Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen

Music writers Tolinski (Light & Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page) and Gill (Guitar Legends: The Definitive Guide to the World’s Greatest Guitar Players) combed through hours of their previously unpublished interviews with Eddie Van Halen for a revealing biography of the guitar god, who died in 2020. Most chapters have a substantial introduction, an interview with Van Halen, and sometimes a page devoted to the guitarist’s gear. The authors also work in their interviews with insiders: Van Halen’s bandmates Michael Anthony, Gary Cherone, and Wolfgang Van Halen (the guitarist’s son); manager Ray Danniels; and fellow guitarists Tony Iommi, Steve Lukather, and Steve Vai. Tolinski and Gill illuminate Van Halen’s difficult childhood in California as a Dutch immigrant who spoke no English; his rise to fame on the Los Angeles club circuit; and his achievement of stardom, with millions of albums sold. There’s particular focus on Van Halen’s guitar tapping technique; his heavily modified guitars, including the Frankenstrat; and his persistent health problems and untimely death from cancer.