Edward Van Halen: A Definitive Biography

Edward Van Halen: A Definitive Biography

In July of 1984, Edward Van Halen was the most popular musician in the world in the most popular band in the world-the band that to this day bears his own surname. As a 12-year-old, author Kevin Dodds experienced his first Van Halen concert, and it changed his life. In this biography, Dodds takes a comprehensive look at the life of Van Halen, one of the world's most famous and influential musicians. He examines Eddie's early years growing up in the Netherlands; his life with his mother and musician father; the family's immigration to the United States; his lifelong trials and tribulations; and his remarkable music career. For more than a year, Dodds delved into more than a thousand different sources to compile Edward Van Halen: A Definitive Biography, the story that captures the life of a man with complex personality and character traits whose life and times has played an important role in American cultural and musical history. Dodds has also woven his personal experiences with Van Halen as well as his own band into this story, providing a unique perspective in the field of rock-and-roll biographies. EDWARD VAN HALEN: A Definitive Biography By Kevin Dodds iUniverse, Inc. Copyright © 2011 Kevin Dodds All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4620-5480-0 Contents Preface..........................................................................viiAcknowledgments..................................................................xiDedication.......................................................................xiiiIntroduction.....................................................................xvPrologue.........................................................................xviiChapter 1: Life in the Netherlands...............................................1Chapter 2: Life in America.......................................................8Chapter 3: The Stringed Instrument...............................................14Chapter 4: Pasadena High School..................................................19Chapter 5: "Van Halen" in the Third Person.......................................24Chapter 6: Critical Years........................................................32Chapter 7: Van Halen and the Guitar-Making Artist................................38Chapter 8: Around the World......................................................45Chapter 9: Van Halen Again.......................................................53Chapter 10: The End of the Beginning.............................................58Chapter 11: Women First..........................................................64Chapter 12: "Does it seem cold in here to you?"..................................72Chapter 13: Take Cover...........................................................77Chapter 14: Public Relations.....................................................85Chapter 15: 1984 Minus One.......................................................91Chapter 16: The Peak.............................................................100Chapter 17: Dave Steps Aside.....................................................110Chapter 18: A Tabloid Marriage and a Random Phone Call...........................118Chapter 19: 5150 and the War of Words............................................123Chapter 20: Van Hagar Hits the Road..............................................131Chapter 21: A Spiral Begins to Take Shape........................................136Chapter 22: Who Ate What.........................................................142Chapter 23: Monsters On the Road Again...........................................149Chapter 24: Filling Time and Getting Help........................................153Chapter 25: One on the Way.......................................................157Chapter 26: Another Van Halen Production.........................................165Chapter 27: Awards and Live Overdubs.............................................175Chapter 28: A Friend Lost, and Some Ugly Scenes..................................182Chapter 29: Shot from the Hip....................................................194Chapter 30: The Reunion from Hell................................................204Chapter 31: Third Time's a Charm?................................................216Chapter 32: The Crash............................................................226Chapter 33: Staying Conscious....................................................230Chapter 34: The Diagnosis........................................................236Chapter 35: The Dissolution......................................................245Chapter 36: A Public Meltdown....................................................250Chapter 37: Sowing the Seeds of a Spectacular Failure............................259Chapter 38: A Year to Forget.....................................................281Chapter 39: The Lost Years.......................................................297Chapter 40: Strange Days.........