The bond between brothers can be unshakeable and unbreakable. Alex and Eddie Van Halen had such a bond. In a new memoir, Brothers, Alex Van Halen is digging deep and pulling back the curtain on his late brother Eddie.
Besides for a brief statement after his brother’s death in 2020, “Hey, Ed. Love you. See you on the other side. Your brother, Al,” Alex has not shared very much publically.
However, it turns out that Alex, who was Van Halen’s original drummer, has a lot to say about his brother and their time together in one of the most pivotal rock bands of all time.
“I was with him from day one,” Alex writes. “We shared the experience of coming to this country and figuring out how to fit in. We shared a record player, an 800-square-foot house, a mom and dad and a work ethic. Later, we shared the back of a tour bus, alcoholism, the experience of becoming successful, of becoming fathers and uncles and of spending more hours in the studio than I’ve spent doing anything else in this life,” he continues. “We shared a depth of understanding that most people can only hope to achieve in a lifetime.”
Van Halen was an American rock band form in Pasadena, California, formed in 1973. Van Halen was known for their energetic and theatrical live performances. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene during an era of disco and hair mental, Van Halen’s prestige knew no limits; from Grammy’s, to multiple Billboard hits and sold out stadiums.
There has been no shortage of books written over the years about the Van Halen band members, including Runnin’ with the Devil: A Backstage Pass to the Wild Times, Loud Rock, The Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen, and Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen.
However, it seems Alex is not a huge fan of any of these books.
He shared in an interview with Modern Drummer in August 2020, “All these people are writing books about the band, and they know nothing about the inner workings…. Ed and I don’t say anything because we’re not in the business of bullshitting on the internet and books and all that kind of crap. We just want to play. It’s that simple.”
Eddie Van Halen is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists in rock and roll history. He was famous for popularizing a specific two-handed guitar technique called “tapping”. This style allowed for arpeggios to be played in a rapid and explosive succession. He passed away in 2020 from throat cancer at the age of 65.
Brothers is set to be released on October 22nd, by HaperCollins. Editor, Sara Nelson referred to the memoir as, “A chronicle of family and talent and the passion to create … the definitive take on Edward Van Halen’s life and death from the one who knew and loved him best.”
An avid book reader and proud library card holder, Angela is new to the world of e-Readers. She has a background in education, emergency response, fitness, loves to be in nature, traveling and exploring. With an honours science degree in anthropology, Angela also studied writing after graduation. She has contributed work to The London Free Press, The Gazette, The Londoner, Best Version Media, Lifeliner, and Citymedia.ca.
