Classic Rock
Eddie Van Halen son recalls his father introduced AC/DC music to him
Wolfgang Van Halen, son of the late guitarist Eddie Van Halen recalled in an interview with Classic Rock that his father was the one who introduced AC/DC music to him. The Mammoth guitarist and singer recalled that the album “Powerage” was the one that his father showed him.
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Eddie Van Halen son recalls his father introduced AC/DC music to him:
“The band that I was probably first obsessed with was AC/DC. My father introduced me to them with Powerage, and I was thinking of picking that one because it was his favourite album. But a little bit more than that, Highway To Hell is probably my favourite album of theirs.”
“To me, it’s perfect. Every single song on it is quintessential AC/DC. And also, because it was Bon Scott’s last album, the very last song on it, Night Prowler, feels like such a good send off. Obviously, they didn’t make it that way, but it just feels like someone going out on an incredible vibe.”
The AC/DC song that inspired Van Halen’s “Drop Dead Legs”
In an interview with Guitar World back in 2014, guitarist Eddie Van Halen said that one song of the band was inspired by another legendary Hard Rock band: AC/DC: “That was inspired by AC/DC’s Back in Black. I was grooving on that beat, although I think that Drop Dead Legs is slower.”
“Whatever I listen to somehow is filtered through me and comes out differently. So Drop Dead Legs is almost a jazz version of Back in Black. The descending progression is similar, but I put a lot more notes in there.”
AC/DC guitarist Angus Young praised Eddie after his death
The late Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen died in October 2020 at the age of 65, victim of throat cancer and all the Rock and Roll community paid tribute, including AC/DC guitarist Angus Young that said: “Eddie was a guitar wonder, his playing pure wizardry. To the world of music he was a special gift. To those of us fortunate enough to have met him, a very special person. He leaves a big hole in a lot of hearts. To the Van Halen family my heartfelt sympathies.”
— AC/DC (@acdc) October 7, 2020
