The 5150 Show is livestreaming an episode devoted entirely to Van Halen's 1984 album, which was released 40 years ago this month. Joining the show are authors Greg Renoff (Van Halen Rising, Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer’s Life in Music) and Chris Gill (Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen), who will discuss the album's creation, reception and legacy. Catch … [Read more...]
The Devo Joke David Lee Roth ‘Didn’t Like’
Credit: Neil Zlozower Devo is known for its sense of humor. But not everyone is in on the joke. Devo's Gerald V. Casale was a recent guest on the Paltrocast and recalled the time an in-concert joke at the expense of David Lee Roth didn't sit well with the Van Halen frontman. I only met David Lee Roth in passing," Casale told Paltrowitz. "Back then I never met … [Read more...]
Steve Stevens Reminisces About Working with Van Halen Members
From his first meeting with Edward Van Halen at 5150 Studios in 1987, through his final 2013 interaction with Eddie and Wolfgang on Tour in Australia, Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens recently shared his career experiences with Edward and Van Halen band members. Stevens, who appeared on Final Resonance TV hosted by the Van Halen News Desk's Jeff Goebel, first met Eddie at … [Read more...]
Exclusive: In Conversation with Darren Paltrowitz, Author of ‘DLR Book’
The Van Halen News Desk had the chance to talk with Darren Paltrowitz, author of DLR Book: How David Lee Roth Changed the World. In the video above, Paltrowitz and the VHND's Eric Senich cover all things Diamond Dave including: Dave's contributions to Van Halen on and off stage Did Dave really quit Van Halen in '85? The DLR movie we never got to see: Crazy From … [Read more...]
What Eddie Van Halen Said That Steve Hackett Is Grateful For
Credit: Neil Zlozower While Eddie Van Halen became the master of two-handed tapping, he often reminded the rock media that he wasn't the first to come up with the technique. One guitarist he'd often name-check was Steve Hackett, something Hackett is still grateful for. Below is an excerpt from Hackett's interview with Ultimate-Guitar's Greg Prato: Do you feel … [Read more...]
Video Series Celebrates Modern Drummer Hall-Of-Famer Alex Van Halen
Credit: Neil Zlozower Modern Drummer has rolled out the first of a series of videos dedicated to their 2023 Hall-of-Fame inductee Alex Van Halen! Alex, who has appeared on the cover of Modern Drummer four times: 1983, 1993, 2008, and most recently in March of 2021, was inducted back in September. This week, Modern Drummer's official YouTube channel released an Alex … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Crashes Fan Podcast
Photo Credit: Brent Kinnaird & Darin Bristow The Sammy Hagar podcast The Bogus Otis Show recently had the chance to interview the Red Rocker himself! The Instagram comments started sometime in season two of the podcast, but they weren’t from any random listener. They were from Hagar himself. Bristow and Kinnaird would casually acknowledge their new listener on … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen On The Making Of ‘Mammoth II’
Wolfgang Van Halen gave Guitar World an in-depth look at the making of the Mammoth II album and the complete audio of the interview has been released! Rock journalist Chris Gill (co-author of Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen) recently interviewed Wolfgang for the cover feature of the January 2024 issue of Guitar World but tells us that there is even more material … [Read more...]
George Lynch Recalls Early Van Halen Memories
Credit: Neil Zlozower George Lynch opened up about his earliest memories of a "hungry", "on fire", and "vicious" club-era Van Halen in a recent interview. Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob) told the Van Halen New Desk's Jeff Goebel he saw Van Halen for the first time at The Golden West Ballroom in Norwalk, California. Lynch said it was the best show he had ever seen by the … [Read more...]
Satriani Aiming To Recreate Sound Of Each Era Of Van Halen
Credit: YouTube Joe Satriani wants to capture the best of all Eddie Van Halen tones on the upcoming Best Of All Worlds tour. In a recent Q&A with Rolling Stone's Andy Greene, Satriani was asked if he intends to try and replicate Eddie Van Halen's guitar tone. Below is Satriani's response: It's really interesting. There's an interesting period with Ed, which he … [Read more...]
What’s Your Ultimate Van Halen Mixtape?
Credit: Neil Zlozower It's time for a throwback party. Forget streaming services, we're looking for someone with the ultimate Van Halen mixtape! The Van Halen News Desk's Eric Senich was a recent guest on the podcast My Weekly Mixtape to come up with the ultimate Van Halen mixtape. A good excuse to ask our VHND readers to get in on the fun. Tell us what your ultimate … [Read more...]
Reliving Van Halen’s Iconic 1983 US Festival Performance
Credit: Neil Zlozower Imagine what it was like being a teenager witnessing Van Halen for the first time. You're among an estimated 670,000 people packed into Glen Helen Regional Park on a hot summer day under the sun for the massive event known as the 1983 US Festival. The Van Halen News Desk spoke with two people who didn't have to imagine it. They lived through the … [Read more...]