George Lynch on EVH

[Little Dreamer]

I thought this was pretty cool:


GEORGE LYNCH Says EDDIE VAN HALEN Was An 'Incredibly Shy' And 'Super-Sensitive Guy'
August 3, 2021

During an appearance on the "Appetite For Destortion" podcast, legendary guitarist George Lynch was asked about the impact Eddie Van Halen's death had on him. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That hit me personally very hard, and every guitar player I know, pretty much, kind of felt the same way. As we get older, obviously, we're seeing people go away and pass. And that's just normal, of course. And we're seeing a lot of that. And so that's pretty profound. But, I mean, fucking David Bowie and George Michael and all these people — Prince — these giants… Tom Petty. It's, like, 'What?' All at once it seemed like. But Eddie was on another level, because, obviously, we're a little closer as far as what we do, and we kind of came up in the same place at the same time and had some connections and all that, so that's why it was more profound, I think. And I learned a lot from him, and I based a lot of my style on him. Even though we were compatriots in a way, he was way beyond me, so I lifted a lot of stuff from him and got inspired by him, as we all did. He's a Southern California guy, and we were like kind of neighbors and played the same clubs and played on the same stages together and hung out. [DOKKEN] did [the 1988] 'Monsters Of Rock' [tour with VAN HALEN, SCORPIONS, METALLICA and KINGDOM COME]… So, yeah, that was a pretty tough one. It hits close to home, too, I think, for us when our friends start disappearing, because it's a lonelier place after that."

Asked if he had any Eddie Van Halen stories to share that might "display the fun side of his personality," George said: "He was just incredibly shy. He was just a super introvert. I mean, all the guy did was just sit in his room and play guitar his whole life, and drink his beers and smoke his cigarettes, and developed what he developed. He changed the guitar world. I think he was just sort of burdened with this whole fame thing and being a human being in a complicated world. It isn't always so nice. He was a super-sensitive guy, which allowed him to be this incredible musician, as you have to have that sort of sympathy and empathy. A lot of people thought he wasn't that nice of a person, but it was just 'cause he was really quiet. He was a little bit scared, but he spoke so beautifully through his instrument.

"But we had moments," he continued. "We used to hang out. 'Monsters Of Rock', we'd go almost every night. When Valerie [Bertinelli, Eddie's then-wife] wasn't out, we'd jam. We'd just sit in our hotel room and just play guitar all night. It was pretty awesome. And actually, I had some issues with my gear out there on the 'Monsters' tour, and [VAN HALEN] were the headliner, obviously. And he was so sweet, 'cause he was, like, 'Hey, man, take anything you want of mine.' So I did half that tour with his gear. That's pretty insane, 'cause headliners usually don't do stuff like that. They're just, like, 'That's your problem. Figure it out,' which is fair. But he was very sweet: 'Just take anything you want — heads, cabinets.' I used his rig for, like, half that tour. It was pretty sweet.

"He gave my son a guitar lesson," George added. "My kid was going to GIT, and he wanted to be a guitar player like his dad. And I took him to meet Eddie at a show, and Eddie's, like, 'You know what? You're a guitar player? Let me show you…' So they went back in the warmup room and he gave my son a little lesson. That was pretty cool. Who does that?"

[Raldo]

Makes me miss Eddie even more when you hear stories like this.

[VH1986]

I love these kinds of stories.

[Brett]

I still have a hard time accepting he’s gone.

[JUNGLE DRUMMER]

I still have a hard time accepting he’s gone.

My cousin still isn't really listening to VH because he is still so affected. I still listen and watch VH all the time, but the footage from 2015 is what really gets to me because he looked and played so well on that tour, we the fans, or at least me, thinking there was no way it would be the last time.

[Little Dreamer]

I still have a hard time accepting he’s gone.

Because of the work you've done here at the Links for the last 22 years, he's a little less gone.

[PrideofPasadena]

Yeah, every once in awhile when I play a song on guitar or listen too one, I forget for a minute that he's gone. Then, it comes back. Sucks.

So many stories like this throughout his life. In the future, this stuff should be brought up more when discussing his career. The guy would give you the shirt off his back, literally.

[I Coulda Hada VH]

Eddie will never really be gone because of the timeless music he created.

[Speedway]

Because of the work you've done here at the Links for the last 22 years, he's a little less gone.

Exactly!

Well said.

[VH1986]

I can understand some having a hard time listening to Van Halen, right now, but I actually find comfort in it. I've listened to Van Halen every day since I was a kid and I won't stop till I drop. Miss you, Ed!

[Little Dreamer]

The month after it happened I had some difficulties listening to the music, but it came back naturally. Going through life without ever listening to VH would just be way too hard!

[ScottyBHarris]

Even though Eddie is not here physically, his energy still lives on.

These stories people are telling about Ed, like George's here, are awesome. Eddie was even a better human being, than he was a guitar player.