In a recent interview with Stereogum, The Jesus and Mary Chain guitarist William Reid shared some sharp criticism regarding Eddie Van Halen, claiming the late guitarist negatively impacted rock music. During a conversation alongside his brother and bandmate Jim Reid, the alternative rock pioneer expressed a strong preference for simplicity over technical shredding, naming Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook as a better musician.
The discussion began with Jim Reid reflecting on how limitations can force a band to be more inventive. He argued that having too much gear or knowing too much about music theory can sometimes get in the way of writing a good song.
“Not having a lot of equipment actually forces you to be more inventive. I can play guitar, but only just. It’s kinda deliberate,” Jim stated. “I play guitar to the level that I need to play guitar. And sometimes knowing too much about making music gets in the way, and it ends up back to Eddie Van Halen again, do you know what I mean?
William Reid expanded on the thought, taking direct aim at the Van Halen founder’s fast-paced playing style. He also compared the hard rock legend’s output to the post-punk era, asserting that Peter Hook wrote and played better bass riffs throughout his career than anything Eddie Van Halen ever came up with.
“I think guitar players should never learn scales,” he began. “I think the worst guitar players in the world — like Eddie Van Halen. I can’t stand Eddie Van Halen‘s guitar playing. I think he ruined rock guitar all through the ’80s and ’90s ’cause so many people copied him. And I just couldn’t get any of that playin’ as fast as you f**kin’ can and crammin’ as many notes in one second as you could. And I listen to Peter Hook‘s bass riffs, and I think that’s a thousand times better than anything Eddie Van Halen could ever conjure up.”
Despite the criticism, Van Halen‘s actual background challenges the idea that he was overly schooled in traditional music theory. While his fretboard tapping and speed inspired highly technical players across the globe, the guitar icon was entirely self-taught on the instrument. Though he had early piano lessons, he famously played the guitar by ear.
“I know music theory and I know how to write music on paper and I know how to read piano,” Eddie Van Halen explained (via Ultimate Guitar) in a 1978 interview shortly following the release of the band’s self-titled debut album, Van Halen. “But on guitar, it’s a different story. I don’t know nothing about where…or nothing like that. I know basic modes. I just play what sounds good. What I think sounds good, anyway.”
“I’ve been playing 10 years, for quite a while,” he said at the time. “I started early, which is good. Quite a lot of people, they start late and play for 10 years, and they don’t get quite as far. You get a lot more hang-ups when you get older. But I enjoy playing. I think that’s the main thing. It’s not like I was forcing myself because I wanted to be a rock n’ roll star. I started out playing because I really liked it.”
In fact, his early days closely mirrored Jim Reid‘s belief that limited equipment breeds innovation. Unable to find or afford a guitar that met his exact needs, Eddie Van Halen famously built his own instrument, known as the Frankenstrat, by piecing together a Fender Stratocaster body with Gibson pickups.
“What I was trying to do was cross-pollenate a Gibson with a Fender because I love the vibrato bar,” he told Guitar World in 2006. “I didn’t have the money and the guitar I wanted to play didn’t exist. It was that simple.”
Meanwhile, a new project spearheaded by former Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen is currently in development. The upcoming album will feature previously unreleased and unfinished recordings rescued from the Van Halen vault, focusing entirely on honoring the musical legacy of legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who passed away in 2020.
