Alex Lifeson On Van Halen (1998)

[DLR_EngineRoom]

GT: How about old influences, would you still get off on someone like Eddie Van Halen?

ALEX: I certainly appreciate Eddie and what he does and what he's always done. He's a typical example because he's left such a mark on all guitarists, but I don't know if I'd say if Van Halen as a group was something I listened to after 1985 or something that moved me...

GT: So you wouldn't want to hear the last Van Halen record?

ALEX: You know, that happens and you can't really judge them too severely... I think they probably went into the studio and made the kind of record they wanted to make, something that was less poppy and maybe a little more rootsy, but perhaps in a commercial way that didn't work for them or wasn't the best idea, but they did it and they're living with it and they're out touring and working hard and trying to give it some life. But people are not too forgiving in the world of music... make one little mistake and that's it.

[scottydabodi]

All this machinery making modern music can still be open-hearted... Not for foolish-hearted it's really just a question of your honesty, yeah, your HONESTY!! F-Ed.

[guwapo_rocker]

Originally posted by scottydabodi
All this machinery making modern music can still be open-hearted... Not for foolish-hearted it's reall just a question of your honesty, yeah, your HONESTY!! F-Ed.

Yeeeeeessssssssss!!!!!

[Reverberator]

Why does Alex get overlooked all the time ? I play and I love to play Rush coz Alex is fuckin superb .

So again why is he always overlooked as a guitarist?

Look at 'your top 3 guitarists' thread , there's only me who voted for him, thats just not cricket old chap .

[Viking]

In other words, Alex is saying, 'Van Hagar SUCKS'. I knew I liked Rush for a reason.

[RogueHorseman]

Originally posted by Viking
ALEX:I don't know if I'd say if Van Halen as a group was something I listened to after 1985 or something that moved me...

Always been a big Rush fan, and Alex just said it all.

[ELVIS]

Maybe that guy he assulted in Florida was a Van Hagar fan...

[Reverberator]

Originally posted by ELVIS
Maybe that guy he assulted in Florida was a Van Hagar fan...

No .It's because Alex has put on weight the cops beat him up because they thought he was Spammy .

[badhorsie]

Alex cracks me up.

There are plenty of Rush fans who absolutely hate anything after 83. (thats when they went all weird and played more keyboard oriented tunes and Alex's solos were very very scarce)

Its called "A.L.D"


*taken from a website*

Alex Lifeson's Disease (ALD)

Lifeson begat this atrocity. Back in 1984, he contracted the disease that now bears his name. Alex Lifeson's disease afflicts the great guitarists. It shrinks their testicles from the size of grapefruits down to BBs, or smaller. (Other notable sufferers of Alex Lifeson's Disease include Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, and Vivian Campbell). Mr. Lifeson went from wearing long hair and clogs and playing in front of several Marshall stacks, to wearing borderline flock-of-seagulls haircuts and ballet slippers and playing in front of tiny solid state combos.
He went from being a natural progression of Jimmy Page meets Steve Hackett to Andy Summers meets the Edge. His last vestiges of guitar hero-style lead guitar work were on 1983's Signals. Since then, Lifeson became an accompanist. It's not like he doesn't have chops anymore — he simply chooses not to use them. That's the definition of ALD. If you see Rush live doing old material, he can still cut ripping solos on stuff like Freewill. He just chooses not to play that way on new music. He's a big pussy. My prescribed treatment for ALD sufferers is call them a bunch of denigrating names like "big pussy" in hopes that they'd snap out of it someday. Unfortunately no one has yet.

[guwapo_rocker]

Originally posted by badhorsie
Alex cracks me up.

There are plenty of Rush fans who absolutely hate anything after 83. (thats when they went all weird and played more keyboard oriented tunes and Alex's solos were very very scarce)

Its called "A.L.D"


*taken from a website*

Alex Lifeson's Disease (ALD)

Lifeson begat this atrocity. Back in 1984, he contracted the disease that now bears his name. Alex Lifeson's disease afflicts the great guitarists. It shrinks their testicles from the size of grapefruits down to BBs, or smaller. (Other notable sufferers of Alex Lifeson's Disease include Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, and Vivian Campbell). Mr. Lifeson went from wearing long hair and clogs and playing in front of several Marshall stacks, to wearing borderline flock-of-seagulls haircuts and ballet slippers and playing in front of tiny solid state combos.
He went from being a natural progression of Jimmy Page meets Steve Hackett to Andy Summers meets the Edge. His last vestiges of guitar hero-style lead guitar work were on 1983's Signals. Since then, Lifeson became an accompanist. It's not like he doesn't have chops anymore — he simply chooses not to use them. That's the definition of ALD. If you see Rush live doing old material, he can still cut ripping solos on stuff like Freewill. He just chooses not to play that way on new music. He's a big pussy. My prescribed treatment for ALD sufferers is call them a bunch of denigrating names like "big pussy" in hopes that they'd snap out of it someday. Unfortunately no one has yet.

I am a huge RUSH fan from their hometown. But I have to

say I agree. I haven't purchased anything post Moving Pictures.

[badhorsie]

With good reason .

After Moving Pictures Rush ceased to ROCK.

They became all goofy.

I went to their show in 2002 and people were literally bored when they played the mid 80's material.But they redeemed themselves with the good stuff.

[rustoffa]

Lifeson's right on the money here, and quite the geetarist as well.

Apparently, that beating he took didn't cause any dain bramage.

[RogueHorseman]

Originally posted by badhorsie
With good reason .

After Moving Pictures Rush ceased to ROCK.

They became all goofy.

I went to their show in 2002 and people were literally bored when they played the mid 80's material.But they redeemed themselves with the good stuff.

Come to think of it, that is the last album I bought from them myself!

[BrownSound1]

I really fell out with Rush when they did that tune with that bitch from Til Tuesday (Aimee Mann). I was like, "what the fuck is this bullshit?" It was hard to imagine that the band that released the great album 2112 could put out shit such as that. Of course Ray Danniels was their manager, so that might explain a lot.

[arastar]

Well, since we're on the Rush thing, yea, I agree that some of their post 85 stuff got a bit weak. BUT, they came out with a couple of stellar albums recently that are worth checking out.

Counterparts - Has them back with some pretty rockin' tunes and losing the keyboards for the most part.
Test 4 Echo - Does pretty well.
Vapor Trails - Their newest, gets pretty out there but still keeping with the heavy guitars and less keyboard.

Of their latest, I'd say grab Counterparts and give that one a listen. It's worth it.