Pictured here are Eddie Van Halen with Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen backstage at the CaliFFornia World Music Festival, held April 7th and 8th, 1979. Rick Nielsen gave two great quotes about Van Halen: “Van Halen is the musical equivalent of the yearly Harley festival in Sturgis. Loud, proud, and always a crowd." "Eddie’s creativity, his playing, and guitar technique have … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
Happy Birthday, Neil Zlozower! Watch Zloz Show Off His Van Halen Books (Video)
Happy Birthday to our favorite Van Halen photographer, Neil Zlozower! Watch the author of our two favorite Van Halen books give you a virtual book tour! Legendary rock photographer Neil Zlozower has published two hardcover coffee table photo books on Van Halen (Van Halen: A Visual History, 1978-1984 & Eddie Van Halen) both of which are absolute must-have items for … [Read more...]
“Dime was an original, he deserves the original” —Eddie Van Halen on Dimebag Darrell
The great “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott was tragically shot dead onstage while performing on Dec. 8th, 2004 with Damageplan at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. This is the story of why Dimebag's last words were "Van Halen!", and how he was buried with the guitar that inspired him most — Eddie Van Halen’s yellow and black striped Charvel hybrid guitar featured on the back cover … [Read more...]
Van Halen “Running With The Devil” (Smooth Jazz Version)
We here at the VHND simply cannot imagine a world without Van Halen, but entering the realm of fantasy for a moment, perhaps we could briefly entertain the notion of a Bizarro World version of the band – you know, one where instead of unleashing unparalleled blistering rock on an unsuspecting public, the alternate universe Van Halen dazzled the masses with … gulp … smooth … [Read more...]
Sexy Video for Van Halen’s “Beautiful Girls” (Fan-Made)
"On this day (September 15th) in 1979, "Beautiful Girls” was released as the second single from the Van Halen II album. Originally titled, "Bring on the Girls,” the lyrics and title were later changed accordingly." That's what Eddie posted on Facebook today. Cool to see Ed celebrate the anniversary of a classic song! Watch this fan-made video for “Beautiful Girls,” one of … [Read more...]
CIA Admits Role In 1985 Coup To Oust David Lee Roth From Van Halen
CIA agents reportedly seeded false information in Rolling Stone and other media outlets to convince the public that Roth was toppled solely by his bandmates in a bloodless revolt. Another gem from The Onion: LANGLEY, VA—Shedding new light on a tumultuous period of upheaval that dominated international headlines nearly 30 years ago, the U.S. government declassified … [Read more...]
Van Halen T-Shirt Gift Guide!
There's practically nothing more in style right now than wearing your favorite vintage rock band T-shirt and a good old pair of jeans. Rock ’n’ roll T-shirts are our culture—as American as apple pie. And the better the group, the better the tee! The logo that started it all! Wave the flag to Van Halen's earth-shattering debut album! Order one here. Van Halen exploded during … [Read more...]
Van Halen Attends Sammy Hagar’s Wedding
On Nov. 29th, 1995, Sammy Hagar wed longtime girlfriend, Kari Karte. Here's a few exclusive photos from the wedding dinner. Photos courtesy of Darrell Degroff. The pair had met while Van Halen were on tour in the early '90s. Sammy invited her along with him and Eddie to judge a bikini contest in a bar, and then flew her to the band's next show. Their ceremony was on Mount … [Read more...]
Toyota Owner Loves Van Halen so Much He Painted his Car Like the Guitar [Video]
A huge Van Halen fan decided to Van Halenize his Toyota truck with a unique paint job—in the same color scheme of Eddie Van Halen’s iconic guitar—for a fresh, rockin' new look!The above video is nicely done, and shows Ryan Humphrey of Ohio giving us the step-by-step process of painting his truck, along with some vintage Van Halen playing in the background. Enjoy! … [Read more...]
“You Think You Know Van Halen?” Video
Our friends at Ultimate Classic Rock whipped up a fun little Van Halen video. It's the latest edition to their You Think You Know Classic Rock? video series. We hope you enjoy their video. … [Read more...]
35 Years Ago Today, Van Halen Concert Footage Premiered on TV!
35 years ago today, on Nov 24th, 1979, Van Halen concert footage was shown on television for the very first time! No, were not talking about the Fair Warning tour film from Oakland, (and there's a lot of mystery behind that) —we’re talking about our OTHER favorite old Van Halen footage, which is arguably just as cool, but doesn't seem to get talked about as much... Back … [Read more...]
When It’s Love
The following article is from the blog of Bob Lefsetz, an American music industry figure and author of the email newsletter and blog, the Lefsetz Letter. Based in Santa Monica, California, Lefsetz worked previously as an entertainment business attorney, majordomo of Sanctuary Music’s American division and as a consultant to major record labels. Lefsetz deals with issues at the … [Read more...]