Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock tells the story of the band with input from Black Sabbath, Pantera and Alice in Chains
“Exhaustively researched” new book from Michael Christopher includes interviews with rock royalty and Van Halen insiders
Backbeat Books has announced it will publish Van Halen: The Eruption And The Aftershock this October.
The new 264-page biography from music journalist and author Michael Christopher features exclusive interviews with members of Pantera, Black Sabbath, Alice In Chains, Velvet Revolver and Ratt.
There are also previously unpublished interviews with Van Halen members Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Gary Cherone.
Backbeat says the book goes into extensive detail on key areas of the band’s history, including the band’s legendary 1981 shows at the Oakland Coliseum, Dave Lee Roth’s arrest (during the Van Halen II tour) and the issues surrounding 2007’s Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame induction.
“This book has been passion project from the beginning, and you’ll be hard pressed to find another writer who has covered Van Halen so comprehensively over the years and with such reverence,” says Christopher.
“But after the passing of Eddie Van Halen, the news cycle eventually moved on. As it says in the introduction, I wasn’t ready to, and felt like there was still much to say, not just from myself, but the fans, musicians, and so, so many more who have been affected by Van Halen.”
Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock is the second Van Halen book to be announced in recent weeks, following the arrival of Faber’s new full-length Eddie Van Halen biography Eruption (by Paul Brannigan), which is due out this month.
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Matt is Features Editor for GuitarWorld.com. Before that he spent 10 years as a freelance music journalist, interviewing artists for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.
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