This book is a must for all Van Halen fans! Oh my God, what a memorable read!
It's a tale of filial love between a big brother and his younger sibling. I didn't expect so many poignant moments, but it's obvious that Alex loved his little brother dearly and his passing has left a huge void that cannot be filled. It's a heartfelt narrative of what it meant to be an immigrant in the USA back in the 60s and growing up as someone different in California. I loved the story of the Van Halen family's early years in Pasadena and how the boys got into music.
It's a tale of brotherhood, of course, but I thoroughly enjoyed Alex's reflections on music and his looking back on how they became a band. Loved how he explored the teenagers' early attempts at forming bands and how Van Halen ultimately came to be. It was nice to have him elaborate on the creative process behind each album and how their record company kept them on the road all the time, with only short breaks to put together yet another album.
As many have pointed out, the only problem with Brothers is the fact that the narrative stops with David Lee Roth's departure from the band and there's absolutely nothing about the Sammy Hagar era. Here's to hoping that there will be a sequel that covers those years. I was surprised by how positive his outlook on Diamond Dave turned out to be. Another surprise is how little Michael Anthony features in Alex's recollections. Almost as though the guy was a paid mucisian and not a true member of the band.
All in all, Alex Van Halen's Brothers is a terrific read!
Here's the blurb:
In this intimate and open account—nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read—Alex Van Halen shares his personal story of family, friendship, music and brotherly love in a remarkable tribute to his beloved brother and band mate.
Told with acclaimed New Yorker writer Ariel Levy Brothers is seventy-year-old drummer Alex Van Halen’s love letter to his younger brother, Edward, (Maybe “Ed,” but never “Eddie”), written while still mourning his untimely death.
In his rough yet sweet voice, Alex recounts the brothers’ childhood, first in the Netherlands and then in working class Pasadena, California, with an itinerant musician father and a very proper Indonesian-born mother—the kind of mom who admonished her boys to “always wear a suit” no matter how famous they became—a woman who was both proud and practical, nonchalant about taking a doggie bag from a star-studded dinner. He also shares tales of musical politics, infighting, and plenty of bad-boy behavior. But mostly his is a story of brotherhood, music, and enduring love.
"I was with him from day one,” Alex writes. “We shared the experience of coming to this country and figuring out how to fit in. We shared a record player, an 800 square foot house, a mom and dad, and a work ethic. Later, we shared the back of a tour bus, alcoholism, the experience of becoming successful, of becoming fathers and uncles, and of spending more hours in the studio than I’ve spent doing anything else in this life. We shared a depth of understanding that most people can only hope to achieve in a lifetime."
There has never been an accurate account of them or the band, and Alex wants to set the record straight on Edward’s life and death.
Brothers includes never-before-seen photos from the author’s private archives.
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