Eddie Van Halen Shreds In Valhalla
A tribute to to the guitar god who defined the entire ‘80s ethos
This issue of Weird Girls Post is dedicated to the great Eddie Van Halen, who shuffled off last week to the sorrow of rock fans everywhere. As I’m personally sick of reading tributes to Eddie’s genius from music writers who spend the rest of their time shitting on rock music, or guitarists who haven’t been relevant since the stone age, I’ve turned this issue over to dedicated 21st century shredder, EVH fan, and artist (he did the illustration above!) Ben Katzman, whose new record SHRED MOUNTAIN comes out today! We start with a heartfelt obituary for Eddie penned by Ben that also sums up what makes Van Halen such a special act in the rock canon, followed by three essential VH bangers, including an acoustic deep cut you don’t want to miss. We love you, Eddie! Stealing Ben’s signature sign-off for this one: TALK SOON, ROCK SOONER! - MT
PS. If you dig the R.I.P. Eddie Van Halen header, Ben has made it a sticker that you can purchase from his Bandcamp here, along with a bunch of other cool merch. Getchoo some!
EDWARD VAN HALEN, 1955-2020 by Ben Katzman
It’s hard to believe that, in a year as tumultuous and repeatedly tragic as 2020, something like the death of a celebrity could affect me so hard. Never before have I shed a tear over a celebrity, but let’s be real, Eddie Van Halen was no mere celebrity.
Eddie Van Halen was like a Mozart of our time. While the term “shredding” is used to refer to people who can wail on a guitar and cram as many notes into a song as humanly possible, the original Shredder did anything but. One listen to “Eruption” and you’ll hear the sound of a 2001-type monolith being laid down, shaping the rock genre for decades to come.
In a world filled with mediocrity, where art that isn’t meant to be “serious” can only be consumed ironically as opposed to wholeheartedly enjoyed, you have to stop and think: how did Van Halen rock so hard while having such a damn good time? Any band who had a style consisting of rock, shuffle, flamenco, Motown, and heavy metal would probably make you think “wow, that must suck,” before even giving it a chance.
Van Halen chose to have substance and style. Eddie Van Halen was a virtuoso who made his guitar sound like galaxies shattering on his fretboard, and with his brother Alex Van Halen bashing away on the rock cannons; Michael Anthony on the ground-pounding bass; and the hard-partying, karate-kicking David Lee Roth on lead vocals, no other band comes close to defining what makes a quintessential rock band ROCK the way Van Halen does.
To me, Van Halen (with Diamond Dave especially) are a testament to living life fearlessly, to taking the chances you need to live as large as possible in the short time we have on this planet, to dance to the heavy metal, and to smile when your life has been turned upside down.
Eddie, along with Jimi Hendrix, is the textbook definition, 10 commandments, etched-in-stone guitar god.
To the man who could melt faces and blow minds on the rock guitar with a smile on his face…I give you my personal top 3 Van Halen bangers, a tribute to the guitar god who defined the entire ‘80s ethos.
Runnin’ With The Devil (1978)
The original fist pumping, arena rock banger. Can you name other guitar solos that are this fun to sing along with?
Little Guitars (1982)
Combining mind-blowing flamenco style riffage over classical guitar picking while being paired with Michael Anthony’s platinum back ground vocals, it’s no secret “Little Guitars” is a Van Halen deep cut favorite.
Could This Be Magic? (1980)
Eddie Van Halen on acoustic slide and Diamond Dave crooning like a pirate coming to shred your town. No, this isn’t Van Halen unplugged, it’s Van Halen clearing out the party to catch the sunrise in all its glory.
Rest in peace, king Shredward Van Halen. May your riffs illuminate the heavens as Van Halen finally rocks the Valhalla stage.
Ben’s new record Shred Mountain is out today! Grab it at Bandcamp:
OUTRO
Two more Eddie Van Halen tributes I enjoyed:
I adored this piece in the L.A. Times about Van Halen’s formation and early days as a backyard party band in Pasadena. As an Angeleno who went to tons of backyard shows, I found it very moving and relatable, and the writing is top notch. Loved this paragraph especially:
Even if kids didn’t know the exact address, these parties weren’t hard to find. By rolling down their car windows, they could, by following the reverberating Eddie Van Halen riffs and David Lee Roth screams, make their way to the right spot. Debbie Hannaford Lorenz, who grew up in neighboring San Marino, observes: “When I hear a Van Halen song, I remember walking down the dark street with all the cars and the music echoing everywhere. My friends and I were always so excited to go to these parties.”
This entire thread:
