Credit: Bill O'Leary Eddie Van Halen's classic red, black and white striped guitar affectionally named "Frankenstrat" may be the most recognizable instrument in music history. Rock journalist and author Greg Prato has shared an article he wrote for AllMusic with the Van Halen News Desk that digs deep into the origins of the guitar design. By Greg … [Read more...]
The Eddie Van Halen-Inspired Hairdos On ‘Stranger Things 4’
Ah yes, the good ole 1980s. Remember those hairdos? The people behind the making of Stranger Things certainly do, specifically Eddie Van Halen's rockin' "do"s from that decade. So much so they decided to pay homage to a few of them in the latest season of the hit Netflix series. Stranger Things' lead hairstylist Sarah Hindsgaul shared the inspiration behind the wigs used to … [Read more...]
LISTEN: ‘Unchained: The Eddie Van Halen Story’ Author Paul Brannigan Exclusive Interview
The VHND's Eric Senich talked with author Paul Brannigan to talk about his book Unchained: The Eddie Van Halen Story! Here's a rundown of the topics covered in the interview: Eddie's guitar and recorder always by his sideThe influence parents Jan and Eugenia had on EddieForget the Fab Four, Eddie's fire was lit by The Dave Clark Five!Eric Clapton was the Cream of the … [Read more...]
LISTEN: ‘Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen’ Authors Exclusive Interview
The VHND's Eric Senich talked with Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen authors Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill for an exclusive, in-depth discussion of Eddie Van Halen's legendary career! Throughout the interview Tolinski and Gill give their insight and opinions on a wide range of EVH topics including: Eddie's childhood days overcoming his shynessHis relationship … [Read more...]
Podcast Explores Van Halen’s Rare & Unreleased Recordings
Credit: Neil Zlozower It's the biggest question among Van Halen fans: Will we ever get to hear what's in the 5150 vaults? The fascination with Van Halen's vast collection of unreleased material was pretty intense back in the 80s and 90s but with the emergence of the internet, it grew to mammoth (pun intended) proportions. The Wax Audio Show podcast recently released … [Read more...]
Exclusive Interview: ‘Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock’ Author Michael Christopher
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...]
How Eddie Van Halen Influenced Def Leppard’s ‘Hysteria’ Sound
Whenever Eddie Van Halen gave advice, guitarists always listened. Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen recently talked to MusicRadar about how his first meeting with Eddie Van Halen would later influence the sound of Def Leppard's 1987 album Hysteria. “When I first met Eddie, it was on Van Halen’s first British headline tour at the Rainbow in Finsbury Park, London," said … [Read more...]
Unearthed: Eddie Van Halen Playing ‘Amsterdam’ At 5150, In 1987
"You're gonna dig this." Coming hot on the heels of the lost Van Halen 'dinosaur' video comes yet another unearthed gem! And this one is even better! We've all wanted to be a fly on the wall at 5150. Or a friend of Eddie Van Halen's who could get to hear amazing stuff that he's working on. Well, this video below is just that! The unknown videographer starts … [Read more...]
Sammy Hagar Talks Eddie Van Halen, The Would-Be VH Reunion, 5150 Vaults
Sammy Hagar appeared on Sirius/XM's Trunk Nation to talk about his friend and former bandmate Eddie Van Halen but said he's still coming to terms with his death. "To talk about someone like Eddie Van Halen, the greatness of him and to try to explain it to people or try to tell old stories, it's still not time. I don't feel comfortable with it yet," Hagar told host Eddie … [Read more...]
Watch ‘Dinner At The Van Halens’ – the Classic ‘Saturday Night Live’ Skit
31 years ago tonight, Valerie Bertinelli appeared on Saturday Night Live. Her then husband, Eddie Van Halen, accompanied her to the taping of the episode. Eddie wound up not only jamming an instrumental with G.E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live band, but performing in a skit as well. The skit, entitled "Dinner at the Van Halens'", was a humorous poke at a … [Read more...]
Watch Eddie Van Halen Jam on ‘Saturday Night Live’
On this day in 1987, Eddie Van Halen finger-tapped and whammy-bar-dived his way through a bluesy rave-up alongside G. E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live band. Video of the performance is below, along with video of G.E. Smith reminiscing about the experience. The footage of the unique jam is constantly being taken down from YouTube, but we discovered a pristine … [Read more...]