Eddie interview

[shreddermon]

Re: Eddie interview

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Zakk said it best when he met Ed at Dime's funeral..he lost TWO heroes that day..

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People with glass houses... [img]/images/graemlins/poke.gif[/img] Zakk has similar issues right now.

[axeman81]

Re: Eddie interview

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I have stayed out of these Eddie threads. They sadden me. Eddie is a brilliant player with demons he can not control. I wish he could age gracefully and be a pillar in the music world an produce young bands and shape the industry but I fear he is not capable of this.
I'm sure he has deeper problems than the alcohol itself...it's just his way of dealing with his issues...bag on St Anger, Lars whatever..but you gotta hand it to James for being able to deal with his issues...it commands a LOT of respect IMHO and I'm really looking forward to a new album with Rob as part of the writing credits...

I do not want to bore you with personal expierience in the matters of mental illness. Surfice it to say it is outside of his control. He lives in a highly anxious state and he is self medicating.

This enthusiest internet forum is most likely not the place to rant about his problems or diagnos what they are but he does have problems. Accept for a moment that he may have issues inside his head that are not easily treated.

Sometimes alchohol is the disease. A person suffers from alchoholism or a drug use of some type they just can not control. No sympathy? If everyone you know has their mental states in full check then you know very few people.

Some times alchohol and drugs are used by someone suffering from other demons to help ease the stress of just being. Maybe they are bipolar or schziophrenic. I have seen first hand what this can do to someone close to you and how powerless you can feel. The treatment can often be as bad as the illness.

I do not know the man but his music shaped a large part of my youth. I hope he can achieve some kind of ballance between treatment and creativity.

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[img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img] I have to agree with 83SanDimas (sorry but your real name is not in your profile)...this is true.
I've never been a "fan" of EVH...he was kinda before my time...I grew up with Metallica myself...but I know he has had a big impact on a lot of artists that I appreciate, and I too think it's very sad that he is wasting his talent...but the majority of great ones always seem to go out some way...be it drugs, or accidents, or whatever...

talk shit all you want about Bob Rock, St Anger, production, Lars, whatever..but you gotta hand it to James taking care of his own problems...that commands a LOT of respect..and I'm really looking forward to a new album with Rob in the writing credits...
and I'll gladly say a prayer for Eddie getting better and realizing he's gotta take care of himself...and I'm not even very religious...like Vai said..."walking the fine line between christian and pagan"

[horns666]

Re: Eddie interview

Zakk may have similiar issues as Ed did twenty years ago ..

he still putting out music and shreddin' better than ever tho..

A Rock Star doing drugs or booze ...the hell you say!!! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Rupe]

Re: Eddie interview

I haven't heard about Ed at Dime's funeral except that he put the black and gold strat in Dime's casket. What's the scoop? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[777]

Re: Eddie interview

Zakk jammin with the Atomic Punks........

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: Eddie interview

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I haven't heard about Ed at Dime's funeral except that he put the black and gold strat in Dime's casket. What's the scoop? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

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In a nutshell he was drunk and obnoxious which really isn't a big deal. He came to the memorial service in Ft Worth, while Zakk was speaking on stage about Dime, Ed kept interrupting Zakk every 20 seconds. Zakk looked like he wanted kill him.

Bill I don't get your respect statements. I guess saying untrue things about a guitar legend (blowing Ozzy while fingering Bob, btw way is funny as hell statement) gains respect with you [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img] WTF? But is not ok for folks to say true stuff about EVH. Eddie had the biggest impact on guitar playing known to man (along with Randy and Ynwgie in my book) but a hero he is not. Grounding breaking guitar has nothing to do with being a hero, that term gets thrown around way too much and way too easily. Eddie is no hero, Yngwie is no hero, no musician is a hero. I put no man on any pedestal just because they are a killer guitar player (or actor/entertainer)

Btw...this thread should be in the artist section as it really has not a damn thing to do with USA Charvels : [img]/images/graemlins/eviltongue.gif[/img]

[Chuckracer]

Re: Eddie interview

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...instead of trying to focus energy on beating it, he chooses to appear...drunk, in as little control of things as he could possibly be.

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Tekky, this is where you're missing the point. Eddie has a disease. He isn't "choosing" anything, any more than Jimmy "chose" to have cancer or I "chose" to have kidney failure, or somebody else "chooses" to have a eating disorder, or...whatever.. It happened TO him, it was hereditory and probably inevitable. And it's his problem/business. If he weren't the Guitar God that he is, you would never know about his problems. So the very fact that we are still talking about this proves his weight in the grand scheme of things.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: Eddie interview

Right Chuck, disease doesn't choose its victims, it is involuntary. Treatment for the disease is voluntary, but you chose your treatment, Jimmy chose his treatment and Eddie chooses to do nothing about it and that is the big difference IMHO. Treatment IS a choice, if you refuse treatment for any illness, it will kill you! With alcoholism it is just a slower drawn out death.

[horns666]

Re: Eddie interview

By Shawn .."Bill I don't get your respect statements. I guess saying untrue things about a guitar legend (blowing Ozzy while fingering Bob, btw way is funny as hell statement) gains respect with you WTF?"

Hmmmm...Shawn I don't understand what you mean. I never heard those "untrue statements" before . I must have missed that one..prolly best I did. [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

I ackowledged and praised Ed's unmatched contributions to the guitar world..I can't "respect" someone who don't respect themself.

Ed once had confidence , didn't matter to me if it came in a bottle , etc. He always had that shit eatin' "hey look at what I can do" grin , that was cool to me..But that's not the case now.

Bottom line , if Ed don't care about Ed..how can I.

As a "kid" I looked up to him like no other..he gave me a vision , direction and inspiration. I don't what "heroe" means..that's what he gave me...he's now "pathetic" in the truest sense of the word , and that's disappointing.

This is why Val left him ..she too lost respect due to his weakness , she didn't want to watch him slowly kill himself ..she gave him an ultimatum and stuck with it..I'm sure she exhausted all efforts , then finaly bailed.

Shawn clue me in of those rumors..You have my attention. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Chuck / Jimmy / Tommy / and myself..We guys still hope , dignity , and self respect...that's my point.

Bill

[Tekky]

Re: Eddie interview

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Right Chuck, disease doesn't choose its victims, it is involuntary. Treatment for the disease is voluntary, but you chose your treatment, Jimmy chose his treatment and Eddie chooses to do nothing about it and that is the big difference IMHO. Treatment IS a choice, if you refuse treatment for any illness, it will kill you! With alcoholism it is just a slower drawn out death.

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+1

[Markus]

Re: Eddie interview

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My opinion of this is, and excuse my french, who the fuck cares if he's an alcoholic or drunk or a gay fuckin' monkey beater? Boys, it's Eddie Van Halen. I know most of the Jackson guys around here beat off to pictures of the very tiny and effeminate Randy Rhoads, who climbed up a big ladder to board a plane piloted by a coked up aviator - it is a Jackson forum - and I can resect those tendancies, but what the hell with the EVH trashing at every opportunity?

I don't see people taking pot shots at Chuckracer for his kidney disease or at me for my cancer yet, Ed is trashed for his illness everytime his name comes up. Oh, and please spare me the "he has control over whether he drinks or not" BS - he does not. If he really is on a forty year bender, he has no control...he belongs to the disease, not vice versa.

Put a guitar in his hand and he will smoke everyone here and everyone you know - he is the King. This is a guitar board not a fuckin support group. If he wishes to drink his life away I say, giver! I could care less if Wolfie has a dad to raise him - I have my own problems to worry about. His music is what matters to me not his personal life. So why you guys take pot shots at someone like Eddie Van Halen, I'm gonna to take some whiskey to the party tonight and look for somebody to sqeeze. [img]/images/graemlins/band.gif[/img]

...and yes, I am on the rag today. [img]/images/graemlins/rant.gif[/img]

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Good point.

The problem is that when you or Chuck present yourselves in public or interact with other members of the human race, it's not slapping you in the face every 2 seconds that there is something wrong. His illness is evident in his behavior, which is the nature of the illness, whether it be a psychiatric issue or a chemical dependancy one. I began to listen to the interview because I was interested in the content. However, less than a minute into the recording, I turned it off, because his behavior overshadowed anything of content in that conversation. I couldn't tell you what the interview was about. I'm not trying to slam Eddie at all here. I wish he gets any and all help he needs. Like Tekky stated, however, this kind of personal illness eventually spills over into professional life. I think we have seen evidence of that.

Just my two cents.

-Mark

[atomic charvel guy]

Re: Eddie interview

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Tommy, I'm going to go out on a limb here. You do seem like a nice person. You treat people with respect, you are humble, and you do seem like a cool MF'r.

I have to ask you one question...Do you have your shit together now or are you still shooting drugs?

If you are still shooting drugs, and you were a personal friend of mine, I would probably kick your ass everytime I saw you until I couldn't stand to look at you anymore. Hell, I only know you from an internet message board and I still want to kick your ass if you are shooting drugs.

Dammit, you are a nice guy. And just like Eddie, we all know what it's like to express yourself with music. That's what connects us.

The only problem, is that if you were shooting drugs, I probably wouldn't want to be around you, not even to kick your ass. In my early years playing music, I was around too many addicts who only end up stealing your gear and breaking into your car. Hell, my bass players brother broke into his own home and made it look like a burglery.

You say you had a lot and pissed it all away doing drugs. This might be a stretch, but I think the only difference in Eddie's case is that he has a bigger pile of money.

I'm sure we would all be thrilled to meet Eddie, but probably couldn't stand to be around him for very long once we really got to know him.

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TX,
i appreciate your kind words, and i try to do my best when it comes to being cool to people and try to be funy and generally have a good time. i let drugs, (mainly heroin)destroy my whole life. the oart that sucks is you see what's going on around you, possessions are being sold at ridiculous prices, your wife will not stop screaming at you because you're not bringing in a lot of money anymore, and for always being out in the garage , where my studio used to be. then while we were fighting, her mother askedif i couold leave the house that i paid for every month for just a few days until her daughter cooled off and they could figure out what to do with us because she is an alcoholic. well, while i was gone those few days, i return to find my house empty and looted. all our fine furniture, 4 50 inch t.v.'s, couches, breakfronts, a diningroom table to die for, 10k stereo that was like listening to god himself, they just took it all. and the dog. so i was left standing there saying what the fuck? so i went and cleaned up in an indigent detox, it was hell, lived in a halfway house for 7 months , maybe more, and my markets were crashing in a career that enabled me to make on average between 15-25k a month. my best month was 78k. so i pulled it off TX, i cleaned up, but after i cleaned up my job just didn't produce the money i used to bring home anymore. the more sober i got the worse my life got. my wife made little effort to reconcile, her family is estranged, and i am inches from being homeless. i fall off the wagon for a while. i had the good fortune from my past success to open a new company with one of my customers and got funding from people i know who have serious bread to burn. the first 6 months were a disaster, the market was dead, i didn't miss a day of work, i got on the phone and got into other areas of my industry, cultivated accounts and all of a sudden we start rolling for the next 2-3 months, we were profitable again, i had stopped doing dope, with the exception of a xanax bar or a little weed to sleep at night. i was happy even though my whole life from a year ago was completelty gone. well, the last 3 months have been hell on my company and it looks as though i am going to fail once again. i'm not used to failing. i'm used to making nice money and having fun with it and also being generous with it as well, bad problem to have when you have fake friends. i meet a beautiful girl, we were 4 and a half month pregnant and she miscarried a couple of weeks ago, this could be the last week here at my company, it's been one punch after another, there'splenty more but not enough time right now, but i have not crumbled yet, the miscarriage had me on the ropes but i somehow got through that sadness. i don't know what's going to happen to me but i can say i have a decent heart and even at the height of my drug problems, i never ripped anyone off, my drug problem only became a problem when i ran out of money and things to sell. or guitars to sell that is. i've worked really hard at trying to get back on top again but after 13 years of being spoiled to almost 3 years of struggle now, i'm about to crack right in two. i'm glad i come across that way toyou on the board.

[atomic charvel guy]

Re: Eddie interview

glad that you think i'm an o.k. guy that is,because that's all that matters to me anymore.

[Endrik]

Re: Eddie interview

Tommy come on here, foreign buisnesmen will make a fortune here, altho our avarerage wage is inhumanly low, USA dudes always fill their pockets [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] and I can supply you with tons of hot chicks

[jgcable]

Re: Eddie interview

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...instead of trying to focus energy on beating it, he chooses to appear...drunk, in as little control of things as he could possibly be.

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Tekky, this is where you're missing the point. Eddie has a disease. He isn't "choosing" anything, any more than Jimmy "chose" to have cancer or I "chose" to have kidney failure, or somebody else "chooses" to have a eating disorder, or...whatever.. It happened TO him, it was hereditory and probably inevitable. And it's his problem/business. If he weren't the Guitar God that he is, you would never know about his problems. So the very fact that we are still talking about this proves his weight in the grand scheme of things.

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Really good point Chuck. Makes me re-think my reaction to Eddie's problem. Thanks... [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]