Famous Porcupine: David

A "Bad Boy"

David was born in Bloomington, Indiana and was wild right from the start. He was often called a “bad boy” and was overly rambunctious. He moved to Massachusetts and back again to Indiana when he was little, and he later recalled that he didn’t get along with other kids. Between being new in towns and wearing leg braces, he struggled to connect with other kids. Peers teased him and picked on him for being Jewish.

Monkey Hour

Years later, in an interview with Larry King he talked about how when he was little, he would imitate commercials on TV, “ticky-tacking on the table and singing songs.” Adults called this time “monkey hour.” His parents took him to a psychiatrist when he was six years old, and he was eventually diagnosed as hyperactive (an earlier term for ADHD). He received psychiatric treatment for several years for his hyperactivity and even attended a horse ranch for troubled teens.

Mammoth

He found an outlet in performing. In addition to imitating commercials, he started singing at an early age and performed in a school play in third grade. In high school, David started singing solo acts and was also part of a band named the Red Ball Jets. He later joined a different local band, Mammoth. This band later changed its name to Van Halen and went on to be one of the most influential and successful bands in Rock and Roll history (not to mention on my personal favorites).

(To see this famous porcupine, click an arrow below.)

If you watch an early music video of David dancing in spandex—with his seemingly inexhaustible energy, it’s hard not to wonder, “What was it like to be David Lee Roth’s teacher?”

Click here to read stories of more famous porcupines. Be sure to check out the book that inspired this series: Hugging Porcupines: Month-by-Month Strategies for Supporting Our Most Challenging Students.

Citations: The information for this story was drawn from several sources:

Wikipedia: David Lee Roth
Larry King Interview
The Tapes Interview: David Lee Roth
The Barbarian in You: The Uninhibited Vigor of David Lee Roth

Author

Mike Anderson

Mike Anderson has been an educator for many years. A public school teacher for 15 years, he has also taught preschool, coached swim teams, and taught university graduate level classes. He now works as a consultant providing professional learning for teachers throughout the US and beyond.

As a classroom teacher, Mike was awarded a national Milken Educator Award and was a finalist for NH Teacher of the Year. In 2020, he was awarded the Outstanding Educational Leader Award by NHASCD for his work as a consultant. A best-selling author, Mike has written many books about great teaching and learning. His latest book is Hugging Porcupines: Month-by-Month Strategies to Support Our Most Challenging Students.

When not working, Mike can be found hanging with his family, tending his perennial gardens, sorting baseball cards and searching for new running routes around his home in Durham, NH.

View all posts