Teddy Swims recently opened up about his unusual friendship and collaborative relationship with Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, revealing a series of surreal stories that left him in awe of the rock legend’s adventurous lifestyle and unexpected experiences outside of music.
Appearing on the Zach Sang Show, Swims described Roth as someone whose larger-than-life personality never turns off.
“What a badass, bro. He did Coachella and Stage Coach with us. And that dude really is like on and off stage David Lee Roth. Like he is David Lee Roth like all the time, man.”
Swims went on to explain that even simple conversations with Roth tend to become memorable experiences.
“He has this bit where he, you know, he’s 72, 73. He doesn’t quite want to know how to work his phone, I guess. So he like has his manager call mine and then we’ll get on like a four-way call so he can tell me about it. And the other day he calls me.”
According to Swims, one such call came during the second week of Coachella, and he assumed Roth wanted to discuss the upcoming performance.
“This is going in the second week of Coachella and he calls me and he goes, ‘Hey Teddy, I just wanted to hop on.’ I thought he was going to talk to me about the show or anything. And he goes, ‘Dude, I was thinking and I have this playlist that I want you to hear. I don’t listen to a lot of rock and roll songs, but there’s this playlist of mine that I made.’”
What followed was an elaborate story involving Thailand, a bicycle journey through the jungle, and a carefully curated soundtrack.
“It’s 13 hours and he’s like, ‘Dude, I lived in Thailand for a little while. And so when I was in Thailand, I did this thousand-mile jungle bike ride. So when I was doing this, when we’d camp here and there in the jungle, I had this JBL speaker under my balls. And I’d play this playlist. So I want you to hear this because I don’t listen to a lot of rock again. When you listen to it, I want you to think about me and my jungle bike and this JBL speaker and me going through the jungles of Thailand and I think it’ll inspire you.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ He’s like, ‘All right, see you Friday.’ I was like, shit yeah, dude. I’m kicking ass, dude. He tells me stuff like that.”
Swims also revealed that Roth’s stories frequently extend far beyond his decades in rock music.
“He spent like two years living in Japan and he just will start speaking like fluent Japanese to you and then tell you about these crazy stories in Japan. Dude he was an EMT for a couple years too which is crazy. He’s on these like crazy side missions and if you ever get a chance to talk to him, ask him about his EMT journey. And he just like went and got like certified to do it.”
The singer said Roth shared stories from his time working as an emergency medical technician, experiences that left a particularly strong impression on him.
“And he was telling me these stories about like, you know, sitting in the back of the ambulance like holding this guy’s hand while he’s thinking he’s about to die. I mean, imagine you just like wake up and maybe you got in a wreck or something. It’s David Lee Roth at like 70 years old holding your hand saying things like ‘Stay with me,’ you know? And he’s got these crazy stories, bro.”
Swims’ comments offered a rare glimpse into Roth’s private life, portraying the legendary frontman as someone constantly pursuing new experiences. Whether it’s spending years in Japan, taking a thousand-mile bike ride through the jungles of Thailand, or becoming a certified EMT and comforting patients during emergencies, Roth appears to bring the same intensity to everyday life that made him one of rock’s most recognizable personalities.
The stories also reinforced Swims’ belief that the David Lee Roth fans see onstage is exactly who he is away from the spotlight—a man whose adventures seem to rival even the most outrageous tales from his rock-and-roll career.
