Jas Obrecht’s chance encounter with a then-unknown Eddie Van Halen on July 23, 1978, resulted in the guitar virtuoso’s first magazine interview, which ran in Guitar Player’s November 1978 issue. Ed and Jas would meet again, including for a five-hour interview in 1980 where they discussed Eddie’s approach to gear and modifications, how he learned to play guitar, the importance of phrasing and much more.
That interview, which ran in the magazine's April 1980 issue, included Ed's revealing statements about everything from his music lessons and guitar solos to his thoughts about one of Van Halen's biggest early hits, “Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love."
At the outset of the 1980 interview, Obrecht asked Van Halen how he developed his speed. Ed, who was born in Holland and moved with his family to the U.S. when he was seven, had a characteristically humorous story to share.
“Well, I'll tell you. They used to lock me in a little room and go, ‘Play fast!’” he began, with a laugh. “I was actually trained to be a classical pianist. I had this Russian teacher who couldn't speak a word of English, and he would just sit there with a ruler ready to slap my face if I made a mistake.
"This started in Holland, and both my brother and I took lessons. Then when we got to the U.S. my dad found another good teacher. Basically, that's where I got my ears developed, learned my theory, and got my fingers moving.
“Then when the Dave Clark Five and those bands came out, I wanted to go [plays the riff from "You Really Got Me"]. I didn't want to go clink, clink, clink. I still play piano, and I also play violin.”
As Ed revealed, some of his piano training translated to the guitar.
“Things like this are classical,” he said as he played the continuous left-hand tremolo technique from "Spanish Fly.” “I know that had some things psychologically come out, but I don't actually sit down at a piano and try to apply it to guitar.”
"I had this Russian teacher who couldn't speak a word of English, and he would just sit there with a ruler ready to slap my face if I made a mistake."
—Eddie Van Halen
The interview also saw Ed provide insights into his solos — how he approached them and what he aimed to achieve with them.
“Feeling,” he said in response to the latter point. “I don't care if it's melodic or spontaneous. If it's melodic and has no feeling, it's screwed.”
To that end, Ed said he would sometimes write a solo and sometimes just go for it on the fly.
“Sometimes it's spontaneous, sometimes it's set,” he explained. “Like the solo in ‘Runnin' With the Devil’ was set. And the same with ‘Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love.’ By ‘set’ I mean that I figured out something melodic instead of just going for it."
As for his spontaneous solos?
“ ’Ice Cream Man’ was one,” he said. “That was a first take. The solo in ‘You Really Got Me’ was totally spontaneous. Next time you listen to it, turn the balance to one side, because the way Ted [Templeman] produces, my guitar is always on one side. Listen to it-there's only one guitar, no overdubs. But it sounds full.”
Likewise, when performing onstage, Ed would sometimes play his solos as they are on the records, but more often he liked to try something new.
“I rarely repeat,” he said. “Sometimes I remember the way I did it on the record and kind of follow it, unless they are melodic solos like in ‘Runnin' With The Devil’ and ‘Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love.’ You know, if I start noodling around, kids go, ‘Hey, that ain't the same song!’”
Remarkably, Ed wasn't a big fan of "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" and hid it from the group for half a year.
"When I wrote ‘Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love’ I thought it was about the lamest song I ever wrote in my life," he remarked. "It took me six months before I even worked up the nerve to show the guys, but kids go nuts for it! I love the beginning — Am and G.”
Ed has been in the news again as of late, thanks to new documentary The Journey to Frankenstein, which traces the development of Ed's heavily modified Super Strat. The film follows his journey across a decade-long arc, as he modifies Les Pauls, Stratocasters and the Ibanez Destroyer in the search for his holy grail instrument.
In addition, Alex Van Halen recently announced his upcoming memoir, Brothers, which will feature the final song he worked on with his brother, "Unfinished." The 720-minute audiobook will also be available in physical and ebook formats.
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