DLR TKO’d

It’s been known for some time now that David Lee Roth lives in Tokyo, though it isn’t clear for exactly how long.

Though the Van Halen vocalist has managed to fly under the radar of Japan’s major media, he’s often sighted by eagle-eyed Tokyoites – snacking in a yakitori (chicken barbecue) restaurant or patronizing a used record store – who post the encounter on the Internet.

According to his own Internet TV show, Roth is studying martial arts, as well as Japanese pop history. On one program he chronicled in amusing detail the rise and fall of Rikidozan, the Korean-Japanese man often credited with popularizing professional wrestling in Japan.

Recently, however, Roth has emerged as the host of a web-radio show, “Tokyo Hi-Power Style,” in which he shows off his Japanese (albeit with the help of a female announcer who interprets most of his motor-mouthed English pronouncements) while spinning funk, R&B, soul and other nominal dance music.

As Roth recently told Rolling Stone, the music is all from his personal collection.