In a recent interview on the My Planet Rocks podcast, Genesis’ Mike Rutherford shared his experience of collaborating with Eddie Van Halen. He explained that it was Eddie who reached out to him, not the other way around, and how it all came together.
“I think Eddie heard a song from my second solo album [1982’s ‘Acting Very Strange’], which I sang – God knows how I thought of this! – and he rang me up and said, ‘Will you do some writing?’ I mean, my voice for God’s sake,'” the rocker recalled.
The two musicians worked together in the studio, creating some songs, although Rutherford admitted that he wasn’t entirely sure of the final results: “We had some sessions. We wrote some songs. Bits. I’m not quite sure… I can’t find the tape. Quirky stuff, but it was fun to do.”
He added: “I’ve got two boxes of cassettes. I’m not sure I’m mad enough to go through them! Lots of cassettes.”
What stood out most in Rutherford’s recollection of the collaboration was the odd hours that they kept: “But it was fun. I mean, he was a great player. We did some good time [in the studio] but it’s that starting at 1:30-2 a.m. in the morning. It’s not my mode!”
Rutherford’s band Mike + The Mechanics will go on a big headline UK tour in March and April 2025. The tour will include their hits like ‘Over My Shoulder,’ ‘The Living Years,’ ‘All I Need Is A Miracle,’ as well as some classic Genesis songs.
