Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen Question.

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devorerd
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Re: Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen Question.

Post by devorerd »

EVH has turned his life around, a lot of the things he does we typically never hear about, Donations of guitars/amps to schools, musicians, charity work. ..So I guess if you believe in AA...Yes, he will always be an Alcoholic...but that appears to be in the rear view mirror and EVH's historical contributions are undisputed. I don't know him personally as most likely many of us on this site don't, so I don't judge, but I can tell you he has immensely influenced my life in a positive way through his music, just as Randy has, so I tend to look the positive aspects of EVH.
CanuckRhoadsFan
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Re: Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen Question.

Post by CanuckRhoadsFan »

orion_damage wrote:
CanuckRhoadsFan wrote: I agree with most of what you say, right up until the "they had respect" part. With everything I've read, it certainly seems like Ed did NOT respect Randy. He simply saw him as an imitator and didn't give him much credit. Had Randy lived longer, this may have changed. EVH seems to see himself....then everyone else. He is definitely an innovator, but refusing to see what other players brought to the table, to me, is the height of hubris and pride.
How much have you read on Eddie Van Halen? I've read several interviews and he talks respectively of the guys before him. Especially the ones that influenced him. Eddie rightfully so has an ego. I mean the guy changed the way guitarists play. The only person who was more innovative then Eddie is Jimi Hendrix. After Eddie that's all just a matter of opinion and debate. I'm a huge Randy and Eddie fan so it's interesting seeing how Eddie is painted by Randy fans.

We have to remember that Eddie and Randy were competition, not buddies. I'm positive Eddie saw the talent Randy had but he doesn't have to express that in interviews.
I've read a fair amount about EVH, actually. He's a complex guy. But to say he saw talent in Randy but doesn't have to express that in interviews and then claim he had respect for him is contradictory, don't you think?
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orion_damage
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Re: Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen Question.

Post by orion_damage »

CanuckRhoadsFan wrote:
orion_damage wrote:
CanuckRhoadsFan wrote: I agree with most of what you say, right up until the "they had respect" part. With everything I've read, it certainly seems like Ed did NOT respect Randy. He simply saw him as an imitator and didn't give him much credit. Had Randy lived longer, this may have changed. EVH seems to see himself....then everyone else. He is definitely an innovator, but refusing to see what other players brought to the table, to me, is the height of hubris and pride.
How much have you read on Eddie Van Halen? I've read several interviews and he talks respectively of the guys before him. Especially the ones that influenced him. Eddie rightfully so has an ego. I mean the guy changed the way guitarists play. The only person who was more innovative then Eddie is Jimi Hendrix. After Eddie that's all just a matter of opinion and debate. I'm a huge Randy and Eddie fan so it's interesting seeing how Eddie is painted by Randy fans.

We have to remember that Eddie and Randy were competition, not buddies. I'm positive Eddie saw the talent Randy had but he doesn't have to express that in interviews.
I've read a fair amount about EVH, actually. He's a complex guy. But to say he saw talent in Randy but doesn't have to express that in interviews and then claim he had respect for him is contradictory, don't you think?
Where are these interviews where Eddie talks about Randy? I search Google and find nothing. For those reading, I don't care about what someone heard he had said. I want a link to a interview where Eddie himself says something.

In my comment I said that Eddie respectively talk about the guys before him, which he has and continues to. Heck he always gives credit to Jimmy Page for sparking the idea of finger tapping. Then goes on to talk about how huge Clapton was to him while he was in Cream.

My statement isn't contradictory. You can recognize talent and have respect for someone's playing but that doesn't mean you have to speak about that person in an interview. Especially if you aren't asked about that person which, from my research, doesn't appear to have been that often.
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Re: Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen Question.

Post by CanuckRhoadsFan »

Sigh.

Whatever, man. Eddie hangs off the knob of players before him but can't acknowledge contemporaries? Why? Because he felt threatened, and people might not see him as the best guitar player of his time? Please. Acknowledging Hendrix and Clapton are a given. Jesus, everyone who picks up a guitar and plays Rock is beholden to those two in some way. This is a Straw Man argument.

And why would Eddie, in print, in an interview, make himself look like an asshat? Short answer: he wouldn't. It's been well documented by people who were around at that time and hung around the area where both of these guys played that Eddie didn't take kindly to Randy, nor anyone else at the time playing rock guitar that he saw as a threat. I'm not going to track down and quote these people, mainly because I don't have the inclination to do so right now....but they're out there.

Listen, don't get me wrong. I understand Eddie's rightful place in rock history. I understand he's a great player. The point is here that he's human, and as such, is prone to jealousy, just like everyone else. To think that he wasn't even a tiny bit jealous is naive.
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orion_damage
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Re: Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen Question.

Post by orion_damage »

CanuckRhoadsFan wrote:Sigh.

Whatever, man. Eddie hangs off the knob of players before him but can't acknowledge contemporaries? Why? Because he felt threatened, and people might not see him as the best guitar player of his time? Please. Acknowledging Hendrix and Clapton are a given. Jesus, everyone who picks up a guitar and plays Rock is beholden to those two in some way. This is a Straw Man argument.

And why would Eddie, in print, in an interview, make himself look like an asshat? Short answer: he wouldn't. It's been well documented by people who were around at that time and hung around the area where both of these guys played that Eddie didn't take kindly to Randy, nor anyone else at the time playing rock guitar that he saw as a threat. I'm not going to track down and quote these people, mainly because I don't have the inclination to do so right now....but they're out there.

Listen, don't get me wrong. I understand Eddie's rightful place in rock history. I understand he's a great player. The point is here that he's human, and as such, is prone to jealousy, just like everyone else. To think that he wasn't even a tiny bit jealous is naive.
I don't think anyone believes that someone isn't prone to human emotions. This back and forth is pointless to continue on with.
CanuckRhoadsFan
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Re: Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen Question.

Post by CanuckRhoadsFan »

orion_damage wrote:
CanuckRhoadsFan wrote:Sigh.

Whatever, man. Eddie hangs off the knob of players before him but can't acknowledge contemporaries? Why? Because he felt threatened, and people might not see him as the best guitar player of his time? Please. Acknowledging Hendrix and Clapton are a given. Jesus, everyone who picks up a guitar and plays Rock is beholden to those two in some way. This is a Straw Man argument.

And why would Eddie, in print, in an interview, make himself look like an asshat? Short answer: he wouldn't. It's been well documented by people who were around at that time and hung around the area where both of these guys played that Eddie didn't take kindly to Randy, nor anyone else at the time playing rock guitar that he saw as a threat. I'm not going to track down and quote these people, mainly because I don't have the inclination to do so right now....but they're out there.

Listen, don't get me wrong. I understand Eddie's rightful place in rock history. I understand he's a great player. The point is here that he's human, and as such, is prone to jealousy, just like everyone else. To think that he wasn't even a tiny bit jealous is naive.
I don't think anyone believes that someone isn't prone to human emotions. This back and forth is pointless to continue on with.
I agree.
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