<![CDATA[ Latest from Guitar Player in Van-halen ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/tag/van-halen Tue, 12 May 2026 15:01:23 +0000 en <![CDATA[ “We did call him — he just didn’t answer.” Alex Van Halen explains why Michael Anthony was replaced by Wolfgang ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/alex-van-halen-on-why-michael-anthony-was-missing-from-van-halen-reunion oY9qTq3uFW36Y6JiSF5eXE Tue, 12 May 2026 15:01:23 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was like, ‘Ed, you better stop smoking.’” Valerie Bertinelli recalls the night she met Eddie Van Halen — and the “tragic, scary” years that followed ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/valeria-bertinelli-on-the-night-she-met-eddie-van-halen wpr56Jv9cexWyhHdVeQ9Gd Thu, 07 May 2026 20:48:41 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He wanted to crucify me.” Sammy Hagar says Eddie Van Halen “micromanaged everything” on ‘Balance’ ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/sammy-hagar-on-rising-tensions-while-recording-balance-with-van-halen nNSNnztC9GdAGumnSc7RJY Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:42:07 +0000 Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:43:51 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I thought we were done.” Our Lady Peace say Sammy Hagar nearly kicked them off the Van Halen tour. And then Eddie stepped in ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/when-sammy-hagar-tried-to-kick-a-band-off-one-of-their-tours-the-van-halen-brothers-intervened T5KFj86vsNFu7RyuLwcnxP Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:26:55 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I know what he means.” Sammy Hagar compares Alex Van Halen to Roger Waters in new swipe at former bandmate ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/sammy-hagar-compares-alex-van-halen-to-roger-waters FLBF82NXX2AvPy3AmNbzHZ Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:56:41 +0000 Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:09:09 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The rest is history. That’s how close it got.” Alex Van Halen on how he and Eddie nearly made an album with Ozzy Osbourne ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/how-van-halen-almost-made-an-album-with-ozzy-osbourne UAtwxHyvKBMX4wbNktBSJg Thu, 26 Feb 2026 19:39:25 +0000 <![CDATA[ “If they want to do it justice, they should finish it up as a great instrumental nod to Eddie.” As singer Paul Rodgers rejects Van Halen album offer, bassist Michael Anthony says the music should remain as it is ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/new-van-halen-album-paul-rodgers-and-michael-anthony PLUcmEbgrrremhVmUTUHwM Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:46:14 +0000 <![CDATA[ “These recordings were going to be the next Van Halen record.” Alex Van Halen on the new Van Halen album and Steve Lukather’s role in it ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/alex-van-halen-steve-lukather-album-update BqgYkhULucxgvoTn7LMj97 Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:51:31 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It made me feel like, ‘Wow, is that how people perceive me?’” Eddie Van Halen on the one guitarist he said out–Van Halened him ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/eddie-van-halen-uneasy-about-steve-vai maSP2ieE2LTe4esvNQbzvB Wed, 18 Feb 2026 13:46:28 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Randy was trying to get backstage to meet him, but Eddie was bouncing off the walls in his underwear.” Kelly Garni sets the record straight on the rivalry between Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/quiet-riot-bassist-on-randy-rhoads-and-eddie-van-halen-rivalry aGZRd2WFMEbFMeCmAZmvBC Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:10:59 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was embarrassingly inexperienced.” Steve Vai on the guitarist who “saved his bacon” with a vital piece of gear when he was a greenhorn in David Lee Roth’s band ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/steve-vai-on-recorded-david-lee-roths-first-album f34DaEJ6KDnScchAdWQVqk Thu, 29 Jan 2026 19:02:11 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Finally, no Sam versus Dave debates.” A new Van Halen album features Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen playing classic tracks without a vocalist ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/new-van-halen-recordings-without-vocals-released uzCpCERvfqpJUpPCRUEnt8 Sat, 20 Dec 2025 15:33:39 +0000 Sun, 21 Dec 2025 03:45:45 +0000 <![CDATA[ “If you don’t hear that it’s a template for ‘Eruption,’ then you don’t have ears.” A veteran guitarist says Eddie Van Halen copied Ace Frehley. We dismantle the claim with one simple fact ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/veteran-guitarist-says-this-kiss-guitar-solo-was-eddie-van-halens-template-for-eruption 5Xmbb2imKLdrW7QraqqzNh Wed, 12 Nov 2025 17:49:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I said, ‘I grew up on your ass. How can you do this?’” Eddie Van Halen had a legion of copyists. But when one of his idols began to steal his solos, he put a stop to it ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/eddie-van-halen-on-guitarists-that-copied-him LgfqaBNhpZNmwBgsUxk9v3 Thu, 23 Oct 2025 16:14:33 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Eddie ended up playing half the show with gloves with the fingertips cut out. It was the craziest thing ever.” Watch Eddie Van Halen perform in a blizzard as Sammy Hagar unearths never-seen video clip ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/van-halen-play-in-a-denver-blizzard-in-1995 SCJMcy2qmVPrKCFKy4a3Y8 Thu, 25 Sep 2025 18:17:07 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The next day, the phone rings, and it's David.” Steve Vai on accepting his most impossible guitar gig: playing Eddie Van Halen to David Lee Roth ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/steve-vai-on-playing-with-david-lee-roth-and-not-competing-with-eddie-van-halen NrfVS8C4aFofkpAP2U7H8Y Tue, 19 Aug 2025 15:29:38 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It shows you what you can do with two chords”: Did Van Halen's Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love really start life as a parody of the Ramones? ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/michael-anthony-on-aint-talkin-bout-love-and-punk 2Mo3tgcCTzJeRr8cZBswYL Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:44:49 +0000 Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:44:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ “A true grail that connects TWO giants of heavy metal”? Eddie Van Halen’s 1982 Kramer expected to fetch $3 million at auction this fall ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitars/electric-guitars/eddie-van-halens-1982-kramer-auction cuDURDXuReQejjWMguw2yF Tue, 12 Aug 2025 15:57:24 +0000 Tue, 12 Aug 2025 15:57:33 +0000 <![CDATA[ PRS are working on a Dumble-inspired amp that will make you "slack-jawed" says Mark Tremonti, as he reveals an unexpected Alter Bridge-Van Halen connection ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/mark-treminti-on-falling-in-love-with-dumble-amps-and-eddie-van-halen G9SayfpJnNtMff5dfUjB4a Mon, 11 Aug 2025 17:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He would play the part with all these nuances and squeals. On its own, it was perfect.” Why didn't Eddie Van Halen double-track his guitars? Recording engineer Ross Hogarth explains how he worked with the virtuoso ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitars/steve-hogarth-on-recording-van-halens-a-different-kind-of-truth BcXBu5Z4aHdTDxmT2yCqtZ Wed, 30 Jul 2025 17:26:27 +0000 <![CDATA[ “A solo is to highlight the song, not to show off.” Eddie Van Halen's comments against shredding come to light in a previously unheard interview ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/eddie-and-wolfgang-van-halen-on-guitar-solos egWbHktULxiT2QNqbEvbfd Thu, 24 Jul 2025 12:02:51 +0000 Thu, 24 Jul 2025 12:03:10 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Respect was a huge thing. If you disrespected him, he held onto that for a very long time.” Eddie Van Halen was "a pretty complex person" says his longtime friend and biographer ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/steven-rosen-on-disrespecting-eddie-van-halen XgQPJn396ZRsNTijH4Dwjc Wed, 16 Jul 2025 18:38:03 +0000 Wed, 16 Jul 2025 18:38:43 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I said, 'If you don’t like what we do, I’ll just destroy it in front of you.'" Eddie Van Halen shot down a film soundtrack near the end of his life, saying he hadn't been playing much ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/eddie-van-halen-nearly-played-on-the-john-wick-soundtrack GEdU9JyWdT789JXu8BaDt7 Tue, 01 Jul 2025 18:15:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When I first heard Van Halen’s version of ‘You Really Got Me,’ I laughed. It really misses the point of the whole meaning of the song.” Dave Davies on Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page and the Kinks’ power revolution ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/when-i-first-heard-van-halens-version-of-you-really-got-me-i-laughed-it-really-misses-the-point-of-the-whole-meaning-of-the-song-dave-davies-on-eddie-van-halen-jimmy-page-and-the-kinks-power-revolution AEMrSm9YTpJx8SFkfNQcqG Wed, 25 Jun 2025 11:42:34 +0000 Mon, 24 Nov 2025 17:00:40 +0000 <![CDATA[ "There were a couple of guys there listening at the door, and they wanted to hear what Ed played.“ Michael Anthony reveals David Lee Roth's career-saving advice to Eddie Van Halen during Van Halen's early days ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/david-lee-roth-advice-to-eddie-van-halen G9yHrdELGkPmuELkwP2fK6 Mon, 16 Jun 2025 11:50:51 +0000 Mon, 16 Jun 2025 11:55:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’m going, ‘Cello? Dude, I’m ready to write a song with you on cello!’” Sammy Hagar says Eddie Van Halen was preoccupied with the classical instrument when he died ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/sammy-hagar-on-evh-playing-cello-and-calling-on-wolfgang-to-play-a-show-together Zv7AYGaJgLWVT6D9isNVvT Fri, 06 Jun 2025 18:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Eddie said, 'If he's playing, I'm not.'" Yngwie Malmsteen says Eddie Van Halen listened to his music all the time but ran from him every chance he got ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/yngwie-malmsteen-on-eddie-van-halen-being-threatened-by-him Bkczij3xNEEa4PcbRiLeKm Thu, 08 May 2025 16:30:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It always comes through me. I'm the spark plug and the engine.” Eddie Van Halen talks tapping, “Eruption” — and why the weight of the band rested on his shoulders ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/eddie-van-halen-tapping-documentary 6EHah4a3JyrPo5kCu9mpzA Tue, 06 May 2025 18:00:39 +0000 <![CDATA[ "He had used that guitar neck up. He did everything and anything that neck could do.” Sammy Hagar claims he made Eddie Van Halen a better musician and says the guitarist "dried up" in the 2000s ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/sammy-hagar-on-making-eddie-van-halen-a-better-musician 8QzMtQeZ4UjxS2jBWFwYSA Thu, 01 May 2025 08:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ Sammy Hagar says his new single was co-written with Eddie Van Halen “from beyond”, over a year after he died ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/sammy-hagar-on-dreaming-of-eddie-van-halen-and-talks-of-one-final-tour pJ9eN62r29mQEbjq2qf46g Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:31:16 +0000 Sat, 26 Apr 2025 12:56:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Make sure I’m dead.” Eddie Van Halen’s former wife Valerie Bertinelli hopes a Van Halen biopic never happens. Alex Van Halen has other plans ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/valerie-bertinelli-on-van-halen-biopic f9ggsu6m9dbxZjC7PiuDpJ Wed, 16 Apr 2025 16:00:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ "Ed said, ‘Did he say to you that he likes the high notes?’" Steve Stevens recalled Eddie Van Halen's hilarious comment about Michael Jackson after Stevens' own work with the King of Pop ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/steve-stevens-on-eddie-van-halen-and-michael-jackson NM383KKRhm2B9BisH46JPn Tue, 25 Mar 2025 17:48:12 +0000 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:19:23 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It felt so odd to my fingers.” Joe Satriani on the Eddie Van Halen song that proved his biggest challenge on the Best of All Worlds tour ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/joe-satriani-on-the-challenges-of-the-best-of-all-worlds-tour Ke9pJRXHqpNJrZ8JszgSTB Wed, 19 Mar 2025 01:26:03 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I think there is a huge misunderstanding." Steve Lukather clarifies his role in the new project to rescue unheard Eddie Van Halen recordings from the vault ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/steve-lukather-clarifies-role-in-new-van-halen-project RuyNVe8Q5ttk32XrPMtNFC Sun, 16 Mar 2025 23:27:26 +0000 Sun, 16 Mar 2025 23:34:16 +0000 <![CDATA[ "No one can do this with me as well as he can.” Alex Van Halen enlists Steve Lukather to help create a new Van Halen album from Eddie Van Halen's demos ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/alex-van-halen-steve-lukather-van-halen-album V8xvCXFNBSjzv5RZQvzvVS Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:33:34 +0000 <![CDATA[ "There’s so much that I can’t share with him. There’s just this black hole.” Wolfgang Van Halen on life without Eddie and how his grief pushed him into a new chapter ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/wolfgang-van-halen-on-life-after-his-dad UJUB7tCr3jg54seDwMtULD Thu, 06 Mar 2025 16:26:29 +0000 Thu, 06 Mar 2025 16:27:05 +0000 <![CDATA[ Eddie Van Halen asks: “Do you guys ever run out of film?" A private collection of unseen video from Van Halen's classic era is online. Here's what's in it ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/van-halen-unseen-canceled-documentary-footage cqiqWCaWB34AKgGkEmMqPF Thu, 06 Mar 2025 02:00:20 +0000 Thu, 06 Mar 2025 04:13:47 +0000 <![CDATA[ “You see the strongest Van Halen fans acting in a way my dad would be disgusted with.” Wolfgang Van Halen hits back at the haters who threatened to tarnish his time in Van Halen ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/wolfgang-van-halen-on-2006-van-halen-reunion-backlash wuwPmFJ6nLZiSmEXeb4tcL Thu, 27 Feb 2025 17:15:46 +0000 <![CDATA[ "George Lynch, Van Halen and a couple of different people saw me doing it." Harvey Mandel says he wants credit for introducing Eddie Van Halen to two-handed tapping ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/harvey-mandel-on-two-handed-tapping-and-eddie-van-halen 67bWpVa9gvzkUR2FRNWqqQ Wed, 19 Feb 2025 13:32:09 +0000 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:19:25 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I think Eddie got rubbed the wrong way." Peavey's CEO says Joe Satriani's endorsement deal led Eddie Van Halen to depart for Fender — and take the 5150 amp with him ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/peavey-ceo-on-evh-and-joe-satriani Z3d2bUZGZSYVKF9STnRXeP Tue, 18 Feb 2025 16:24:50 +0000 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:19:22 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore and Jimi Hendrix were great at writing them. Now the guitar riff has disappeared from popular music." Dweezil Zappa laments the absence of riffs in modern music and what it means for future guitar players ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitars/electric-guitars/dweezil-zappa-the-on-lack-of-riffs-in-modern-music Fv69XqT4kNW5mnLAMXJH8C Wed, 05 Feb 2025 12:52:50 +0000 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:19:26 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I had the rock and roll thing in my soul. David gave me an opportunity to stretch that muscle." Can David Lee Roth pick guitarists? Just ask Steve Vai, Jason Becker and John 5 ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/david-lee-roths-solo-guitarists Q3H65Yq5YuV3zcuo28XQF7 Thu, 30 Jan 2025 18:01:27 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Van Halen gets overshadowed by his own brilliant lead playing." Alex Skolnick explains what everyone misses about Eddie Van Halen ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/alex-sklonicks-favorite-van-halen-riffs Zbp4j2uXQZvogrKdX3hwwV Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:53:02 +0000 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:19:24 +0000 <![CDATA[ "Eddie Van Halen came to my high school talent contest and showed me how to play 'Runnin' With the Devil.'" Dweezil Zappa shows the guitar Ed gave him that day as he recalls the kind of friend Van Halen was ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/dweezil-zappa-on-thekramer-gifted-to-him-by-eddie-van-halen UaAWWrXfdkWouUAZVDTCAe Tue, 28 Jan 2025 16:04:29 +0000 Tue, 28 Jan 2025 16:12:17 +0000 <![CDATA[ "That’s why he sounds like Eddie." John 5 shares what he learned about Eddie Van Halen after playing through the guitarist's rig ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/john-5-on-hearing-eddie-van-halen ZUeC8rEExNo63kqygAMZUZ Mon, 30 Dec 2024 17:41:14 +0000 Mon, 30 Dec 2024 17:44:09 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I thought it was about the lamest song I ever wrote in my life.” Eddie Van Halen on guitar solos, the music teacher who slapped his face, and his all-time worst song ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/eddie-van-halen-the-lamest-song-i-ever-wrote abFxT7WMApBFzVPVaojbJV Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:28:50 +0000 Thu, 02 Jan 2025 19:18:16 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I’ve got two boxes of cassettes with Eddie. I’m not sure I’m mad enough to go through them!” Mike Rutherford reveals his secret recording sessions with Eddie Van Halen ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitars/acoustic-guitars/mike-rutherford-recorded-with-eddie-van-halen NKjrAiYpwggy2UDXDyxS6b Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:48:35 +0000 <![CDATA[ "There are a lot of guys that play much more like Eddie than Joe." Sammy Hagar says Joe Satriani was “not a perfect match” for his Van Halen Best of All Words tour. But one factor set him apart ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/sammy-hagar-joe-satriani-not-a-perfect-match-for-eddie-van-halen kMFTnXJKitQDAEup5fXtXC Tue, 10 Dec 2024 18:18:55 +0000 Thu, 12 Dec 2024 12:18:05 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I got the request from Ozzy, so you don’t say no.” Watch Wolfgang Van Halen shred the age-old rivalry between Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads with a ripping version of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/wolfgang-van-halen-ozzy-hall-of-fame-performance w2zgSfAcAVEBx3Jay5qVYR Thu, 05 Dec 2024 14:15:16 +0000 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:19:23 +0000 <![CDATA[ "Why does John Frusciante want a piece of crap like this?" Eddie Van Halen didn't like the guitarist's choice of wah pedal. His advice to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' axeman was priceless ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/eddie-van-halen-had-gear-advice-for-john-frusciante 58AysbJJqXikMAXoFhEqr3 Tue, 03 Dec 2024 12:41:06 +0000 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:19:24 +0000