WHITESNAKE Star: “In A World Where EDDIE VAN HALEN Never Existed, Where Would I Be?”
In a new appearance on BREWtally Speaking Podcast, Reb Beach, known for the guitarists of the Whitesnake and Winger, recalled the first time he heard the Van Halen star Eddie Van Halen’s passing and discussed how he would be if there was no Eddie Van Halen.
Back on October 6th, it was sadly reported that Eddie Van Halen has lost his battle against cancer and died at the age of 65. His wife Valerie, drummer Alex, and Wolfgang were alongside him on his last a few minutes.
Recently, the 57-year-old talked about the legendary guitarist’s tragic passing and revealed his comments about him. He said when he was asked about Eddie Van Halen that he affected and inspired him so much.
“I’d met [Eddie Van Halen] a few times,” the guitarist said. “He was always really nice. When he died, I was in shock for a while. And then I kind of pondered it, and I was, like, well, wait a second… If it wasn’t for Eddie Van Halen – let’s just think about that he never existed, okay? In a world where Eddie Van Halen never existed, where would I be?
“And it was, like, okay, I wouldn’t tap. And tapping is what made me get the kind of stamp on my forehead as like a shredder guy, and definitely helped Winger. But then, would WINGER even be around? Because Van Halen was the first glam band, really, that came out. they really popularized it. And so Winger was kind of a glammy band in the videos and stuff, and who knows if we would have had that success? I don’t think so, without the advent of VAN HALEN.”
He also said that it is really strange to live in a world without the rockers Van Halen.
“I certainly would not have been on the cover of the guitar magazine, which I wanted desperately since I was 16 years old.
“I don’t think I would have had the success that I had without him. And it’s it’s very devastating that he’s gone. It’s just really strange to live in a world without VAN HALEN, you know.”
Watch the entire interview below.
