Alex Van Halen is set to share an intimate insight into his life and relationship with late electric guitar legend Eddie Van Halen in Brothers – a newly announced memoir that’s due to arrive later this year.
Though there have been numerous accounts about the band published across the years – including ones from the band’s former vocalists, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar – none of them have come close to the level of detail that Alex’s own book will offer, according to the VH camp.
In the past, Alex has commented on such accounts of Van Halen, once saying to Modern Drummer (via Rolling Stone) they are written by people who “know nothing about the inner workings of the band”. Now, he will set the record straight with his own book.
“There has never been an accurate account of them or the band,” a statement on the Van Halen Store website reads, “and Alex wants to set the record straight on Edward's life and death.”
As per a press statement, Brothers will see Alex share stories from throughout his life as he remembers and explores his relationship with his sibling. The tales will span from the pair’s childhood all the way to conquering rock music with their eponymous band.
“He also shares tales of musical politics, infighting, and plenty of bad-boy behavior,” the statement continues. “But mostly, his is a story of brotherhood, music, and enduring love.”
The book’s publisher HarperCollins has labeled Van Halen’s memoir as “nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read”, while its editor, Sara Nelson, has dubbed it the definitive chronicle of Eddie’s life.
“This book is a fascinating story of a band – and so much more: it’s also a chronicle of family and talent and the passion to create,” says Nelson. “It is the definitive take on Edward Van Halen’s life and death from the one who knew and loved him best.”
“I was with him from day one,” Alex writes in an excerpt from Brothers. “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.”
The 384-page memoir will include never-before-seen photos from Alex’s private archive, and will arrive October 22.
Head over to the Van Halen Store website to find out more.
