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...]
Archives for 2023
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...]
Sammy & Mike: The Story Behind Van Halen’s ‘Cabo Wabo’
Another video to mark the release of The Collection II box set has been released! This time, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony tell the story behind the making of Van Halen's "Cabo Wabo" from the OU812 album. Hagar posted the video (above) along with a few additional comments: "When lightning strikes!" - Michael "Yes it did and in this band, lightning struck all the … [Read more...]
New 4k Transfers: Van Halen’s 1978 Niagara Concert
Credit: Neil Zlozower Speedy Films, in collaboration with The Genesis Museum, has released two new updated 4k versions of Van Halen performing in Niagara Falls, New York on September 8th 1978 from the original Super 8 Film! A short clips-based version with synced audio and a full-show version with audio and the video inserted as it was shot were released. The final … [Read more...]
A Very Merry Van Halen Christmas
It's time to bring the Van Halen fan family together, gather around the "On Fire"-place and enjoy some of the best holiday videos on the net! Santa Van Halen "Christmas Eruption" This video dates back to 2012 from Kevy Nova. Nova performed a very Eddie Van Halen-esque guitar solo adorned in a Santa suit with Eddie's iconic Frankenstein guitar strapped over his … [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...]
Faith No More’s Midsong Van Halen Crisis
Credit: Neil Zlozower As a co-founder of legendary band Faith No More, bassist Bill Gould first found international success when the 1987 single “We Care A Lot” took off. Faith No More would go on to mainstream success just a few years later when 1989’s The Real Thing took off and the group became an MTV staple. The band would eventually go on hiatus in 1998, remaining … [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...]
‘DLR Book: How David Lee Roth Changed the World’ Available Now
Backbeat Books has set a January 1, 2024 release date for DLR Book: How David Lee Roth Changed The World by Darren Paltrowitz. However, Van Halen Store has permission from the publisher to start shipping the book NOW, so if you place your order now, you could have your hands on it a bit early. It’s currently only in stock & shipping at Van Halen Store. Book … [Read more...]
Wolfgang Van Halen Earns Best Guitar Riff Of 2023
Wolfgang Van Halen placed atop Guitar World's list of 2023's best guitar riffs list with the Mammoth WVH song "Right?" Wolfgang finished ahead of Greta Van Fleet's "The Falling Sky" (Jacob Kiszka), and Metallica's "72 Seasons" (Kirk Hammett) on Guitar World's list of the ten best riffs of the year as voted by GW's staff and readers. Here is what Guitar World's Jonathan … [Read more...]