By: Jesse Striewski
The moment I heard that legendary Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen would be releasing his memoir Brothers, chronicling both his life and that of his late brother/bandmate and legendary guitarist Edward Van Halen, I knew I’d be one of the first in line to read it.
From their early years as Dutch immigrants learning music through their father and musician Jan Van Halen, to ultimately achieving the American dream and rising to total rock stardom and carving out a lasting legacy their own, it gets harder and harder to put the book down with each new page.
The insight offered on the band’s formative years and first several tours with the classic lineup is nothing short of fascinating, and paint a vivid picture of what it was like to be there at that time. It is however disappointing that the story seems to end coinciding with the departure of original vocalist David Lee Roth from the band in the mid-’80s, leaving so much left to still be desired, particularly the Sammy Hagar and even Gary Cherone eras of the band.
On a personal note, I must admit there is some envy on my part in terms of the life Alex Van Halen was able to lead with his late brother, and not simply because of the obvious fame and fortunes they acquired in their lifetimes. Despite the one and only time I saw the band live back in 2008 being with one of my own siblings, I’ve never been able to truly say I know what it’s like to have that close relationship any of them (a notion I’ve always longed for, though don’t believe will ever come to fruition at this point). For that alone, the Van Halen’s were fortunate in every way.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I saw Mammoth a few times as a teen at parties. One night Eddie introduced David Lee Roth and said the band was Van Halen. Wow! Who knew. I did wonder who the guy in tight shiny pants was til Eddie told us. 😅. The rest wore jeans like we all did in that backyard.
I was also a first in liner to purchas this book, but was quick to realize that 227 pages just would not be a long read. SO much left out, like being a drumming influence on so many rockers. What mad ehim write and perform signature licks and patterns with his furiousity that changed the playing field. More highs and lows. I give it a Bminus.