Happy Birthday, Alex Van Halen! For his birthday today, we've got a never-seen photo and never-heard crazy story from the band's 5150 tour! Many people don't realize that Alex Van Halen has always been the biggest prankster in the band. He was arguably the most wild and out of control during the band's 1986 5150 tour—he even shaved his head, as seen in the photo … [Read more...]
Alex Van Halen
VHND’s All Access Photo: Alex Chained
Alex Van Halen chained up! What do you think he did to deserve this? Another never-seen shot from Neil Zlozower. “All Access” 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 weekend for more! … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Van Halens Backstage at Black Sabbath Concert Last Night
Eddie, Alex, and Wolfgang Van Halen with Tony Iommi backstage at the Black Sabbath concert last night at the Hollywood Bowl! "Had an amazing time last night at the Sabbath show." —Wolfgang “All Access” 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...]
60 Years Ago: The Van Halen Family Travels by Boat to America
Today marks a historic anniversary for the Van Halen family... It was 60 years ago today that the Van Halen family traveled from Holland to America! (the newly discovered passenger list below proves the date was March 9th, and not February 22nd, as we previously thought). While living in Holland, Jan and Eugenia Van Halen received letters from relatives describing the wonders … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Spaghetti Time
The Van Halen brothers eating spaghetti. ("Hey, they're just like us! They eat spaghetti!") Seriously, THIS is an "All Access" photo. What's more behind-the-scenes than Van Halen eatin' spaghetti? This is a another never-seen shot from an former VH roadie. By the way, the guy in the orange shirt is Dennis from the lighting crew. “All Access” Van Halen photos is a … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Young Van Halen Brothers At Home
Priceless photo of young Alex and Eddie Van Halen in their childhood home in Pasadena. Photo Credit: The Roth Show. “All Access” Van Halen photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we will be posting a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many will be exclusives that have never been seen anywhere before, and some will be supplied with new captions … [Read more...]
VHND’s All Access Photo: Ready to hit the Stage!
This week's photo is a never-before-seen candid taken backstage by a roadie in 1982. “All Access” Van Halen photos is a weekly feature at VHND.com. Every weekend we will be posting a photo from a roadie, friend, or band insider. Many will be exclusives that have never been seen anywhere before, and some will be supplied with new captions from David Lee Roth. Tune in every … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday, Alex Van Halen!
Alexander Arthur Van Halen was born on May 8th, 1953. He was raised in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Through a government-incentive program to reunite families, the Van Halens moved to the U.S. when Alex was about 9 years old. Because the family spoke little English, Alex and Eddie formed a bond during this time that has lasted their entire lives. Together they adapted to a new … [Read more...]
Photo of Young Alex Van Halen / Video of their Childhood Home
Below is a short 4-minute video which shows Eddie and Alex's childhood home in Nijmegen, Netherlands. The video is entirely in Dutch, so we sent this video to Eddie himself for verification. He really got a kick out of it, and said that it is indeed the building where he and Alex lived, and that the two women in the video lived in the flat below. Two very old Van Halen … [Read more...]
New Interview with the Van Halen Brothers (Audio)
Today (March 25th) there's a NEW interview with Eddie and Alex Van Halen! The VH brothers did a phone interview with Australia's TripleM.com. Sounds like they're in great spirits and they can't wait to make it to Australia! Van Halen's Bad Habits Eddie spills beans on biggest myths surrounding the 70s rock legends Van Halen will be here for the Stone Music Festival … [Read more...]
Eric Singer Praises Alex Van Halen
KISS's Eric Singer contributed to the hardcover photo book, Van Halen: A Visual History, by Neil Zlozower. The Van Halen News Desk has the exclusive on what he had to say about the first time he saw Van Halen in concert: "Alex the Animal. The first time I heard Van Halen was “Runnin’ with the Devil” on the radio on WMMS in Cleveland. I remember thinking (along with everyone … [Read more...]
Alex Van Halen: The Hard-Rock Archetype
After changing its name from Mammoth, Van Halen strutted a glam-punk attitude when it burst onto the national scene in 1978 with its self-titled debut album. Featuring the template-smashing talent of the whammy-bar-happy, two-hand-tapping guitarist Eddie Van Halen and his percussive-dynamo brother, Alex, Van Halen the band, to many, became the obvious successor to the hard-rock … [Read more...]