From Truth And Beauty: "Eddie Van Halen ruined guitar!" yelled the drunken ROTC guy standing just inches from my face. House party. 1991. The conversation had been very civil up to that point. I'd started with hey, we went to the same high school. That was all I had, as we were several years apart in age and had only met once before--a brief introduction through a mutual … [Read more...]
How Eddie Van Halen Unknowingly Stole my Grandfather’s Flying V Guitar
The following story is about how Eddie Van Halen acquired a mint condition 1958 Gibson Flying V from famed vintage guitar collector Dan Martin, who was based out of St. Louis, Missouri. Eddie went on to buy many guitars from Martin, who passed way in 2008. Jason Miller shares his story of how Dan Martin bought his father's guitar, and turned around and sold it to … [Read more...]
Anniversary of Van Halen’s 1981 Oakland Shows: Watch Highest Quality Footage!
From June 11-13th, 1981, Van Halen performed three shows in front of sold out crowds of 11,300 people each night at California's Oakland Coliseum. The Oakland '81 shows have become legendary, thanks to the band deciding to preserve some of their performance to film. The footage was edited into three videos which aired on MTV as promos for the Fair … [Read more...]
“Mean Street” Lip-sync 1981 – Clear Upgrade
This "lost" Van Halen video of Van Halen lip-syncing "Mean Street" was aired this summer on Italian television channel Rai Storia. Luckily someone recorded it, giving us some of the clearest footage from the Roth-era. The recording was from 11/14/81. Enjoy! … [Read more...]
Classic Van Halen Interviews Featured on “In The Studio”
While the quintessential American hard rock band Van Halen is on the road once again, this time supporting their new album, “A Different Kind Of Truth,” the syndicated radio series "In The Studio" felt it's a good time to examine the early years of the band. Van Halen’s 1978 debut quickly became a benchmark for every hard rock band ever since , and six years later they even … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s “Romeo Delight” As You’ve Never Heard It Before!
Here's an "Exclusive" for you... a little gem we dug up from Van Halen's 1981 Fair Warning tour. This is a never before heard audio recording of Van Halen playing "Romeo Delight" at the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Not your typical live version, this is an AMAZING performance, luckily captured on tape. Without going into too much detail, we'll just say that … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Opens Up in his First Guitar World Interview From 1981
From GuitarWorld.com: Eddie Van Halen made his first Guitar World cover appearance with the January 1981 issue, during the magazine's second year of publication. The cover beckoned readers to ponder if the young EVH was the world's greatest guitarist, while the original headline (on page 35) dubbed him The New King of Heavy Metal Guitar. Here's part one of that classic … [Read more...]
The Story Behind Van Halen’s ‘Fair Warning’ Album Cover Art
When Van Halen fans first listened to a copy of the Fair Warning album in the early eighties, few could miss the fact that the band's sunny subject matter had turned to a more somber and threatened perspective. This tone was set by the album's opening track "Mean Street,"and was continued through a song-cycle filled with dark subject matter and disillusionment. The overall … [Read more...]
The Van Halen Holy Grail: 1981 Oakland Footage
Mystery of the Fair Warning tour footage -- Does a complete Oakland concert exist on film? Anyone even remotely familiar with the third Indiana Jones film "The Last Crusade" is aware the film dealt with Dr. Jones pursuit of the Holy Grail. Through much intrigue, action and hardship, Jones finally had the Grail in his grasp... A similar chase has been undertaken by … [Read more...]
Dweezil Zappa on Meeting Eddie Van Halen
Dweezil Zappa is currently touring with an ensemble performing a show dedicated to his late father's work, called "Zappa Plays Zappa". On February 26th of this year, during a stop at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, Arizona, Dweezil took the opportunity to tell a short, funny tale of meeting Edward Van Halen for the very first time, when Zappa was but a mere teenager. He then … [Read more...]