Jason Becker recently opened up about his experience recording David Lee Roth’s third solo album. He shared candid reflections in a recent interview.
When asked to look back on A Little Ain’t Enough and what it was like working with Roth, Becker revealed that the recording period coincided with one of the most difficult moments of his life — his ALS diagnosis.
“It was also a little bittersweet. It was a lot of fun, and hanging with the band and Dave was great, but I had just gotten diagnosed with ALS. I had just gotten the gig when my friend Miko took me to Kaiser to see what the lazy feeling in my left calf was,” Becker said. “I didn’t know anything about ALS, and I didn’t look it up either. The doctors had sad looks on their faces when they told me I had two to five years to live, after a couple weeks of testing.”
Becker went on to describe how the physical and emotional weight of his diagnosis affected his performance during the sessions.
“I was strong and focused on music, but the physical and mental pressure took its toll. My playing and creativity weren’t tip top. I could see my left hand was losing muscles, especially between my thumb and first finger, and I was often tripping and falling. I had just gotten a muscle biopsy and a spinal tap, so I wasn’t able to come up with the most creative and cool riffs,” he said.
Despite the hardship, Becker spoke warmly about Roth and his bandmates, while also expressing one lingering regret.
“I think it is a very good rock album, I just wish I had been able to give it a hundred percent. Dave was great to work with. He took me under his wing. Matt and Gregg Bissonette did too. Steve Hunter and I hung out all the time. He gave me B12 shots in my leg. I do wish Dave and I had stayed in touch,” Becker continued.
Becker was diagnosed with ALS shortly after joining Roth’s band. He has since surpassed the two-to-five year prognosis given to him by doctors at the time.
The story behind A Little Ain’t Enough is inseparable from one of rock’s most remarkable tales of perseverance. Becker’s journey from landing the gig to completing the album while battling a terminal diagnosis offers a fuller picture of just how much was at stake during those sessions.
Becker joined David Lee Roth’s band in 1989, stepping into the role vacated by Steve Vai. Vai had departed to record and tour with Whitesnake. It was a career-defining opportunity for the young guitarist, widely regarded at the time as one of the most gifted players of his generation.
The first signs of illness appeared almost immediately after he secured the position. Becker first noticed a “lazy limp” in his left leg on Mother’s Day 1989, just as he was preparing to take on the biggest gig of his career. The symptoms that followed led to the battery of tests — including a muscle biopsy and a spinal tap — that he referenced in his interview.
Despite the deteriorating condition of his hands, Becker pushed through the recording sessions by switching to extra-light-gauge guitar strings. This adaptation allowed him to complete his parts on the album. His condition declined rapidly enough that he was ultimately unable to join Roth’s subsequent tour in support of the record.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neuromuscular condition for which there is no cure. The disease gradually stripped Becker of his ability to play guitar entirely. He continued to compose music using an eye-tracking communication system developed by his father. Now more than three decades beyond the prognosis he was given, Becker’s survival alone stands as an extraordinary chapter in rock history.
