Eddie Van Halen – The Long Lost Interview

**NDL** · 03.23.19, 08:57 PM

Enjoy!

https://www.loudersound.com/features...lost-interview

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My favorite quote:

"Can you talk about how you developed that fast fluttering pick attack?

Just practice, I guess. I’ve been playing eight to ten years. That’s quite a while. I kind of pick at a downward angle. And I started early, which is good. A lot of people start late and play for ten years and they don’t get quite as far. You’ve got a lot more hang-ups or whatever when you get older and shit. I enjoy playing. That’s the main thing. It’s not like I was forcing myself because I wanted to be a rock’n’oll star. I started out playing because I really liked to."

**Heisenberg** · 03.23.19, 09:54 PM

Originally Posted by NDL

My favorite quote:

Good post. Thanks.

Here's my favorite quote.

Have you written any songs for the next album?

Oh yeah. We write all the time. That’s a good thing about the band, and everybody contributes. I’m the guitarist so I write all the riffs and shit, but Dave [Lee Roth] writes lyrics and Al [Alex van Halen] and Mike [Anthony] really help arrange, so every song is a group effort. There’s not one song that one person wrote totally.

**NDL** · 03.23.19, 11:29 PM

Originally Posted by Heisenberg

Good post. Thanks.

Here's my favorite quote.

Have you written any songs for the next album?

Oh yeah. We write all the time. That’s a good thing about the band, and everybody contributes. I’m the guitarist so I write all the riffs and shit, but Dave [Lee Roth] writes lyrics and Al [Alex van Halen] and Mike [Anthony] really help arrange, so every song is a group effort. There’s not one song that one person wrote totally.

You're welcome.

This was the first I had heard of EVH using a Charvel neck, which makes sense, considering his tone.

**ziggysmalls** · 03.24.19, 04:47 AM

I love the part where he says he can read music on piano. I know others took off with him later on saying he couldn't read music and somehow never read music while he was winning piano competitions.

**KS 5150** · 03.24.19, 07:21 AM

Interesting to hear him talk about the white Les Paul briefly. I've seen pics of him playing it in the Zlozower book, but never heard anything about it.

**Little Dreamer** · 03.24.19, 10:30 PM

I've got issues with a web site presenting this as a "lost" EVH interview that just got found. That interviewed has been "unlost" for more than a decade now, how is this news?!?!

What's next, a web site saying that Sammy just published his autobiography and another "revealing" Roth replaced Howard Stern as a radio host!?!? The fact that there is no VH news shouldn't encourage ppl to create fake ones.

**Simon Ribeiro** · 03.25.19, 07:53 AM

Originally Posted by NDL

Enjoy!

https://www.loudersound.com/features...lost-interview

***

...

Thanks for the post. Not a so lost stuff since EVH said most of these things in some other interview circa 1978/79. Yet it was a cool reading.

Funny thing is the mention of releasing YRGM as a single as a 'joint effort ... a joint thing between us and Ted.' Didn't Edward showed it to a friend (Angel's drummer Barry Brandt) he was told NO to show anyone the tunes they recorded for VH, the debut? The next thing they heard was Angel recording their version of it, based on VH's effort. Then Templeman asked who showed the song and WB had to rush YRGM as their 1st single?

EVH is a funny guy to read.

**Simon Ribeiro** · 03.25.19, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by ziggysmalls

I love the part where he says he can read music on piano. I know others took off with him later on saying he couldn't read music and somehow never read music while he was winning piano competitions.

Right on!!!!!!

**Ashe** · 03.25.19, 12:35 PM

Maybe Eddie couldn't read music when he was 7 years old, but learned how by the time this interview took place. He talks fast and loose in these old interviews. He exaggerates a lot too. According to this interview, he doesn't even know what scales are, and apparently, he's never even owned an acoustic. He says he doesn't even know anything about acoustic guitars. Then he answers the next question with information about special tunings for acoustic.

I've read interviews where he said that he was never influenced or even listened to Hendrix, but I've heard him play Hendrix tunes. He's said in several interviews that he hasn't bought an album since Peter Gabriel's So, but then in other interviews, he comments on very specific players and songs that have been released long after So. People take him so literal sometimes.