Static Live Magazine December 2020

Catch RIGGS, GUY, & INTERN STEVE
The Morning HOG / 95-7 The HOG Weekday 5-10am
& SATURDAY NIGHT LOUD 9-midnight
@saturdayloud on Twitter The Morning Hog on fb
riggs@957thehog.com
I didn’t feel bad for a second. We posed for the
group photo and he quickly met the others, but
made it a point to come back before leaving the
room and hug and thank me. I’ll never forget the
shit-eating grin he left me with. And despite the
pre-show drinks he had, his playing during the
show was perfection. That was the quintessential
“Rock Star” experience.
I was in Los Angeles in 1992 for the Billboard
Video Music Awards. I had dinner with a Warner
Brothers Records rep and we began talking about
Van Halen. She was working closely with the
band and told me that Ed had suffered dexterity
issues associated with drinking. Frank Zappa’s
son Dweezil was a friend of the Van Halen family
and had learned all of Eddie’s riffs on a guitar he
gave to him. She said that Ed had been working
with Dweezil on some of the classic solos and
songs that he now had trouble with. I couldn’t
imagine the idea that Dweezil was teaching Eddie
the solos he created. I interviewed Dweezil
later and he modestly claimed that they just got
together to jam, but given what we later learned
of Eddie’s ongoing health issues, the puzzle
pieces fit. And certainly those Van Hagar-era
records don’t have the guitar dynamics of the first
6. And if tasked with assembling a Van Halen
Ultimate Playlist, I’d probably go 98% Roth tunes.
But the body of work from Eddie throughout the
singer changes still stands alone as rock & roll
greatness.
I had another opportunity to meet Eddie in July of
1998.
I accompanied some radio grand prize winners
backstage on the VHIII tour, aka the “Gary
Cherone Experience”.
It was another great 5 minutes of rock bliss as a
small group of us got to chat and get photos with
the ultimate American rock band.
Eddie was overwhelmingly kind and selfdeprecating
as I told him how psyched I was to
see him shred later that evening. I gave him
one of our radio station t-shirts and he humbly
thanked me, then asked if he could cut the
sleeves off. I gave him my blessing. This was
at one of the lower points in the band’s career.
Record sales were down. Some fans didn’t know
what to do with Gary Cherone as the lead singer.
I loved his work with EXTREME and he was a
very humble and kind guy with a great, unique
voice. Ed and the band certainly could have “big
timed” us and who would blame them. They had
met thousands of people like us, played much
bigger venues and didn’t have to seem happy
about these obligatory moments. (Alex, in full
disclosure, seemed the least enthused about it
all.) But Eddie made me feel welcome, without a
hint of a rock star attitude of being over all of it.
It was another dizzying encounter that I’ll always
remember.
Hearing all of the stories after his passing of what
a normal, kind and funny guy he was fits every
bit of my experience. His guitar work excites me
and inspires me.
And I’ll keep trying to learn some of his simplest
guitar parts. And fail. But the Eddie Van Halen
legacy of music will always be at the forefront
of my speakers. I’m forever grateful for the few
chances to meet and speak with him. R.I.P.
brother.
Cheers!
RIGGS