Tiny Tuesday: Lord of the Strings

“Lord of the Strings,” one article calls him.

I was asked by a friend why I never commented on the blog about the death of Eddie Van Halen. Did it upset me? Do I recognize his place in music history as someone who loves guitarists?

Yes, it did, and I do. I remember every detail of where and how I found out that EVH was dead, who was with me at the time, and who I texted, and what they replied. He died in October, and it still hits hard.

I’m going to give Eddie his due on this post, but I’d like to provide context, too.

Looking back to 2001, I was reeling from the events of September 11, while also taking in the publication of the first TJB novel, when at the end of November, George Harrison died. I could barely process it. I still think of him all the time as a light in my life for many reasons. As I said to a musician I know through Instagram, every single day, I see George Harrison somehow on that site because of accounts I follow. His photos, videos of him, stories about him, quotes from him. Instagram is a George Harrison channel to me.

Since I began my blog in 2004, I have from time to time talked about many artists, both dead and living. I can’t begin to name all the musicians or musical artists we’ve lost in this century since Harrison’s death, but I can definitely name some of them who were significant in some way to me: Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Billy Joe Royal, Billy Preston, Bo Diddley, Bob Welch, Charles Neville, Clarence Clemons, Dan Fogelberg, David Bowie, Delaney Bramlett, Delores O’Riordan, Dr. John, Eddie Money, George Jones, George Michael, Ginger Baker, Glenn Frey, Gregg Allman, JJ Cale, Joe Cocker, Johnny Cash, Johnny Winter, Leon Redbone, Leonard Cohen, Levon Helm, Lou Reed, Luther Vandross, Maurice White, Merle Haggard, Michael Jackson, Natalie Cole, Odetta, Percy Sledge, Pete Seeger, Phil Everly, Prince, Ray Charles, Ric Ocasek, Robert Palmer, Teddy Pendergrass, Tony Joe White, Warren Zevon, Whitney Houston, Wilson Pickett.

The above is like one of those memorial reels at an awards show: I AM LEAVING OUT SO MANY PEOPLE. Many are from bands, so their individual names might not be recognizable, and many more are from popular bands that soundtracked my world as a teenager.

Bar none, the death of Tom Petty is the one that hit me hardest. I’ve probably never fully recognized the loss on this blog. Now and again, I realize I’m still dealing with it, and of course, that has much to do with when it occurred: October 2017, in the aftermath of the Harvey flood to our home. A Wilbury a couple of months after 9/11; a Wilbury a couple of months after Harvey. Emotional overload.

This year of the pandemic, there’s another long list of artists’ deaths, and losing John Prine in April (from COVID-19) gutted me. I haven’t done a tribute post on him, either. John Prine was a songwriter among songwriters, and one of the most humble, kindest men in the music industry. It hurt so much, and I thought, There surely won’t be another who’ll have such an impact on me this year.

And then… Eddie Van Halen. There were so many reasons and ways I adored him. As I told my friend who asked, I have a character who’s a composite of many musicians I’ve admired or loved, and Eddie is right at the top because: he could play keyboards, but he set a standard that electric guitarists have been learning from and emulating since. He was small of stature, but the energy off that body made him larger than life. When he smiled, his whole face smiled, his eyes squinted, and he lit up the world. He was part of one of rock’s most adorable couples with Valerie Bertinelli. They named their son Wolfgang, called him Wolfie, and now he’s Wolf and also a musician. Despite the addictions, the divorce, the illnesses, and the injuries, Eddie really never lost that smile or his appeal or his magic. He was one of a kind.

I was lucky enough to see Van Halen (the Van Hagar years) in 1992 at the Summit. We had so much fun that night. I’m not even sure who all went, but I know our group included Lynne and another friend, Wendy.

So here are a few of the ways I get to remember and reminisce about Eddie Van Halen.

Pictures and articles I’ve saved:

Photos taken by others that I purchased at some of the record shows I’ve been to:

Note the Frankenstrat in the upper right photo. You can read the history of that guitar thanks to this Wikipedia link.

Frankenstrat front.

Frankenstrat back.

I feel lucky to have been able to get Axe Heaven’s excellent six-inch miniature of Frankie (as shown above). I posted similar photos to the ones below on Instagram with this tag: In a room somewhere, a boy watches a Van Halen video or listens to Eddie play, and a dream is born.

Finally, here are links to a couple of videos. Eddie’s loss is a huge one to his family and fans. It’s a loss to the entertainment world and to music. He will live on for us in all that he helped create.

Legend.

If you want the Eddie 13-minute “Eruption” guitar solo while Sammy takes a break during the Van Hagar years.

I know guitar solos are not everyone’s thing, so for sheer fun, here’s Eddie and his Frankenstrat with “Jump” when the lead singer was David Lee Roth.