Tawny Kitaen was doing cartwheels for Van Halen long before Whitesnake. In fact, she still is. "I'd like to see somebody tell me that Van Halen isn't the greatest rock band in the world," said Kitaen during her recent appearance on rock journalist Mitch Lafon's podcast "Rock Talk with Mitch Lafon". Kitaen said she toured with Van Halen's original lineup for three years … [Read more...]
Watch ‘IN YOUR FACE – The Neil Zlozower Story’ – For FREE
Watch the ENTIRE film here, for free! The award winning documentary, "IN YOUR FACE - The Neil Zlozower Story" is finally available to be seen for FREE. (It was formerly available on various platforms for paid viewing, but now it's for FREE, exclusively on YouTube. Watch the entire film above. It's a MUST-SEE for everyone who loves rock ’n’ roll, and particularly rock … [Read more...]
Former Van Halen Manager Writes Tell-All Book
A new tell-all book has been written by Noel Monk, Van Halen manager from 1978-1985. It's the only Van Halen book chronicling the early years written by a member of the Van Halen camp. And by their manager, no less! Runnin' with the Devil: A Backstage Pass to the Wild Times, Loud Rock, and the Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen is being released in less than … [Read more...]
Exclusive: Eddie Van Halen’s “Peeping Tom” Instrumental from ‘The Wild Life’ Film Score
Finally, we are kicking off Round 2 of music from The Wild Life! These are all Van Halen News Desk exclusives. Here’s what we call “Peeping Tom,” written and performed by Eddie Van Halen in 1983. This track is part of the musical score from the movie The Wild Life. Eddie wrote the entire musical score for the movie, playing guitar along with his electronic drum … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s ‘US Festival’ Concert Revisited
The footage embedded above is an upgraded segment of Van Halen's appearance at the US FESTIVAL in 1983. Rock stars Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth “drop in” by helicopter at the venue ahead of US Festival '83. Acclaimed inventor Steve Wozniak, the organizer of the festival, comments on preparations and bemoans record-high fees for artists' performances. Includes video of … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: “Money can’t buy you happiness…”
"Money can't buy you happiness, but it can buy you a yacht big enough to pull up right alongside it." — David Lee Roth It's another never-before-seen photo this weekend! “All Access” Photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we feature a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many are never-seen-before exclusives. Tune in every weekend for more! … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Looks Back on Van Halen’s Landmark ‘1984’ Album and the Creation of 5150 Studios
This is an excerpt from the February 2014 issue of Guitar World. For the rest of this story, plus several vintage Van Halen photos and more — including Ozzy Osbourne & Zakk Wylde, the return of Jake E. Lee, Tosin Abasi, Steel Panther, Five Finger Death Punch and John Petrucci's monthly column — check out the February 2014 issue at VanHalenStore.com. Home Improvement: … [Read more...]
‘Brian May and Friends: Star Fleet Project’ with Eddie Van Halen
The "just for fun" Star Fleet Project project consisted of Queen's Brian May, Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alan Gratzer (of REO Speedwagon), Phil Chen (session bassist who played with Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart), and Fred Mandel (session keyboard player who also played as additional keyboard player on Queen's Hot Space World Tour and The Works). Roger Taylor, Queen's drummer, … [Read more...]
Watch The Van Halen Brother’s Instrumental Jam at the US Festival
Enjoy this clear footage from the US Festival, 32 years ago! Through the intense instrumental "Girl Gone Bad," to Ed's melodic tapping of "Women in Love," to a reworked "I'm So Glad," the Van Halen? brothers take us on a ride that we don't want to end! A new, high quality 9-minute video clip of Van Halen's performance at the 1983 US Festival has been released online and can be … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Happy Father’s Day!
Happy Father's Day! To celebrate, this week's All Access Photo is a picture of Eddie and his father, Jan Van Halen. Early on, Jan and Eugenia Van Halen impressed upon their sons a love of music that originally meant classical training. In Alex's case this meant playing classical guitar. He didn't take to it, though, and preferred playing his brother's drums. When Eddie … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Marvin Hamlisch’s Beach House
Another never-before-seen photo! Here's Eddie Van Halen sitting at the white Yamaha grand piano of the late Marvin Hamlisch's beach house in Malibu. Ed rented the house during the spring/summer of 1983. At one point, Eddie experimented with new sounds by trashing the piano. He threw everything he could find into the piano and raked various items across the strings, including … [Read more...]
30th Anniversary of the 1983 US Festival
On this day in 1983, Van Halen headlined the US Festival, a music festival held from 5/28/83 through 5/30/83 at Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernardino, CA. Van Halen performed on "Heavy Metal Day" (5/29/83) as headliners for the record-setting fee of $1.5 million. The 1984 Guinness Book of World Records created a new category based upon the price of this performance. For … [Read more...]