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In celebration of my 100th article for the Jas Obrecht Music Archive, I thought I’d do something special, so I went back and re-transcribed my complete 1978 interviews with Eddie Van Halen. This first of these was done in July at the Day on the Green concert in Oakland, California. This was Van Halen’s first world tour and first appearance in northern California, and the band played like they were on fire. Afterward, Eddie and I shot some basketball, and then he asked me if I’d interview him. I happily agreed and turned on my tape recorder. This turned out to be Eddie’s first major interview, and mine too. This backstage conversation, which has never before been published in its entirety, is lively and insightful. Eddie covers how they got signed and recorded the first Van Halen album, and then goes way deep into his gear – his homemade guitars, as well as his effects, amps, songwriting, how the band works out parts, etc. Jon Sievert, who took some great photos that day of Eddie with the original black-and-white Strat, let me use his artwork on the post.
A few weeks later, Eddie and I spoke on the phone to clarify info from the Oakland interview. In this part, Eddie spoke about how he tricked out his guitars to stay in tune while using a whammy, why he loves P.A.F. pickups, his plans for the second album. Near the end, I asked him what the best part of being on the road was: “You know, the chicks, partyin’, and playin’. You just gotta take it in stride. You can’t get too bombed out at night, and then you feel shitty the next day.” Anyway, there’s a lot of classic Eddie here, so hope you enjoy it! Here’s a link to the complete interviews: http://jasobrecht.com/eddie-van-halen-complete-1978-interviews/
A few weeks later, Eddie and I spoke on the phone to clarify info from the Oakland interview. In this part, Eddie spoke about how he tricked out his guitars to stay in tune while using a whammy, why he loves P.A.F. pickups, his plans for the second album. Near the end, I asked him what the best part of being on the road was: “You know, the chicks, partyin’, and playin’. You just gotta take it in stride. You can’t get too bombed out at night, and then you feel shitty the next day.” Anyway, there’s a lot of classic Eddie here, so hope you enjoy it! Here’s a link to the complete interviews: http://jasobrecht.com/eddie-van-halen-complete-1978-interviews/
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