Eruption

Conversations with Eddie Van Halen

By: Brad Tolinski, Chris Gill

Narrated by: Brad Tolinski, Fred Berman, Rob Shapiro, Raphael Corkhill, Donald Chang

Get a completely new look at guitar legend Eddie Van Halen with this groundbreaking oral history, composed of more than 50 hours of interviews with Eddie himself as well as his family, friends, and colleagues.

When rock legend Eddie Van Halen died of cancer on October 6, 2020, the entire world seemed to stop and grieve. Since his band Van Halen burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut album in 1978, Eddie had been hailed as an icon not only to fans of rock music and heavy metal but to performers across all genres and around the world. Van Halen’s debut sounded unlike anything that listeners had heard before and remains a quintessential rock album of the era.

Over the course of more than four decades, Eddie gained renown for his innovative guitar playing, and particularly for popularizing the tapping guitar solo technique. Unfortunately for Eddie and his legions of fans, he died before he was ever able to put his life down to paper in his own words, and much of his compelling backstory has remained elusive - until now.

In Eruption, music journalists Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill share with fans, new and old alike, a candid, thoroughly enjoyable, and definitive oral history of the most influential rock guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. It is based on more than 50+ hours of unreleased interviews they recorded with Eddie Van Halen over the years, most of them conducted at the legendary 5150 studios at Ed’s home in Los Angeles. The heart of Eruption is drawn from these intimate and wide-ranging talks, as well as conversations with family, friends, and colleagues.

In addition to discussing his greatest triumphs as a groundbreaking musician, including an unprecedented dive into Van Halen’s masterpiece 1984, the book also takes an unflinching look at Edward’s early struggles as young Dutch immigrant unable to speak the English language, which resulted in lifelong issues with social anxiety and substance abuse. Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen also examines his brilliance as an inventor who changed the face of guitar manufacturing.

As entertaining as it is revealing, Eruption is the closest listeners will ever get to hearing Eddie’s side of the story when it comes to his extraordinary life.

©2021 Brad Tolinski, Chris Gill (P)2021 Hachette Books

Critic reviews

“During Eddie Van Halen’s lifetime, few — if any — journalists were granted the access that journalists Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill were afforded. And as Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen demonstrates, the guitarist’s trust was not misplaced. This is the final word on what made this epochal musician, guitar innovator and, it must be said, complicated man, tick.” (Tom Beaujour, New York Times best-selling co-author of Nothin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the ‘80s Hard Rock Explosion)

“Though he lived his adult life under a spotlight, Eddie Van Halen remains shrouded in mystery. There is no duo better suited to peel away the fictions and fog and get to the heart of Van Halen the man and the musician than Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill, two of the greatest guitar journalists of our era. That's exactly what they do in Eruption. Even the keenest fan will find surprises on every page.”(Alan Paul, New York Times best-selling author of Texas Flood: The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan and One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band)

“Guitarists and rock fans can rejoice that Eddie Van Halen’s story has finally been told, accurately and with insights from those who knew him best. Tolinski and Gill compellingly unravel such details as the development of Ed’s two-handed tapping technique and the Frankenstein guitar, and sheds new light on every corner of Van Halen’s life and prodigious artistry. It’s a long-awaited and vital read about the most important and influential guitarist of the modern age.” (Christopher Scapelliti, Editor-in-Chief, Guitar Player magazine)

Best EVH book I’ve ever read.

I think this is the most in depth, honest book about Eddie. I recommend highly.

Fantastic content!!

Comprehensive compilation of all
of the bands views on EVH and the time period. Great book!

Loved it!

Anything EVH is great. The behind the scenes stuff is interesting for such an amazing talent. I especially enjoyed the final “real” interview at the end of the book. Overall I give this two thumbs up!

So many questions answered….

I know one book cannot make you feel like you know everything about someone, but I feel like this book, gave me a great understanding of one of my rock idols. He truly lived a wonderful life.

Definitely worth it!

A good insight to how Edward grew up and how he and is brother progressed to one of the most iconic bands in the world. His life and his legacy will live in through music and his Son Wolfy, another amazing musician in his own right.

Amazing!

A must for any true Van Halen fan or struggling musician. Provides amazing details about Ed that most of his fans never really knew.

Remember the unbelievable life of EVH

Enjoy the interviews with not just EVH but also many others who worked with him throughout the years. Even better yet, listen to your favorite Van Halen albums that you may or may not have heard recently.

Now going to go listen to some vinyl!

Great story and content. Now I am going to go and listen to some vinyl!

Absolutely awesome

What a great book. Very captivating. Being a fan and guitar player growing up in the 80s, it put pieces of the puzzle to stories and news we heard into reality.

He left us too soon

I'll never forget when I was in college and we excitedly would head down to the record store to buy Van Halen records. Saw them in 1979 in Binghamton NY GENERAL ADMISSION ! We were literally right under Eddie and DLR. By now we've all read stories of Eddie's kindness and humble nature and we hear about plenty more in here. I'm so sad to hear how devastated he was by the lack of excitement / acceptance of VHIII with Gary Cherone. At this point in my life it is my go to VH CD and might be Eddie's best playing on a record. Further, that he wasn't able to explore more music with Gary and ultimately Wolfie. RIP EVH.