ERUPTION: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen HonorsOne-year Anniversary of Legendary Guitarist's DeathThe first definitive biography of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen, a year after his death, composed of more than 50+ hours of interviews with Eddie, his family, and friends. Releasing today from Hachette Books.
“A respectful and detailed tribute to a guitar legend.” —Kirkus
ENTER TO WIN A COPY OF ERUPTION!
TUNE IN 10/11/21 at 9:30am pst
KUCI 88.9fm
www.kuci.org
KUCI 88.9fm
www.kuci.org
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. And they would end up as one of only five rock bands with two studio albums that have sold more than 10 million copies in the US.
ERUPTION: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen is based on more than 50+ hours of unreleased interviews Tolinski and Gill recorded with Eddie Van Halen over the years, most of them conducted at the legendary 5150 studios at his 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, including other major guitarists like Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Steve Vai, and Steve Lukather (Toto, Michael Jackson, Ringo Starr, Elton John).
ERUPTION chronicles the highs and lows of this rock legend. In addition to discussing his greatest triumphs as a groundbreaking musician – including an unprecedented dive into Van Halen’s masterpiece 1984 and the story behind playing on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” (which they did as a favor and never received a dime for) – the book takes an unflinching look at Eddie’s early struggles as a young Dutch immigrant unable to speak English, which resulted in lifelong issues with social anxiety and later problems with alcohol and cocaine.
Eddie Van Halen and his older brother Al and their parents moved to Pasadena, CA in 1962 when Eddie was 7 years old, with less than $50, some suitcases and a piano. During the nine-day boat ride over, Eddie and Al played piano for spare change. “We were like a kid freak show,” said Eddie.
The boys attended a segregated school in Pasadena and were ostracized because they knew little English. “My first friends in America were black,” Eddie said. “It was the white kids that bullied me. The black kids stood up for me.”
While words often failed him, as a child Eddie expressed himself through the piano, maintaining a rigorous practice schedule under the watchful eye of his mother. A few short years later, at the age of twelve, he would apply the same diligence to learning the electric guitar, spending countless hours locked in his bedroom developing the technique that would help him become one of the greatest players in the world.
It also examines his brilliance as an inventor who changed the face of guitar manufacturing.
Eddie built his own guitar with spare parts. The guitar, known as “Frankenstein,” created a trend that eventually changed the way electric guitars were made and revolutionized the guitar industry.
A handmade replica of his original guitar now resides in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian in Washington DC, and his original “Frankenstein” guitar was featured in the Play It Loud exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2019, a show inspired by Tolinski’s book on the history of the electric guitar.
Eddie also invented and popularized many playing techniques on the instrument that have functioned as the backbone for guitar soloing in popular music for over to 40 years. These include “tapping,” “whammy bar dives” and “chime harmonics.”
The book also explores the details of his life, both personal and professional.
His long and complicated marriage to Valerie Bertinelli; his close relationship with his son/bassist Wolfgang Van Halen; and his marriage to second wife and publicist Janie Liszewski, who helped him recover from substance abuse and supported him through his many cancer treatments.
His often-stormy relationships with Van Halen’s trio of singers: David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone.
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.
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.
Find out more and order here: ERUPTION: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen
###
Brad Tolinski was the Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine, the best-selling magazine for musicians in the world, for over 25 years. He is also the author of Light & Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page and Play it Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound and Revolution of the Electric Guitar, which was the inspiration for the Play It Loud exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2019. He lives in New York.
Chris Gill was the Editor-in-Chief of Guitar Aficionado magazine and a regular contributor to Guitar World magazine. He is also the author of Guitar Legends: The Definitive Guide to the World’s Greatest Guitar Players, and he contributed extensive guitar background and historical text to Eric Clapton’s Six String Stories and Jeff Beck’s Beck 01: Hot Rods and Rock & Roll.
More info and order here: ERUPTION: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen
Hachette Books | October 5, 2021
$28 | Hardcover | 336 Pages | ISBN: 9780306826658
Praise for ERUPTION:
“During Eddie Van Halen’s lifetime, few—if any—journalists were granted the access that journalists Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill were afforded. And as Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen demonstrates, the guitarist’s trust was not misplaced. This is the final word on what made this epochal musician, guitar innovator and, it must be said, complicated man, tick.”
—Tom Beaujour, New York Times bestselling author of Nothin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the ‘80s Hard Rock Explosion
“Though he lived his adult life under a spotlight, Eddie Van Halen remains shrouded in mystery. There is no duo better suited to peel away the fictions and fog and get to the heart of Van Halen the man and the musician than Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill, two of the greatest guitar journalists of our era. That's exactly what they do in Eruption. Even the keenest fan will find surprises on every page.”
—Alan Paul, New York Times bestselling author of Texas Flood: The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan and One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band
“Guitarists and rock fans can rejoice that Eddie Van Halen’s story has finally been told, accurately and with insights from those who knew him best. Tolinski and Gill compellingly unravel such details as the development of Ed’s two-handed tapping technique and the Frankenstein guitar, and shed new light on every corner of Van Halen’s life and prodigious artistry. It’s a long-awaited and vital read about the most important and influential guitarist of the modern age.”
—Christopher Scapelliti, Editor-in-Chief, Guitar Player magazine
“Few journalists get a front-row seat to witness genius at work the way that Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill did over decades with Eddie Van Halen. In this comprehensive look at the late guitar virtuoso's art and artistry, the pair share everything they learned from the man himself."
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone
