An emotional excerpt from Alex Van Halen's upcoming memoir, Brothers, has been released. Entitled "Overture" and read by Alex himself, the four-and-a-half minute clip posted to Spotify begins with Alex proclaiming, "Without my brother I would not be. We fight, argue, we even argue about agreeing on things, but there is a bond and unconditional love that very few … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen: An Undeniable Category of One
It's been four years since Edward Van Halen passed away, yet he is with us daily through the music he created. It will forever be the soundtrack to our lives and the lives of generations to come. This year we remember Edward's lasting legacy with a heartfelt tribute video created by fellow Van Halen fan Gair Maxwell. Of all the great Edward Van Halen tribute videos made, … [Read more...]
Edward Van Halen Mini-Documentary: The Early Guitars In His Own Words
Credit: Neil Zlozower A brand-new mini-documentary on the creation of Edward Van Halen's iconic Frankenstein guitar has been released and it's a must-see! The video, produced by Simon Alkin and posted on his YouTube channel Icons Remembered, is narrated by Edward himself, telling his own story of the path that led him to create Frankenstein between 1967 and 1977. … [Read more...]
Why Wolfgang Van Halen Owed Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s Dad A Thank You
Wolfgang Van Halen felt he owed Ken Shepherd a sincere "thank you". After all, without Shepherd, there would be no Wolfgang. In 1980, Edward Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli met for the first time. Valerie was staying at her parents’ home in Shreveport, Louisiana due to an actors strike and scored backstage passes to see Van Halen perform in the area. Those passes were … [Read more...]
Van Halen Brothers Rank 2nd On Top 20 Sibling Acts List
Credit: Neil Zlozower Alex and Eddie Van Halen were named the second best sibling act in rock by Van Halen at 50 author Martin Popoff. Popoff listed the 20 best siblings in a recent article for Goldmine magazine. The VH brothers finished second behind the Angus brothers Angus and Malcolm. Below is what Popoff had to say about Eddie and Alex: Ticking many of the … [Read more...]
Dweezil Zappa Shares Edward Van Halen Guitar Lessons with Rick Beato
Dweezil Zappa appeared on Rick Beato's YouTube show to share his guitar lessons from Edward Van Halen. Dweezil first met Edward, who was good friends with his father Frank, when he was 12 years old. In the video above he recalled the moment he first met Edward, played some of his favorite Van Halen riffs, and explained the ease and joy in which Edward played the … [Read more...]
Alex Van Halen Announces Three-City Book Tour
Credit Neil Zlozower In anticipation of his upcoming book Brothers, Alex Van Halen will make three book signing appearances next month. He's scheduled to be in New York, New Jersey, and California. The final will be a Live Talks virtual event. October 21 @ 12PMBarnes & Noble Fifth AveNew York, NY October 22 @ 6PMBooks & GreetingsNorthvale, NJ October 24 … [Read more...]
Thomas Dolby: Edward Van Halen’s Life Was Like ‘Spinal Tap’
Edward Van Halen saw This Is Spinal Tap. He also lived it. During a recent interview with Jeremy White, Dolby recalled a conversation with Edward when the topic of Spinal Tap came up. At the time, Edward was lending his guitar talents to a few tracks on Dolby's then-upcoming album Astronauts & Heretics - "Eastern Bloc" and "Close But No Cigar". "I went up to his … [Read more...]
Edward Van Halen’s ‘Frankenstein’ Ranked 3rd Most Iconic Guitar Of All Time
Edward Van Halen's homemade "Frankenstein" guitar placed third on Billboard's recent list of the 100 most iconic guitars of all time. Before we get to what Billboard had to say about Edward's guitar and their rankings, here is how they came up with their list: What is "the greatest"? Iconic, influential, inventive, famous, game changing? Unusual, oddball, beautiful, even … [Read more...]
Michael Anthony Expects Alex Van Halen’s Book To Focus On The Good Times
Credit: Neil Zlozower Michael Anthony doesn't know what's inside Alex Van Halen's upcoming book "Brothers" but he expects Alex will focus on the good times had rather than the dirt. "Alex, basically, like myself — I've never been one to wanna talk smack about the band or whatever, 'cause I choose to remember all the good stuff and all the good times that we had," said … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s ‘Dreams’ Video: The Blue Angels Collaboration Story
Thirty-eight summers ago, Van Halen's latest single "Dreams" reached all-new heights thanks to an unexpected collaboration with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. A recent online article from the website Simple Flying tells the story behind how this collaboration came to be. Below is an excerpt from an article written by Simple Flying's Mike Scanlon: Shortly … [Read more...]
Hootie Guitarist Mark Bryan Highlights Edward Van Halen’s Overlooked Talent
Credit: Neil Zlozower Hootie & The Blowfish guitarist Mark Bryan says he's a "gigantic" Van Halen fan and praises Edward Van Halen's ability to come up with undeniable riffs. "I wanna say this because everybody puts him on the top with the guitar playing [makes fingers on the fretboard impression] and he is but he's also one of the all-time greatest riff masters," … [Read more...]