Jason Becker ABC news special from Thanksgiving 2008.

[WARF]

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[WARF]

God Bless Jason Becker!

[Panamark]

Thats awesome, he is still composing, and the disease will not progress
any further. Congratulations Jason !

He looks at what he has, not what he doesnt have.
Inspirational !

[Panamark]

Thanks for giving Dave another great record too !!!

[Antman]

It kind of disappoints me that Dave has had no contact with him since Jason had to leave the band due to his illness. I believe I read an interview with jason that said he has not heard from Dave. Ed has done numerous benefits for Jason over the years. I guess everyone has their reasons for doing things.

[indeedido]

Yeah, seems odd....great post

[WARF]

Some people handle tragedies in different ways....

I'm sure Roth still cares...

Here is an excerpt from, "Crazy From The Heat".

"Well, trying to hire genius is like designing art by committee—damn near impossible. But I came so close you could feel the heat coming off of it, with a fellow named Jason Becker. Jason was maybe twenty, twenty-one years old. His parents had been like Haight-Ashbury hippies. So instead of growing up listening to Ed Van Halen records and duplicating that, he had grown up listening to all the old classics I had, as per his parents—Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills and Nash. What a wealth of references in his playing. He was just finding his way. You could hear the influences and name them if you were sharp. And he was a season or two away from where you couldn’t name the influences anymore. It would then be a signature sound. He would become Jason Becker the guitar player, as opposed to a guitar player.
We made the album A Little Ain’t Enough. And as we were working on the songs, he was complaining of numbness in his leg. He was having a stiff leg, he was having trouble moving around.

He had such a full, substantial, articulate sound, played through the simplest equipment—one amp head, one set of speakers, a foot pedal or two, all of it Dennis-the-Menaced together with spit and chicken wire. That kid could move air, man. And the kindest, gentlest, most flexible, absorbing, want-to-learn spirit that I’ve ever really worked with.

Big hands, like six feet tall, just poised, poised. It turns out that that little leg problem was ALS; he had Lou Gehrig’s disease. Today he’s in a wheelchair and that’s it. I cried when that verdict came in. The world was waiting to print his picture, man. And he got struck down way too fucking early in the game.

Soon as he realized that he was going to start stiffening up all the way around, instead of balling up in depression, Jason just went to work big time. As this whole voodoo situation increased, he learned to use computers and worked through other musicians and folks, developed a support system. And released a solo album."

[EVH_316]

What a great guitar player and such a horrible part of life and reality

[Panamark]

Some people handle tragedies in different ways....

I'm sure Roth still cares...

Here is an excerpt from, "Crazy From The Heat".

"Well, trying to hire genius is like designing art by committee—damn near impossible. But I came so close you could feel the heat coming off of it, with a fellow named Jason Becker. Jason was maybe twenty, twenty-one years old. His parents had been like Haight-Ashbury hippies. So instead of growing up listening to Ed Van Halen records and duplicating that, he had grown up listening to all the old classics I had, as per his parents—Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills and Nash. What a wealth of references in his playing. He was just finding his way. You could hear the influences and name them if you were sharp. And he was a season or two away from where you couldn’t name the influences anymore. It would then be a signature sound. He would become Jason Becker the guitar player, as opposed to a guitar player.
We made the album A Little Ain’t Enough. And as we were working on the songs, he was complaining of numbness in his leg. He was having a stiff leg, he was having trouble moving around.

He had such a full, substantial, articulate sound, played through the simplest equipment—one amp head, one set of speakers, a foot pedal or two, all of it Dennis-the-Menaced together with spit and chicken wire. That kid could move air, man. And the kindest, gentlest, most flexible, absorbing, want-to-learn spirit that I’ve ever really worked with.

Big hands, like six feet tall, just poised, poised. It turns out that that little leg problem was ALS; he had Lou Gehrig’s disease. Today he’s in a wheelchair and that’s it. I cried when that verdict came in. The world was waiting to print his picture, man. And he got struck down way too fucking early in the game.

Soon as he realized that he was going to start stiffening up all the way around, instead of balling up in depression, Jason just went to work big time. As this whole voodoo situation increased, he learned to use computers and worked through other musicians and folks, developed a support system. And released a solo album."

Sounds like Dave did care, and was aware of how Jason tackled this affliction well before we did. They made one album, its not like they were lifelong friends. Some would find it almost hypocritical and uncomfortable to suddenly "be the best friend" only because they were struck down by illness. My entire life I have always treated people with illness as normal. I think this is more respectful to them.

Does Dave hangout with Steve Vai and Billy Sheehan ?

If Steve Vai were suddenly to become ill, would Dave have to hangout with him 24/7 or else we would find him heartless ?

If it was one of your lifetime friends, and you walked away, then that is another story. Dave's words above contain nothing but the highest respect for Jason.

[Andy Taylor]

Amazing story...

[ELVIS]

Sad sad sad...

[Sarge]

Man,
That sucks. I wouldn't want to go out like that.
I am sure his family is grateful that he is around, but he requires fulltime care.
I don't think I would want to burden my wife - kids.. etc with that.
Good for him if that is how he wants to live his life.

[Diamondjimi]

Life is goddamn cruel.
Jason was poised to be the guitar hero that may have put Daves career back in the big leagues. (Give or take an album or two) What a shame...

[Matt White]

Incredible...should make people thankful for the blessings they have in their lives everyday....

ROCK ON JASON!!!

[Top Jimmy]

Long Live Jason Becker