It's hard to believe that it has been a year now!!! He was, and still is, a huge influence in my musical endeavors. Though he was a master of it and I still sound like I am trying to emulate him for the first time. I don't think I will ever get used to his absence.
It's a shame, but we all die, and I feel his presence through what he left behind. Every time I play, or hear some Eddie or Allan, I give a heartfelt nod to their memory.
I was a 13yo kid with an Alvarez acoustic playing mostly CCR and John Denver songs..... and then I heard Eruption. EVH was the flame that set me on fire for electric guitar.
I mean ... they both lived and rocked hard & fast. RIP. Maybe he's not totally gone, just switched to standby.
I've been re-exploring his early catalog lately. I was just a little kid when my older sister brought in Van Halen's first album on 8-track. I remember it well. Man, was he ever a true game-changer. Put aside his out of this world lead work for a moment and listen to his right hand technique on the rhythm guitar parts. I think Eddie was one the all time great rhythm players as well. Ever.
I forgot all about that. Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure has always been one of my favorite movies. I'm still amazed at the fact that he had such a connection to where I live, meeting Val here and all. Her father was a head dude at the local GM plant at the time. So many people around here have stories about meeting Eddie & Val out at clubs and bars back in the day. It was really cool reading all of the stories people were posting on our local Facebook group after Ed's passing. https://710keel.com/the-history-of-eddi-van-halens-relationship-with-shreveport/
