UNCHAINED

Excerpted from the forthcoming book Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen (Hachette Books), by Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill

AFTER COMPLETING WORK on 1982’s Diver Down, Ed Van Halen felt unusually restless. Although he and the band had worked almost nonstop for five years, the guitarist was in no mood for rest and relaxation. The album may have been an unexpected obligation forced upon Van Halen by Warner Bros., but instead of feeling relieved that he’d gotten it out of the way, Ed had the uneasy sensation that he could have done more.

Van Halen had more than four months of time off before their 1982 Hide Your Sheep tour was scheduled to begin in mid-July. With his bandmates away on vacation and his wife occupied with shooting One Day at a Time and made-for-television movies, Ed spent most of his time off alone, playing guitar or writing songs on his piano and synthesizers. The many accolades he’d received for his playing never went to his head, and in fact they made him more determined to grow as a musician instead of resting on his laurels.

Ed’s impact on the guitar world had by this time become incalculable. Besides being arguably the most innovative and most imitated guitarist on the planet, he’d also joined the ranks of the most influential guitar designers of his time. His DIY Frankenstein was hailed as a genuine breakthrough, even receiving a big thumbs-up from the genius of geniuses himself, Les Paul, a man notoriously difficult to impress.