Alex Van Halen

Alex Van Halen, 2012

Alexander "Alex" Arthur van Halen (born May 8, 1953 in Amsterdam ) is a Dutch -American drummer , percussionist and founding member of Van Halen .

Life

Alexandewr van Halen grew up with his brother Edward (Eddie Van Halen) in the house of their parents Jan and Eugenia van Halen in Nijmegen and came into contact with jazz at an early age , as their father was a jazz clarinetist. The brothers had classical piano lessons and learned classical composition. In 1962 the parents emigrate with their sons to the USA in Pasadena . Alex Van Halen first learned guitar there (he had flamenco guitar lessons). He soon lost interest in this instrument. Instead, he had a lot of fun playing on his younger brother Edward's drums and ultimately the brothers swapped instruments.

In 1971 Alex van Halen graduated from high school in Pasadena and then attended Pasadena City College, where he attended courses in music theory and arrangement , among other things .

He has been married to Stine Schyberg for the third time since 2000 . The couple have two children.

Career

Van Halen founded the (first called Mammoth and Red Salade ) hard rock band Van Halen in Pasadena in 1974 with his guitar- playing brother, bassist Michael Anthony and singer David Lee Roth , in which he still plays. Van Halen was also a professional pianist within this formation: the instrumental piece Respect the Wind on the soundtrack of the film Twister (1996) was Alex Van Halen's first release outside of a Van Halen album.

Importance as a drummer

Alex Van Halen is considered a drummer who has shaped many younger drummers. His particularly influential pieces are Ain't Talkin '' Bout Love , Ice Cream Man , House Of Pain , Hot For Teacher and Jump . In 2016, Rolling Stone listed him 51st of the 100 best drummers of all time .

Alex Van Halen has not undertaken any solo projects to date and has turned down offers from other bands.

Film appearances

Alex Van Halen had a small appearance in a supporting role in the film Robocop in 1987. In addition, he had appearances in the television series Howard Stern in three episodes. He played no role in this, but stepped in front of the camera as himself. He can also be seen in several video documentaries about the band Van Halen, speaks a role in the computer game Guitar Hero: Van Halen and can be seen in the TV special of the MTV Video Music Awards 1992.

Trivia

Alex Van Halen is known for making nonsense on stage, for example he once lit his drumsticks . This may also have something to do with his traditional high alcohol consumption, which he put an end to with a cold withdrawal in 1987.

Alex's ex-wife Kelly Van Halen used her married name as a brand name for her design business. In a legal dispute against it, which Alex Van Halen led together with his brothers, the band reached a settlement: Kelly Van Halen undertook not to use the name for products from the field of music.

Web links

Commons : Alex van Halen  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Alex Van Halen in theInternet Movie Database(English)
• Biography at laut.de
• Official Van Halen website

Individual evidence

1. ^ Wieland Harms: The Unplugged Guitar Book. 20 of the most beautiful songs for acoustic guitar. Gerig Music, ISBN 3-87252-249-3 , p. 108 (on Van Halen ).
2. ^ Wieland Harms: The Unplugged Guitar Book. 20 of the most beautiful songs for acoustic guitar. Gerig Music, ISBN 3-87252-249-3 , p. 108.
3. ↑ Alex Van Halen. Drummerworld, accessed February 4, 2015 . 
4. ↑ Alex Van Halen. Biography. IMdB, accessed February 4, 2015 . 
5. ^ Wieland Harms: The Unplugged Guitar Book. 20 of the most beautiful songs for acoustic guitar. Gerig Music, ISBN 3-87252-249-3 , p. 108.
6. ↑ Brad Schlueter: Alex Van Halen's Hot Licks. drummagazine, January 2013, accessed February 4, 2015 . 
7. ↑ 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time. Rolling Stone , March 31, 2016, accessed August 6, 2017 . 
8. ^ Greg Rule: Alex Van Halen: Bashing, Crashing And Smashing. drummagazine, 1992, accessed February 4, 2015 . 
9. ↑ Alex Van Halen. IMdB, accessed February 4, 2015 . 
10. ↑ Stella Wiley: 10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Alex Van Halen. ultimateclassicrock, accessed February 4, 2015 . 
11. ^ Van Halen settle dispute with drummer's ex-wife over use of name. The Guardian, January 12, 2015, accessed February 4, 2015 .