Eruption

Brannigan, Paul

£20.00

Since their debut in 1978, Van Halen has set a high bar for the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle of good times and debauchery. It created an entirely new style of post-’60s hard rock and, unlike bands with a similar sound, managed to gain cross-gender appeal. There is an undercurrent of tragedy to the band’s saga, however. Although Eddie Van Halen is a rock god, he is by all accounts hypersensitive and emotionally insecure. Living in the spotlight, his struggles have played out in public, from a battle with cancer that left him without one-third of his tongue to the break-up of his longtime marriage to Valerie Bertinelli. With insights from Van Halen himself, ‘Eruption’ reaches beyond the boundaries of a conventional rock biography to explore the cultural, political, and social contexts that shaped an icon.

Available on backorder

Publish Date: 23/09/2021
ISBN: 9780571311453 Category: Tags: ,

Description

To mark the first anniversary of Eddie Van Halen’s early death comes this new, full-length biography.

‘The game changing guitar legend gets the biography he deserves … Diligently researched, perceptive and well-written.’ 8/10, Classic Rock

‘An affectionate and unflinching portrait of metal guitar’s Mount Everest.’ Mojo

Arriving in California as a young boy in the early 1960s, Edward Van Halen and his brother Alex were ripe for the coming musical revolution. The sons of a Dutch, saxophone-playing father, the brothers discovered the Beatles, Cream and others.

From the moment their hugely influential 1978 debut landed, Van Halen set a high bar for the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, creating an entirely new style of post-’60s hard rock and becoming the quintessential Californian band of the 1980s. But there was also an undercurrent of tragedy to their story, as Eddie’s struggles played out in public, from his difficult relationship with the band’s original singer, Dave Lee Roth, to substance abuse, divorce and his long-running battle with cancer.

Additional information

Weight 485 g
Dimensions 234 × 153 × 19 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Hardback

Pages

xii, 259 , 8 unnumbered of plates

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

782.42166092 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K