Tool guitarist Adam Jones told Guitar World that when he first heard Van Halen it was as if the clouds parted and an alien had just landed in the form of a guitarist named Eddie Van Halen.
“The first time I heard Van Halen, a friend’s babysitter played the first album for me,” Jones told Guitar World‘s Richard Bienstock. “It was like the clouds parting, or like aliens had landed and they were showing us how music is played.”
Jones had the chance to meet Eddie in person in 2019 when Wolfgang Van Halen brought his dad to a Tool concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
“Eddie’s son Wolf is a big Tool fan and a really cool guy, and he brought his dad to our show at the Staples Center [in L.A.] last year,” said Jones. “I don’t know if you saw that thing online where there was a guy in the audience that asked someone to take his photo, and he doesn’t realize the guy he asked is Eddie Van Halen, the greatest guitar player ever. It was great.
Afterward, Wolf brought his dad to my dressing room and we had a good talk,” Jones continued. “Eddie was so humble and I was really happy to have that moment with him. To have one of your ultimate heroes shake your hand and say, ‘Hey, what you’re doing, it’s really cool,’ it’s like a trophy.”
Jones finished with his thoughts on the enduring legacy Eddie Van Halen has left.
“I worship that music. I connect with the way he experimented, and just the idea of taking what you do as far as you can take it,” he said. “One hundred years from now, when people talk about music and the history of music, they will talk about Van Halen, and Eddie’s name will always be there. That guy will live forever.”