TONYA MOSLEY, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. I'm Tonya Mosley. Today, we continue our series featuring interviews from 2024, this time with Selena Gomez and Alex Van Halen.
MOSLEY: Along with his late brother, Eddie, Alex is a founding member of the rock band Van Halen. Known for their extravagant high-energy performances, Van Halen is credited with being one of the most influential rock bands of all time.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JUMP")
VAN HALEN: (Singing) I get up, and nothing gets me down. You got it tough. I've seen the toughest around. And I know, baby, just how you feel. You got to roll with the punches to get to what's real.
MOSLEY: In a memoir published this year called "Brothers," Alex charts both he and Eddie's life and music career, from their arrival to the United States from the Netherlands as kids to the influence of their father, who was a Dutch jazz musician, and the formation of the rock band in 1974 after meeting vocalist David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony. But mostly, "Brothers" is a love letter to the music they created and to Eddie, who has been called for decades one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Van Halen disbanded after Eddie died in 2020. But throughout their run, Van Halen produced 12 studio albums, four compilation albums, two live records and 56 singles. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
MOSLEY: Alex Van Halen, welcome to FRESH AIR.
ALEX VAN HALEN: Thank you for having me.
MOSLEY: Alex, music was in your blood because your dad was a jazz musician. So you were watching him while you guys were also performing yourselves. What was your earliest recollection of doing gigs?
A VAN HALEN: The first thing we wanted to do was put a band together. And I think the first band we did put together was a band called The Broken Combs, which was - I played sax and Ed played piano. We had two other guys in there. And we managed to play for the school functions, and it was a good lesson for us as well.
MOSLEY: You knew what kind of music that you wanted to play as soon as you experienced rock. You experienced, you guys, like so many teenagers during that time period, it was the British invasion. It was The Beatles.
A VAN HALEN: Yes, yeah.
MOSLEY: Also, a lesser-known group called the Dave Clark Five.
A VAN HALEN: Bingo. Yes. I'm glad you mentioned that because those guys - they were really what we thought was the epitome of that kind of music at the time.
MOSLEY: What was it about them that blew your mind?
A VAN HALEN: They had a grungy sound that the saxophone provided, and because I think maybe somewhere in our psyche, because our dad played saxophone, it was deeper in our DNA. But, you know, it's a good thing we didn't bet on anything and that we weren't financial advisors 'cause you would have bet on the wrong horse.
(LAUGHTER)
A VAN HALEN: But, yeah, so when The Beatles came, the talent and the music that came out was unmatched. I mean, there were a lot of bands around, a lot of - from Herman's Hermits to The Seeds, you name it. I can't even name them all. But The Beatles clearly were a notch above all that, and that appealed to us.
MOSLEY: I'm really interested, though, in how you and Eddie came to your instruments because, at first, the guitar was your instrument, right?
A VAN HALEN: Yes.
MOSLEY: How did it become Eddie's?
A VAN HALEN: I was taught very strict and very by the book. You know, you learn to read. You learn the chords - ba, da, da - you listen to the classical music and all that. But I had no connection with the instrument. I just wasn't - I hate to use the old expression. I just wasn't feeling it, right? So - and there's this story about Ed doing papers, then I became better than him. That's not quite how it happened. But the fact was when Ed played, he made that instrument sing. It was unbelievable. Uncle Ed, you're playing guitar. I want drums. Besides, Dave Clark Five was my idol, and he was the drummer. So - but again, on a serious note, when Ed played the guitar, he made it sing.
MOSLEY: I want us to play a little bit of Eddie on his guitar, 1986, peak Van Halen. This is live in New Haven. The crowd is electric. And we see your brother in all of his glory at the top of his powers as a guitarist. He gets up there, and I think it's, like, a 12-minute guitar solo called "Eruption." Let's play a little bit of it.
(SOUNDBITE OF VAN HALEN'S "ERUPTION")
MOSLEY: That was the late Eddie Van Halen playing a solo of "Eruption."
A VAN HALEN: The one and only. The one and only.
MOSLEY: That entire performance, Alex, is mesmerizing. I mean, Eddie looks like he's having the time of his life.
A VAN HALEN: That's 'cause he is (laughter). He played guitar from the moment he woke up to the moment he went to sleep, and it was just his way of either communicating or finding peace with himself on the Earth. I don't know. And I'm certainly not going to stop him while he's getting better and better every day. The problem with Ed was he could play anything. So the most difficult thing for him was to find his own voice, and he spent a lot of time doing it. Then when he finally found it, that was it - big smile.
MOSLEY: Alex, you wrote about David Lee Roth, the lead singer. You said this - the bottom line is that Dave desperately wanted to be an artist, but something was always missing. He could never really feel the music. He didn't get the part where you need to resonate with something deeper, something like the eternal force of the universe. That was, like, a very powerful thing to say about your lead man because his showmanship also seemed to provide something that you and your brother needed, and that was this front man because...
A VAN HALEN: Absolutely.
MOSLEY: ...People weren't going to shows just to see the instrumentalists play during that time period. So first off, you and your brother met David Lee Roth very young. I mean, you all basically started the group together.
A VAN HALEN: Yes.
MOSLEY: It was David who came up with the name Van Halen.
A VAN HALEN: Yes, it was. Yeah. You know, I'm probably overthinking it, but I thought he was - curry a favor with us. And I figured - so the first thing was I fought it. No, you can't name the band Van Halen. But eventually, it took. And of course, Gene Simmons said, (impersonating Gene Simmons) you can't use that name. It sounds like a shirt company, like Van Heusen (laughter).
MOSLEY: Well, Gene Simmons from Kiss - he's famously credited with discovering you guys. I mean, and to put this time period in perspective, this was right as MTV was starting.
A VAN HALEN: Yes.
MOSLEY: This was right as the visual part of it was coming into play for us...
A VAN HALEN: Yes.
MOSLEY: ...Where an expectation was there. So I can imagine that was part of the conflict, too, right?
A VAN HALEN: You know, if you watch the bands and see how they progress, even Led Zeppelin was using explosions, OK? So when the guys are the highest form of the food chain, when they do it, it's OK. It's now become part of the language of rock 'n' roll. And why fight it? OK, bring on the flash pots (laughter).
MOSLEY: Yeah. Well, I get the sense that before David Lee Roth
MOSLEY: David Lee Roth joined you guys that you and Eddie would have been fine doing sets in T-shirts and jeans because you were about the music, and he was about the show.
A VAN HALEN: Right.
MOSLEY: And what were some of the things that David would push you guys to do to be showmen?
A VAN HALEN: It wasn't so much pushing us. It was more we needed something, we needed someone to get us off our a** because we knew we had to do it. But we're waiting for the last minute possible to have to do it because to dress up for a gig, I mean, that's - now you're back to playing with suits on or whatever. That was how I saw it. Rock 'n' roll is supposed to be about freedom, about you just show up and play, right?
MOSLEY: Yeah.
A VAN HALEN: But when you're in the thick of it, when you're on Sunset Boulevard and you're walking down Hollywood Boulevard, you're walking down anywhere in Hollywood at that time, there is a whole rainbow of colors and styles. I mean, there was a band called Zolar X, and they dressed as space guys. I mean, it was mind-bending. I mean, their image was so overpowering, why would you even want to listen to the music, you know? Who cares? That was my read on it. Now, because we were all very opinionated, we fought it out until somebody came up with the right solution. And that's basically the process.
MOSLEY: How did you get the idea to set your drums on fire as part of your act?
A VAN HALEN: There were a number of people at that time who tried different versions of it. I've always been fascinated by fire because, for me, fire represents the temporariness. Is that a word? Only the moment counts. I mean, the flame is there and, poof, it's gone. So is life, right? So to me, that represented that. And there was an element of danger because we did it on such an amateur level. Any given night when we did it, if my drum tech, Gregg - an old buddy of mine. If he put too much stuff on it, it would leak. And there were several times when...
MOSLEY: What do you mean by stuff? Like gas?
A VAN HALEN: Oh, yeah, lighter fluid. Yeah, lighter fluid.
MOSLEY: Light fluid.
A VAN HALEN: My favorite memory of all of that was we kind of gotten it down to a science. And as we're doing it during the performance, the lighter fluid starts to come down my arm. And then I look over and I notice my arm is on fire.
MOSLEY: (Laughter) Oh, my God.
A VAN HALEN: So I'm thinking that can't be good, right? So I look at Gregg, who's, you know, in theory, he's there with the fire extinguisher so he can - so I look at him, and he's looking at me. And he gives me the thumbs up - looks great, man.
MOSLEY: (Laughter).
A VAN HALEN: I'll never forget that as long as I live. Gregg, I love you, but, man, put that damn fire out (laughter).
MOSLEY: Wait, did he? Do you have burns? What's going on?
A VAN HALEN: Yeah, we had - but it was a very low ditch. You know, we just used lighter fluid. And you put a match to it and, poof, there it goes. It's very uncontrollable. You're taking a risk every night. But, you know, we were young. So it's OK. We're all right (laughter).
MOSLEY: Did you end up having to get new drum sets every time? I mean, how did that work?
A VAN HALEN: No, actually, it wasn't until the end of the tour. I got slapped with, like - I don't know how much. All the microphones and the cords were fried, and nobody told me that when we were doing it. The drum set itself was made out of stainless steel. Ludwig was very accommodating. They made a stainless steel drum set for me. It wasn't the only one, but they gave it to me. But it really goes to show you how, at that age, you know, you don't really - the stuff doesn't really register in your brain. It turns out that the average male brain does not completely mature...
(LAUGHTER)
A VAN HALEN: ...Until the age of 27 (laughter). I'm still waiting.
MOSLEY: If you're just joining us, my guest is Alex Van Halen. We're talking about his new memoir about his life and his brother Eddie and the formation of Van Halen. We'll continue our conversation after a short break. This is FRESH AIR.
(SOUNDBITE OF OF MONTREAL SONG, "GRONLANDIC EDIT")
MOSLEY: This is FRESH AIR, and today we're talking to Alex Van Halen, founding member of the rock band Van Halen. His new memoir gives us an intimate view of his relationship with his younger brother, Eddie, who died in 2020, and the first three decades of the band's run. The book is called "Brothers."
"Hot For Teacher" was a song from your album "1984." It's one of Rolling Stone magazine's - it was on their list saying that this was the album that brought Van Halen's talent into focus. Let's play a little of "Hot For Teacher."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOT FOR TEACHER")
VAN HALEN: Oh, wow. I said wait a second, man. What do you think the teacher's going to look like this year? Oh. (Singing) Oh, yeah. Teacher, stop that screaming. Teacher, don't you see? Don't want to be no uptown fool. Maybe I should go to hell.
MOSLEY: That was Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" from the album "1984." Also, humor is a big part of your act. I wanted to say that. I mean...
A VAN HALEN: Absolutely.
MOSLEY: I know we've talking about it not being an act. It's who you are, but yes.
A VAN HALEN: Yes.
MOSLEY: But this album overall was pioneering because there's a lot of synth, which was a new sound back then.
A VAN HALEN: Yes. And we were always looking for the next - what's around the corner. And we heard a lot of synthesizer music. It was all this progressive rock stuff, you know, whether it's Mahavishnu or Billy Cobham. And there were a number of people who used that sound quality, if you will.
MOSLEY: One of the things that you like to make the point of is that you all aren't heavy metal, even though you were put in that category.
A VAN HALEN: Yes, because heavy metal - I love heavy metal, but because we had a lot of different influences. So we had to look for - because people like labels. And it was very difficult to find a label that would define us, not that we need a definition. But, you know, the irony of all of it was when rock 'n' roll, which was originally rebellion, became structured and organized. What the hell is that (laughter)?
MOSLEY: Right, right. I mean, did you - you watched "Spinal Tap," right?
A VAN HALEN: Oh, yeah, yeah. That wasn't funny at all (laughter). That was the real deal.
MOSLEY: Why wasn't it funny?
A VAN HALEN: Well, when - Ed and I saw it, and we said, man, that's how - that's what we experience. That is really how things happen. It's mind-bending. You know, the public doesn't really have any idea what goes on behind the scenes. And I'm certainly not going to burst the bubble. But that movie - there were a lot of elements that were more true than they were parody. And of course, then they believed their own stuff, and they went out and toured for the...
MOSLEY: You and Eddie famously for a long time never recorded any music without each other until a request from Quincy Jones...
A VAN HALEN: (Laughter) Yes.
MOSLEY: ...For a little-known song called "Beat It." Let's listen.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BEAT IT")
MICHAEL JACKSON: (Singing) Beat it. Beat it. Beat it. Beat it. No one wants to be defeated. Showing how funky and strong is your fight, it doesn't matter who's wrong or right. Just beat it. Beat it.
MOSLEY: That was a solo Eddie did on the iconic song "Beat It" by Michael Jackson. And, Alex, I think it was on the charts the same time as "1984," if I'm not...
A VAN HALEN: Yeah.
MOSLEY: Yeah.
A VAN HALEN: Yeah, it was.
MOSLEY: Why do you think - yeah, why do you think Eddie went and did that without consulting you guys?
A VAN HALEN: If I remember, he did consult, and we said no (laughter). That's...
MOSLEY: Yeah.
A VAN HALEN: What are you going to do? I'm not going to make something - we really did not overthink anything. But I did want to kick his ass, you know? Why...
MOSLEY: Why?
A VAN HALEN: Because our model was basically Led Zeppelin. The way that they structured their business, the way they structured how they played, who they played with - Led Zeppelin was Led. You couldn't get Jimmy Page anywhere else. You can only get him in Led Zeppelin. Come to the show. That's it. You don't get him with Michael Jackson. You don't get him with so-and-so. But Ed violated that, and it started a whole cascade of just bad, bad vibes. And I...
MOSLEY: It was the beginning of the end...
A VAN HALEN: Yes.
MOSLEY: ...For you guys...
A VAN HALEN: Yes.
MOSLEY: ...As a unit.
A VAN HALEN: But in all fairness, it really was not the single thing because there were - things were already starting to unravel. When we named the album "1984," it had nothing to do with the year. It had to do with George Orwell and the dystopia of what was going on. This band was so fractured. You know, we barely ever played together anymore. And unfortunately, MTV became the predominant way of conveying all this, and Dave, being the visual guy, naturally opted for more visual stuff. I don't blame him for any of it, but, you know, it's just too bad 'cause we were on the cusp of something really, really big.
MOSLEY: Ed going and doing this song with Michael Jackson - if you guys had always said you wanted to be Led Zeppelin, what do you think it was that made him say, I want to do this anyway?
A VAN HALEN: I don't know. There's - some aspects of Ed's behavior are even to me a mystery.
MOSLEY: I just have to say to you, Alex, it also opened up another world to you guys.
A VAN HALEN: Not really.
MOSLEY: I mean, I'm a little Black girl in Detroit hearing that little solo from Van Halen.
A VAN HALEN: Yeah.
MOSLEY: And it introduced me to you.
A VAN HALEN: That was the argument that a couple of other people make, but I tell you, I don't buy it.
(LAUGHTER)
A VAN HALEN: My suggestion would have been put Michael on our record, OK? Then you got something. And people say, are you out of your mind? Well, you can have guest people on your records. But am I angry? Of course not. You know, that's just posturing. That's what you do to your brother and your bandmates, you know? Nobody fights better than friends. So...
MOSLEY: Alex Van Halen, this was such a pleasure. Thank you so much.
A VAN HALEN: It was my pleasure.
MOSLEY: My interview with Alex Van Halen was recorded in October when he published his memoir, "Brothers." Alex and his late brother Eddie were founding members of the rock band Van Halen.
After a short break, we'll hear my conversation with actor, singer and entrepreneur Selena Gomez, who stars in the Netflix Spanish-language film "Emilia Perez" and the Hulu comedy series "Only Murders In The Building," which have both received multiple Golden Globe nominations. I'm Tonya Mosley, and this is FRESH AIR.
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