Eddie Van Halen

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    Grammy Boss Defends Eddie Van Halen Tribute Following Backlash

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    WENN

    The executive producer of the Grammy Awards has responded to the criticisms regarding the ‘In Memoriam’ segment that honored the late Van Halen rock star.

    Mar 21, 2021

    AceShowbiz –
    Grammy Awards executive producer Ben Winston has defended the show’s Eddie Van Halen In Memoriam tribute, revealing he wanted it to be bigger but the late guitar great’s family nixed the idea.

    Fans and Eddie’s son Wolfgang were upset by the Van Halen star’s 15-second slot at music’s big night on Sunday (14Mar21), and some devotees took to social media this week to hammer the Recording Academy bosses for failing to show due respect to a rock legend.

    Wolfgang Van Halen revealed in a social media post that he was approached by producers to perform his father’s signature guitar instrumental “Eruption” during the Grammys broadcast, but declined. He also took aim at the show’s power players, adding, “What hurt the most was that he wasn’t even mentioned when they talked about artists we lost in the beginning of the show.”

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    But Winston tells Variety he did what he could to facilitate a more comprehensive tribute.

    “We had a call with Wolfgang before the show, and I asked him if he’d be willing to come on and play,” Ben says. “He felt he didn’t really want to do that, and I offered up eight or nine guitarists who maybe could. But instead, he felt like we should play a video of Eddie himself, because nobody could play like him, so that’s what we did.”

    “I would have loved for it to be longer than it was, but Eddie was the only person in the whole In Memoriam (segment) to play their own music, with no other faces being seen. I felt that was an appropriate tribute to him, but if Wolfgang didn’t, I’m sorry about that… It’s such a horrific thing to lose a parent. We did the best that we felt we could.”

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      Eddie Van Halen's Son Says Grammys 'A Bit Out of Touch' Over Disappointing In Memoriam Tribute

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      After watching how his late father was honored at the 63rd annual awards show, Wolfgang Van Halen reveals that he was actually invited to play ‘Eruption’ for the special segment.

      Mar 16, 2021
      AceShowbiz – Eddie Van Halen’s son turned down the chance to play his dad’s most famous guitar track at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, March 14. Wolfgang Van Halen was invited to play “Eruption” as part of the ceremony’s “In Memoriam” segment, but admits he didn’t think it was appropriate for him to play the guitar great’s rock anthem.
      Instead, Eddie was honored with an archival clip at the 63rd annual Grammys, while John Prine, Little Richard, and Kenny Rogers received full tributes, prompting former Van Halen singer Gary Cherone to tweet, “Maybe an Artist that reimagined how one plays an instrument, who continues to influence generations of musicians and, literally changed the course of rock ‘n’ roll deserves more than fifteen seconds at the Grammys?”

      On Monday, Wolfgang, who replaced Michael Anthony as Van Halen’s bass player in 2007, issued a statement criticising the way his father was saluted at the prizegiving, confirming he turned down the chance to honor him.
      “The Grammys asked me to play ‘Eruption’ for the ‘In Memoriam’ section and I declined,” he wrote. “I don’t think anyone could have lived up to what my father did for music but himself.”

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      “It was my understanding that there would be an ‘In Memoriam’ section where bits of songs were performed for legendary artists that had passed. I didn’t realize that they would only show Pop for 15 seconds in the middle of 4 full performances for others we had lost.”
      “What hurt the most was that he wasn’t even mentioned when they talked about artists we lost in the beginning of the show. I know rock isn’t the most popular genre right now, [and the academy does seem a bit out of touch] but I think it’s impossible to ignore the legacy my father left on the instrument, the world of rock, and music in general. There will never be another innovator like him.”
      “I’m not looking to start some kind of hate parade here, I just wanted to explain my side. I know Pop would probably just laugh it off and say, ‘Ehh who gives a s**t?’ He was only about the music anyway. The rest didn’t matter.”

      Wolfgang hopes the backlash linked to his father’s Grammys tribute will open lines of communication between himself and Grammy bosses about the future of rock music. “I’d love to get the opportunity to speak with The Recording Academy not only about the legacy of my father, but the legacy of the Rock genre moving forward,” he added.

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      Eddie Van Halen's Son Announces Tribute Song for Late Father

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      Wolfgang Van Halen remembers his late father in a new solo song called ‘Distance’ which is coming out more than a month after the Van Halen rocker passed away.

      Nov 15, 2020
      AceShowbiz – Wolfgang Van Halen is dedicating his debut solo single to his late father, Eddie Van Halen.
      The guitar great lost his battle with cancer on 6 October (20), aged 65 and, in a statement announcing new track “Distance”, he revealed the tune is dedicated to the rocker.
      “‘Distance’ is a song that was initially written for the debut album, but was going to be held for a later time,” he said. “As my pop continued to struggle with various health issues, I was imagining what my life would be like without him and how terribly I’d miss him.”

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      “While this song is incredibly personal, I think anyone can relate to the idea of having a profound loss in their own life,” concluded the Van Halen bassist, adding that he “never anticipated ‘Distance’ would be the first song of mine that people would hear, but I also thought my father would be here to celebrate its release along with me.”
      Wolfgang has been working on a solo album for the past five years and, in 2018, producer Michael ‘Elvis’ Baskette revealed they’d completed the project. A release had been set for this year but, amid the pandemic, it has yet to materialise.
      “I’m working on it! The state of the world has really thrown a wrench into how I saw this releasing (given that no touring is able to happen until this all blows over), but I have a few ideas that I’m really excited about, so stay tuned!” he tweeted in July, responding to a fan question.
      Back in 2015, Eddie enthused that his son’s album sounds “like AC/DC meets Van Halen meets aggressive pop,” adding, “The riffs are catchy. It’s a little of everything and sounds like a freight train coming at you. I’ve never heard anything quite like it. It’s so powerful that I’m jealous.”

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      Eddie Van Halen Gets Peers Tribute at 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Virtual Ceremony

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      WENN/Arnold Wells

      Eddie Van Halen Gets Peers Tribute at 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Virtual Ceremony The Van Halen co-founder, who lost his battle with cancer in October, was remembered for his legacy in a special In Memoriam segment by Slash, Kirk Hammett and To

      Nov 9, 2020
      AceShowbiz – Eddie Van Halen was saluted by his music peers in a special tribute during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame virtual induction ceremony on Saturday, November 7.
      The Van Halen co-founder, who lost his battle with cancer last month, was remembered for his legacy in a special In Memoriam segment by his fellow guitar greats – Slash, Kirk Hammett, and Tom Morello.
      As old footage of Eddie played onscreen, Slash told viewers: “Eddie Van Halen was a tremendously gifted musician. His style and his sound were completely unique to him. He had a massive impact on guitar playing. I don’t think there’s anybody that’s picked up the guitar since 1978 that hasn’t been touched in some way by Eddie Van Halen’s influence.”
      “I’m going to miss his playing and I’m going to miss him as a friend.”

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      Meanwhile, Rage Against the Machine’s Morello declared Eddie the “Mozart of our generation”, stating, “He had the kind of talent that maybe comes around once a century.”
      “Eddie Van Halen inspired me to play 20,000 hours, to try to get within 100 miles of his inspired mastery of the electric guitar.”
      And Metallica star Hammett added, “Not since Jimi Hendrix had there been a guitar player that had so much impact, and was so inspiring to me. He just explored the most simplest thing – a harmonic on his string – and brought it into this realm of technique that no one even thought was possible. He was just, like, from a different planet.”
      Van Halen were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
      Saturday’s ceremony honoured 2020 inductees Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, Depeche Mode, T. Rex, and The Doobie Brothers.

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      Eddie Van Halen's Son Says Rumor of Him Replacing Late Father in the Band Is 'Hurting' His Family

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      Instagram

      Wolfgang Van Halen denies that he will be joining Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar and Alex Van Halen as part of a new Van Halen, slamming the report as a ‘lie attempting to capitalize on these awful times.’

      Oct 27, 2020
      AceShowbiz – Eddie Van Halen’s son does not appreciate those suggesting that he will fill in his late father’s position as lead guitarist in Van Halen. Shutting down speculations that have been swirling among fans, Wolfgang Van Halen argued that the rumors are actually “hurting” his family.
      On Sunday, October 25, the 29-year-old shared his two cents on the matter via Twitter. “This is just a s***ty lie attempting to capitalize on these awful times. Please stop with this. Anyone peddling this s**t is not only hurting the fans, but hurting me and my family,” he said when retweeting the false claim made by a fan page dedicated to him.

      Wolfgang Van Halen shut down rumors about him replacing his father in Van Halen.
      The original tweet claimed Wolfgang would join ex-bass guitarist Michael Anthony, former lead singer Sammy Hagar and drummer Alex Van Halen in the rock band’s new lineup. It further suggested, “It has been mentioned that Eddie Van Halen told his son and brother, I give you my blessing…..”

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      The rumors emerged less than a month after Wolfgang announced on social media that his father passed away at the age 65 after a years-long battle with cancer. “I can’t believe I’m having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning,” the musician wrote on the October 6 post.
      “He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift. My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss,” he continued. “I love you so much, Pop.”

      Back in July, Wolfgang turned to Instagram to answer a question if his father’s reputation was “a gift or a curse.” He explained, “It’s really equally both. Being who I am, I think people at the least will be interested in what my work will sound like, which is very nice. But on the other hand, if it’s not exactly what they want to hear or if I don’t try to sound ‘Van Halen-y’ enough for them they’ll hate me and won’t give me the time of day.”

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