Recent Reading: "Brothers"

 

Brothers by Alex Van Halen

 

I saw Alex Van Halen interviewed online when this book was released and was blown away by how introspective he was. I'm old enough to remember when Van Halen was at the peak of their David Lee Roth-era heights, and they lived the rock star lifestyle to the hilt. While so many classic rockers never seem to mature past that part of their life, trying to recreate the old magic in their twilight years, Alex Van Halen seems content to rest on his laurels. One reason for that is that he understands that part of his life is in the past in ways that other rockers can't seem to let go of. Another reason he's done is loss of his brother and lifetime bandmate, guitar legend Edward Van Halen, who died in 2020.

Brothers tells the story of Van Halen's rise to superstardom, as well as the story of the two inseparable brothers who started the band and gave it its name. It starts with their early childhood in Holland, through their relocation to Pasadena, California, and particularly the importance of music in their family and upbringing. Their father was a musician and their mother wanted her sons to continue the family tradition as classical musicians. Alex also doesn't hold back on the prevalence of alcohol in their household and its later effects on him and Eddie ("I had my first drink when I was six - schnapps; my dad gave it to me.")

The book then covers how they went from immigrants who arrived not knowing any English to international rock stars, from their development as a band (those guys spent years paying their dues), their signing by Warner Bros. Records, the recording of their first five albums (Van Halen, Van Halen II, Women and Children First, Fair Warning, and Diver Down) and their wild adventures on tour.

Lead singer David Lee Roth could be a maddening combination of brilliant performer and raging egomaniac. Alex is effusive in his praise for Roth being the frontman Van Halen needed to move up to an elite level. He also gave Roth props for inviting their father, Jan Van Halen, to play clarinet on "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now") on Diver Down. Ditto for Roth's support in changing the band's name from Mammoth to the more unique Van Halen. 

 

But he also doesn't shy away from pointing out Roth's ego and need for attention, and the sometimes negative effect it had on the band. Still, Alex was badly upset when Roth left Van Halen because a band is a family and in the Van Halen household, you always stick with family. "It was the most disappointing thing I'd experienced in my life, the thing that seemed the most wasteful and unjust. Until I lost my brother." Still, one of the biggest surprises of the book was this: "Dave was the first guy I called after Ed passed, the first guy I wanted to talk to. Just out of mutual respect for what we had done together with my brother..." I think a lot of fans didn't even realize the Van Halens were still on speaking terms with Roth at that point. I certainly wasn't.

Bassist Michael Anthony, who wasn't mentioned once in Alex's interview, is also given short shrift here. I guess that's what you get for being the steady guy who doesn't bring the drama. But Alex does credit him for the incredible harmonies he had with Ed that became a staple of Van Halen's sound. I did find it was hilarious to learn that Van Halen played at Anthony's wedding. They were one of the biggest bands in the world and they played his wedding. Membership has its privileges, I guess.

 

And of course there is a lot about Ed, his musical brilliance, and the sensitivity that rendered him more susceptible to intoxicants than his older brother, who unlike Ed was eventually able to put those bad habits behind him. But in spite of his love for his brother, Alex also takes him to task when necessary, taking exception to Ed's claim that his mouth cancer issues were due to holding metal picks in his mouth, rather than his heavy smoking habit. He also wasn't thrilled when Ed decided to play his iconic guitar solo on Michael Jackson's "Beat It", because not only did he object to Ed's time, energy, and focus being taken away from Van Halen, it also set a precedent for Roth to do the solo work that contributed to his split from the band.

 

There's a lot of reminiscing and you really feel the overwhelming loss Ed's death has on Alex. They were probably as close of siblings as you could ever find. This is a wonderful, heartfelt memoir, and I highly recommend it. 

 

From the book:

I know I'll see you again. And we'll jam for hours - for days. That was always our most intense from of intimacy, and you never, ever pulled rank. You never said - or even thought - "You're just the drummer, Al, and I'm the world's greatest guitarist, so we're doing it my way." We were equals, and you never forgot that. We supported each other unconditionally, no matter how much we fought. We were a team.

 

We were brothers. We're still brothers. Even death can't change that.