White Lion's Mike Tramp Tells THE Eddie Van Halen/David Lee Roth Story, "Who Are You?!?" - 2023 

Mike's DLR impression is so spot on, plus he's a great story teller.

Vito bratta was a beast guitarist

Awesome. I still listen to Vito and Mike's work as White Lion to this day.

We know that time flies……yet each year was speedball magic in the 80s. Then it was over. I can see Eddie smiling his smile “ I remember that “ !

Saw White Lion at Sundance in Bayshore (LI) just when “Wait” came out on MTV. Great band to see live.

I remember when the band was just called Lion they lived in Jackson Heights, Queens, where I lived they were a cool band. from Sweden. I remember Mike tramp, making a new band changed the band to White Lion with different musicians. The other musicians in lion moved back to Sweden and I was playing bass guitar at the time and bought the bass players Peavy stack. they were real nice guys.

Great interview. From the public perspective, a lot of these guys come across as a flash in the pan. Much respect to Tramp for putting in long years of work to achieve the success he had.

Interesting comment about Roth backstage. I met Roth along with my best friend Parrish in 79 after the Logan Utah show. Post show, he was in blues jeans sitting on the stage talking to a roadie about some of the details or problems with lighting or something. Totally low key. We walk backstage with him I'm 19, Parrish is 16 and we played in a band called Roxx. He didn't talk to us directly but included us in the walk backstage. After we get in the hallway. He looks across at us and says wadda ya think of the show boys??!!. It's just the three of us. We just stumbled and said something like phenomenal and that was it. Then I talked one on one about guitars with Ed when he came out into the hall.

Love all four albums alot. Fighr To Survive is a very underrated album. One band that i never got to see live. Vito in my opinion is one of the greatest guitar players ever.

I'm a big fan of Mike Tramp and I have listened or read lots of story telling from Mike through the years and let me tell you, this guy should write a book about his life!

Mike had a club in Michigan and i performed there many times. He was so nice and honest. Cool guy with zero ego!

Mike was never a crazy singer or The best vocals out there but his unique tone and great feel gave him something

What a great interview. That Village People story is hilarious!!! Ha ha ha!

Great stuff, Mike! 🤘😎🖤

Mike never gets credit for some seriously amazing lyrics. A true talent.

I met Mike, Vito, and Greg in Springfield, Illinois when they opened for Stryker I think. I can’t remember. What I do remember is Greg. He gave me a full tour of his kit on stage. So kind.

What a Story. Thanks Mike.

I TOTALLY DIG FINDING OUT NEW STUFF I NEVER KNEW ABOUT PEOPLE ... THIS IS TOO COOL !!!

OMG, L'amour in Brooklyn.... I used to go there countless times. I was at that White Lion concert at The Ritz NYC that was on MTV. I haven't watched that show since

I love the way this guy quotes Dave. It's so accurate. I love it!

April 1980...EVH at that time, the youngest fiddle player to grace the cove of 'GUITAR PLAYER' magazine!

Badass interview 🎉🤘Mike Tramp is super cool!! Love the way you put this whole thing together, with the pics how they match up to what you guys are saying! Haven't watched lately, so I'm definitely gonna catch up! Always a top notch channel and fave of mine!! 🎸🎶🎵🎼🎧🎙️🎚️🎛️ 💯❤️‍🔥🤘

I saw Mike play in NY with Vito when they were a club band. They were awesome! Mike was an all around great front man.

Very cool, Such a humble guy what at thrill it must've been to not only find out that Eddie remembered but to be able to share the story with his son. Wolfie!~

Now those are some great stories!

I got the chance to see White Lion when they opened for ac/dc on the Blow Up Your Video tour in ‘88. I knew about them from their first album video(s) and wasn’t expecting much from them. Our seats were on the floor mid section, and quite honestly at the time thought they put on a solid show. Vito stood out from the rest of the band though, and just was killing it nonstop. Everything from his stage presence, guitar tones, and playing was spectacular and as well as the band. Most of the crowd agreed, but of course were reluctant to give them much credit simply because ac/dc fans have always been critical no matter who opened for them. For the final bow at the end though the crowd agreed that they did put on a great show and gave them a well deserved applause, and some screams from the few female fans in attendance.

Zounds! That guy seems as genuine as he is entertaining! i really enjoyed this video.

I never realized from listening to White Lion back in the 80s that Mike Tramp had an accent. I always assumed he was just another American White Boy from California or something. Like the accent goes away when he sings some how.

Amazing stories and MT, you took some of those influences and became a fantastic front/vocal/entertainer!

Great story!!

Dude is full of life and is one really good story teller

Fascinating story.

Rock on

Holy shit, Mike is funny! Very enjoyable to listen to, especially the VH stories. 😄

His DLR impersonation is amazing hahaha!

Great video🙂🤘

White Lion produced some of the greatest melodic metal from the 80’s their first two albums were excellent too bad they didn’t last longer they were such a good band .

Love White Lion and these stories are great. These boys lived!

Mike Tramp is one of the great story tellers of his heyday. Hands down. I could listen to him for hours. Lol.

This was a great video. I've heard these stories before but Mike really told them with a different twist and I was laughing most of the time. Thanks for sharing.

I never knew anything about these guys. Liked some guitar work but I liked heavier music generally. Hearing his story is great. He seems like a very cool guy and he can tell a damn good story!

Thank you

Loved White Lion, always wondered what happened to them.

Wow...this guy in voice and everything else, isn't what I thought he was. This interview was captivating to say the least. What stories..

Great Van Halen stories.

Mainly the Vito solos. Vito was one of the best

Great interview!

Great story... man, I miss those days...

Fantastic

Too many egos in the highest echelons on music. "Don't meet your idols" Kudos to Mike for staying grounded.

I always admired White Lion because they openly admitted they were copying Van Halen and did it proudly --- Vito said he tapped in his songs as a sign of respect for Eddie --- and Mike was obviously copying Diamond Lee's look and hairstyle

Back then I could take or leave WL. but this dude Mike is more convincing than the guy he looked up to. That counts.

Wolfgang must be very sensitive about his father - great to hear that!

“ A visual date…whatever you may make of that” Is Mike Tramp implying that his future ( now ex) wife was DLR’s beard?

Cool shit mike stories are killer lucky man 👍

"Studs! They'll think you're the new Village People." lol

Bad ass

🤘🏻 🌟 🤘

I saw White Lion open for AC/DC in G'boro back in the 80's.

Great story

They had a badass song

Not gonna lie - I don't care for White Lion. But that guy has stories and educated and he is living his life for sure.

Fleur did some stuff for Motley Crue as well if I'm not mistaken.

White lion was the closest thing to Van Halen but without ripping them off. Like Zakk said Vito was the only guitar player in the 80s who did tapping with class while obviously inspired by Van Halen didn’t sound like a cheap ripoff

I still love 9them 😊

White Lion was the best hair band

Just did a quick search on him. Something Ive began doing back around 2015. I refuse to listen to a word from anyone if they are in the group of people that tows that communist talking points. This Mr Trempenau is a solid dude . I can still listen to W.L & D.L. so many I refuse to listen to now, its sad but , none of us should be supporting bands and people who support the present regimes by either agreeing with them or staying silent .

I'll always remember wait and children cry by that band but it's crazy he had been influenced a little by the new wave British metal in my mind some the best metal ever and it was incredibly heavy music maiden number of the beast priest screaming for vengeance what a fucking heavy album of course dio sabbath that was basically the blue print of the genre heaven and hell what an album one the best sabbath of all tines so much great shit from that genre

"Studs?" That aint gonna work in America. They're gonna think your the new village people. haha He does a great Dave impression and he was right. haha

well, When you are around friends “who have seen you naked” lol,, don’t take it personally it’s a routine, not meant to be a personal attack is all… imho. Thank you 🙏 for sharing your memories

Listen To The Flower People

Vito was every bit as good a shredder as EVH......maybe even a better melodic one at that. There was no one better at point for point melodic shredding than Vito.

Sounds about Dave...

Mr Yngwie Malmsteen is another guitarist that many people have forgotten. Check him out

Amazing Van Halen stories and Mike tells them so well, it's a shame DLR treated him like a nobody later on but that's Dave I guess lol. Small world!

I HATE RU-vid!! POLITICS AND CENSORSHIP but love to find gems like these vids!! Great Post!!!

11:33 - even just as a "visual" date whatever you may make out of that - wonder what mr. tramp is implying there. hmmmm....

"An ounce of image is worth a pound of performance" David Lee Roth If you ever heard him sing live, you know that's the truth.....

Hail Mary

Not a fan of the band White Lion at all but I like the stories...

Didn't know Mike tramp is Danish?

Dude, you're like a police interrogator the way you go after these people when they give those vague answers to your questions. Most every other interviewer out there NEVER bother to get to the bottom of anything, are afraid to "rock the boat", and just take what they get. YOU ARE THE MASTER!!!!

Sounds like he could be Lars Ulrich’s cousin.

Interesting, jumping around stage for Screaming girls.. what a life.. Studs.

White Lion were a remarkably average band, insignificant even.😊

Who is this guy? NEver heard of him/ LOL

His ex-wife weny on a visual date? That's a platonic date just for show? He is implying Dave swings gay or bi?

So "Mike Tramp" stole his stage persona from "Diamond Dave" & "Diamond Dave" stole his stage persona from "Jim Dandy" I wasn't into "White Lion" at all. I loved the Van Halen "DLR" years. hated "Van Hagar" I liked "BOA" but I also hated seeing Mike, Dave and Jim Dandy all prance around on stage like a male stripper. I understand why women may have enjoyed it but come on guys. There shouldn't be any straight guys that actually like their male stripper persona's!"

Truthfully White lion was freaking horrible !!!

Sounds like a bot

old news

Can ya hear them crying out...... for the people in El Salvador... Hear them cry.....

That dude sounds really cool but I never got into White Lion, the name was too gay for me at the time.

This gives insight to why Lars talks the way he does, since he's Danish as well.

Christ that guy's dialect is so terrible I couldn't even make it through the interview!

Most singers sing at a higher pitch than they speak. Not this guy...

Great story!