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According to Alex Van Halen, the only people who really understood the creative mechanics of Van Halen were him and his brother Eddie.
“All of these people write books about the band and they don’t know anything about the inner workings of this band,” Alex explained in an interview with Modern drummer, carried out in August 2020 and recently published as part of the Modern Drummer Legends Vol. 2 – Alex Van Halen delivered. “And Ed and I don’t say anything because we’re not in the internet bullshit business and books and all that kind of bullshit.” We just want to play. It’s that simple. “
Despite enjoying his status as one of the biggest bands on the planet, Van Halen has been notoriously media shy in recent years, granting interviews only on rare occasions. While such confidentiality helped build the group’s mystique, it also allowed outsiders to make assumptions about Van Halen that Alex said were often wrong.
“All the people who think they know how the band works, maybe even Dave [frontman David Lee Roth], weren’t there 100% all the time, ”Alex explained, noting that even his other band members weren’t quite aware of the work the Van Halen brothers were doing.
“Ed and I are the only ones there day and night. When they leave, Ed and I come home and work on some shit. Or Ed, Wolf [Eddie’s son, Wolfgang] and I go back to work on it. And “work” sometimes just means playing, or Ed finishing a song. So when we go into the studio to record it, and there’s friction, it’s easy to say, ‘The brothers are fighting again.’ “
This “friction” was often used as fodder for the tabloids, with writers regularly speculating on the divisions within Van Halen. While the group has definitely had their share of real upheaval, Alex insists that he and Eddie were still on solid ground.
“Being part of a group is no different than any other land dispute. Everyone is trying to claim a certain territory. The real solution is to play together, to play as a unit. You are much stronger that way, ”explained the drummer. “The conflict is good to a point. Conflicts cause friction, cause heat, but once they get to a certain point it’s not good. “
Even in the months following Eddie’s death, Alex has largely stayed away from the media. While other former members of Van Halen’s group – including Roth, Wolfgang, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony – have given interviews since Eddie’s death, Alex only posted one quote, a message forwarded to Van Halen’s press office which said, “Hey, Ed. Love You. See you on the other side. Your brother, Al.”
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