EVH's Speech At The Smithsonian

[JohnSykes]

I really feel like this one was one of the more authentic interviews ive heard from him.

 

[Anonymous]

In my book, Ed can do no wrong. Lol
I know it sounds crazy to say that, but criticize him all you want, but the guy changed the game.
I will say one thing... He seems to be losing his hair now adays. He had a full and long head of it on the last tour and that wasn't too long ago.
Anyway, thank you Eddie for continuing to inspire !!!

 

[MrDowntown]

Really dug the interview. Ed certainly has his place in American (music/rock) history near the top, IMHO. I agree he changed so much of the game, full of shit and all.

I do wonder about the wolfs record that's supposed to be coming out. I wonder how smoking it really will be.....

 

[TrueTone500]

I loved the 1st VH release, but that was pretty-much it for me. I just couldn't get into the pop jock-rock direction they took. Most say EVH changed the game, and that may be true, for them... The guy who changed the game for me, was Randy Rhoads.

 

[Loudness250]

I don't know what you mean by Jock Rock but crazy train gets played more and football games then any Van Halen song. I love Van Halen and Ozzy. That is actually a killer concert and Dave really only blew it on Romeo Delight and the "I forgot the words part is actually on the album", so it's part of the song".

 

[MrDowntown]

The DD record was real poppy....that was kind of Daves album (I still liked it). Actually daves solo work sounds so much like a continuation of the DD record. But they were back on track with 1984 IMO.

It's a shame RR was taken so early....much like SRV, couldn't wait to see what the guy was going to come up with next.

 

[BackCrack]

This whole time I thought Lynn Ellsworth (Boogie Bodies) was full of shit with his Ed story, just like a lot of his other "stories". But Ed recounted it in this interview basically word-for-word as Lynn used to tell it. According to Lynn, the body was a little knotty and a very heavy piece of northern hard ash. Hard to sell, hence it's location on the floor and behind the trash cans.

 

[neilli]

I get that it was inherently supposed to all about EVH, but I still think it's shitty that he didn't mention Dave or Mike when talking about 'the old days'. We heard enough about Wolfie after all..

 

[TrueTone500]

I don't know what you mean by Jock Rock but crazy train gets played more and football games then any Van Halen song. I love Van Halen and Ozzy. That is actually a killer concert and Dave really only blew it on Romeo Delight and the "I forgot the words part is actually on the album", so it's part of the song".

Music wise, going from Humble Pie, LZ, Deep Purple, Rainbow to Van Halen 1 was a seamless effort. If VH II would have been their first release, I seriously doubt I would have taken interest in Van Halen at all. I don't know what happened, but I have to assume it was a money decision. It paid-off, and I certainly cannot fault them for that. Van Halen II and beyond was music the whole family could enjoy, which was not where my head was at. I was actually shocked at how commercial they went with their music. I still gave credit to Ed's tones, and feel DLR was one of the greatest front men in the industry - from a commercial standpoint. He was basically a Jim Dandy clone, but took it to the next level.

What's ironic, is that I was never a fan of Black Sabbath. I remember hearing a live broadcast with Ozzy's new band... I said; "Who the f#ck is playing guitar?!" I never expected it. I don't recall there ever being an Eddie vs Randy camp... Everyone I knew was stunned by Randy's compositions and playing. Eddie Van Halen wasn't even in the same league, as far as I was concerned anyway. I didn't mean to turn this into a RR v EVH rant, but I can't help myself. I just get aggravated by the fact that the greatest metal music composer of all time has been swept into the dust-bin of history! Maybe it's not as bad as that, but it sure seems that way to me. I so wish I would have purchased a ticket to Rock Superbowl XIV, because I would then still own the ticket. We use to purchase from scalpers for those shows, so I missed-out on getting one. Without Randy, I had no interest in seeing the show.

When the guy asked Ed; "What deceased musician would you want play with?" I was so hoping he would say; "Randy Rhoads, of course!"

 

[ejecta]

I just get aggravated by the fact that the greatest metal music composer of all time has been swept into the dust-bin of history!

There is a probably a good reason for that and maybe it has to do with that he wasn't as great as you think he was in a lot of people's minds.

 

[journeyman73]

I just get aggravated by the fact that the greatest metal music composer of all time has been swept into the dust-bin of history!

There is a probably a good reason for that and maybe it has to do with that he wasn't as great as you think he was in a lot of people's minds.

ouch

 

[Badronald]

I just get aggravated by the fact that the greatest metal music composer of all time has been swept into the dust-bin of history!

There is a probably a good reason for that and maybe it has to do with that he wasn't as great as you think he was in a lot of people's minds.

Agreed. Great, but greatest metal composer of all time.........?

 

[journeyman73]

of course, everyone has their own preferences, etc...its music - what turns one person may not another...

BUT, i would say that for me EVH was much more impactful than RR - if for no other reason that i had the good fortune of being around so much longer.

as a consequence, maybe, i find him much more dimensional.

'composer' isnt the first thing that comes to mind about RR (admittedly, im not deep into him but he doesnt strike me the same way jimmy page or evh do).

i do often think EVH is not considered as 'serious' a musician as he might otherwise because of the whole lightweight party like lyrics and swing and image that VH gave off...if thats what is meant by 'jock rock' i agree how one could form that impression

 

[Rock Bodom]

I just get aggravated by the fact that the greatest metal music composer of all time has been swept into the dust-bin of history!

There is a probably a good reason for that and maybe it has to do with that he wasn't as great as you think he was in a lot of people's minds.

Agreed. Great, but greatest metal composer of all time.........?

I agree as well. I grew up loving both of them, and to me Randy was the yin to Eddie's yang, and if you studied both you became so much more well-rounded. I even get why for many guys Randy's stuff is more appealing...his melodic sense, the composition of his solos...this was the more "serious" side of lead guitar for metal as opposed to Eddie, obviously ground-breaking and now legendary. But I also think as huge a player as Randy was, for me learning his stuff was always a little easier than Eddie.

With Randy's playing, I always felt like once I got the notes down, I could pretty much pull off his stuff. With Eddie, it always was more than the notes. How do you capture that loose feel, that famous "swing" while not getting too sloppy on the technical side? And really pull off his stuff convincingly? Can't be a stiff structured player, but can't be a sloppy hack either.

And I'm not sure what jock rock is either, but I'm pretty sure Fair Warning isn't it.

 

[ejecta]

I just get aggravated by the fact that the greatest metal music composer of all time has been swept into the dust-bin of history!

There is a probably a good reason for that and maybe it has to do with that he wasn't as great as you think he was in a lot of people's minds.

Agreed. Great, but greatest metal composer of all time.........?

I agree as well. I grew up loving both of them, and to me Randy was the yin to Eddie's yang, and if you studied both you became so much more well-rounded. I even get why for many guys Randy's stuff is more appealing...his melodic sense, the composition of his solos...this was the more "serious" side of lead guitar for metal as opposed to Eddie, obviously ground-breaking and now legendary. But I also think as huge a player as Randy was, for me learning his stuff was always a little easier than Eddie.

With Randy's playing, I always felt like once I got the notes down, I could pretty much pull off his stuff. With Eddie, it always was more than the notes. How do you capture that loose feel, that famous "swing" while not getting too sloppy on the technical side? And really pull off his stuff convincingly? Can't be a stiff structured player, but can't be a sloppy hack either.

And I'm not sure what jock rock is either, but I'm pretty sure Fair Warning isn't it.

Well said and dead on IMHO.

 

[Clayspun]

I hear the whole jock rock thing, I may just like the dark themed stuff like ozzy / sabbath. When I think van halen I think of 70s high school kids in convertibles wearing odd clothing. When I think ozzy/sabbath I think of the outkasts, pot heads whateva but I'm thinking of Highschool too much. I relate more to the ozzy stuff. I do like VH but one of my first albums was paranoid. Eddie did evolutionize the way we all play guitar despite who taught him/showed him, he brought it to the surface. I think when it comes Eddie vs R.R., Eddie is more about technique and feel and RR was more of a composer.

 

[TrueTone500]

I grew up with Black Sabbath music, but I never heard them until I listened to them "stoned". We were sitting at Junior Holman's house (circa 1977), stoned-out on Thai stick that Junior ripped-off from his brother. I remember laying back on a bean-bag, hearing the needle drop, and this is what came next...

Those string-swipes haunt me to this day!

 

[Clayspun]

Hahaha on a bean bag... That sounds like quite a moment to be had though.

 

[Anonymous]

I just get aggravated by the fact that the greatest metal music composer of all time has been swept into the dust-bin of history!

There is a probably a good reason for that and maybe it has to do with that he wasn't as great as you think he was in a lot of people's minds.

Agreed. Great, but greatest metal composer of all time.........?

I agree as well. I grew up loving both of them, and to me Randy was the yin to Eddie's yang, and if you studied both you became so much more well-rounded. I even get why for many guys Randy's stuff is more appealing...his melodic sense, the composition of his solos...this was the more "serious" side of lead guitar for metal as opposed to Eddie, obviously ground-breaking and now legendary. But I also think as huge a player as Randy was, for me learning his stuff was always a little easier than Eddie.

With Randy's playing, I always felt like once I got the notes down, I could pretty much pull off his stuff. With Eddie, it always was more than the notes. How do you capture that loose feel, that famous "swing" while not getting too sloppy on the technical side? And really pull off his stuff convincingly? Can't be a stiff structured player, but can't be a sloppy hack either.

And I'm not sure what jock rock is either, but I'm pretty sure Fair Warning isn't it.

Well done and massively agreed!

Steve

 

[TrueTone500]

Hahaha on a bean bag... That sounds like quite a moment to be had though.

Same as when I first heard RUSH 2112 and Pink Floyd DSOTM...

Seems like that was sort-of the litmus test in those days... If it sounded like shit stoned, it generally sounded worse straight. KISS was one such band as I recall, although I love Parasite!

Note:
I do not condone or endose the use of illegal substances. Remember kids... Only dopes, use dope!