Eddie Van Halen Read online

  [acknowledgments]

  Edward Van Halen: One of the most talented and gifted musicians ever!!!

  Matt Bruck: Thanks for all the help, Matty!!

  Tom and Toby Jermann: My family!!!

  Ken Sharp: Thanks for the great text contributions, bro. You kicked ass!!!!!!!

  Steven Rosen: Almost forty years, Steve!!!!

  Steve Mockus: Number five, thanks!!

  Zak Zlozower “The Man”: My inspiration for being here.

  Peter Malick: Thanks for always watching my back.

  Michael Karlin: Thanks for making this happen!!

  Buddha: Thanks for the knowledge and wisdom.

  Dalai Lama: You saved my life!!!!!

  Commando: My family.

  Ruby: My family.

  Baret and Vic Lepejian: My family and best friends.

  Bill Lonero: Thanks for everything!!!! Always!!!!!!!!!!!

  Wako Yokoyama: My little sister in Japan.

  Rosa Gomez: Thanks, Grandma (he he he).

  A&I Photographic and Digital Services: You guys are the best!!!

  Eva and Robbie Lestari: The two sweetest people in the whole universe—

  I love you both!!!!

  Table of Contents

  Foreword

  Introduction

  Eddie Van Halen

  Contributors (in alphabetical order)

  [foreword]

  Back in 1978, a little before I started to play guitar, my good friend (and years later bandmate) Steven Adler said to me, “Dude, you gotta hear this!” He then played me “Eruption” and “You Really Got Me” from Van Halen’s first record on a little Sony cassette player, and it was one of the most exciting things I had ever heard in my life. There was so much energy and attitude! And it was exuberant, no-holds-barred party music: sexy, sleazy, and rambunctious. And to top it off, the guitar-playing was frigging mind-numbing! Never before had I heard rock guitar played quite like that. That was my informal introduction to Van Halen and its extraordinary composer, songwriter, and guitarist, Eddie Van Halen.

  The following year, I saw Van Halen opening for Aerosmith at the World Music Festival along with ten or more other bands at the L.A. Coliseum. I subconsciously knew then that rock ‘n’ roll was entering into a new era as a result of this great new band. They were really powerful and alive, and there was a palpable rush of excitement the moment they hit the stage.

  But this is not about Van Halen the band. It’s about, in my humble opinion, the most memorable detail in their relentless, high-energy delivery—the guitar-playing. Seeing Eddie live was unbelievable. It was loud and aggressive, melodic, rhythmic, and fluid, with a boatload of charisma and showmanship on top of all that. That first experience seeing him play has stuck with me to this day.

  Needless to say, Eddie Van Halen instantly became rock ‘n’ roll’s hottest new guitar player. Literally, overnight. Eddie single-handedly revolutionized electric guitar from 1978 on. His combination of technique, melodic sensibility, rhythm, and timing is awe-inspiring. You couldn’t not hear his influence on every young—and in some cases, not-so-young—guitarist immediately after the first Van Halen record came out, and it has been that way ever since. Professional or otherwise, just about anybody with a guitar was or is picking up on Eddie’s two-handed hammer-ons, harmonics, fluidity, speed, and tone. He’s had a mind-blowing impact on modern rock guitar, to say the very least, and his style, sound, and techniques are cemented into the rock-guitar psyche for all eternity.

  Eddie is simply that good: a uniquely gifted musical talent from on high.

  All that said, I’m truly honored to be given this opportunity to speak his praise as a foreword to this book, which compiles quotes from his friends and peers about how they feel Eddie Van Halen has in some way touched their lives, musically and otherwise. R ‘n’ Fn’ R!

  —Slash

  [introduction]

  For the last three and a half decades, the world has had the privilege of being exposed to one of the greatest musical geniuses of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Edward Van Halen.

  Sure, great guitarists have come before and performed their magic on their instruments, but no one has single-handedly (okay, maybe Jimi??) changed the way the guitar is played, or changed the capabilities of what could be done, on the guitar and to the guitar! Edward took the whole game to the next level.

  When I think of Edward’s playing, here are some words that come to my mind: spontaneity, tone, feeling, dissonance, effortless consonance, speed, texture, subtleness, proficiency, dexterity, gentleness, ATTACK, BEAUTY, aggressiveness, simplicity, brutality, flexibility, balance, composition, structure, tastefulness, tension, force, clean, refined, unthinkable, and unmistakable. Okay, okay, I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea!!!

  My first life-altering experience hearing the music of Van Halen was in 1978. I was in an office listening to the radio, and I heard the infamous air raid siren to the beginning of “Running with the Devil,” then Michael’s pounding bass, then Ed’s unique guitar chords, then the vocals by Dave. Then the station went into “Eruption” and “You Really Got Me” and I was BLOWN AWAY!!! NO BAND had ever sounded like this!!! It was DEVASTATING!!! I said to myself, “This band is gonna be HUGE, and I want to be there with them when it happens.” And that’s EXACTLY what did happen. Van Halen conquered ALL, and I was there with them!!!!

  Shortly after, I started working with the band and had the opportunity to do many studio and location sessions with them, but the best part was going on tour with them and watching them play—NO—annihilate the crowds EVERY NIGHT!!! They were AWESOME!!!!

  I got to know the “boys” pretty well, and we all got along really great. We were pretty much the same age, and we ALL had the same common interests: GIRLS, PARTYING, and MUSIC!!!! Each one of them had their own distinct personality. Ed was always the quiet, shy, bashful one offstage, especially compared to his brother Al. But ONSTAGE, that’s where all his aggressiveness and energy really came out in those magical two-hour sets.

  I clearly remember that I would be in my apartment on Fuller Street in Los Angeles and I would hear a knock at my door. When I opened the door, unexpectedly, there would be Ed in his brand new CJ 5 Jeep that he was so proud of, BUT instead of parking on the street like a normal person, his Jeep would be five feet from my front door on the front lawn!!! PRETTY UNIQUELY ED!!!!

  By the 1984 tour, the band was a huge global success, and the stage production had grown to enormous proportions. The stage was very high, and the front barricade had tons of metal bars going in every possible direction to support it, so it was hard to move around from one spot to another. There were also lots of security personnel in the photo pit to keep the overzealous fans from jumping onstage to get close to their idols. It was very hard to photograph that tour. So what did I do for a nice portion of the set??? WATCH ED PLAY GUITAR!!! By 1984, his guitar-playing talent was absolutely phenomenal—unbelievable!!! I was only about five feet away from him and would stare at his fingers while he was playing!! He would mesmerize me every night!! What a GREAT memory!!!

  What I tried to do in this book is show you the many different sides of Edward Van Halen, with mostly unseen images that I shot from 1978 to 1984. I also gathered quotes and paragraphs from some of the most renowned guitarists and personnel who worked closely with EDWARD. Most are still here with us BUT some have passed on to the “other side.” SO, kick back, put on a Van Halen record of your choice, and turn the volume up LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!

  —Neil Zlozower, March 2011

  Eddie’s reinvention of the guitar in the late 1970s had the same impact on the rock guitar world as Jimi Hendrix did ten years before. He’s not just a guitarist. He also puts a lot of thought into his sound and h
is production. He always writes great compositions.

  So besides being a brilliant guitar player, he’s an all-rounder when it comes to production sound and presentation, as well as being a hell of a nice guy.

  — Ritchie Blackmore

  AC/DC played on a bill with Van Halen back in 1978 or 1979 for a Bill Graham Day on the Green show. I didn’t know much about Van Halen then except that I remember seeing film clips of them, especially the one of Eddie playing the solo piece “Eruption,” and I was very impressed. I didn’t meet Eddie until years later when there was a Monsters of Rock open-air festival in England. I was shocked to hear he liked my playing, because I’ve never rated myself as a guitarist.

  Eddie is an innovator. When I grew up we had a lot of guys from England who were great players, like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck. And then, of course, when Jimi Hendrix came along, he changed the game. I’d put Eddie in that category of being an innovator like Hendrix. He changed the game for his style of playing. When Eddie came along he spawned so many imitators. Like Hendrix, suddenly you started to see people wanting to buy the same guitars he played and also play his licks. He turned the rule book upside down in terms of his approach. There was a lot of experimentation to his playing. Eddie also crosses into that avant-garde thing, which puts him in the same category as Hendrix.

  “Eruption” is a favorite track. He’s got everything characteristic of his playing in that song—there’s a bit of everything.

  When Jimi Hendrix came along it was like, “Where did this guy come from?” and I think that was the same feeling with Eddie. When Eddie appeared on the scene, every guitarist I ran into said, “You’ve gotta hear this guy!”

  —Angus Young

  When an advance copy of the first Van Halen album arrived at Guitar Player magazine, editor Don Menn called me into his office. Tom Darter, editor of Keyboard, was standing alongside him, and they both looked utterly mystified. Don lowered the phonograph needle midway into a track called “Eruption” and asked, “Is that a keyboard or a guitar?” It was Eddie doing finger-taps, but at that moment the technique was so revolutionary that even seasoned music journalists were mystified. Adding to the mystery was the fact that although Eddie was depicted holding a Stratocaster on the album cover, the guitar on the record sounded unlike any Fender we’d ever heard.

  In short, with the release of 1978’s self-titled Van Halen album, Eddie Van Halen expanded the boundaries of rock guitar. His sheer speed, unusual note choices, inspired finger-tapping and whammy work, and fiery tone inspired guitarists around the world. His impact was especially felt among crotch-rock guitarists in big-name bands, who saw their dreams of becoming “the next Jimi Hendrix” blown away in the 1:42 it took to listen to “Eruption.” Within months, it was virtually impossible to go into a music store or listen to a garage band without hearing some element of the most exciting new voice in rock guitar since Jimi Hendrix.

  Guitar-intensive music was a huge concert draw that summer, and I got lucky on my first gig. On July 23, 1978, I attended a Bill Graham Day on the Green concert in Oakland, California, where AC/DC and Van Halen were opening for Pat Travers, Foreigner, and Aerosmith. My assignment was to interview Travers. I dutifully showed up, my little tape recorder and carefully prepared questions in hand, and knocked on his trailer. Surrounded by scantily clad hangers-on, Travers looked up just long enough to sniff, “Not today, man,” and dismiss me with a petulant wave. I did not want to come back to the magazine empty-handed.

  To steady my anger, I started shooting hoop at a little court Bill Graham had set up backstage for performers and journalists. A lean, wiry young guy a couple of years younger than me came over and said, “Hey, man, can I shoot with you?” I said sure, and we played some spirited one-on-one. He was fast, had a decent hook shot, and easily won the match. Afterward, we sat at the side of the court to cool off.

  “What band are you in?” he asked.

  “I’m not in a band.”

  “What are ya doing here?”

  “I’m an editor for Guitar Player magazine. I came here to interview Pat Travers, but he blew me off.”

  “Pat Travers blew you off? I can’t fuckin’ believe it. Why don’t you interview me? Nobody’s ever interviewed me.”

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  “Edward Van Halen.”

  Praise God Almighty! I switched on the tape recorder and copped Eddie’s first-ever interview for a national magazine. The story ran in the November 1978 issue and today is pirated all over the Internet. Eddie liked it so much he offered me his first cover story interview, an assignment I joyfully accepted. With its classic Neil Zlozower cover shot, the April 1980 issue rapidly became the fastest-selling issue in the magazine’s history. Over the years I’ve done other interviews with Eddie, but my favorites have always been the ones described here. We were young, fired up, and raring to go!

  —Jas Obrecht

  Good ol’ Eddie. Eddie with Van Halen was the best band that ever played here at Gazzarri’s. That’s my final statement on that one. Eddie was the most polite and kind rock-and-roller I ever met. He was so shy and was constantly thanking me. In all the years that we were together, and all the conversations I had with him, I could not get Eddie to stop calling me Mr. Gazzarri. It would be after hours and Eddie would say, “Mr. Gazzarri, Warner Bros. wants this, and what do you think of this?” And I’d say, “Could you call me Bill?” And then Ed would respond with, “Okay, Mr. Gazzarri.”

  The girls would always say to me, “Godfather, could you introduce me to Eddie?” Eddie was the quiet one, but he was the most popular. Eddie would be on one side of the stage, and every week that we played ‘em here, there would be at least fifty girls who would come and pay and sit on Eddie’s side all night long so that they could be near Eddie Van Halen.

  We’d have meetings every night and I’d say, “You are gonna be the biggest rock-and-roll band to come out of Gazzarri’s.” And Eddie would say, “Well, are you sure? How come there are five of us here and you’re the only one who knows that?”

  We had a Guitar War concert here where they gave away a $1,000 prize, and we were packed. There were 300 guitarists and they were looking to eliminate the number down to 30 finalists, and what they were looking for was a guitarist as good as Eddie Van Halen. Now he is known in the business as the best, and I could have told everyone this ten years ago if anyone had listened to me. But a lot of people didn’t listen, even Eddie didn’t listen to me.

  —Bill Gazzarri

  In the very early days, the Runaways and Van Halen musically grew up together on the Sunset Strip. Edward was my friend. I’d go to his house after a night of partying, and we would say “Hi” to his mom, and he’d make me breakfast by opening a packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast (mix with milk and drink your breakfast, chocolate or vanilla).

  Edward had no time in his life for anything unless it was for sex or rock ‘n’ roll. He didn’t even have an ignition switch in his car. He just said, “Fuck, I don’t need a key,” and he would put these wires together, and off we went in his piece-of-trash vehicle with an AMAZING stereo system, on which he played me “Running with the Devil.” I was blown away by how awesome and rockin’ it sounded! Good ol’ straight-in-your-face rock ‘n’ roll, no bells and whistles. Not watered down with tons of guitar overdubs and tons of keyboards, as we just came out of the Boston era. Boston was cool, but extremely produced. Van Halen was refreshing in a time when no one played the back-to-basics three-piece rock ‘n’ roll. Everyone was too busy trying to figure out how to outdo each other, while Edward would just DO IT! No questions asked!!! Just fuckin’ DO IT!

  He was a great inspiration to me. You know how sometimes people say things to you that you carry with you for years, and that change your life forever? I was stuck in a world where not too many people listened to girls playing guitar. I didn’t know what I was capable of doing, especially having been fresh from the Runaways, which was an uphill battle. One day Edward sai
d to me, “Lita, you can play guitar, what’s your fuckin’ problem, just DO IT!!!” Something so simple coming out of the mouth of Edward Van Halen was like an electric charge of energy going through my brain. Suddenly, my life became so clear and simple. I felt empowered by his positivity and support, and his attitude of:

  Hey, it’s not an issue that you’re a chick. So what? Just fuckin’ DO IT! What are you waiting for? Approval? Fuck them!!! Just be yourself!!!

  We all know EVH is the Les Paul of today’s world. We all know Edward changed the face of rock ‘n’ roll. But it’s the person that he truly is that makes him so unique. He is an inspiration to every musician, because we all wanna be him, and some of us try real hard, but the reality of it is that there is only ONE Edward Van Halen!!! PERIOD!

  What makes him tick? Good question! But whatever it is, they honestly did break the mold after they made Edward!!! I love you, buddy friend! God bless you and your family! Thanks for rockin’ my world!!!

  —Lita Ford

  Lita Ford and I went to see Ed play with Van Halen one night at the Starwood in 1977, and I was blown away and brought Gene with me the next night. Their charisma, stage presence, and take-no-prisoners attitude coupled with great songs, killer arrangements, and airtight playing made them undeniable. Everything about Edward, from his groundbreaking technique to his hacked-up Frankenstein guitar, made him the heart of the band, and clearly someone who was playing on all levels, by his own rules.

  So many have tried to copy his style, but it’s always just made it more obvious that although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it pales next to the real deal.

  —Paul Stanley

  The first time that I met Edward, both of our bands were playing at the Texxas Jam in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas in 1978. As we walked up the stairs to the stage, someone asked me if it was all right for the Van Halen band to come up onstage to watch our set. A friend at their record label had given me a copy of the red vinyl sampler they were sending around to the radio stations, so I had heard “Eruption” already, and was blown away by it. I said, “Of course, let them up.” I said a quick hello, asked them which one was the guitar player, shook Edward’s hand, and went onstage in front of 80,000 fans.