"Is this Heaven?" "No, it's Iowa. The place where Van Halen dreams come true..." Iowa sportswriter Sam Paxton has earned himself this weekend's MVP of the VHND by scoring long lost video and photos of David Lee Roth from 1986. Paxton is the Night Sports Editor of Iowa's The Gazette and a long-time die-hard Van Halen fan. While recently working on an article for the … [Read more...]
Guitar.com Rembers Eddie Van Halen’s ‘Endless Pursuit Of Perfection’
Guitar.com has posted a tribute to Eddie Van Halen and his endless pursuit of guitar perfection. Writer Tony Bacon began by honoring Eddie's dedication to the instrument he loved. That dedication would go on to influence an entire generation of musicians, industry insiders and manufacturers: "Eddie Van Halen didn't just amaze his fellow guitarists with the remarkable … [Read more...]
How Eddie Van Halen Brought Marty McFly Back To Life In The Future
Forget the DeLorean. Ditch the flux capacitor. Without Eddie Van Halen Marty McFly would never have stood a chance. Syfy writer Adam Pockross found a very clever way to connect his tribute to the greatest guitarist of all time with the greatest sci-fi film of all time: 1985's "Back To The Future". He posted an opinion piece on Syfy's website titled "If Not For Eddie Van … [Read more...]
The L.A. Legacy Of Eddie Van Halen [VIDEO]
Moments after learning of the passing of Eddie Van Halen, Los Angeles news network KTLA spoke to a local music shop owner to get his thoughts on the impact Eddie had the L.A. music scene and beyond. "There are very few people that change the course of modern guitar playing and he was one of them. It's a very sad day but he's left a body of work that will never go away. It … [Read more...]
Fan Honors Eddie Van Halen With Dual-Stylophone Cover Of ‘Eruption’ [VIDEO]
Just when we thought we'd seen every Eddie Van Halen tribute there is to see. Above is a video by musician MaroMaro. He's known for performing covers of classic rock songs using a Stylophone. Invented in 1967 the Stylophone is a miniature analog keyboard operated with a writing utensil called a stylus. To pay tribute to his guitar hero MaroMaro decided to perform Eddie's … [Read more...]
Read L.A. Times First-Ever Van Halen Review, From 1976
In memory of Eddie Van Halen The Los Angeles Times has reached into the archives to share its first ever mention of Van Halen. The band first arrived in the newspaper's print via advertisements that ran alongside the paper's music listings and reviews section which can be seen below: Van Halen earned its earliest editorial mention in a Dec. 18, 1976 L.A. Times story … [Read more...]
Watch David Lee Roth’s Appearance On CBS ‘Sunday Morning’
David Lee Roth's appearance on the CBS "Sunday Morning" has just aired and can now be viewed online. Below is the complete segment of Roth's appearance, which centered around his painting, specifically Sumi-e - the Japanese art of ink painting. This interview was conducted in the summer prior to the passing of Eddie Van Halen so there were no comments from Roth concerning … [Read more...]
Watch Moving Netherlands Bell Tower Tribute To Eddie Van Halen
There have been many noteworthy tributes to Eddie Van Halen over the last week and a half. This one may be the most unique and moving of them all. Four days after Eddie passed, a tribute was performed by carillonneur Malgosia Fiebig from the Dom Tower in Utrecht, the Netherlands - the country Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was born on January 26th, 1955. In this video filmed … [Read more...]
Watch Sammy Hagar & Michael Anthony’s Eddie Van Halen Tribute Performance of ‘Right Now’
Sammy Hagar's 73rd birthday is today and we thought we'd share a video that not only recognizes The Red Rocker's birthday but also honors the legacy of Eddie Van Halen. Below is a complete performance of the 1991 Van Halen classic "Right Now" by Hagar 's band The Circle including Michael Anthony. The clip was recorded on October 8th, two days after the day Eddie passed, … [Read more...]
Visiting Eddie Van Halen’s Home Studio In 1998 [VIDEO]
Plenty of rarely-seen footage of Eddie Van Halen has surfaced over the last week. MTV just uploaded one where Eddie gives us a tour of his home studio. The video posted on October 7th shows Chris Connelly of MTV News visiting Eddie's home studio in 1998 around the release of the 'Van Halen III' album. Eddie discusses building the space, breaking down guitars, and being a dad … [Read more...]
Watch Howard Stern’s Tribute To Eddie Van Halen
Howard Stern's recent tribute to Eddie Van Halen is proof that Eddie continues to influence younger generations. Check out this video posted to YouTube a day after the news of Eddie's October 6th death. In it Howard Stern Show writer/producer Steve Nowicki (who, according to Stern's website, is 28 years old) earns his Eddie stripes by offering us a glimpse of his impressive … [Read more...]
Song Sales For Van Halen’s Catalog Spike 7,800%, While Streams Rise 660% After Eddie Van Halen’s Death
The number of sales and streams of Van Halen's music have skyrocketed since the October 6th death of Eddie Van Halen. According to sales reports to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, Van Halen’s collected albums and songs sold 40,000 copies on October 6th, up 6,198% compared to the just under 1,000 copies sold the day before. Digital song sales were up 7,800%, while streams jumped … [Read more...]