3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen I never took guitar lessons. I took classical piano lessons from the age of six when we lived in Holland.
3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen I mean it’s funny, playing music, how of course you want it to do well, you want them to like it, but it’s not competitive like an election, it’s the Olympics, it’s not a Formula 1 race. The Billboard charts are just to show you what people like.
3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen I never took guitar lessons. I took classical piano lessons from the age of six when we lived in Holland. And when we moved to America, it was just the typical thing except I was really good at it so was my brother.
3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen Music is for people. The word ‘pop’ is simply short for popular. It means that people like it. I’m just a normal jerk who happens to make music. As long as my brain and fingers work, I’m cool.
3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen The name Van Halen, the family legacy, is going to go on long after I’m gone.
3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen It’s funny, when bands or younger musicians ask me: ‘So, what does it take to make it?’ Well, first explain to me what you mean by ‘making it’: Do you want to be a rock star or do you want music to be your livelihood?
3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen We’re musicians. We make music for a living. It’s that simple. Nothing else matters.
3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen I never dreamt of being a musician for my livelihood. I certainly never would have wanted to be in the business that I’m in, meaning the fame and the glory, the glitter, the rock star, the famous part.
3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen I’m blessed with a good pair of ears. That’s how I fooled my piano teacher. I’d watch his fingers and I’d listen to it, and I just kind of basically learned it by myself.
3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen I’m not a rock star. Sure I am, to a certain extent because of the situation, but when kids ask me how it feels to be a rock star, I say leave me alone, I’m not a rock star. I’m not in it for the fame, I’m in it because I like to play.
3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen If you want to be a rock star or just be famous, then run down the street naked, you’ll make the news or something. But if you want music to be your livelihood, then play, play, play and play! And eventually you’ll get to where you want to be.
3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen You know, most people, they want to go to Hollywood. They want to be a star. They want to be a rock star. That thought never entered any of our minds, the Van Halen family.
3 December 2020 Eddie Van Halen ‘For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge’ took a year to record that’s why the playing on it might sound somewhat labored. ‘Balance,’ on the other hand, was written and recorded in only four months, so the whole process was quicker and more immediate.
