Steve Vai said Eddie Van Halen called him the night he quit David Lee Roth’s band and invited him over, speaking during an interview with Chris Jericho. Vai still does not know how Eddie found out so quickly.
Vai was asked about his friendship with Eddie and what the legendary guitarist told him during their conversations.
“The day that I quit Dave’s band, Edward called me that night,” Vai said. “I didn’t even know how he knew.”
“And he said, ‘You have to come over my house,'” Vai continued.
Vai recalled what stood out most from their talks. “Some of the standout things that I remember him saying was, ‘I thought I was really gonna hate you, but I really like you,'” he said.
Eddie also made a remark that caught Vai off guard. “And then there was another time where he said, you know, ‘You did something that I just couldn’t do.’ And I’m thinking, what the hell could that possibly be? You know, you can do anything I can do. And he said, ‘You left Dave.'”
The two formed a close friendship and spoke almost daily for about four months after that first night.
The unlikely bond between Vai and Van Halen had roots going back years. The two guitarists first met backstage at an Allan Holdsworth concert at the Roxy in 1982, when Vai was playing in Frank Zappa’s band. After that meeting, Van Halen expressed interest in meeting Zappa, and Vai gave him Zappa’s phone number and offered an introduction. Van Halen later jammed with Zappa’s band, and the three eventually worked together at Zappa’s home studio.
Years later, after David Lee Roth left Van Halen in 1985, Roth recruited Vai for his solo band. Vai played on Roth’s albums Eat ‘Em and Smile and Skyscraper and performed Eddie Van Halen’s guitar parts on tour. This situation created tension between Vai and his guitar hero. When Eddie heard Vai apply his skills to his own songs in Roth’s band, he was impressed enough to reach out that night after Vai quit.
During their intense friendship in the following months, Vai would visit Van Halen’s house, where Eddie would play him unreleased material and showcase his latest musical ideas. Van Halen was known to be meticulous about collecting and experimenting with music and gear. The mutual respect between the two guitarists overcame the initial awkwardness of Vai stepping into Van Halen’s shoes in Roth’s backing band.
