Alex Van Halen has written a new memoir about forming the rock band Van Halen with his brother Eddie, who died of cancer in 2020. The book, titled Brothers, takes readers from their childhood to the wild ride of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about grief, lighting his drums on fire, and what he really thinks of This is Spinal Tap. Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the fall TV broadcast season. Subscribe to Fresh Air's weekly newsletter and get highlights from the show, gems from the archive, and staff recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
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This is FRESH air.
I'm Tanya Mosley, and my guest today is Alex Van Halen of the iconic rock band.
The Van Halen Jump was Van Halen's biggest hit and it became an anthem when it came out in 1983, even though a record executive once said it sounded like the kind of music you'd hear between baseball innings.
Alex Van Halen shares this story in his new memoir, Brothers, which he wrote after the loss of his younger brother Eddie, who died of cancer in 2020.
Known for their extravagant, high energy performances, Van Halen is credited with being one of the most influential rock bands of all time.
The book covers the first three decades of Eddie and Alex's music career, which started from their arrival as kids to the United States from the Netherlands, 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 most importantly, Brothers is a love letter to the music they created and 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, two live records and 56 sing.
They were included in the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 2007.
Alex Van Halen, welcome to FRESH AIR.
Thank you for having me.
Alex.