Few guitarists have shaped rock music more profoundly than Eddie Van Halen. But according to Jesus and Mary Chain co-founder William Reid, that influence came with a downside.
“I can’t stand Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing,” Reid says. “I think he ruined rock guitar all through the ’80s and ’90s because so many people copied him.”
Reid made the remarks during a recent interview with Stereogum alongside his brother and bandmate, Jim Reid. The conversation began with a discussion about simplicity, creativity and the virtues of working within limitations, but eventually turned to the late Van Halen guitarist and the impact he had on generations of electric guitar players.
“Not having a lot of equipment forces you to be more inventive,” Jim Reid says. “I can play guitar, but only just. It’s kinda deliberate. I play guitar to the level I need to.
“Sometimes knowing too much about making music gets in the way, and it ends up back to Eddie Van Halen again.”
William Reid was even less charitable.
“I think guitar players should never learn scales,” he says before describing Van Halen as one of “the worst guitar players in the world.”
“I can’t stand Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing. I think he ruined rock guitar all through the ’80s and ’90s because so many people copied him. And I just couldn’t get any of that playing as fast as you fucking can and cramming as many notes in one second as you could.”
It’s a remarkable criticism of a guitarist whose influence remains virtually unmatched in rock. Following the release of Van Halen in 1978 and the groundbreaking instrumental “Eruption,” Van Halen inspired countless players to rethink what could be done on the instrument, ushering in an era of technical innovation that dominated guitar culture throughout the 1980s.
Yet Reid’s criticism isn’t really aimed at Van Halen’s abilities as a player. Rather, it’s directed at the wave of imitators who followed in his wake and embraced speed and technical prowess as ends in themselves.
I listen to Peter Hook’s bass riffs, and I think that’s a thousand times better than anything Eddie Van Halen could ever conjure up.”
— William Reid
As an example of the kind of musician he admires, Reid pointed to Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook.
“I listen to Peter Hook’s bass riffs,” he says, “and I think that’s a thousand times better than anything Eddie Van Halen could ever conjure up.”
The comparison underscores a divide that has existed in rock music for decades. On one side are players who push the technical boundaries of the instrument. On the other are musicians who place a higher value on mood, melody and memorable parts than sheer virtuosity.
The Jesus and Mary Chain have long belonged to the latter camp. Formed in Scotland in 1983, the band became one of alternative rock’s most influential acts, helping lay the groundwork for the shoegaze movement with its blend of pop melodies, feedback and noise.
Whether fans agree with Reid or not, his comments are a reminder that one of rock’s oldest arguments remains unresolved: Is great guitar playing about technical achievement, or about creating something unforgettable with the fewest possible notes?
