eddie van halen
The 100 Greatest Rock Stars Since That Was A Thing
Three of the 100 are in this picture! The Rolling Stones, in 1964, from left to right: Bill Wyman, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Brian Jones. The problem with lists like this is they are invariably bullshit. So our prime objective was to make sure we didn’t do a bullshit list. I’m not saying we did a scientific one either. Because that isn’t possible — actually, it is, if you wanted some compilation of who sold the most records/concert tickets/has the most fans/got the most death threats, etc., and someone could come up with a bunch of very empirical metrics and create a “heat index” or something, and could deliver an actual scientific ranking! But we, um, didn’t do that. In fact we didn’t even, technically, do the “we...
Kurt Cobain Self-Portrait Caricature Sold for $281,250 at Music Icons Auction
A caricature drawing of Kurt Cobain, done by the icon himself, brought in $281,250 at Julien’s Auctions Music Icons sale. The sale price was 28 times the original estimate. The drawing, done in black felt pen on TNT Music Centre in Singapore stationery, depicts Cobain playing the guitar and is signed “Kurdt Kobain Rock Star.” Handwritten on the right, the singer/songwriter penned, “I don’t know how to play and I don’t give a hoot!” The auction pulled in nearly $5 million over the three-day sale, thanks to including instruments, memorabilia, wardrobe and personal property owned and used by Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Elton John, Cher, Lady Gaga, Tom Petty, Tupac Shakur, and others. CREDIT: Courtesy of Julien’s Auctions Other Nirvana items f...
Eddie Van Halen, Lady Gaga, Kurt Cobain, Prince and Bob Dylan Memorabilia Up For Auction
A guitar played by Eddie Van Halen, his brother Alex’s drumkit, and memorabilia from Kurt Cobain, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Cher, Lady Gaga, Madonna and more are up for grabs at the Music Icons auction by Julien’s Auctions, held June 11-13 2021. In total, more than 1,000 items will be auctioned off, with items from Prince, Elton John, Little Richard, Whitney Houston and more joining the sale’s lineup. “This kit from the 1980 Van Halen Invasion World Tour spent 5 years on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland,” said Alex Van Halen in a statement. “It’s the only one like it in the world and I’m happy that 100% of the selling price will be going to charity via the Frangioni Foundation and Mr. Holland’s Opus.” The drum has a conservative estimate o...
Wolfgang Van Halen Shares ‘Mammoth’ Single off Upcoming Mammoth WVH LP
Giving fans a sixth (!) song ahead of the release of Mammoth WVH, Wolfgang Van Halen has shared the tune “Mammoth” ahead of the album’s June 11 release date. Fans who pre-order the record digitally will get an instant download of the song along with the previously released “Distance,” “You’re To Blame,” “Don’t Back Down,” “Think It Over” and “Feel.” Van Halen describes “Mammoth” as the song that encompasses the overall vibe of the debut album. The song is a driving rock track with lyrics that include: “Hey you. Anything is possible. You’re not the only one. Yeah. Let ‘em think you’re unremarkable and prove them wrong.” A lyric video featuring classic black & white footage of people watching TV as the lyrics roll on screen can be seen below. [embedded content] The Mammoth WVH journ...
Wolfgang Van Halen Declined Invitation to Perform ‘Eruption’ at Grammys
One of the biggest surprises of the Grammys’ new “In Memoriam” segment was that Eddie Van Halen seemed to be ignored as compared to other legends who died in 2020. Though not completely slighted — a guitar sat alone while 20 seconds of “Eruption” played with archival footage of Van Halen was shown in the background. In a tweet on Monday afternoon, Wolfgang Van Halen revealed that the Grammys had bigger plans — including having him perform his father’s legendary 90-second thunderbolt “Eruption.” <!– // Brid Player Singles. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ “div”: “Brid_10143537”, “obj”: {“id”:”25115″,”width”:”480″,”height”:”270″,”playlist”:”10315″,”i...
Tony Iommi Looks Back at Black Sabbath, Meeting Dio and His Friendship With Eddie Van Halen
As one of rock’s most legendary guitarists, the creator of the ominous riff for the song “Black Sabbath” — not to mention the soundscape of the ubiquitous chant-along “Iron Man” and many dozens of other iconic Sabbath songs, Tony Iommi is one easygoing, unassuming bloke. His melodic sense has even led some to term Sabbath “The Dark Beatles.” Iommi, 73, has been a constant throughout Sabbath’s eight singers, a definite aural architect of the Sabbath’s sound over 50 years. Black Sabbath enjoyed several discrete eras: the Ozzy Osbourne years began in 1968. The first of two time periods with Ronnie James Dio at the helm started in 1980, then came round again under the Heaven & Hell moniker in 2006. (The name is taken from Dio’s first LP with his Sabbath brethren.) Recently, Black Sabbath r...
Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH Performs ‘Distance’ on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Wolfgang Van Halen and his Mammoth WVH band performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday (Feb. 11) playing tribute to his late father Eddie Van Halen with the emotive hit single, “Distance.” The tune was written when Eddie was fighting cancer and Wolfgang was “imagining what my life would be without him and how terribly I’d miss him.” This followed the announcement of the Mammoth WVH self-titled debut album, which “Distance” will appear on. Proceeds from that song will go to Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, Eddie’s favorite charity. “The name Mammoth is really special to me,” Wolfgang Van Halen said in a statement about the album. “Not only was it the name of Van Halen before it became Van Halen, but my father was also the lead singer. Ever since my dad told me this, I always thought tha...
Michael Anthony Says He and Eddie Van Halen ‘Had Some Issues That Were Never Resolved’
When Eddie Van Halen passed away in Oct., it hit the rock community hard — including his former bandmates. During a recent visit to the Talkin’ Rock With Meltdown podcast, former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony divulged that he and EVH had unresolved issues when he died. “We actually hadn’t spoken [for many years], and unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to,” he revealed. “And, you know, it kind of bothers me, because we had some issues that were never resolved. But, I mean, what can you do? We were on track [for] a reunion, which I’m really sad that it never happened. But, you know, life and the show goes on.” Van Halen’s manager Irving Azoff also mentioned that the classic lineup almost reunited in 2019 for a stadium tour; however, it didn’t happen because of Eddie’s health...
The ’80s Music Scene? Mark ‘Weissguy’ Weiss Was There, With His Camera
Go to absolutely any of the near-400 pages of The Decade That Rocked —the new coffee-table-worthy collection—and you’re sure to find one of the most vibrant, iconic images of all time, every time. That’s because Mark “WEISSGUY” Weiss (as he likes to call himself) was the photographer behind some of those legendary moments. From the zaniest Ozzy Circus covers to Van Halen’s electric prime, from Aerosmith and Guns N’ Roses to Alice Cooper and Dee Snyder at their most outrageous best. AC/DC, Mötley Crüe, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest. Bon Jovi, Danzig, Whitesnake, KISS. Skid Row, Cinderella, Ratt, Dokken — all that hair! — Peter Frampton, Led Zeppelin, Blondie and everyone else you ever wanted to meet, and those you were happy to admire from afar, all in one place. There will never be ...
Eddie Van Halen’s Iconic Guitars Sell for $422,000 at Legend-Studded Auction
Eddie Van Halen’s “Frankenstrat” is easily one of the most recognizable instruments in rock history, and Kramer Guitars’ early take on the design now belongs to a wealthy new owner. The three instruments sold for a combined $422,050 ($231,250 for the customized Kramer built with guitar tech Matt Bruck at the guitarist’s home studio, $140,800 for his 2004 EVH Charvel Art Series guitar, and $50,000 for a prop guitar from the “Hot for Teacher” video) at the Icons & Idols Trilogy: Rock ‘n’ Roll Auction held by Julien’s Auctions on Wednesday. It was the highest-priced seller out of the nearly 900 available items from a who’s who of music history featuring everyone from Elvis to Lady Gaga, while two of Kurt Cobain’s smashed Fenders sold for a combined $281,600 and Bob Marley’s first gui...
Wolfgang Van Halen on Having a Hit Song, Lessons From His Father and a Prank From Van Halen’s Final Show
For the better part of the decade, when he wasn’t battling aging trolls about his lineage online, Wolfgang Van Halen was carefully crafting his own material outside the band that bore his famous last name. Going deeper into the family business, he decided to use the moniker Mammoth WVH — combining his own initials with a nod to the pre-Van Halen band of his uncle and late father, Eddie Van Halen. This week, Mammoth WVH issued his first song, “Distance,” along with its tearjerking video — featuring home footage of Wolfgang and his father enjoying candid moments, concluding with an intimate voicemail message from the guitar virtuoso. A funny thing happened following the release: The trolls went away, and the song shot to No. 1 on the iTunes music charts, staying there for a...
Wolfgang Van Halen Honors Dad Eddie Van Halen With ‘Distance,’ Debut Solo Song and Video
In a video filled with poignant home movie clips, Wolfgang Van Halen honors his dad with a song called “Distance.” It’s a tribute written while Eddie Van Halen was battling cancer, “imagining what my life would be without him and how terribly I’d miss him,” as Wolfgang explained in a statement. Eddie Van Halen died Oct. 6 after a long battle with cancer, and tributes to the beloved guitar hero were immediate, effusive and ongoing. It’s the first solo song from Wolfgang, who has played bass with Van Halen since 2007. It features the impassioned chorus, “No matter what the distance is, I will be with you.” Wolfgang plays all instruments and sings lead on the track, released under the band name Mammoth WVH. (“Mammoth” is a reference to one...
