Alex Van Halen on Eddie Van Halen: 'We Beat the Crap Out of Each Other'

Ed was shy — how did he handle fame?

He started drinking the Kool-Aid. When people tell you how great you are and that nothing can go wrong, you start to buy it. The only person who would tell him the truth was me. “I’m not on your payroll, Ed. Let’s talk.” I was more pragmatic, willing to trade this and that for involvement of other people — meaning Dave [David Lee Roth]. Ed was more, "I’m doing it my way."

 How good was Ed on guitar?

At 13, we’d hear these guys we thought were above us, like John Mayall, Eric Clapton. Ed picked up that stuff almost immediately, like a sponge. He could play it note for note. He was more articulate, he was cleaner, more deliberate, he could be gentler. He played 10 or 12 hours a day, every day.

Did Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony really find out on the internet that he'd been replaced by Ed's teen son Wolfgang?

Ed and I had been in the studio for weeks and Mikey stopped showing up. When Wolf stepped in at 15, I said to Ed, we’ve got to call Mikey and do the right thing and we did. Wolf got the gig fair and square.

Wolfgang Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen onstage in 2012.

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

What would Ed think of Brothers?

 I think he’d be pleased because I told the truth. I didn’t sugarcoat anything other than leaving out some obvious things that happened after the shows.

Your dad was an accomplished jazz musician. Did he appreciate Van Halen?

Definitely. He motivated us to get Dave in the band. He said, “You guys can’t just stand there. You need someone like an emcee.” We had 10 songs and we had to play four hours. You stretch it with a lot of dancing and joking and palling around. But be careful not to let the pendulum swing too far. That was always the challenge in our band. You need a good balance.

David Lee Roth, who went solo, comes across as driven, supportive and an egomaniac.

Ed and I felt as long as we can make the music, we can pull him back in. Look at U2 when they made that egg that wouldn’t open on stage — they went too far, regrouped and started over. Ed and I had no interest in the circus aspect. We were more subtle. People said we hated Dave, which was not true. We hated some of his choices. But I don’t think anyone can be above the adulation and attention you get. “Hey Dave, you’re the man, what do you need those other guys for?” I have mostly good memories of him.

Your dad gave you your first drink at 6. Was he the gateway to alcoholism for you and Ed, or was it rock ‘n’ roll culture?

It’s more Northern European work culture. You work and you drink. There’s the story about the guy who goes to the crossroads and cuts a deal to be the best guitar player in the world, and the devil comes to collect. But you think, it’s not going to happen to me. I managed to come out the other end. To get over the alcoholism, Ed went to pharmaceuticals and got addicted to benzos. He knuckled down and fought it. It’s the most difficult thing to do. I know because I went through it 10 years earlier.  It helped me understand what he was going through. People had no idea what was going on. They were bagging on him. Shame on them.

Why does your book stop short of Van Halen's years with Sammy Hagar?

That’s not the band. It was a different band. The spirit and the heart and soul of the band was Dave, Ed and me. Mikey came a little later. The formative years are the ones that matter most.

What would you change if you could go back in time?

I wouldn’t change a damn thing. That was our spirit. When we first signed to Warner Bros., they thought we were a punk rock band. They weren’t looking at the music, they were thinking of our attitude. We were anti-everything, even anti-ourselves.

How are you coping four years after Ed's death?

I’m hoping I can find a way out of the darkness. I really had a breakdown when Ed passed. I was full of rage. There were things that could have prevented his death, but once you start blaming, you’ll never stop blaming. The book forced me into some introspection. Because of my sobriety, I face things head on. The last breath Ed took gave me a moment to assess what we did in our lifetime. The cliché that you can’t take it with you was right in front of me. It’s what you give that counts.

Fans may get some fresh Van Halen music cobbled from unfinished tracks in the vaults, and a band biopic. But will there be a Van Halen reunion?

Only one person can be Ed, and that’s Ed. Otherwise, it’s karaoke.