10.6.20 Hero of the Day: Eddie Van Halen

Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

 

A SPECIAL HERO OF THE DAY!

Name: Eddie Van Halen
Age: was 65
Occupation: guitarist
Last Seen: the great beyond
Awarded For: setting the standard for rock guitarists everywhere

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Well, I can kiss a humongous part of my childhood away.

As a young boy, I had fond memories of Van Halen. Their songs were blasting out of my radios at home everywhere. My father even had a live Van Halen CD, 1993's "Live: Right Here, Right Now" that he played all the time. They heavily supplemented the soundtrack of my childhood. 

Some of us were David Lee Roth people, others were more into Sammy Hagar, though some would laughably call that period their "Van Hagar" era. And yes, there was that time when the group made an Extreme mistake by hiring Gary Cherone as their lead singer. 

In all, Van Halen never failed to really disappoint, especially with their Dutch-born namesakes, drummer Alex and guitarist Eddie. Alex was truly one of the greatest rock drummers of all time. Come on! Who wouldn't agree after listening to the beginning of "Hot For Teacher"? 

But, yes, there was Eddie, whose solos were some of the finest in rock history. Not only that, he was quite the innovator. His tapping of the strings on his guitar's neck was unconventional, but then again, left-handed Jimi Hendrix played a right-handed guitar. Plus, Jeff Healey - who was blind - played his guitar on his lap.

When Van Halen released their first, self-titled album in 1978, it couldn't come at a better time. Disco was overrunning the pop charts and rock music needed a shot in the arm. Eddie, Alex, Michael Anthony and Diamond Dave had recorded a near-perfect rock album loaded with anthems like "Runnin' With the Devil", "Jamie's Cryin'", "Ice Cream Man", the instrumental "Eruption" and their cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me". It only peaked at #19 on the Billboard Rock Albums chart, but, it sold over 10 million copies. 

Released a year later, "Van Halen II" was also loaded with rock classics, including their first top 10 hit, "Dance the Night Away". Critics were also warm with the album's feel-good, party atmosphere, with tracks like "Beautiful Girls" and a cover of "You're No Good".

As the 1980s wore on, their videos would get massive airplay on the fledgling MTV cable network. In 1984, the band scored their one and only #1 smash "Jump" from their "1984" album. The steamy video to "Hot For Teacher" was an MTV favorite. 

However, Roth left VH in 1985 due to creative differences with the rest of the band. Eddie wanted more serious tunes while Roth wanted to continue on with their party atmosphere. Roth went on to a successful solo career while Sammy Hagar, formerly of Montrose and a solo star with hits like "Heavy Metal", "I Can't Drive 55" and "Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy" took over the mic. Fans positively accepted Hagar's arrival, and the band continued to score huge hits like "Why Can't This Be Love?", "When It's Love" and "Right Now". 

In 1996, it was Hagar's turn to leave Van Halen, and it was due to conflict with the Van Halen brothers. Gary Cherone joined the band for 1998's "Van Halen III". The album was hampered with mixed reviews and poor sales, though the only major single from the LP, "Without You", was #1 on the rock charts. Cherone was soon out of the band and for the next two decades, the band juggled with either Roth or Hagar doing lead vocals.

The band's last album, "A Different Kind of Truth" had Roth handling vocals. The LP had positive reviews from critics, though it was also their one and only album with Eddie's son Wolfgang playing bass. Michael Anthony was let go from the band in 2006, and he claimed he heard it from an internet article regarding Roth rejoining the group. 

Throughout the years, Eddie Van Halen was a pure showman on stage. Because of his acrobatics, he had to have hip replacement surgery in 1999. He also battled drug and alcohol addiction, stating that he started drinking at age 12. He was also a smoker. Last year, it was revealed that Eddie had throat cancer for five years. Eventually, it spread to other parts of his body. This morning, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, guitar virtuoso, family man and all around great guy, lost his battle to the disease at 65. Coincidentally, he died on my mother's 65th birthday. 

Sometimes, I wonder if there ever will be another great guitarist in the world of rock. You look at the music charts and it's dominated by electric pop and heavily-sampled hip-hop. As much as I like EDM and rap, I have a big heart for rock since it was my musical lifeline growing up. I hope with Eddie Van Halen's death, people will be inspired to pick up a guitar and be the next Eddie. 

Thanks, EVH. say hi to Jimi for us.

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