This week's photo is a never-before-seen candid taken backstage by a roadie in 1982. “All Access” Van Halen photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we will be posting a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many will be exclusives that have never been seen anywhere before, and some will be supplied with new captions from David Lee Roth. Tune in every … [Read more...]
Alex Van Halen
Happy Birthday, Alex Van Halen!
Alexander Arthur Van Halen was born on May 8th, 1953. He was raised in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Through a government-incentive program to reunite families, the Van Halens moved to the U.S. when Alex was about 9 years old. Because the family spoke little English, Alex and Eddie formed a bond during this time that has lasted their entire lives. Together they adapted to a new … [Read more...]
Photo of Young Alex Van Halen / Video of their Childhood Home
Below is a short 4-minute video which shows Eddie and Alex's childhood home in Nijmegen, Netherlands. The video is entirely in Dutch, so we sent this video to Eddie himself for verification. He really got a kick out of it, and said that it is indeed the building where he and Alex lived, and that the two women in the video lived in the flat below. Two very old Van Halen … [Read more...]
New Interview with the Van Halen Brothers (Audio)
Today (March 25th) there's a NEW interview with Eddie and Alex Van Halen! The VH brothers did a phone interview with Australia's TripleM.com. Sounds like they're in great spirits and they can't wait to make it to Australia! Van Halen's Bad Habits Eddie spills beans on biggest myths surrounding the 70s rock legends Van Halen will be here for the Stone Music Festival … [Read more...]
Eric Singer Praises Alex Van Halen
KISS's Eric Singer contributed to the hardcover photo book, Van Halen: A Visual History, by Neil Zlozower. The Van Halen News Desk has the exclusive on what he had to say about the first time he saw Van Halen in concert: "Alex the Animal. The first time I heard Van Halen was “Runnin’ with the Devil” on the radio on WMMS in Cleveland. I remember thinking (along with everyone … [Read more...]
Alex Van Halen: The Hard-Rock Archetype
After changing its name from Mammoth, Van Halen strutted a glam-punk attitude when it burst onto the national scene in 1978 with its self-titled debut album. Featuring the template-smashing talent of the whammy-bar-happy, two-hand-tapping guitarist Eddie Van Halen and his percussive-dynamo brother, Alex, Van Halen the band, to many, became the obvious successor to the hard-rock … [Read more...]
Van Halen 35th Anniversary: In The Studio Interview with Dave, Eddie, Alex & Michael
From InTheStudio.net: The four original members of Van Halen, guitarist/songwriter Eddie Van Halen, big brother drummer Alex Van Halen, lead singer/lyricist David Lee Roth, and ex-bass player/backing vocalist Michael Anthony are all unanimous in this classic rock interview in their recollections of their unaided efforts before signing their record deal and releasing that … [Read more...]
Alex Van Halen and House Speaker John Boehner at the U.S. Capitol.
From Daily Mail: In an effort to round out the public persona of House Speaker John Boehner, his office has released a set of behind-the-scenes photos of the top Republican charming babies, working in his garage and teasing musician Alex Van Halen. Coming on the heels of the latest batch of 'behind-the-scenes' photos from the White House, which has gone viral online, the … [Read more...]
1962 Photo: The Van Halen Family On a Boat to America
This historic photo was taken on the very boat that carried the Van Halen family to America (Feb. 1962). It was a nine-day boat ride, and to help pay their fare, Jan, Edward, and Alex provided the ships musical entertainment. Special thanks to Jan and Eugenia for taking their two beautiful boys and risking everything by immigrating to America with their nothing but 75 Dutch … [Read more...]
Unearthed 1964 Photo: “The Broken Combs” Band, Featuring Eddie and Alex Van Halen
The historic photo above is one of the oldest Van Halen photos ever. Here's the story... In 1964, fourteen years before Van Halen's first album, Eddie and Alex Van Halen were young kids (age 9 & 11) who had immigrated to the United States just two short years earlier. Eddie Van Halen met fellow student Kevan Hill in their early morning music class at Hamilton Elementary … [Read more...]
When The Van Halen Brothers Met The Wilson Sisters
You might have heard that in Heart's newly released memoir, the Wilson sisters share their strange tale of meeting the Van Halen brothers on the road in 1979. Here's the full story from Nancy Wilson herself: At one hotel, we met Eddie and Alex Van Halen. Over the course of a few hours, they had a Kamikaze-drinking contest, followed by a cocaine-snorting fest. Once they were … [Read more...]
Growing Up With The Van Halens
VHND exclusive: Interview with Dennis Travis, ex-member of the Trojan Rubber Company (Eddie and Alex Van Halen's band in 1971) While many claim to have known the Van Halen brothers in their formative years before signing with Warner Brothers, few can call them their childhood friends. However, Dennis Travis not only knew the Van Halens, but was a member of one of their first … [Read more...]