https://blabbermouth.net/news/alex-v...due-in-october
HarperCollins Publishers has set an October 22, 2024 release date for "Brothers", a new book from legendary VAN HALEN drummer Alex Van Halen. The 384-page book is categorized under "Biography & Autobiography" and currently has a list price of $32.00.
Earlier today, I read in the comments section of a Final Resonance YouTube interview with Tom Broderick, someone mentioning Al working on a book to be out later in the year. I nearly fell out of my chair.
I strongly recommend the videos posted on the channel. The guy has done many interviews with people Greg Renoff had interviewed for VHR.
As I'm less inclined to bother with rock bios of any sort the farther down the line I get, my initial reaction to this is sort of ambivalent.
I will say I did enjoy the Templeman bio and the Noel Monk book on Van Halen, along with Van Halen Rising.
I dunno. Honestly, I'd be inclined to let some of you guys read the book and tell the rest of us if it is worth it...since at least with you guys on this site I know after all this time that everything Van Halen-related that is officially released isn't automatically given a thumbs-up, that just because it is Van Halen-related doesn't mean by default you guys say "man, you gotta get it...it's Van Halen!"
If Alex puts out a book that is as compelling a read as the three books I mentioned above, I'd be up for checking it out. My general feeling is that the book isn't going to be critical in the least regarding Eddie. While this is understandable to a degree, I don't need to shell out a single nickel for an EVH hagiography. I wouldn't want a hatchet job, either, but I'd be very surprised if this upcoming book is going to provide something approaching a non-puff piece approach.
Who the fuck knows, though.
Scramby eggs and bacon.
Al does not seem the type to write an autobiography.
Writing In All Proper Case Takes Extra Time, Is Confusing To Read, And Is Completely Pointless.
Al is going to lay low. He knows it’s over.
No! You can't have the keys to the wine cellar!
No, he probably dictated the pertinent to his info to his ghostwriter who will make it readable.Originally Posted by twonabomber
The annoying thing about this is that whatever he puts in this book will be quoted as cast iron fact by many people especially music journalists forever more.
This despite the fact that human memories are completely terrible, he's going to to be trying to remember stuff from 40+ years ago and by all accounts he was drinking spectacular amounts during the main period of the band's success.
I'm not saying that as a preemptive defense of Roth, I'm pretty sure at least some of CFTH wasn't super accurate and 99% of autobiographies are self serving to a degree.
There may be a few half true new stories in this book but the main thing anyone will learn is just how AVH feels about it now not what happened or even what he thought at the time. Unless I'm completely wrong and he kept a detailed journal back in the day, told the truth in it and also is brave enough to not edit it now. How many people drink 20 or 30 beers a day while on tour but still keep an accurate daily journal? Now filter that even more with the fact he is a drummer.
This book would serve Alex well if it was just about his life prior to 1978.
He’s had a booze free brain for about 36 years. I’m inclined to believe he’s going to have a good account of things. I’m fairly confident this won’t be like No Regrets by Ace Frehley. Now that book was written like he had to be reminded about or told of the experiences in his life, because I’m pretty sure he was.
Al’s book should read like this: After Noel Monk’s wife refused to have sex with me I went to the hotel room to jerk off. While laying on the bed giant penises grew out of the walls.
History is His Story. Unless you were there, who knows what the truth really is.
There was an interview with Ozzy a few years ago where they showed him videos of singles from The Ultimate Sin and he swore he had never seen them before and had no memory of making them.
True... but on the other hand, extreme introverts can be quite interesting people who amass tons of finite details with really interesting insights because they actually pay attention, process what's going on around them... rather than running their damn mouths without any awareness of what's happening.
Introverts also need plenty of time to process their thoughts before they are comfortable sharing... Alex has had 4-5 fucking decades to sort shit out. This book could be quite interesting...
"If you want to be a monk... you gotta cook a lot of rice...”
He's like Hagar where I don't think they've ever even read a book that wasn't assigned to them.
The one AWESOME thing about this book would be if Alex actually spends a lot of time trashing Sammy in it.
THAT would bother the sheep no end. They would be SO upset if this occurred.
Roth Army Militia
Originally posted by WARF
Rikk - The new school of the Roth Army... this dude leads the pack... three words... The Sheep Pen... this dude opened alot of doors for people during this new era... he's the best of the new school.
I was thinking they've never read a book that doesn't have pictures
He also better cuntfirm that there was never going to be a gay 'kitchen sink tour,' and also knock down all the other horseshit lies from that fuzzy headed faggot.
Oh I think it’s going to be a family history book more than anything. Al was the most wild guy in the band but he’s a reverend and ham radio operator now. I don’t know if he’s an introvert. He’s a meat and potatoes no bullshit guy.
Al is like the guys who worked on my dad’s construction crews. They did excellent work but they went and dove into a vat of alcohol after work was done and the foreman always needed cash to make bail so he could get the crew on the job in the morning. That would be Al’s world if his brother wasn’t a guitar god and David Lee Roth wasn’t there to market the band. It would have been a lunchbox and six pack world for Al. Come on. The guy drank hood level malt liquor.
Most likely closest to the truth...
I’d settle for him kicking himself for putting his brother in the position of doing a tour in the state he was in.
Of course, followed by taking a massive shit on Sam.
I doubt he’s going to, though. Both Ed and Al whooped Sam’s ass by completely ignoring him. I don’t see him changing his approach.
How long before Hagar mentions this book?
Hagar cannot avoid mentioning ANYTHING at ANY point.
It's how he markets himself.
He ALWAYS has to open his big fat mouth to mention something so that he can get his name in the press.
What else does he have to talk about? All the memorable recent hits he's been behind? The super-successful albums he's produced since leaving Van Halen? The tons of arena tours on which he's embarked since 2004 (none)?
He'll mention Al's book ONCE HE KNOWS it doesn't slag on him. And if it does, he'll say something like, "I have nothing bad to say about I brother I sold 80 million albums with," which, of course, is a lie in itself...not only how many albums but also the fact that his WHOLE BOOK is slagging on everybody he's ever worked with except maybe Michael Anthony.
I honestly could give a fuck about this book.
I'm past caring. It'll be some pictures. Some stories of Ed's greatness. The odd funny road story. Nothing interesting.
This band continues to BEG ME to give not a single shit about them. (Maybe I'm just in a lousy mood...I'll put on VAN HALEN II in a few days and feel differently.)
I'm guessing Hagar is shitting his pants right now...
If Al shits on Sam at various points then its worth a read.
=V V=
ole No.1 The finest
EAT US AND SMILE
That's pretty much where I was at when reading here about the book and the pending release.
I mean, first off it's not coming out until...November? I'll probably forget all about it between now and then.
Ostensibly, Alex has been sober for ages, so as others have suggested it probably won't be along the lines of the Ace Frehley book where clearly Frehley couldn't remember anything.
As also mentioned, you take virtually ANY autobiography and it's usually a case of the author being 99.9% blameless in terms of whatever went wrong in their lives. Same as the non-famous family and friends I know whenever they tell me a story about whatever happening to them: everybody else in the story is an idiot or up to no good.
I also get the feeling that whatever Alex has to say that might be of interest will be stuff that could just as easily be conveyed in an interview.
Even in terms of whatever insider perspective Alex can offer, personally between all of Eddie's interviews, Dave's interviews, Dave's book, the Templeman book, the Van Halen Rising book, Noel Monk's book...I've heard enough about the inner workings of Van Halen, to the point where I just plain doubt Al is gonna have much of interest to impart.
This is pretty much what I’d like to see. From the boat ride over til the fireworks began are what interest me most. It’s all in how it’s told. I know Al can be an articulate guy, but can he tell a story? We shall see.
I’m sure I’m going to get it, even though I’ve always hated his takes on Dave. The only compliment he ever paid to Dave was of his confidence. That’s lame and ridiculous.
Something that would be of interest - if he even goes there - is how the relationship with Hagar soured and the business dealings with the Cabo Wabo cantina etc.
Maybe - just maybe, mind you - if Alex went into some detail about Eddie's addictions in terms of what it was like to both be related to him as a brother and be in a commercially successful band with him and have to deal with the addictions, maybe that'd be a book worth reading.
I hate to admit it, but as much as I sort of made a conscious decision after Eddie died to try and focus on the thing about him that I liked best - his guitar playing - and not spend much time thinking about Eddie's addictions and all the bad choices Van Halen made after Roth left...I mean, Eddie is gone, so just remember what made him great in the first place, right? Anyway, despite still wanting to just keep my focus as a fan more on what Eddie did as a guitarist and less on how dysfunctional things were behind the scenes...despite that, I think really the only way Alex is going to 'author' (or co-author or whatever) a compelling book on him and Eddie is to be brutally candid. Candid about his feelings toward Hagar, Roth, Mike Anthony...AND his brother. And a candid book ain't necessarily gonna be a pretty one.
I don’t think Al is going to shit on anyone. I think the book will be focused on his and Ed’s life story. I think he’s more interested in doing that than slinging dirt.
In the 1800’s Sam would be riding around in a wagon selling snake oil. He probably would have ended up being hung or shot.
I wouldn't want the book to be a hatchet job or merely slinging dirt.
Can't say it'll be of interest to me if it's just a puff piece, though.
The big question I have is: can Alex even write? Is that something he is even remotely capable of?
I don't think Alex is retarded...I tend to doubt Alex physically wrote anything in terms of the book. He probably told his stories to a writer (who may or may not be credited in print), and said writer typed them up or voice dictated them or whatever. Like, I don't think Alex was physically sitting at a laptop hunting and pecking and actually writing his stories or whatever.
To be fair Roth is clearly very smart but also used a ghost writer.
I think Dave said something about how he walked around and talked into a tape recorder or a Dictaphone or whatever, then Roth gave the tapes to the person writing the CFTH book. which is why when you read CFTH it came across on the page like Dave was talking to you one-on-one.
Honestly, the only times I've heard Alex talk that I can recall are when Van Hagar did that MTV special in 1986, along with Ed and Al being interviewed in 1996 for MTV post-VMAs answering what was happening with the group and there was a supplemental dvd that came out with ADKOT that had a couple of interview segments with Ed, Dave and Al. In 4 and 1/2 decades of liking the band, I can't think of a single verbatim quote from Alex that was interesting let alone memorable. Thus, I kinda actually hope the person Alex wrote the book with - ghostwriter or credited - has the ability for a clever turn of phrase, because so far Alex hasn't exhibited anything that makes me think he has an innate ability re: clever turn of phrase, even just in verbal terms (let alone print).
Maybe the book will have a lot of never-before-seen photos from Alex's private collection and some tales about Eddie and/or others in Van Halen that we haven't heard before...maybe Al will fess up to the truth of the rumors that Dave fucked his wife.
Yeah I agree maybe the big job on Dave's book was the editing.
I'm not sure either of the Van Halen brothers were any great loss to rocket science when they became rock musicians to be honest and that's probably part of why they were so much better than any of us could ever be. Alex I think was clearly the smarter of the brothers.
I don’t think it’s Al’s personality to slag former band members. Al and Ed always viewed themselves as musicians and they had pride that they were following in their father’s footsteps. The book will be honoring the family legacy.
Watch it turn out that Greg Renoff is working with him like he did with Ted Templeman. That wouldn’t be a bad move.
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