While promoting his memoir ‘Brothers’ in a new interview with Talk is Jericho, Alex Van Halen has opened up more about his relationship with Eddie, as well as the ups and downs of Van Halen’s career. The rocker explained his decision to share his feelings in the book, and shared a sad truth about his brother’s passing.
“The times that we could actually touch him were few and far between. And that really put everything in a strange kind of — I can’t explain it, but it didn’t feel right,” Alex explained.
The drummer revealed that he couldn’t say goodbye to his brother due to the pandemic. “So we really had no closure, in that sense, and everything was hurried near the end, again, because of the COVID issue. We didn’t really have a ceremony afterwards. He was cremated and his ashes were spread. This is my way of saying goodbye to him.”
“And whatever you believe in terms of spiritual pursuits and all that, I think he’s still here, he’s still here with us in one way, shape, or form — not to the point where he’s not allowed to go where he really wants to go. [Laughs] They call it a tether; you don’t wanna tether him to this dimension. So, Ed, whatever you wanna do is cool. We love you. And I just wanted to say that to the point of infinitum, whatever the expression is,” he added.
The drummer also revealed why he is hesitant to release Eddie’s vault material in the near future. “They will stay there [in the vault] until we figure out how and why and what to do with them. And again, you have to remember, it has to be on the level of where Ed and I, where we used to play.”
He added, “We’re not just gonna shovel it in. We have access to some of the greatest musicians on the planet, and a lot of ’em are more than willing to take a chance on some of the stuff.”
In October, Alex released the final song he wrote with his brother, called ‘Unfinished.’ He also told Billboard that the unreleased Van Halen music might not be for everyone.
The 384-page book shares their story from childhood until Eddie’s death in 2020.
