Eddie Van Halen might not physically be there, but his spirit and influence is ALIVE AND WELL throughout this entire discussion between producer/songwriter Rick Beato and Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt. Nuno is absolutely captivating in this, and it’s well worth a watch or a listen. The video is embedded above.
I liked Nuno Bettencourt before, but I love the guy even more after the Beato interview. It’s exciting to see guitar playing and solos like his being appreciated again! Some people forgot about the fire, excitement and fun of the 1980s and early ’90s, but now it’s appreciated again. Good time music never really totally left; Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Poison and Journey are still doing Stadium Shows.
Throughout this extensive interview, Nuno points to Edward Van Halen as the undisputed king of rock guitar over and over again. He clearly articulates the importance of band chemistry, explaining that the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts. I agree 100% Van Halen was a sum of it parts… you take Roth or Michael Anthony out, and it’s not the same.
He hits the nail on the head so many times in this interview. If you aspire to be an artist, I highly recommend this 2 hour trip to Nuno School.
Some YouTube comments:
“This interview is the best Nuno interview i’ve ever seen. This interview is like the Lukather one, just captivating from start to finish and non stop storytelling. And Rick barely had to lead Nuno anywhere, he just let Nuno go off and tell stories. Amazing interview.”
“Fantastic. Was this even an “interview”? You’ve just had to put fresh batteries in and let Nuno fly. What a dude. Humble, giving and full of great anecdotes. Clearly passionate not just about his chosen instrument but music in general.”
“This is the most important interview about musical philosophy I have seen. Every professional musician needs to give this a watch. Sometimes we play till the joy is gone because of the bills to pay and what people want to hear and it shouldn’t be that way.”
Also, check out Extreme’s new song and video below. Nuno proving once again that guitar solos might not make a song, but they make them a whole lot more exciting! Definitely some Queen vocal melodies and Eddie Van Halen in this surprisingly cool acoustic-based tune.
-Jeff Goebel
Six, Extreme’s sixth studio album, comes out June 9th.
“Other Side Of The Rainbow”
“Rise”
“Banshee”