The Van Halen News Desk's Eric Senich talked with music journalist Michael Christopher about his new book Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock! Below is the complete interview conducted by Senich for his podcast Booked On Rock. Christopher discusses a wide range of topics related to Van Halen including: The band's early days in Pasadena and original bassist Mark … [Read more...]
WATCH: Van Halen Photographer Neil Zlozower Interview At Sunset Sound Studios
Photographer Neil Zlozower has shot as many classic Van Halen photos as Van Halen has recorded classic songs. That's a lot, which means he has just as many stories to tell. Zlozower sat down for a lengthy interview at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood, California to share the stories of his time "hangin', gettin' into trouble together and workin' together" with David Lee … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ (In The Minor Key) – It’s Scary Good
What do you get when you take Van Halen's "Jump" and give it a bit of a John Carpenter's "Halloween" twist? You get Andy Rehfeldt's "Jump" (In the Minor Key). Rehfeldt is a Los Angeles musician/composer who has been creating parody music video mashups on YouTube since 2007. He recently re-posted the above reworked version of "Jump" and it arrives just at the right time - … [Read more...]
This Day in 1984: Van Halen’s Original Lineup Plays Final Concert [VIDEO & AUDIO]
Credit: Rudy Childs On this day in 1984, the original lineup of Van Halen — David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony — played their very last show together. A total of five "Monsters of Rock" Festival dates in Europe were to be Van Halen's last shows of their massive 1984 tour. Those festival dates kicked off on August 18th in Leicestershire, … [Read more...]
THIS DAY IN 1984: Van Halen Performs At ‘Monsters of Rock’ Festival, Castle Donington [AUDIO, VIDEO & PHOTOS]
Credit: Ross Halfin On this day in rock history, Van Halen performed for 65,000 sweaty heavy metal fans at the "Monsters of Rock" Festival at Donington Park in Castle, Donington, Leicestershire, England. This show was the first "Monsters of Rock" show out of five the band played to wrap up the 1984 tour. This was also Van Halen’s first U.K. appearance since 1980. The … [Read more...]
Latest Bill McClintock/Van Halen Mashup Has Cheatin’ Hearts Jumpin’
Ow, oh! Hey you! Who said that?! It's Wild Bill McClintock and he's back in town with another Van Halen mashup! McClintock has a popular YouTube channel featuring several of his own personally crafted mashups from a slew of classic rock artists including a handful from Van Halen. His most recent may be his most unusual yet. He matched up David Lee Roth's original vocal … [Read more...]
Brian May On Planned ‘Star Fleet’ Reissue, Unheard Eddie Van Halen Solos
Credit: Rudy Childs There may be some unheard Eddie Van Halen recordings in our future, according to Queen's Brian May. During a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock's Matt Wardlaw, May revealed that he plans on reissuing his 1983 EP Star Fleet Project featuring Eddie on guitar. Among the recording session tapes are never-before-heard solos from Eddie. "I … [Read more...]
Van Halen Author Greg Renoff Interview At Sunset Sound Recorders
Author/Van Halen historian Greg Renoff sat down for in-depth interview at the site of Van Halen's classic early recordings - Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood. Renoff, the author of Van Halen Rising: How A Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal and Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music, had plenty of stories to tell regarding Van Halen's … [Read more...]
Car Engineer Claudio Zampolli, The Man Who Led Sammy Hagar To Van Halen in ’85, Has Died
Italian car engineer Claudio Zampolli, the man who facilitated the Sammy Hagar era of Van Halen, died yesterday (July 7th) at the age of 82. No cause of death has been given. Zampoli is best known to car fans as the creator of the Cizeta V16T Supercar, but Van Halen fans will remember him as the man who gave Eddie Van Halen Hagar's phone number back in 1985. At the time, … [Read more...]
The ‘Hot For Teacher’ Mom Reprises Role For New Video
No, we still don't what became of Waldo but we do know what his mom is up to. Actress Ruth Silveira played the unforgettable role of the mom in Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" music video back in 1984. She recently reprised the role for a new music video collaboration titled "This Rap Makes No Sense". Comedian Joe Hernández-Kolski wrote and performed the lyrics and musicians … [Read more...]
‘The Van Halen Story – The Early Years’ Now Available on DVD
Back on DVD! The Van Halen Story - The Early Years has been released again on DVD! This DVD documentary chronicles the rise of four young musicians from their formative years to their transformation into a worldwide phenomenon. Witness the group's gripping tale told by the people who were there when it began - the childhood friends, fellow musicians, roadies, bodyguards, … [Read more...]
Professor Of Rock Breaks Down Game Changing Van Halen Album ‘1984’ [VIDEO]
The Professor of Rock is back with a two-part episode on Van Halen, this time he takes us back to the year and album '1984'. Part 1: "It was a pivotal crossroads for America’s favorite party band to make the jump to becoming the world’s biggest rock band," said The Professor. "We break down Van Halen '1984' song by song including a great story about Eddie Van Halen from his … [Read more...]