Part two of Van Halen author Greg Renoff's interview with legendary Van Halen engineer Donn Landee has arrived! Renoff shared part one of his interview for Tape Op magazine with VHND readers back in September. Now he's back to make good on his promise to deliver part two. Below is an excerpt from part two of Renoff's two-part interview posted to the Tape Op magazine … [Read more...]
Van Halen News
Sammy Hagar Discovers Real Biological Surname
It's The Red Rocker Sammy.....Belcher? Sammy Hagar was a guest on the PBS series Finding Your Roots, which features DNA diagnosticians analyzing genetic code, tracing bloodlines and occasionally debunking beliefs. In the preview clip of the episode above, Hagar finds out that his DNA does not match any men with the last name Hagar, meaning that genetically, that is not his … [Read more...]
The Day I Rode In An Elevator With Alex Van Halen
Our fellow Van Halen fan Debbie Pinkney has shared another heartfelt story with the Van Halen News Desk and this time she takes us back to the time Alex Van Halen took her on an elevator ride! It's been said that you should "never meet your heroes" since expectations may be so high, meeting them may lead to disappointment. Not so when it comes to Debbie's meeting with Alex. … [Read more...]
Watch Van Halen ‘1984’ 40th Anniversary Special Pt. 2
The 5150 Show's celebration of Van Halen's 1984 is back with more! They've just released another episode devoted entirely to the album released 40 years ago this month. Joining the show once again are authors Greg Renoff (Van Halen Rising, Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer’s Life in Music) and Chris Gill (Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen), who will discuss the … [Read more...]
Satriani On Aborted Eddie Van Halen Tribute: ‘Alex’s Intentions Were Pure, But I Don’t Know About Dave’
As Joe Satriani prepares to perform a Van Halen-heavy setlist for the upcoming Best Of All Worlds tour with Sammy Hagar, he's still left wondering why his role in a planned Eddie Van Halen tribute with Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth never came to fruition. In April of 2022, Satriani confirmed that he had been in regular contact with Alex and David Lee Roth about a … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth: ‘Sammy Hagar Was Abducted By Aliens & Sex Probed’
David Lee Roth proclaims he hasn't said a "single syllable" about Sammy Hagar in ten years. Today, he ended his silence with some syllables that are guaranteed to rattle some ears, particularly Hagar's. In a brand new video titled "The Ballad of Popsicle Sam..", Roth reignited the decades-long poke and jab, back and forth battle of words between the two famous Van Halen … [Read more...]
Billie Joe Armstrong On Seeing Van Halen At 12: ‘I Cried’
Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong says his first-ever concert experience was seeing Van Halen in 1984. During Green Day's recent appearance on Howard Stern's show, Armstrong recalled the emotional experience. "When I saw Van Halen in '84 I was 12," Armstrong told Stern. "They were my favorite band and...I cried. [laughs] 'Cuz Eddie was so....it's like his guitar playing … [Read more...]
Engineer Defends Eddie Van Halen’s Replacement Of Michael Anthony With Wolfgang
Engineeer Ross Hogarth says whatever criticism Eddie Van Halen faced for replacing Michael Anthony with his son Wolfgang in 2007 was unmerited. Hogarth recently appeared on the Anthony Merinelli Music YouTube channel to share stories from his experience as engineer on Van Halen's last-ever studio album and first with David Lee Roth since 1984 - A Different Kind Of Truth. It … [Read more...]
Satriani Having Amp Built To Replicate Eddie Van Halen’s Sound
In a new interview with Australian Musician, Joe Satriani said he's having a special amp built to replicate Eddie Van Halen's sound for the upcoming Best Of All Worlds tour. "What I learned from 'The Howard Stern Show', besides it's still important to rehearse and you can't do gigs without rehearsals... But what, what it confirmed was a couple of things I was thinking about, … [Read more...]
Eddie Van Halen Taught Me How To Fly
Long-time Van Halen fan Debbie Pinkney has shared her heartfelt story with the Van Halen News Desk as a reminder of just how much the music of our favorite band has meant to people around the world and how Eddie Van Halen inspired her. Eddie Van Halen Taught Me How to Fly VAN HALEN INVITED ME TO THE PARTY…NO ONE WAS GOING TO TELL ME I DIDN’T BELONG Eddie … [Read more...]
DLR Drummer Francis Valentino On The Challenging Changes Of ‘Unchained’
David Lee Roth drummer Francis Valentino says the most challenging of all DLR songs to perform is "Unchained". The reason? Nothing stays the same. Valentino, who was part of Roth's shows on KISS' End Of The Road World Tour in early 2020, was a recent guest on Paltrocast with Darren Paltrowitz. Paltrowitz asked Valentino to name the hardest DLR song to play. "That would be … [Read more...]
Ray Luzier Performs Classic Van Halen on Alex’s Kit
Modern Drummer has released the second in a series of videos dedicated to their 2023 Hall-of-Fame inductee Alex Van Halen. Long-time David Lee Roth drummer Ray Luzier (currently with Korn) gets behind Alex's 2012 kit in the latest video to perform some Van Halen classics. From Modern Drummer: In the second episode of "Live from IronShore Studios: A Tribute to Alex Van … [Read more...]