The Chase.”  Through the Time-Space Visualiser, the Doctor is able to tune into a Beatles concert.  Suddenly everyone in the Tardis comes to life.  While Vicki, Ian, and Barbara have been happy and joyous in other stories, they never seemed so alive to me as when they were dancing to the Beatles music in the Tardis.  Sadly, no doubt due to legal and financial considerations, this footage has been edited from the recent DVD release, at least for Region 1 (in the United States). 

This blog will conclude with Why the Daleks Don’t Like Van Halen: Part 2.

But they don't count on a look-a-like Doctor,
or the Mechonoids who lay in wait for them.

Related Dragon Cache entries

Westminster Bridge in Color, and in Black and White

Lions and Daleks and Wizards, oh my!

Faith, Religion, and the English People

Related Internet Links

Royal Albert Hall

Doctor Who: “The Chase”