Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A narrative rendering of the best interviews with Eddie Van Halen culled from over 50 hours of conversations with Guitar World magazine, telling his own story in his own words When rock legend Eddie Van Halen died of cancer on October 6, 2020, the entire world--already steeped in the grief of political unrest and a raging pandemic--seemed to stop and grieve the devastating blow to the music world. Since Van Halen burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut album in 1978, Eddie had been hailed as an icon not only to fans of heavy metal and rock music, but to performers across all genres and around the world. Van Halen's debut sounded unlike anything that listeners had heard before, largely due to Eddie's mastery of guitar. Even Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, who rarely handed out compliments, had to admit: ""For my money, Van Halen is the first significant new kid on the block. Very dazzling. He flies the flag well." Over the course of more than four decades, Eddie gained renown for his innovative guitar playing, and particularly for popularizing the tapping guitar solo technique. Unfortunately for Eddie and his legions of fans, he died before he was ever able to put his life down to paper in his own words, and much of his compelling backstory has remained elusive--until now.
In Eruption, music journalists Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill share with fans, new and old alike, a completely new look at this music legend via this groundbreaking oral history, composed of more than 50+ hours of unreleased interviews that they'd recorded with Eddie over the years. Admired by both Eddie and his family, Brad and Chris were two of the closest interviewers to Eddie in the decade prior to his death and were frequent visitors at the infamous 5150 studio in Eddie's backyard. Arranged chronologically in a Q&A format, the chapters in this book showcase the past parts of these intimate and wide-ranging talks, and each will feature a lengthy introduction, during which the authors will talk about Eddie's family, friends, and colleagues, and offer other crucial background details not covered in the interviews.
As entertaining as it is revealing, this oral history is the closest we'll ever get to hearing Eddie's side of the story when it comes to his extraordinary life--and the authors are determined to memorialize Eddie's words with the dignity they deserve. Perfect for fans of Van Halen, heavy metal and rock music, and books that take readers behind the scenes of iconic moments in the history of music, Eruption will be the go-to resource for those determined to keep Eddie's memory alive and kickin'.
Synopsis
A completely new look at guitar legend Eddie Van Halen via a groundbreaking oral history, composed of more than 50+ hours of interviews with Edward and his family, friends, and colleagues.
When rock legend Eddie Van Halen died of cancer on October 6, 2020, the entire world seemed to stop and grieve. Since his band Van Halen burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut album in 1978, Eddie had been hailed as an icon not only to fans of rock music and heavy metal, but to performers across all genres and around the world. Van Halen's debut sounded unlike anything that listeners had heard before and remains a quintessential rock album of the era.
Over the course of more than four decades, Eddie gained renown for his innovative guitar playing, and particularly for popularizing the tapping guitar solo technique. Unfortunately for Eddie and his legions of fans, he died before he was ever able to put his life down to paper in his own words, and much of his compelling backstory has remained elusive--until now.
In Eruption, music journalists Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill share with fans, new and old alike, a candid, compulsively readable, and definitive oral history of the most influential rock guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. It is based on more than 50+ hours of unreleased interviews they recorded with Eddie Van Helen over the years, most of them conducted at the legendary 5150 studios at Ed's home in Los Angeles. The heart of Eruption is drawn from these intimate and wide-ranging talks, as well as conversations with family, friends, and colleagues.
In addition to discussing in his greatest triumphs as a groundbreaking musician, including an unprecedented dive into Van Halen's masterpiece 1984, the book also takes an unflinching look at Edward's early struggles as young Dutch immigrant unable to speak the English language, which resulted in lifelong issues with social anxiety and substance abuse. Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen also examines his brilliance as an inventor who change the face of guitar manufacturing.
As entertaining as it is revealing, Eruption is the closest readers will ever get to hearing Eddie's side of the story when it comes to his extraordinary life.
Synopsis
Get a completely new look at guitar legend Eddie Van Halen with this groundbreaking oral history, composed of more than fifty hours of interviews with Eddie himself as well as his family, friends, and colleagues.
When rock legend Eddie Van Halen died of cancer on October 6, 2020, the entire world seemed to stop and grieve. Since his band Van Halen burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut album in 1978, Eddie had been hailed as an icon not only to fans of rock music and heavy metal, but to performers across all genres and around the world. Van Halen's debut sounded unlike anything that listeners had heard before and remains a quintessential rock album of the era.
Over the course of more than four decades, Eddie gained renown for his innovative guitar playing, and particularly for popularizing the tapping guitar solo technique. Unfortunately for Eddie and his legions of fans, he died before he was ever able to put his life down to paper in his own words, and much of his compelling backstory has remained elusive--until now.
In Eruption, music journalists Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill share with fans, new and old alike, a candid, compulsively readable, and definitive oral history of the most influential rock guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. It is based on more than 50+ hours of unreleased interviews they recorded with Eddie Van Halen over the years, most of them conducted at the legendary 5150 studios at Ed's home in Los Angeles. The heart of Eruption is drawn from these intimate and wide-ranging talks, as well as conversations with family, friends, and colleagues.
In addition to discussing his greatest triumphs as a groundbreaking musician, including an unprecedented dive into Van Halen's masterpiece 1984, the book also takes an unflinching look at Edward's early struggles as young Dutch immigrant unable to speak the English language, which resulted in lifelong issues with social anxiety and substance abuse. Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen also examines his brilliance as an inventor who changed the face of guitar manufacturing.
As entertaining as it is revealing, Eruption is the closest readers will ever get to hearing Eddie's side of the story when it comes to his extraordinary life.