Guitarist John 5 contributed to the new hardcover photo book, Eddie Van Halen, by Neil Zlozower. The Van Halen News Desk has the exclusive what the guitarist had to say about Van Halen: "Eddie's music came into my life in 1978, and from that point forward I knew exactly what I was going to do with my life. Not only did he reinvent the guitar forever, and influence all of us … [Read more...]
Ronnie Montrose: “What Made Eddie Van Halen Special Was His Youthful Irreverence For The Rules.”
Shortly before his death, the late, great Ronnie Montrose contributed to the upcoming hardcover photo book, Eddie Van Halen, by Neil Zlozower. The Van Halen News Desk has the exclusive on the guitarist's story of meeting Eddie Van Halen: "The first tour I did with Van Halen, the bill was Journey, Ronnie Montrose, and Van Halen was opening. I was doing my instrumental … [Read more...]
KISS’s Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley Rave About Van Halen
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley from KISS contributed to two coffee table photo books, Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen, both published by legendary rock photographer Neil Zlozower. The Van Halen News Desk has the exclusive on both quotes. "Once upon a time, when it meant something to be a rock star and groupies prided themselves on whom they had spent the night with, I was … [Read more...]
Lita Ford: “Eddie Van Halen is The Les Paul of Today’s World”
Photo: The Runaways with David Lee Roth and Rodney Bingenheimer at K-ROQ in Pasadena. From VHND archives. "In the very early days, the Runaways and Van Halen musically grew up together on the Sunset Strip. Edward was my friend. I’d go to his house after a night of partying, and we would say “Hi” to his mom, and he’d make me breakfast by opening a packet of Carnation Instant … [Read more...]
AC/DC’s Angus Young: “I’d Put Eddie Van Halen in That Category of Being an Innovator Like Hendrix”
Angus Young from AC/DC has some nice words to say about Eddie Van Halen... "AC/DC played on a bill with Van Halen back in 1978 or 1979 for a Bill Graham Day on the Green show. I didn’t know much about Van Halen then except that I remember seeing film clips of them, especially the one of Eddie playing the solo piece, 'Eruption,' and I was very impressed. I didn’t meet Eddie … [Read more...]
Chickenfoot Members Praise Van Halen
Ever wonder what the members of Chickenfoot think of Van Halen? Here's what Joe Satriani and Chad Smith have said about them: . "The power and virtuosity that Eddie displays on every record is staggering. His timing and his tone make him so much fun to listen to. The first time I heard VH on the radio I stood up and cheered, because I felt that Eddie was doing what so … [Read more...]
Studio Encounter with Eddie Van Halen
Guitar legend Nuno Bettencourt was recently at Henson Studios to do some writing and mixing. Unbeknownst to him, his favorite rock band from his youth were secretly using the very same studios to record their upcoming album. Inspired by his chance encounter with Eddie Van Halen that day, Nuno wrote a story about it, which he contributed to the upcoming hardcover photo book, … [Read more...]
Slash: Van Halen mixing album
On May 17, Tom Russell of U.K.'s Rock Radio conducted an interview with legendary guitarist Slash (Velvet Revolver, Guns 'n' Roses). Here's what Slash had to say about what Van Halen is up to: Slash: "I'm a huge Van Halen fan. They're finishing [up their new album right now], actually. I don't wanna speak on their behalf, but one of the guys that works for us works for Van … [Read more...]
Steven Pearcy on the influence of early Van Halen
Steven Pearcy from Ratt memntioned Van Halen during an interview with the San Diego Reader: Ratt 'n' Roll By Andrew Hamlin Published Wednesday, June 9, 2010 Ratt left San Diego in the ’80s and scrabbled to the big prize in L.A. with their triple-platinum debut LP. After years of decadence, a few more albums, and the eventual drug death of guitarist Robbin Crosby, the … [Read more...]
Metallica Talks, Jams Van Halen
James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo from Metallica talk about the first time they heard Van Halen in the first video below. James: I remember hearing on some radio station that Van Halen's [first] album was coming out. [I was like] "Whoa, what is that? It's crunchy!" That really made my hair stand up. Back when I was growing up Van Halen was the heaviest we had in … [Read more...]