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Brian May: Eddie Van Halen asked me that same question.
From the latest Guitar Player:
GP: "Your solo in "It's Late" features some rare, pre-1978 two handed tapping. How come you never pursued that?"
BM: "Eddie Van Halen asked me that same question. He was very interested in that. That idea came to me because I was I was in a bar in Texas and there was this guy--I wish I could remember his name. He was playing a solo and suddenly on went his his right hand to the fretboard and he produced this yodeling sound that I thought was amazing--just an incredible extension of what the guitar can do. I went up to him afterwards and said, "That's great! I'm going to nick it!" His answer to me was "I got it from Billy Gibbons." But I've heard alot of Billy Gibbons and I don't remember ever finding it."
GP: "I believe he does it in "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers."
This is an edited response-
BM: "OK--mystery solved then. I didn't find it so easy to play onstage standing up so I kind of got off the idea. I didn't think it was that important until later when a certain genius in the world made it into an art form. I want to say this very clearly: Eddie is a God and always will be. It's not just his technique, it's also his color and spirit. But his technique is brilliant."
GP: "Your solo in "It's Late" features some rare, pre-1978 two handed tapping. How come you never pursued that?"
BM: "Eddie Van Halen asked me that same question. He was very interested in that. That idea came to me because I was I was in a bar in Texas and there was this guy--I wish I could remember his name. He was playing a solo and suddenly on went his his right hand to the fretboard and he produced this yodeling sound that I thought was amazing--just an incredible extension of what the guitar can do. I went up to him afterwards and said, "That's great! I'm going to nick it!" His answer to me was "I got it from Billy Gibbons." But I've heard alot of Billy Gibbons and I don't remember ever finding it."
GP: "I believe he does it in "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers."
This is an edited response-
BM: "OK--mystery solved then. I didn't find it so easy to play onstage standing up so I kind of got off the idea. I didn't think it was that important until later when a certain genius in the world made it into an art form. I want to say this very clearly: Eddie is a God and always will be. It's not just his technique, it's also his color and spirit. But his technique is brilliant."
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