Jan Van Halen

[vanshipman]

I would love to see the band play Big Bad Bill as a tribute to Ed and AL's Dad, and Wolf's Grandfather. That would be epic, they could pipe in Jan's part and have pictures as they play.

[SunisinuS]

I would love to see the band play Big Bad Bill as a tribute to Ed and AL's Dad, and Wolf's Grandfather. That would be epic, they could pipe in Jan's part and have pictures as they play.

Or as good as Wolfie is: Have them invite Mike to play while Wolfie plays Jan's part on Clarinet. Wolfie is actually a good player and sponge.

[katina]

I would love to see the band play Big Bad Bill as a tribute to Ed and AL's Dad, and Wolf's Grandfather. That would be epic, they could pipe in Jan's part and have pictures as they play.

It seems that we are getting older.......

[fryingdutchman]

Or as good as Wolfie is: Have them invite Mike to play while Wolfie plays Jan's part on Clarinet. Wolfie is actually a good player and sponge.

I'm not sure that Mike would be invited to participate in any "tributes" to Eddie's parents. Legend has it that Mike failing to appear at a funeral was one of the reasons he ended up on the outside looking in with the VH brothers.

[sadaist]

I'm not sure that Mike would be invited to participate in any "tributes" to Eddie's parents. Legend has it that Mike failing to appear at a funeral was one of the reasons he ended up on the outside looking in with the VH brothers.

Yep.

Eddies Mom in fact. Even Dave reached out to give condolences and he wasn't even in the band. Yet Michael Anthony did not? I think that was when EVH finally said fuck this guy once & for all. I mean WTF? People should remember that when they say how loyal Michael was.

[DLR'sCock]

I love Big Bad Bill!!!

[Jenkins III]

Jan had great feel and melody. Just knowing how proud he was of his boys makes that song special. Thanks to Dave for bringing the angles that made the most powerful band fun and unpredictable.

[ZahZoo]

I love Big Bad Bill!!!

I guess that erases any doubts as to which team you're batting for, Cock...

[mohican]

Most of us have probably read this at one time or an other but it's fun to revisit - This is from the Diver Down interview where Ed and Dave talked about each song on the album:

Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)

Dave: “I think it’s a great song. And there has been this thread winding its way through all of Van Halen’s music and all of our albums since beginning with ‘Ice Cream Man’. I played acoustic guitar and songs like this for quite a while before I ever joined Van Halen. It’s music. Why do I have to bang my head to every single song on every single album? I don’t think the audience has that much lack of creativity or imagination.”

Eddie: “It was Dave’s idea to do ‘Big Bad Bill’. He bought himself one of those Sanyo Walkman-type things with the FM-AM radio, and you can record off the radio if you like something you hear. He was up in his bedroom at his father’s house and he found that if he stood in a certain spot and pointed his antenna a certain way, he picked up this weird radio station in Louisville, Kentucky. He recorded ‘Big Bad Bill’ and played it to us, and we started laughing ourselves silly and going, ‘That is bad! Let’s do it!’ Dave suggested, ‘Hey, we can get your old man to play the clarinet.’ We said, ‘sure.’

“It’s so funny, because I couldn’t play the song for you right now. I had to read because there were so many chords, I just couldn’t remember it. So here’s my father to the left of me, sitting on a chair with a music stand in front of him, and I’m sitting next to him with sheet music in a stand. Mike was there, too, playing like an acoustic guitar bass – the kind they have in Mexican restaurants where they come up, play in front of your face, and aggravate you. We had a great time. It looked like an old ’30s or ’40s session. I used some thick Gibson hollowbody with f-holes. My father hadn’t played in a long time because he had lost his left-hand middle finger about ten years ago. He was nervous, and we told him, ‘Jan, just have a good time. We make mistakes! That’s what makes it real.’ I love what he did, but he was thinking back ten years ago when he was smokin’, playing jazz and stuff. He played exactly what we wanted.”

Dave: “I think when you hear Mr. Van Halen playing, you’ll have an idea it’s a shadow of where Eddie and Alex are now. There’s a sense of humor in there, a lot of technique and a whole lot of beer!”

http://www.vhnd.com/2010/03/31/dave-and-eddie-discuss-diver-down/

[jhale667]

Yep.

Eddies Mom in fact. Even Dave reached out to give condolences and he wasn't even in the band. Yet Michael Anthony did not? I think that was when EVH finally said fuck this guy once & for all. I mean WTF? People should remember that when they say how loyal Michael was.

That whole story just seems weird, and I'd love to see it officially confirmed or debunked. I mean, who doesn't offer condolences to their bandmate of 30 years when their parent dies, even if you're currently pissed at each other? From everything I've ever read seen or heard, Mike seems like too nice of a guy to have done that...

[ELVIS]

[ELVIS]

[ELVIS]

[Yount]

...on the outside looking in with the VH brothers.

I totally dig your reference to the Red God wabo on peace man (throws dumb vagina goat)

[Yount]

Eddie: “It was Dave’s idea to do ‘Big Bad Bill’. He bought himself one of those Sanyo Walkman-type things with the FM-AM radio, and you can record off the radio if you like something you hear. He was up in his bedroom at his father’s house and he found that if he stood in a certain spot and pointed his antenna a certain way, he picked up this weird radio station in Louisville, Kentucky. He recorded ‘Big Bad Bill’ and played it to us, and we started laughing ourselves silly and going, ‘That is bad! Let’s do it!’ Dave suggested, ‘Hey, we can get your old man to play the clarinet.’ We said, ‘sure.’

But ever since the split Ed has hammered this album and especially the cover songs. He's a contradicting man. I think Diver Down is a very underrated album, totally unique there's nothing else quite like it.....
And after Little Guitars comes this total 180!! Remember the first time you heard it? Guarantee you I smiled first time (doin' the dishes!)