Van Halen on Clapton

February 12, 2010 248 Comments

This is from the “30 on 30″ article in Guitar World’s current (March 2010) issue. As their 30th Anniversary celebration continues, they chose 30 of the greatest living guitarists to tell them who they would pick as the greatest guitarists of all time. Our man Eddie picked Eric Clapton, and Richie Kotzen chose Eddie.

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Filed Under: Eddie Van Halen

Jeremy

The bottom line though is that it’s your preference on who YOU like!

I just find it funny that your beloved Eddie doesn’t even like Hendrix that much, but yet you guys don’t say he’s ignorant?

Hmmm, I guess you guys don’t want to upset Edward the Great so he doesn’t read these posts and says to Alex: “nope, we are never, ever, releasing any music for these assholes!”

Like he cares what we think or want!

Just like I give a bakers fuck if you like Hendrix!
Karl

VH2008, what’s sad, creepy and disturbing about wanting to be told the truth. It’s not so much about fixating on wanting new music, it’s about Ed keeping us hanging on. If you’ve retired, just say so. All the time you keep us dangling with the promise of new music that never arrives it looks like you’re just trying to keep us warm so that we’ll by more branded sneakers. All the time that Ed keeps telling us that he’s got about a zillion songs sitting in the can just waiting to go but the reality is just silence his words are worth not much more than a lie. And that’s not the way to treat the people who’ve been part of your life for the last 30 years.
swingin’ sinner

pushtoshove i hoped you saved those receipts that you got for personally helping buy their houses, kids education and whatever else they bought! geez how poor are they or how rich are you that they needed your personal help? without which they would be destitute! you got what you paid for, i dont believe that there was any fine print that says in purchasing any of our products we will be in servitude to you forever! be happy with what you have and move on you sound like a stalker!
JUANE5150

USTEDES CREEN QUE EDDIE VAN HALEN NO VA A HACER UN DISCO Y UN DVD CON SU PROPIO HIJO? ESE ES SU SUEÑO ASI QUE ESTOY SEGURO QUE VENDRA POR LO MENOS UNO (EL ULTIMO) DISCO DE VAN HALEN LUEGO CON SU HIJO WOLFGANG
MICAL VEE

Let me just say that when people say eddie doesnt owe us crap,they are right! He dont! Gene simmons didnt owe kiss fans anything either but he knew what the fans wanted and he gave it to them in the live kiss dvd’s. I never thought that eddie and dave would ever play together again and they did so im a happy camper! I can understand where some of the people are coming from,a new album and dvd box set would be off the hook! I still jam on ME WISE MAGIC and know the VH boys can still deliver the goods!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TheTruthHurts

Well said, Karl.
scott

Why are some of you turds even on here if you are done with VH? Have your opinions, and voice them if need be. But some of this is the stupidest crap I’ve EVER heard…starting to think most of you are just teens talkin’ out your asses. Grow up and get over it.
Tone

I’m with vh2008 on this one. This ‘push’ guy sounds like a nut. very angry. Maybe a counselor will help.
Simon

Dude, my problem is that my heart is expecting an explosive new album to rival Women and Children First in its raw potency, but my head is expecting another Best Of featuring 10 remixes of Eruption.
SCAR

Shit, I got to admit these latest posts have made my morning buzz that much more enjoyable!! Thanks for the entertainment!! LMAO!!!!
http://wheresdave thin lizzy

i can totally relate to the first part of panama reds last post.i have become a more distant fan in recent years instead of the vh is god mentality i had for years.the bands lack of communication with the fans has forced all of us to expect the least, and hope for the best.i was right in the shoes of pushtoshove for a long time.but it is a grieving process we must all face..expect the least,and hope for the best..thats all we can do.. they put on a great tour with dave and then two years of total silence.. go figure.
chris.omeara

It’s hard for peope today to understand why Hendrix was such a big hit, but back in those days, nobody heard anybody play a guitar like that.

He took what Beck, The Who, Claton and the rest were doing a bit of, and rolled it all into a ball, threw it out there and said “Here’s how we’re gonna do it from now on…” Plus he had a strong R&B foundation from his days paying his dues playing the chitlin’ circuit. It took me a while when younger to appreciate what Hendix was all about, but one day it “clicked” in my brain while listeing to a live album.

If Hendrix hadn’t done what he had done, many of our heroes today wouldn’t be doing what they did the way they did it…
BoSox

LAte to this party and have not read all the responses, but Atomic Pete I think “One foot out the Door” is Eds best solo bar none. I also think in that time period he was at his best too. What do you think Chris Omera
http://wheresdave thin lizzy

BOSOX,there is no party,its the same bunch of people talking about NOTHING week after week, moth after month .year after year..
scott

I don’t see how if there is supposed to be a tour from VH this year and the talk of A.I.C. touring with them, true or not, that there won’t be something new from VH. They did the reunion thing, the fans got Dave back, and I’m glad they toured even if there wasn’t new stuff. They know they can’t tour again without something new, and I’m sure they are working on it. Everyone needs to have just a little more patience and not get your panties in a bunch.
Top Jimmy

It’s only hard for people to understand Hendrix today if they are stupid. Hendrix material still holds up. He was way out on the edge in terms of guitar playing, recording, experimentation and songwriting.

Any “guitar player” on this site who thinks Hendrix wasn’t that good or that they could play what he played are kidding themselves.
http://wheresdave thin lizzy

scott,i hope you are right..
scott

..not to mention Jimi could play right handed as well, or a right handed guitar upside down without restringing.
Panama Red

I try not to label people over the internet but I am a little perplexed that someone who appreciated good guitar playing like Dimebag (my favorite heavy metal guitarist) can’t appreciate at least some of Hendrix’s playing. If you don’t dig his stuff personally whatever, but you have to know that saying he’s talentless is just ridiculous Jeremy. And yes “Voodoo Child” is an awesome song.(I love SRV’s rendition of it)
I don’t love all of Jimi’s stuff but maybe you should give Hendrix another listen, maybe start with “Red House.” He wasn’t about “shredding” Jeremy. He was a different kind of guitar player than that, more blues based. He was about playing with feeling and soul, but with lots of Electricity.

Being addicted to drugs doesn’t necessarily mean you’re an idiot, c’mon man you have to know that too. And I don’t compare guitarists like you do, saying one could play circles around another one. If I like someone’s sound, I appreciate what they have to offer. I have my own personality, likes and dislikes, and interests. I don’t base what I’m interested in on what Eddie or anyone else thinks is good, like you were implying to everyone who disagreed with you about Hendrix. Geez calm down man. So everyone has different opinions about music, no big deal. But you had to know you would raise some eyebrows saying stuff like Hendrix blows and is talentless. And by the way, from what I saw and heard, Keith Moon WAS a madman on the drumset. At least until he was consumed so much with drugs and alcohol. Then he slowed down some.

If Jimi Hendrix didn’t do anything for you, so what. I don’t fault you for that. The difference is, some of us state our comments as our opinions. You mostly state your opinions about music like their all facts, i.e. “I just speak the Truth.” It seems like you think everyone should respect your opinions, but you don’t show any mutual respect in return.

I think most people here like to listen to other people’s take on music and other things sometimes, but not when it’s a one-way, closed mind talking. I think you should take Rich’s advice, Stop hating and just enjoy the music you enjoy man.
chris.omeara

Right on BoSox, Fair Warning was the pinacle, but I loved everything they did before it, too…

There was some killer guitar progressions and solos during the Sammy era, but the first 4 albums spoiled me. Van Halen was badass during those days.

Sadly, after that they weren’t badass any more…

Shortly after Eddie married Valerie…
chris.omeara

Can’t really blame him there though…
dude

I love playing the guitar but acknowledge that I’m no virtuoso – hell, I’m downright crappy at times. Many of my friends are far better than I am and I respect that. Sometimes I wish I were better but such is life. The one thing I do take solace in is that I consider myself better than ever other guitarist in one simple way: I write my songs the best. Does that mean my songs are better than yours? No. But I wrote them and that is something that no one else could have done.

There is no fact when it comes to “who is the best guitarist” – only opinion! And what also gets forgotten in this type of debate is that there are many, many other very talented guitarists, singers, bassists, etc. out there who just never made it to a level of public recognition that guys like Ed, Clapton and Jimi did. In no way to take away from their incredible talents, but they were also very, very lucky. You can practice your butt off and be the fastest, most soulful player ever. But unless you get drunk one night and bang a girl who’s uncle is So-and-So in the music biz, it just ain’t going to happen.

Sorry, mid-afternoon rant. As Rich said, dig what you dig, man!

PS Dave rocks and Sammy sucks. I’m just kidding.
phillster

O.K. WAIT,So let me get this straight now,
Richie Kotzen potentialy nailed ALL the other bandmembers girlfriends?
I`ve never heard any of his stuff before,
but I`m already a fan.LOL
iwannaberr

Michael Anthony was also in Mammoth. He may not have been the first bassist, but he was in Mammoth before they changed the name.
Chicken Joe

You can all collectively step off your soapbox’s now, please.
Rick Pride

Ummmmm who’s Ritchie Kotex again?
Tommy Boy

Can’t wait for the next post from VHND so you guys can rehash all this bullshit yet again…endless retarded speculation and opinion. Like what you like and let it be…
Fat Cat

NOTICE TO EDDIE VAN HALEN:

Thank you in advance!! Please keep doing what you’re doing! I just bought a shit load of stock in:

Kleenex tissue
Kotex
Tampon
Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream
Kraft cheese (to go with all the whine)
The movie BEACHES rentals

I stand to make a fortune by the looks and sound of thing’s!!

Ed has to be thinking: when did my fan base turn into 12yr old girl’s?
I’m sure Karl will know since he’s been apart of Ed’s life for 30yrs!!!!!!!

ALL INCARNATION’S OF VAN HALEN FOREVER!!!!

ALL YOU 12YR OLD GIRLS GO BACK TO LISTENING TO LADY GAGA!!
phillster

AWE,C`mon TommyBoy,don`t be like dat.lol
We`re all just funnin`.
“slow news day at the VHND”.
Nuthin`to do but”goof around&blow off a little steam”here
until the Big news breaks.
SCAR

Tommy Boy, I couldn’t agree with you more, but sometimes you just gotta laugh your ass off at some of these posts!!! Fucking comedy!!! For some, it’s easier to bitch and complain than it is for them to really appreciate all of the KICK ASS rock tunes out there, and brother, that is a damn shame!!! I hope Jeremy is paying attention!!! Pushtoshove, Gotta bottle of Cabo and a packed bowl for you brother, a lot of these Gomers are hen pecked and are scared to say what’s really on their puny narrow minds! Love your posts, don’t always agree with you, but at least you don’t candy coat your posts with stupid shit and lame ass facts!!! Swingin’ Sinner, your post was just pointless and lame!!!
Tommy Boy

Phil…some of it’s for fun but have you read some o’ this stuff? : ) Big News is needed indeed…but can you imagine how each of those new songs will be picked apart and raped by some of these people?
freddiegirl

I admit I’m not the biggest Hendrix fan and yeah, I like SRV’s remake of ‘Voodoo Chile’ better than the original. But…I love ‘Stone Free’, ‘Manic Depression’ and ‘Crosstown Traffic’. I totally give Hendrix the credit he’s due although I’d be lieing if I said I liked Hendrix more than Eddie. It’s not just that IMO that I think Eddie’s a cleaner player but it’s also the simple fact that I simply like Eddie’s style more. End of story for me but I’d never, ever say that Hendrix had no talent. I think Eddie was technically a better player in some respects than Page too but like someone else said about Hendrix here, Page was a certain type of player and some of the the things he arranged and wrote still blow me away. There’s a reason Led Zeppelin is considered the ‘archtypal’ rock 4-piece by many including me. When Van Halen came out they took that classic 4-piece rock band formula to an even higher leval. At the risk of offending some here I also just loved that Van Halen were so unapologetically American…(I know people are going to tell me that the Van Halen are from the Netherlands but let’s face it; they moved out here at a young age, they are Americans…). I was always proud that Van Halen could stand beside British acts like Zep and The Who and could be compared favorably and were just as ridiculously talented. Why should the Brits produce all the best classic bands? I too, would love new music but if Eddie never records another note I’ll cherish the wonderful music he left us. Personally I think he’s on his way to becoming the next Les Paul in terms of guitar technology and I think that’s fine. In the end, we all like what we like and we’re all entitled to our opinions about it.

It was Rikki Rocket’s gal that Kotzen banged. Rocket was and still is Poison’s drummer.

Fat Cat: I’m not 12, I’m 37 and I actually would rather listen to Lady Gaga then some of the other crap that music’s produced right now. At least she writes her own stuff and isn’t coasting by on her good looks like Brittany or any of those other pop divas. She’s a pretty girl but not a beauty in the classic sense. I rather like her Elton John meets Marilyn Manson stage presence.. (waits for the flames…..)
phillster

I got 1st dibbs on the “Ben&Jerry`s” Fat Cat!!
GAGA-OO LA-LA
man that`s funny.
Don`t worry`bout Karl bro,
he`s just a fan like all of us.
it`s all good.
Bottoms Up
Karl

Fat cat, you know the only thing Ed thinks about his fan base these days? How can I keep ‘em buying sneakers. You should take one of those Kleenex and wipe your nose, there seems to be something brown on the end of it. And you want to hear some world class whining? Go read his recent Guitar World interview. And yes, as phillster says, I’m a fan.
ikethebird

Lets all hold hands and listen to VH 3.
phillster

TommyBro:
Just for the record,
My name here is “phillster”;)
There`s already another blogger here named “Phil”
And I`m pretty sure he doesn`t want to be
confused with an arrogant,outspoken prick like me!LOL
As far as sh*t-slinging,
“Guilty as Charged”-what can i say?
Sometimes morons get the best of me,
gotta work on that,”baby steps”LOL
“RAPED” is a pretty harsh word,But Yeah-
People ARE going to pick every little note of any new song apart-they always have.
The Amazing thing about=VH= music is the fact that it Can Stand up to the”repeated critical raping” and still blow our collective minds.
To quote DAVIDLEEROTH:
“I`m sure the 1st time Picasso put both eyes on the same side of a face someone said-”that`s wrong-fix that”.
SCAR

Phillster, stay the way you are, fuck the weak minded!!! “Raped” might be a harsh word, but at least you don’t candy coat shit either!!!! Some of theses idiots get what they deserve from your posts!!! Don’t stop now brother!!! Keep them coming!!!!
DiamondDean

Hendrix v VAN HALEN is an old one , anyone who thinks hendrix has no talent is an idiot 4 starters .

Van halen has been copied that much to the point that it looked bad on ED , when yr got cc deville doing finger tappin u know its gone too far. Van halen was much more imfluencial then hendrix without a doubt , i mean theres a hell of a lot more players that sound like Eddie then hendrix , n hendrix is a lot easier to play.

Hendrix made a hell of a impact on rock n roll , and died b4 his time which always helps the legend . Eruption as a solo stands the test of time , as a guitar peice there has been no better defining moment .

Fair warning is brilliant , if u dont have it yr not a rock fan full stop , push comes to shove solo!!, one foot out the door , etc the whole album is amasing

Luv u guys
D
swingin’ sinner

Scar i was in between bong hits and shots but still cant understand why someone thinks that they helped pesonally get someone in a band as awesome as VH get their drugs and household goods and education from buying vh stuff! does that mean that i have a stake in their fortune cause i helped bring it on? if so when do i get my share!
swingin’ sinner

pushtoshove you are a hard core fan if ever i have heard of one but damn dude relax you act like a girl who gave a blow job and expects marriage in return!
phillster

Can someone help diamond dean with his grammer?
“i” before “e” except after “c”
you,your,you`re(you are)Not “yr”-that`s an abbreviation for “year”
could,would,should, NOT cld,wld,shld
Amazing- not “amasing”
It`s getting damn near impossible reading YOUR posts man.
try spellchecking,either that or stop ditching “English 101″class.lol
phillster

191 “blogs”-oops-make that 192
Wow, anyone want to go for 200?
or is time to shut the hell up?
LOL
pushtoshove

Swinging sinner…The Only reason you cant understand that is because you are between bong hits….I have a successful ( read-bad economy yet still working as a general contractor ) business that I built from the ground up. EVERY client,even the smallest ones are partly responsible for my success and the fact that you wont accept that or that Ed doesn’t accept that is kinda sad. If i forgot that would people not use me for their projects ? They probably still would yet-The music Biz is a popularity driven industry,hence the term “Pop Music”…Van Halen is Rich Because people Like him…Nothing more,nothing less..Does that mean he is not talented? No it doesn’t. This is the last time I’m gonna ask you politely to stay out of my opinions. The only person acting obsessive is you. Just because someone doesn’t like your hero you get all butt hurt.Grow Up man,People aren’t all like you.VH Rocks!!!
pushtoshove

Sorry VHND…My ego got inflamed ( does Tylenol make something for that? ) Hey Swinger….I don’t want marriage…Just more Blow Jobs!!!.Just because some of us here want More New Music and some of us are happy with what They’ve got doesn’t mean that you ‘happy where they’re at’ folks need to lecture us on how good it is to be content and lazy every-time we get hungry for change…I am glad for one That once upon a time VH was hungry for more than they had…Otherwise we probably wouldn’t have had ‘Fair Warning’….it would be sad if they didn’t have that fire anymore and have become a nostalgia act…But that’s My Opinion and the next time someone says that I’m wrong for it , is angry in their own passive aggressive way and is trying to’Dictate’ how others need to feel like they do.I hope VH blows it up with the next tour and I hope they Make new music cause I need it ( can’t speak for you ) Fuck the world! Yeah….
Panama Red

Phillster- I’m not trying to fuck with you, but you were complaining about someone’s grammar and you mis-spelled the word grammar. I just thought that was kind of funny in an ironic way. Not picking on you man, I post typos all the time.
I understand the broken English if it isn’t someone’s first language. I don’t think Diamond Dean is an American, so no big deal. Shit, I don’t know another language. I think it’s cool that there are VH fans from other countries shooting the shit with us. But it can be annoying when someone who IS American and speaks perfect English posts comments that are hard to read and understand using bad grammar, or who are just too stoned to make it legible like you do sometimes. (Just fucking with you again, man)

You asked if we should keep this thread going. Just want to say one more thing. Thanks to VHND for tolerating all of our crazy posts and creating a metaphorical “water cooler” for all of us 5150′s.
phillster

Got me there Panama!LOL
I guess irony can be pretty ironic sometimes.(airplane!)
Seems like “twitter” is the new language to learn.
Makes me go from red-eyed to cross-eyed readin` it.lol
That reminds me,
my bowl`s “MT”
I`ll b bak ltr LOL
SCAR

Swinin’ Sinner you sound like a light weight to me!!! You don’t have to explain anything to me, because I don’t give a shit!!! Bottom line is that pushtoshove made a good point, maybe EVH should read this stuff and understand that some fans are tired of playing the guessing game about new music!!! To me I could care less either way!!! It would be fucking awesome to get new tunes but if not, I along with all of you out there, have a kick ass catalog of VH tunes to keep old SCAR partying for a long, long time!!!! Ride hard, Party hard or fucking stay home!!!
Panama Red

Oh man, that’s a classic! So many great one-liners from that movie. “Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.”
Fat Cat

Karl,

You alone are going to get me BEACH FRONT PROPERTY w/ an OCEAN VIEW!!!!!!!!!

Freddiegirl,

All I know about Lady Gaga,is that my 12 yr old daughter listens to her. That’s why I referenced her.
Fat Cat

Phillster,

As soon as Karl score’s my oceanview property for me, bring the family on down. Ben and Jerry’s for the kids, some good old SHOTS for us and the ladies!!!!