Synopses & Reviews
What kind of a band turns rock music inside out, sells 75 million albums, and sets concert attendance records, then vanishesnot even appearing on the night of their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Come backstage for a complete close encounter with the multitalented and misunderstood Van Halen, the ultimate American rock stars.
For the first time, Everybody Wants Some tells the complete uncensored story of Van Halen, whose charming smiles and musical chemistry survived misfit childhoods, sibling rivalry, nasty bouts with tabloid snoops, painful divorces, bitter band breakups, long-term substance abuse, and harrowing brushes with cancer.
You'll follow Eddie and Alex van Halen from their quiet but music-filled boyhoods in Holland through their transformative years in Southern California, where seeing the Dave Clark Five on the Ed Sullivan Show turned them away from classical music and into stone rockers overnight.
You'll meet David Lee Roth, whose hyperactive childhood was a prelude to his manic adult life as the ultimate rock showman. And you'll discover why easygoing bassist Michael Anthony, who lent the Van Halen brothers equipment even though he played in a rival local band, responded to his first meeting with Roth by saying, "Get that guy away from me."
You'll sit with Sammy Hagar, whose struggles for acceptance as replacement singer led the band to unexpected placesincluding four consecutive number one albums. And don't forget Gary CheroneVan Halen's much younger, and nearly forgotten, third singer. After years of struggle as a cover band from Pasadena, ?Van Halen exploded out of the Hollywood rock scene in 1978, and the rest is history . . . and myth . . . and legend . . . and rumor . . . and gossip. Ian Christe separates fact from fiction in his account of the band's most stunning exploits, as they elevated fun with groupies, circus-like stage spectacles, MTV videos, and bizarre contract riders to hedonistic art forms. Christe also reveals the truth behind Roth's separation from the band, Van Halen's great success but difficult relationship with Sammy Hagar, and Eddie's marriage to sweetheart TV actress Valerie Bertinelli.
Now firmly ensconced in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Van Halen still grabs headlines whenever someone whispers the magic words, "reunion tour." Everybody Wants Some brings the saga of Van Halenfrom young lions to troubled monarchsto vivid life in all of its exuberant, decadent, vulnerable, and awesome dimensions.
Review
* ""Good band, even better book...Essential reading for fans."" (
Record Collector, December 2007)
""Respect is due to author Ian Christe. His book is perfectly pitched, capturing both the flamboyant excitement and inherent absurdity..."" (Classic Rock UK, February 2008)
Synopsis
Praise for
Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga:One of 2007's Most Intriguing Books, LA Weekly
"Highly recommended for Van Halen completists," Chuck Klosterman, Esquire
"Respect is due to author Ian Christe. His book is perfectly pitched, capturing both the flamboyant excitement and inherent absurdity of the rampant ego collective known as Van Halen," Geoff Barton, Classic Rock
"Good band, even better book...Christe's knowledge, wit, style and passion are perfectly suited...essential reading," Record Collector UK
"Van Halen Reunites--Just in Time for Their Excellent Unauthorized Bio...", The Village Voice NY
"Written in jubilant, elastic prose, Ian Christe's Everybody Wants Someis a sort of Day-Glo fairy tale...savvy, sympathetic, expert, funny ha-ha," The Boston Phoenix
"[Christe's] not fooling around. And his prose is always playful," Los Angeles Times
"A new biography of the band that made metal marketable doesn't disappoint the fans," The American Prospect
"Christe chronicles the sweeping scope of the Van Halen saga," The Chicago Sun-Times
"Christe is back with a shockingly clear view of life behind the iron curtain that is Van Halen. Christe gives his readers a chance to relive the glory days of Sunset Strip glam Metal, while exploring the complex relationships between the brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen," BringBackGlam.com
"Entertaining and frequently surprising," Cleveland Scene
"Christe has written a book that is stylish, succinct, breathtaking and as dazzling as an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo. If you ever stared in the mirror and attempted to imitate David Lee Roth with leaps and splits from the 'Jump' video, then this book is for you," AntiMusic.com
"Even if you aren't a Van Halen fan, if you ever liked 'Runnin' with the Devil', 'Unchained,' 'Panama,' or even 'Poundcake' you have to have to read this book. I'm recommending it to all my friends, I enjoyed it as much as Motley Crue's The Dirt!", GuitarNoize.com
Synopsis
"Good band, even better book . . . Essential reading."
—Record Collector
How did a pair of little Dutch boys trained in classical music grow up to be the nucleus of America's greatest hard rock band? What's the secret of Eddie Van Halen's guitar mastery? Who besides David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar has DNA strange enough to be a Van Halen singer? Are the legends of groupies, midgets, and contract riders all to be believed? The naked truth is playfully laid bare in Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga—now expanded and updated with reporting on the recent comeback tour.
One of 2007's Most Intriguing Books
—LA Weekly
"Highly recommended for Van Halen completists."
—Chuck Klosterman, Esquire
"Respect is due to author Ian Christe. His book is perfectly pitched, capturing both the flamboyant excitement and inherent absurdity of the rampant ego collective known as Van Halen."
—Geoff Barton, Classic Rock
"Written in jubilant, elastic prose, Ian Christe's Everybody Wants Some is a sort of Day-Glo fairy tale . . . savvy, sympathetic, expert, funny ha-ha."
—The Boston Phoenix
"[Christe's] not fooling around. And his prose is always playful."
—Los Angeles Times
"A new biography of the band that made metal marketable doesn't disappoint the fans."
—The American Prospect
"Christe chronicles the sweeping scope of the Van Halen saga."
—Chicago Sun-Times
Synopsis
The first definitive biography of the ultimate American rock bandHow did a pair of little Dutch boys trained in classical music grow up to become the nucleus of the most popular heavy metal band of all time? What's the secret behind Eddie Van Halen's incredible fast and furious guitar solos? What makes David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar so wacky? And, are all those stories about groupies, booze bashes, and contract riders true? The naked truth is laid bare in Everybody Wants Some--the real-life story of a rock 'n' roll fantasy come true.
Synopsis
The first definitive biography of the ultimate American rock bandHow did a pair of little Dutch boys trained in classical music grow up to become the nucleus of the most popular heavy metal band of all time? What's the secret behind Eddie Van Halen's incredible fast and furious guitar solos? What makes David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar so wacky? And, are all those stories about groupies, booze bashes, and contract riders true? The naked truth is laid bare in Everybody Wants Some--the real-life story of a rock 'n' roll fantasy come true.
About the Author
Ian Christe is the author of Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. He has written for Reuters, Revolver, Spin, Guitar World, Wired, and others. He is a regular host on the Sirius Hard Attack and Buzzsaw channels and appears often on television wearing black T-shirts.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Learning to Play "Eruption."Part I: Runnin' With The Devil.
1. The Immigrant Song.
2. Rats in the Cellar.
3. Hotel California.
4. Bat out of Hell.
5. Back in the Saddle.
6. Girls on Film.
7. Jukebox Heroes.
8. Kings of Rock.
9. Road to Nowhere.
Part II: Top of the World.
10. It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine).
11. Roll with It.
12. Nothing's Shocking.
13. Loveless.
14. Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
15. Ill Communication.
Part III: Where Have All the Good Times Gone?
16. No Way Out.
17. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.
18. Get the Party Started.
19. A Grand Don't Come for Free.
20. All the Right Reasons.
Encore: Van Halen IV.
Second Encore: American Idols.
Bonus Tracks.
A. Eddie Van Halen Extended Discography.
B. Holy Grails: Unreleased Van Halen Rarities.
C. Pictures on the Silver Screen: Van Halen in the Movies.
D. The Menu: The Covers Band from Pasadena.
E. Uncovered: Van Halen Tribute Bands.
F. Van Hagar For Dummies.
Look At All the People Here Tonight!
Index.