In a recent interview with ‘That Rocks!’, Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt talked about their relationship with the late Eddie Van Halen. During the chat, Cherone revealed that he and Van Halen were on good terms before his passing and recalled a specific encounter that took place during the recording of their latest album, ‘Six.’
Explaining whether he was in regular contact with the late guitarist, the vocalist started to explain:
“Yeah, we were. We were. Times like [when I] went to LA to work on the record with Nuno; I go, see him. Other times, we just – We’d always be texting. It got a little less in the last six months for obvious reasons. But that time – I don’t know how I got to his house that day, taking an Uber or whatever? And we were hanging out like this. We had lunch on the way back.
You know, I was just going to split, and he goes, ‘Let me drive you back.’ And on the way, here I am texting Nuno; I’m contemplating, ‘Should I surprise Nuno?’ And I go, ‘Nah, nah, nah. I gotta text him.’ So, Nuno’s recording, and he wouldn’t answer. I’m getting pissed; he’s getting pissed that I’m texting him.”
Bettencourt claimed he was working on ‘Rise’ that day and continued:
“Gary texted me and called me more in three minutes than he did in the last thirty years, without a doubt. I really thought something was wrong. I’m like pissed. My studio is up – You know, it takes a minute to get up there. Hollywood Hills problems. Takes a minute to get up there. And then I get down, and I’m bussing, ‘Yo! Like, what the f-ck?’ Then, there’s Eddie. Like, alright, that’s a good reason.”
Telling the rest of the story in another interview with Metal Edge, Extreme’s guitarist revealed his regret about this final interaction by saying:
“When I got downstairs, Edward asked me to go up and listen to what I was working on. Being the Virgo and the idiot I am, I was like, ‘Wait ’til it’s done. I’ll show you then.’ And Edward said, ‘Absolutely, I’ll come back then.’ But he sadly passed away not too long after that. So, I’m hoping that he’s smiling down on me. But ‘Rise’ is special because that’s the song I was cutting the last time I saw him.”
In related news, Extreme is preparing for their upcoming ‘Thicker Than Blood Tour’ to promote their new album. The tour is scheduled to begin in August and will continue until December.
