Charlie Sheen's long-running NBC comedy series Two And A Half Men featured its fair share of cameo appearances from stars playing themselves. Over the years, Elvis Costello, ZZ Top, Steven Tyler, Harry Dean Stanton, Christian Slater and Sean Penn all appeared on the show. But no one delivered a more memorable splash than the late, great Eddie Van Halen.
Van Halen's cameo comes in the opening episode of the seventh series, in an episode titled 818-jklpuzo, which aired on September 21, 2009. The legendary guitarist finds himself thrust into an unlikely plot where Charlie's former fiancé Mia is keen to embark on a singer career, a plan hampered only by her clear lack of ability.
It's a situation that causes Charlie so much stress he becomes constipated, a situation that only resolves itself when the pair visit a recording studio, where Charlie is finally able to tell Mia that her voice is awful. He quickly retreats to the bathroom, eager to ease his long-standing blockage, but the door is locked.
Exit Eddie Van Halen, a Frankenstein-striped EVH Wolfgang guitar slung casually around his neck.
"You might want to give it a minute," says a sheepish Van Halen.
"You were in their with your guitar?" asks Charlie, incredulous that Eddie's signature axe had accompanied him on his trip to the toilet. But Van Halen is happy to explain.
"You never know when inspiration might strike," he says, before launching into an impressive instrumental. "That's called Two Burritos And A Root Beer Float," he adds, presumably named in reference to business just done. Then he walks off, still playing, as Charlie's bowels continue to spasm.
"I typically shy away from these requests as I am not an actor, but Charlie and I are friends and since it was a scene with him, I agreed," Van Halen said later. "Charlie and I had a great time, even though I was very nervous. The cast and crew were a pleasure to work with and helped me feel a little more at ease."
The following year, Jane Lynch – who played Charlie's therapist Dr Linda Freeman – was nominated for the Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series Emmy for her appearance in the episode, but the nomination wasn't 818-jklpuzo's only legacy. Three years later, elements of Two Burritos And A Root Beer Float surfaced as part of Van Halen's As If, from the album A Different Kind Of Truth.
And in the wake of Eddie Van Halen's death in October 2020, Two And A Half Men co-creator Lee Aronsohn revealed that a generous Van Halen had given young actor Angus T. Jones – who played Charlie's nephew Jake Harper in the series – another Wolfgang guitar, which he played in a later episodes.
