Background
Published in October of 2021, Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen is the biography of possibly the greatest guitarists in history.
My Thoughts
I was initially pretty nervous while reading this. Sting’s bio was a terrible read and I came away not really liking the guy. I’ve always looked up to Eddie Van Halen since I first was introduced back in my high school band days. (Our lead guitarist would hit the roof of his car and say “Hail Eddie” everytime we went through a yellow light.)
You have to respect him even if you don’t like him. He certainly had his ups and downs but he bucked the entire production industry and just did what he wanted to do. A true artist.
I felt the write up was balanced with people that really knew him. It didn’t seem to pull any punches and the reader sees who Eddie Van Halen really was, warts and all. However, I came away with a new respect for him but that may be due to my rose colored glasses.
Recommendation
A very enjoyable read.