Eddie Van Halen, What Happened

[markD]

Speaking of that video, do you notice how many people are cheering? what the F is the matter with people?

the remember kurt cobain also, and are THRILLED at the killer playing.

[yard dawg]

Im not gonna argue whether its genetic or not thats the scientists job. Bottom line is
EVH is IMHO the most influential guitarist ever. He created some great riffs and such BUT HE IS A HUMAN COCKROACH NOW AND ISNT EVEN A BLIP ON THE DECENT HUMAN BEING RADAR.

[khabibissell]

Im not gonna argue whether its genetic or not thats the scientists job. Bottom line is
EVH is IMHO the most influential guitarist ever. He created some great riffs and such BUT HE IS A HUMAN COCKROACH NOW AND ISNT EVEN A BLIP ON THE DECENT HUMAN BEING RADAR.

Hmmm... I almost wonder if the guy that has been onstage the last six months or so is the same person playing guitar here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-zcM_-g2mA&feature=related

I don't think so... maybe the real EVH is locked up somewhere. Maybe the guy playing guitar on the current VH tour is actually Osama Bin Laden?!

[blindmuddy]

What causes that difference? I don't know. Doesn't really matter, I guess. It is what it is.
So I blame no one but myself. You won't see me blame my genes. There is something different in us from most folks but what it is doesn't matter to me.
So who knows where it comes from. It just is for some of us.

Well said, Congrats on your sobriety. So many try and find the reason and/or someone/something to blame it on that they never do anything to fix it and feel sorry for themselves. It's futile to do anything other than suck it up, take responsibility, fix it, and move on. There are many willing to help but they can't fix it for you, I had to come to that conclusion years ago as well. I don't drink or do dope cause bad shit happens to me and everyone around me when I do. I doesn't matter why it just is.

[åron]

A bunch of musicians talking out their behinds about genetics and responsibility is pretty strange reading. You might blame alcoholism on generations of your ancestors getting down with booze, but that doesn't mean you don't make choices. These things aren't mutually exclusive. We're all the victims of our own minds and bodies, but we choose to be civilized. For instance, I am genetically predisposed to fondle boobies, but I choose to keep my hands to myself. :ROTF:

Some of the assumptions about genetics from the last 25+ years have recently been shattered. For instance, we used to assume that people received roughly 50% of their genes from their mother and 50 from their father. Now that 5+ humans have had their entire sequences encoded, we know that this is not true and there is in fact quite a bit going on that we don't yet understand.

Back to Edward: As Brian Posehn said, he looks like Golem. Too much hard living. Yeah he sucks. From what I remember about my VH history (closeted fanboi here), when Alex would be out chasing girls, Ed would stay in with some Schlitz and just practice. That was around age 13. If you get started that young and never really slow down, you will be one confused ahole pickle at age 50.
I'd say most of it has to do with the fact that alcohol shrinks your brain and slows your motor skills. That's just scientific fact. I believe it because experiments with my own body support that conclusion.

[Bengal]

Well said, Congrats on your sobriety. So many try and find the reason and/or someone/something to blame it on that they never do anything to fix it and feel sorry for themselves. It's futile to do anything other than suck it up, take responsibility, fix it, and move on. There are many willing to help but they can't fix it for you, I had to come to that conclusion years ago as well. I don't drink or do dope cause bad shit happens to me and everyone around me when I do. I doesn't matter why it just is.

Thanks. To ad some more. I went through all those "stages" before I quit. I first felt sorry for myself because I was "different". Then I was going to show the world that it's possible to be an alcoholic and still function, I did that for some time. Then I was going to show everyone that I could go back to moderate drinking, which failed everytime.

An alcoholic has some years of functional drinking. Differs from person to person. Some teenagers will be in the gutter at age 19. Others can drink up throught their 40's and have it not really effect them too much. Some can drink everyday until they are old and gray and not see any huge concequences from it.

That's the difference in these videos. The one that khabibissell just posted is a functional alcoholic. Because you KNOW he was drunk when he was playing that solo. But his "time" had not run out yet. The ones from this tour show a very disfunctional alcoholic. His time is up.

It would be very hard to be a rock star and an alcoholic and stay sober. I know a lot of them have done it. But they have to make HUGE changes in what they do and who they hang with. But ad the money and the ego and the "problem" and it would be very hard. But I do agree, it's up to him to do it. If he doesn't want to, that's his choice. But if he choses to drink himself to death, I wish he wouldn't do it onstage.

[Tetsuo]

To describe alcoholism or addiction to someone who doesn't suffer from it is near impossible. Eddie is an asshole because he is an alcoholic with or without booze it is more than simply drinking.

As far as the SRV thing he did stay sober but all in all he was what only sober 18 months (I could be way off on that it mght have been longer) but if it is 18 months that is a good start and he was indeed genuine he is a legend among a lot of AA members because of his attitude for the program too.

There is no excuse for Eddie yeah he does have a disease but he does also refuse to treat it.

[MBreinin]

You'all know I am a huge Eddie fan. I flew to Greensboro to see the second show and it was magical, truly a great peformance (except the fucked up Jump deal). I then saw them again in New Orleans in February and I wish I hadn't. It spoiled the wonderful Greensboro experience. Ed was obviously drunk, or very tired and he was sloppy. However, I had to put on a good face because I was there with my son, who is 10. He idolizes me and when I started to show my discontent, he got upset. So, I pretended it was the greatest, and he ended up having a memorable experience.

Ed, I wish him the best and I will always be a fan. Humans are frail and they have faults. His is that he is a drunk and a junkie. I wish it were not so, but it is.

Mike

[randyrhoadsguitar]

wow, i started something pretty big, huh.

[Bengal]

wow, i started something pretty big, huh.

We've been having this conversation on several threads since this tour started.

[khabibissell]

That's the difference in these videos. The one that khabibissell just posted is a functional alcoholic. Because you KNOW he was drunk when he was playing that solo. But his "time" had not run out yet. The ones from this tour show a very disfunctional alcoholic. His time is up.

I was gonna say this too, you're exactly right. It seems to me that you hit a "peak" so to speak when it comes to drinking. You can't handle your alcohol when you first start drinking for the most part, then you get to a point when you can function well after a while. Eventually, it all goes downhill as you age and you can't quite "hang" like you once could. Sucks...

I know this because I'm getting old too and the same thing is happening to me...

[jacksoncsplayer]

I don't know if alcoholism is a gene thing or not. I said that in my first post. Some call it a disease. Some call it a kind of brian deformaty. I call it more of a processing error.

All I know is alcohol effects me differently than my best buddy. Back when I drank, as soon as that first drink went down, it was on. I mean on. There was never a night were it was 2 or 3 beers and then bed. Every night it was 14-20 beers and pass out. My buddy can do the 2 or 3 per night and that's it. He can do the drinking on the weekend only thing. I always wanted to do that but I ended up drinking every night.

What causes that difference? I don't know. Doesn't really matter, I guess. It is what it is.

Yes, I CHOSE to drink every day for about 10 years straight. That was a choice. No doubt about it. But it wasn't as easy to quit for me like it would be to my buddy. I knew what I was doing was wrong and destructive but I didn't care. That was the addiction side taking over. So then I CHOSE to get some help and have not drank for a few years. That is another choice I have and I take this one. But I also undersand there is another voice inside those addicted that try all the time to get you to drink. And we LOVE to drink, I just don't like the effects of it anymore. So I don't.

But it's a struggle at times. But it's my cross to bear. Something I did to myself a long time ago. So I blame no one but myself. You won't see me blame my genes. There is something different in us from most folks but what it is doesn't matter to me.

So who knows where it comes from. It just is for some of us.

Damn Bengal, good job. I bear the same cross. The disease of alcoholism tells you it's ok to drink and everything will be ok right before it kills you. I'm not sure if it's genetics either, but it hasn't been proven that it's not. When 1 drink is too many and a thousand is not enough ya got a problem. Eddie has been to treatment several times and he knows what he needs to do, the only thing that will stop him is a nasty bottom. Unfortunately when you have tons of money and family members in denial, chances are you will die of this disease. He may get sober or he may not, but one thing is certain, he has left us with a lasting memory of what a kid can do with a guitar when he steps outside the box. He is certainly etched into my head as one of the best.

[Shawn Lutz]

I don't know if alcoholism is a gene thing or not. I said that in my first post. Some call it a disease. Some call it a kind of brian deformaty. I call it more of a processing error.

All I know is alcohol effects me differently than my best buddy. Back when I drank, as soon as that first drink went down, it was on. I mean on. There was never a night were it was 2 or 3 beers and then bed. Every night it was 14-20 beers and pass out. My buddy can do the 2 or 3 per night and that's it. He can do the drinking on the weekend only thing. I always wanted to do that but I ended up drinking every night.

What causes that difference? I don't know. Doesn't really matter, I guess. It is what it is.

Yes, I CHOSE to drink every day for about 10 years straight. That was a choice. No doubt about it. But it wasn't as easy to quit for me like it would be to my buddy. I knew what I was doing was wrong and destructive but I didn't care. That was the addiction side taking over. So then I CHOSE to get some help and have not drank for a few years. That is another choice I have and I take this one. But I also undersand there is another voice inside those addicted that try all the time to get you to drink. And we LOVE to drink, I just don't like the effects of it anymore. So I don't.

But it's a struggle at times. But it's my cross to bear. Something I did to myself a long time ago. So I blame no one but myself. You won't see me blame my genes. There is something different in us from most folks but what it is doesn't matter to me.

So who knows where it comes from. It just is for some of us.

Good for you man. Everything affects everyone differently, I was the same way with drinking, and er...other substances. I just liked to party and have fun. You have to be smart enough to know when something is getting the best of you and having an adverse affect on you life and overall health. Just as you dealt with it how most folks should...its hard to understand why others can't. I can still drink beers in moderation but if I go out frequently I'll start bringing alive the dormant party animal so I try to avoid going out frequently

I feel bad for EVH put its sad to say ...I think he's done, washed up and 1/4 man he used to be. I don't think a stint in rehab will help...he needs to do it on his own and take responsibility. I don't blame anything on genetics whatnot myself. My grandfather was an alcoholic, my father wasn't, I'm not and no one in my family is either so there

[dobieboy]

Watching that clip.. I thought he was Ace Frehley for a moment..

[randyrhoadsguitar]

We've been having this conversation on several threads since this tour started.

never mind