Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Eddie Van Halen often claimed that the most important elements of his sound were his imagination and his hands: “The way I play is in my fingers,” he insisted. “I can play through any amp and it still sounds like me.” During this first hour of our marathon 1980 interview, Eddie proves this beyond all doubt. Playing his unamplified Frankenstrat, he does note-for-note covers of favorite Clapton solos, demonstrates specific songs and techniques heard on the first three Van Halen albums, shows how he composes the band’s music, and demos original songs that had been rejected by the band.
This interview took place a couple of weeks after the interview heard in “Eddie Van Halen: The Complete 1979 Interview (HD Audio).” (Hear it here: youtube.com/watch?v=Cqw299BIh6Q&t=3963s.) Near the end of that conversation, Eddie asked me to write a cover story on him – his first one ever – for Guitar Player magazine. I quickly arranged for this to happen.
About two weeks later we met on the morning of January 15, 1980, at Neil Zlozower’s photo studio in Hollywood. Eddie drove himself over in his brand-new Jeep CJ. He walked in wearing beige corduroys and a black-and-white checkered shirt. He was carrying two guitar cases. One held a guitar he’d recently assembled using an extra-thick Boogie Bodies body and a Floyd Rose locking tremolo system. The other was the latest incarnation of what would become known as the “Frankenstrat.” At this time, the guitar’s body was spray-painted red with black and white striping. Its full-sized white pickguard had the standard holes for the two pickups nearest the neck, but there were no pickups in these positions. Eddie had enlarged the rear pickguard hole to accommodate a vintage Gibson P.A.F. pickup.
In addition to his extensive playing during this first part of our four-hour meeting, Eddie talks about a wide array of subjects, including his piano background, how he learned to play guitar, the differences between his “planned” and spontaneous solos, the limitations of rock and roll, blues influences, the importance of phrasing, where the band’s money goes, VH bootlegs, the recording of the just-mixed "Women and Children First" album, and, naturally, his pedalboard, amps, and guitars.
I hope you enjoy this unique recording, and be sure to check out the other historic Van Halen interviews on the Talking Guitar YouTube channel. To help us continue producing podcasts, please hit that donate button and send some cheer our way: paypal.me/TalkingGuitar.
A special thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for enhancing the sound of the 43-year-old master tape. For more guitar-intensive podcasts and articles, visit my online Talking Guitar magazine at jasobrecht.substack.com/. #vanhalen #eddievanhalen #edwardvanhalen #jasobrecht #talkingguitar #nikhunt #guitarplayermagazine
Eddie Van Halen often claimed that the most important elements of his sound were his imagination and his hands: “The way I play is in my fingers,” he insisted. “I can play through any amp and it still sounds like me.” During this first hour of our marathon 1980 interview, Eddie proves this beyond all doubt. Playing his unamplified Frankenstrat, he does note-for-note covers of favorite Clapton solos, demonstrates specific songs and techniques heard on the first three Van Halen albums, shows how he composes the band’s music, and demos original songs that had been rejected by the band.
This interview took place a couple of weeks after the interview heard in “Eddie Van Halen: The Complete 1979 Interview (HD Audio).” (Hear it here: youtube.com/watch?v=Cqw299BIh6Q&t=3963s.) Near the end of that conversation, Eddie asked me to write a cover story on him – his first one ever – for Guitar Player magazine. I quickly arranged for this to happen.
About two weeks later we met on the morning of January 15, 1980, at Neil Zlozower’s photo studio in Hollywood. Eddie drove himself over in his brand-new Jeep CJ. He walked in wearing beige corduroys and a black-and-white checkered shirt. He was carrying two guitar cases. One held a guitar he’d recently assembled using an extra-thick Boogie Bodies body and a Floyd Rose locking tremolo system. The other was the latest incarnation of what would become known as the “Frankenstrat.” At this time, the guitar’s body was spray-painted red with black and white striping. Its full-sized white pickguard had the standard holes for the two pickups nearest the neck, but there were no pickups in these positions. Eddie had enlarged the rear pickguard hole to accommodate a vintage Gibson P.A.F. pickup.
In addition to his extensive playing during this first part of our four-hour meeting, Eddie talks about a wide array of subjects, including his piano background, how he learned to play guitar, the differences between his “planned” and spontaneous solos, the limitations of rock and roll, blues influences, the importance of phrasing, where the band’s money goes, VH bootlegs, the recording of the just-mixed "Women and Children First" album, and, naturally, his pedalboard, amps, and guitars.
I hope you enjoy this unique recording, and be sure to check out the other historic Van Halen interviews on the Talking Guitar YouTube channel. To help us continue producing podcasts, please hit that donate button and send some cheer our way: paypal.me/TalkingGuitar.
A special thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for enhancing the sound of the 43-year-old master tape. For more guitar-intensive podcasts and articles, visit my online Talking Guitar magazine at jasobrecht.substack.com/. #vanhalen #eddievanhalen #edwardvanhalen #jasobrecht #talkingguitar #nikhunt #guitarplayermagazine
