The legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen unfortunately left us at the age of 65 in October, 2020, loosing his battle against throat cancer. The musician that was considered one of the best guitarists of all time said many interesting things in interviews over the years, so Rock and Roll Garage selected 9 of his best quotes about life gathered by AZ Quotes website.
The 9 best Eddie Van Halen quotes about life and music:
1 – “We make music for a living. Like I’ve always said, if you like what you’re doing, you’re halfway there; if someone else likes it, that’s even better. If they don’t like it, at least you like it. Not to be selfish, but you kind of have to be.”
2 – “There’s a plaque on our wall that says we’ve sold over 65 million albums, and I don’t feel I’ve accomplished anything. I feel like I’m just getting started.”
3 – “If you want to be a rock star or just be famous, then run down the street naked, you’ll make the news or something. But if you want music to be your livelihood, then play, play, play and play! And eventually you’ll get to where you want to be.”
4 – “Rock stars come and go. Musicians play until they die.”
5 – “To hell with the rules. If it sounds right, then it is.”
6 – “If I can help a kid discover a liking, or even a passion for music in their life, then that’s a wonderful thing.”
7 – “It’s always a Catch-22 situation. They hate you if you’re the same, and they hate you if you’re different.”
8 – “I’m not a rock star. Sure I am, to a certain extent because of the situation, but when kids ask me how it feels to be a rock star, I say leave me alone, I’m not a rock star. I’m not in it for the fame, I’m in it because I like to play.”
9 – “I have pictures of me sitting in the racquetball court in my pajamas with an acoustic guitar, and Wolfgang is probably just two-and-a-half-feet tall. I’ll never forget the day I saw his foot tapping along in beat! I knew then, I couldn’t wait for the day I’d be able to make music with my son. I don’t know what more I could ask for.”
Eddie’s talent
Early in his career, Eddie played the drums and the keyboard and Alex played the guitar and studied the keyboard. Over time Alex got better than Eddie on drums, and Eddie started to train the guitar, overcoming him.
Eddie is one of the most acclaimed guitarists in history. Eventually he received several honors and mentions from the most varied magazines specializing in the subject. Besides, he ranks 8th on the list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. Also is the 7th on the Gibson list of the 50 best guitarists of all time.