This week's episode of South Park, titled "Ginger Cow," featured an animated appearance of Van Halen! In the episode, Religious leaders come together in Jerusalem and settle their issues, and World Peace is finally achieved! The leaders announce to the gigantic crowd, ”Today, we are all united as one! Let us celebrate, under one symbol!” And then, on a massive screen, the crowd … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
How Mitch Malloy Almost Became Van Halen’s Third Singer (Video)
For the first time on camera, Mitch Malloy shares his story of how he was offered the singer position in Van Halen in 1996. And for the first time, listen to a sample of Mitch Malloy singing over an unreleased Van Halen instrumental. The legacy of Van Halen has never had a shortage of drama or die-hard fans...and rocker Mitch Malloy (official website) has a unique place … [Read more...]
“Dance The Night Away” Featured in Four Recent Movies, Including ‘Anchorman 2’
UPDATE: We've added 'Mission to Mars' And 'Howard Stern Private Parts' "Ooh, baby, baby!" Van Halen's timeless classic "Dance the Night Away" is being used in yet another trailer for a new movie. It's the main song in the second trailer that's been released for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. (Watch the trailer below). It's great to see such a popular movie … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Tour Bus 1979
Somewhere on the road in 1979, Edward Van Halen poses with his new polaroid camera. This never-seen shot was taken during Van Halen's first headlining tour, in support of Van Halen II. “All Access” Van Halen photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we feature a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many are never-seen-before exclusives. Tune in every … [Read more...]
Michael Anthony on Wolfgang Van Halen: “He’s a Great Bass Player”
For Bass Players Only’s Jon Liebman caught up with Michael Anthony before a recent concert with Sammy Hagar in Michigan and conducted a video interview with the legendary bass player. Naturally, the subjects ranged from Michael touring a bit with Sammy Hagar this year, Chickenfoot's current hiatus (they're planning to write new songs early this year), Michael's new Peavey VB-MA … [Read more...]
Video: Pearl Jam Covers Van Halen’s “Eruption” & “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love”
After seeing Van Halen on tour in 2012, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready has called Eddie Van Halen "The Mozart of the guitar.” Friday night, Pearl Jam performed a Van Halen medley during their show at Hartford, Connecticut’s XL Center. It was during a 2010 show at the very same venue that they surprised the crowd by launching into “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.” At this … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s ‘5150’ VS. David Lee Roth’s ‘Eat ‘Em And Smile’ – Great Rock Debates
From Ultimate Classic Rock.com: Rock and roll history is rife with intra-band family feuds, but perhaps none received quite as much publicity or caused a bigger fan base rift than Van Halen’s ugly divorce from singer David Lee Roth in 1985. Certainly, this was the battle royal of ‘80’s hard rock! After all, no other American band did quite as much as the Roth-fronted Van … [Read more...]
Van Halen News Roundup
Leslie Feffer at Examiner.com has been rounding up Van Halen news from all over the web and we're combining her latest three updates into one update below. Most of these news stories have already been featured on VHND, but it's nice to have all these news tidbits right here, in one article. New Van Halen Studio Recordings? Should Van Halen fans dare to hope that another … [Read more...]
Van Halen: A “Perfect Storm” of Talent and Chronology
Here's a cool little Van Halen blog entry from Greg's Horrible Waste of Internet Bandwidth: On Van Halen... A short time ago, conversation among friends turned to Van Halen (no idea why). We were discussing the band, their history, and the eighties. One friend turned to me and said "they (the band) are so overrated..." "Overrated?", I replied. "Are you kidding … [Read more...]
This Day in 1982: Eddie Van Halen Fractures Wrist
On this day in 1982, Eddie Van Halen hurt his wrist while “horsing around” in his hotel room. That same day, his right wrist was x-rayed at Hand Surgery Associates in New York, NY. A broken hairline fracture is found that results in the postponement of three shows on the band's Diver Down tour (two in East Rutherford, NJ and one in Uniondale, NY). The tour resumed for a … [Read more...]
Billy Sheehan on Touring with Van Halen, “The Greatest Band in the World”
In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Talas, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) talked about his moments sharing the stage with Van Halen, a dream which would eventually lead to a full-time gig with Roth’s solo band in the decadent Eat 'Em And Smile lineup that also featured guitarist Steve Vai and drummer Gregg … [Read more...]
Don Dokken Scared After First Seeing Van Halen
"The first time I saw Van Halen it changed the way I looked at music and performing forever. It was 1978 and I had just formed my own group, Dokken. We were opening up for them for two nights at the Starwood in Hollywood. I was standing in my dressing room when they went on. Their first record wasn’t out yet, but they hit the stage like they had already made it. I could hear … [Read more...]