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September 1, 2009
A Little Bit of Chickenfoot And A Little Bit of Van Halen
Gibson, maker of some of the most-recognized guitars in the world of rock, recently interviewed Chickenfoot frontman Sammy Hagar. In addition to the guitar talk that would be expected, Hagar was asked some questions about his thoughts in the differences between his experience with Van Halen and his experience with Chickenfoot.
Hagar has gained himself a reputation as someone who does not hold back when it comes to his opinions, and this interview was no different. Regarding his motivation to start up a new band, the most influential factor seems to be that he wanted to “to play with the best players in the business.” He then goes on to refer to each other individual member of Chickenfoot as “the best” at what they do.
Those kinds of comments are somewhat reminiscent of his infamous statement made during the lead up to the group’s public debut when he said they could “rival Zep.” A statement Hagar later blamed on the consumption of a little to much tequila.
Everyone has their preference, but referring to to his band mates as “the best” comes across more like bravado and less like reality. Has Hagar never heard of Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio, Geddy Lee, Jack Bruce or Stevie Ray Vaughan? That’s partly a rhetorical question since he actually mentions Jack Bruce and Stevie Ray Vaughan during the interview.
No Hagar interview would be complete without a few words about Eddie Van Halen, whom Hagar refers to as slow compared to guitarist Joe Satriani when it comes to writing. Although he regards both Satriani and Van Halen as “phenomenal” players, in the end he says he thinks Satriani comes out on top when it comes to “a straight-up player, who can play anything, and plays perfect every time.”
You can read part one of the interview at the Gibson website.
Van Halen is in the news again for reasons that may not please them very much – to say nothing of their fans. According to the Wall Street Journal, the group became involved in Ticketmaster’s efforts during 2007 to increase their profits by teaming up with ticket brokers (also known as “scalpers”) . It was also reported to be an effort by Ticketmaster to thwart concert prompter Live Nation’s plans to enter the ticket business.
Ticketmaster’s CEO, Irving Azoff, also happened to be managing Van Halen, which created an opportunity for Ticketmaster to test their new strategy. During the fall of 2007, as many as 500 of the best seats for 20 Van Halen shows were not offered on the Ticketmaster system and were passed on to the brokers for sale to the public.
The brokers were able to keep 30% of the inflated price of the tickets they were allotted while the remaining 70% was shared between Ticketmaster, Van Halen, and their organization. The band reportedly netted at least an extra $1 million as a result. There was nobody available for comment from the Van Halen camp.
Since then Ticketmaster has decided they didn’t care to share a bed with the brokers and have decided to go to war against them instead, using new software that it hopes will make life difficult for them by blocking automated processes that some brokers use to obtain tickets in the highly competitive online grab for tickets the second they are made available for sale.
August 5, 2009
Eddie Van Halen To Appear on CBS Sitcom ‘Two And A Half Men’
Van Halen fans should be on the lookout for axe man Eddie Van Halen on the CBS Comedy Two And A Half Men when it returns to the air on September 21st. Van Halen has agreed to appear during one of the show’s episodes after being asked by the show’s executive producer who approached Van Halen while he was on his honeymoon with new wife Janie Liszewski.
Reportedly a big fan of the program, Van Halen accepted the invitation and will be playing himself on the show and also playing guitar. What else would we expect from Eddie Van Halen?
Two And A Half Men debuted on CBS in 2003 and stars Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer. The program has been nominated twice for a Golden Globe award and has earned numerous other awards.
Van Halen is expected to be on the set taping the show in Burbank this week.
Recovering nicely from recent hand surgery, Van Halen has been talking in recent weeks about the future of the group, which appears to be moving forward with talk of working on new music and putting together another tour at some point in the future. The group is expected to continue with its current lineup, including off-again-on-again frontman David Lee Roth and Van Halen’s son Wolfgang on bass.
July 24, 2009
Eddie Van Halen Doing Well Following Hand Surgery
What a heck of a way to spend your honeymoon. Well, that’s probably not really the case, but it seems that Eddie Van Halen’s recent hand surgery must have been soon after he and new wife Janie Liszewski wrapped up their continent-hopping journey of love. They were reported to have plans to honeymoon in New York, Germany and The Netherlands.
Van Halen’s doctor, located in Germany, discovered a number of problems in the guitarist’s left hand after he had been complaining of pain, which was initially believed to be arthritis. It was then discovered that Van Halen was suffering 
from a bone spur, a twisted tendon and a cyst in the joint of his left thumb. A sort of triple play of bad luck for the guitar legend.
Van Halen reports that he began to experience some pain in his thumb and pinky finger of his left hand during their last tour – just what a guitarist needs! Although he more-or-less dismissed it at the time, the pain progressed to a point where he was unable to play. Eventually his pinky and thumb were “locked up,” as described by Van Halen. At that point, it must have become quite apparent that he needed to seek medical help.
With surgery being the only option to correct the situation – something that caused an understandable amount of anxiety for him – Van Halen underwent the procedure which was determined to be successful.
Van Halen is taking it easy these days while he gives his hand time to recover. A full recovery is expected, but in the meantime, he will occupy himself by doing some writing. The projected time for a full recovery is in the four to six month range, at which time Van Halen says he’s confident he’ll “be able to play at maximum intensity.”
One has to wonder (or maybe it’s just me) how a "locked up” pinky and thumb may have hindered some honeymoon activities, but perhaps that’s something that merits consideration on a blog that normally covers those kinds of things.
More information is available at Rolling Stone.
June 16, 2009
Eddie Van Halen Takes on Nike
Don’t mess with Eddie Van Halen’s “Frankenstein.” That seems to be the message that the veteran guitarist is conveying to sporting goods giant Nike. Van Halen has concluded that a new lines of sneakers recently introduced by Nike look a little too similar to his signature “Frankenstein” design, that was made famous by the guitar of the same name when the group broke onto the scene back in the late 1970’s.
Having recently introduced his own line of sneakers featuring the famous design under his EVH brand, Van Halen apparently sees too much similarity between Nike’s new design and the “Frankenstein” design he copyrighted back in 2001 and has field suit in Los Angeles claiming that Nike is inflicting "irreparable harm and damage" to his signature design.
Van Halen is seeking general and punitive damages, all profits resulting from the sales of Nike’s "Dunk Lows" and a permanent injunction stopping the production of the sneakers in question.
There’s little question that the design of the Nike shoe bears a resemblance to Van Halen’s design, but is it similar enough to file a lawsuit over? Opinions, will vary as they always do and likely be influenced by whether or not someone sees Eddie Van Halen has a rock god or a grumpy and arrogant celebrity.
This will be an interesting one to watch, although a verdict is probably not something we should be expecting soon. I suspect that the Van Halen legal team may be hoping for an offer of a settlement from Nike which would allow them to continue using the design while cutting Van Halen in on some of the profits by way of a licensing agreement.
June 12, 2009
Eddie Van Halen Counts His Blessings
The one word that might best summarize Eddie Van Halen’s outlook on life these days is ‘thankful.’ In a recent interview with Spinner, the guitar legend emphasizes just how grateful he is to be in a place where everything seems to have finally come together for him.
That may sound strange when we’re talking about a talented musician who truly made it, and has experienced the highs of living the life of an honest-to-God rock star, but like so many others who find themselves in the celebrity spotlight, the tremendous highs are often accompanied by devastating lows, and Eddie Van Halen has not been spared his share.
After enduring battles with cancer and addiction, Van Halen sounds like a man who has finally managed to gain the upper hand in his long battle with the demons that haunted him through the decades. Numerous references to ‘God’ reveal an Eddie Van Halen that sounds more humble than might be expected of someone who is considered by many to be the best rock guitarist of all time.
Even so, Van Halen does not hesitate to take credit where he believes it is due, mentioning three times during the interview that he writes all of the group’s music. He does acknowledge, however, that the group – at least in its current incarnation – is indeed a democracy, and as a result, he does sometimes get outvoted. “I’m not a tyrant, as a lot of people think,” he says. “I just expect other people, if you’re in this band, to work as hard as I do.”
Asked whether he has a different appreciation for where he is at with his life and music these days, he responds by saying: “Yeah, I thank God on my knees that I’m alive and obviously to be sober and to be working with my son. I’m so damn blessed it’s beyond words.”
To read the entire interview, visit Spinner.
