Reports|

For Eddie Van Halen, making music is all about having good ears and a talent for experimenting with guitars and amps to create just the right sound.

Now 60, Van Halen told The Associated Press he’s ready to get back on the road. His band recorded a live album — its first with founding singer David Lee Roth — in 2013, and it’s waiting for a release date.

On Thursday, Eddie Van Halen is visiting the Smithsonian for a sold-out event to donate some instruments to the National Museum of American History and to discuss making music and his innovative guitar and amp designs. He even holds patents on some inventions.

Van Halen, it turns out, is a Dutch immigrant born in Amsterdam who came to the U.S. when he was 7. Many people just think he was born a rock star, he says. It wasn’t so easy, though, for him and his brother and bandmate Alex. Their family immigrated to California in 1962, drawn by the “land of opportunity.” Their father was a musician who also worked as a janitor, while their Indonesian-born mother was a maid. The Van Halens shared a house with three other families.

“We showed up here with the equivalent of $50 and a piano,” Van Halen said. “We came halfway around the world without money, without a set job, no place to live and couldn’t even speak the language.

“What saved us was my father being a musician and slowly meeting other musicians and gigging on weekends, everything from weddings to you name it to make money.”

Van Halen went on to help lead one of the most popular rock bands of the 1980s, known for hits including “Jump” and “Why Can’t This Be Love.” He discussed his immigrant roots and his penchant for experimentation.

AP: Did you feel like an outsider as a new immigrant?
Van Halen: Oh yeah. Believe it or not, the very first school I went to was still segregated where people of color were on a certain side of the playground and white kids were on the other side. Since I was also considered a second-class citizen at the time, I was lumped with the black people. It was rough, but music was a common thread in our family that saved us.

AP: What sparked your interest in pursuing music more seriously?
Van Halen: It was definitely just being in a house that was full of music. My earliest memories of music were banging pots and pans together, marching to John Philip Sousa marches. And hearing my dad. He had his music going downstairs, practicing.

AP: I understand you never learned to read music. How did you learn to play?
Van Halen: I was just blessed with good ears, to the disappointment of my piano teacher. … I had to see what my fingers were doing. Believe it or not, I’m not very good at playing in pitch dark on guitar either. I need to see where I’m at.

AP: How did you work to keep the Van Halen sound current over the decades?
Van Halen: I think being true to ourselves and not trying to follow trends. We never did. We actually got signed to Warner Brothers in 1977 in the midst of punk and disco. We were the odd man out, so to speak. Of course when we started playing clubs, we had to play Top 40 songs, and for the life of me, I could never make anything sound the way it was supposed to sound. I could never emulate other people’s playing — a blessing in disguise.

AP: What was the most important thing you’ve done to innovate with your equipment?
Van Halen: I’d say combining a Gibson (guitar) with a Fender. After that, every company on the planet made a guitar like that. Before that, there was no Fender or a Stratocaster-style guitar with a humbucker in it. (He also modified his amplifier by attaching a light dimmer to regulate the voltage.) A lot of people had no idea what I was doing. … And I didn’t bother telling anyone because it was kind of my little secret.

AP: What does it mean to you now to be donating some of your guitars to the Smithsonian?
Van Halen: What more could you ask for to be recognized as being part of having contributed to change, you know? … All I can say is only in America.

Smithsonian program: http://www.whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/

By Brett Zongker | Associated Press

http://news.yahoo.com/eddie-van-halen-talks-immigrant-roots-innovation-music-155249095.htm

[Photo Credit: In this June 1, 2012 file photo, guitarist Eddie Van Halen of the band Van Halen performs in Los Angeles. For Eddie Van Halen, making music is all about having good ears and a talent for experimenting with guitars and amps to create just the right sound. Now 60, Van Halen says he’s ready to get back on the road. His famous rock band has a new live album recorded in 2013 that’s waiting a release date _ its first live album with founding singer David Lee Roth. But first, Van Halen the guitarist is visiting the Smithsonian for a sold-out event Thursday to donate some instruments to the National Museum of American History. He will discuss his life as a Dutch immigrant who went on to innovate in music to create new guitar designs. He even holds patents on some inventions. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, file)]

[Editor’s note: Our April 19th meeting’s program will focus on several musicians who have come here from other countries. They will be discussing the music scene in their home countries and how they have found working as a musician in the United States in comparison.]

* * * * *

WATCH EVERY BEST MUSIC VIDEO GRAMMY-WINNER EVER!

Back when the Grammy Awards launched in 1959, music videos weren’t even a thing. But 25 years later, thanks to the ’80s advent of MTV, videos had become a major source of music discovery for the average American pop fan. So in 1984, the new Grammy category Best Music Video was created. The award’s first recipient? MTV posterboys Duran Duran, of course.

This year’s nominees are Arcade Fire, Sia, DJ Snake featuring Lil Jon, Pharrell Williams, and Woodkid featuring Max Richter. But before the Grammys crown the 2015 winner, let’s reflect with a visual history of the category. Happy viewing!

1984: Duran Duran, “Girls on Film/Hungry Like the Wolf”
No band defined MTV’s early era as much as these five Boys on Film from Birmingham. This is one of only two Grammys that Duran Duran has ever won. They picked up another Grammy in ‘84 for — what else? — Best Music Video, Long Form, for their self-titled video anthology.

1985: David Bowie, “Jazzin’ for Blue Jean”
This bloated mini-movie, directed by Julien Temple, starred Bowie as the flamboyant rock star Screaming Lord Byron. Byron was one of Bowie’s less successful alter egos, but incredibly, this video scored him his only real Grammy win — aside from a long-overdue Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006, and a Hall of Fame honor for his Ziggy Stardust album in 1999.

1986: USA for Africa, “We Are the World”
1987: Dire Straits, “Brothers in Arms”
1988: Genesis, “Land of Confusion” (for the short-lived category Best Concept Video)
1989: “Weird Al” Yankovic, “Fat” (for Best Concept Video)
1990: Michael Jackson, “Leave Me Alone”
1991: Paula Abdul, “Opposites Attract”
1992: R.E.M., “Losing My Religion”
1993/1994: Peter Gabriel: “Digging in the Dirt” and “Steam”
1995: The Rolling Stones, “Love is Strong”
1996: Michael and Janet Jackson, “Scream”
1997: The Beatles, “Free As a Bird”
1998: Janet Jackson, “Got ‘Til It’s Gone”
1999: Madonna, “Ray of Light”
2000: Korn, “Freak on a Leash”
2001: Foo Fighters, “Learn to Fly”
2002: Fatboy Slim, “Weapon of Choice”
2003: Eminem, “Without Me”
2004: Johnny Cash, “Hurt”
2005: U2, “Vertigo”
2006: Missy Elliott, “Lose Control”
2007: OK Go, “Here It Goes Again”
2008: Johnny Cash, “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”
2009: Weezer, “Pork and Beans”
2010: Black Eyed Peas, “Boom Boom Pow”
2011: Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
2012: Adele, “Rolling in the Deep”
2013: Rihanna, “We Found Love”
2014: Justin Timberlake, “Suit and Tie”

By Lyndsey Parker, Managing Editor

https://www.yahoo.com/music/watch-every-best-music-video-grammy-winner-ever-110115214856.html

Leave a Reply

Close Search Window