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...]
What Are The Ten Best Van Halen Deep Cuts?
Credit: Neil Zlozower Just how deep will you go when it comes to your Van Halen fix? Of the 131 songs in Van Halen's catalogue, 56 of them were released as singles. That leaves another 75 songs that can be referred to as "album tracks" or "deep cuts". Just recently, Metal Injection's Andrew Kapper posted his own ten best Van Halen deep cut list, which included the … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth Keyboardist Brett Tuggle Dies At 70
Long-time David Lee Roth keyboardist Brett Tuggle died June 19 from complications related to cancer. He was 70. Tuggle's son Matt confirmed the news to Rolling stone: "He was loved by his family so much. His family was with him throughout the entire time of his illness. He was a lovely father. He gave me music in my life." Tuggle was a member of Roth's band from 1986 to … [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...]
A Look Back: Van Halen’s ‘OU812’ Released On This Day In 1988
"Oh, You Ate One Too!" Released 34 years ago today - May 24th, 1988! 'OU812' was the second Van Halen album to feature Sammy Hagar as lead singer. It reached number one on Billboard (the band's second consecutive #1), sold over 4 million copies in the US and featured six songs that landed on the Billboard Hot 100 and/or the Mainstream Rock Tracks! Hagar looked back on … [Read more...]
When David Lee Roth Got Stuck On A Bridge…And Decided To Jog To His Radio Appearance!
Credit: Ed Yarb/YouTube Come hell or highwater, David Lee Roth will show up for his interview. Even when the bridge over those very waters isn't working. This story takes place circa 1988 while Roth's tour landed in Florida. To promote the upcoming show, Roth was scheduled to appear on WYNF-FM's Ron & Ron Morning Show in Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, Roth's limo got … [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...]
A Video Tour Of Alex Van Halen’s Drum Sets Through The Years
Credit: Neil Zlozower The YouTube channel 65 Drums has gone back through the legendary career of Alex Van Halen to highlight each and every drum set he used from his early pre-fame days right through to 2012's A Different Kind of Truth! Here's the complete video with a chapter breakdown below: CHAPTERS Early Years :44Bands Leading To Van Halen 1:41Early 70s … [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...]
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...]
Van Halen’s ’77 Pasadena Concert Ranks Among ‘Greatest Live Moments In Entire History Of The Guitar’ By Louder
Credit: Neil Zlozower The rock website Louder has placed Van Halen's 1977 concert at the Pasadena Convention Center among the 32 greatest live moments in the entire history of the guitar. The list was compiled by the staff at Classic Rock magazine and aimed to "celebrate the pioneering, the spectacular and the unrepeatable" with their history of the guitar's greatest … [Read more...]
Dweezil Zappa Is All Fired Up For ‘OU812’ Deep Track ‘A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)’
Dweezil Zappa says Van Halen's "A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)" is firing on all cylinders no matter who the singer is. In fact, it could have worked just fine with no singer at all. "If there was never a vocal on this, this would be a great Van Halen instrumental," Zappa told Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine in a recently released clip of his podcast Runnin' With The Dweezil. … [Read more...]