In a new interview with AXS TV, John 5 shared the Van Halen record that ‘freaked him out.’
“I think maybe this record was the one that maybe gave me the biggest shock because of the sound,” the guitarist revealed about Van Halen’s debut studio album. “I was already playing guitar and it was like, ‘Whoa.'”
He continued, “It was like seeing a car but then seeing a race car. You’re like, ‘Who.’ It really freaked me out. And then with Dave’s vocals and the sound of everything, without these four guys, it wouldn’t be the same. With Mikey’s vocals and his playing and Alex’s playing.”
“I remember I would get on Eddie’s rig. I would get on his guitar rig and it’s all in the hands. It’s just in the hands, it’s in his attack. It’s in his playing. That’s why he sounds like Eddie,” John 5 further shared.
John 5 has been a long-time fan of Eddie Van Halen. “He was my hero and still is. Van Halen, they were everything to me. And I always wanted to be Eddie Van Halen. And so I got a chance to be Eddie Van Halen for a little while,” he told Houston Press in 2022.
John 5 had the chance to work with one of the former Van Halen members, David Lee Roth. He played guitar on DLR’s 1998 album, ‘DLR Band’ and 2003 album, ‘Diamond Dave.’
“Well, of course, he’s David Lee Roth and one of our heroes. And it was really exciting,” the rocker told Ultimate Guitar earlier this year about working with Roth. “It was nerve-wracking because you wanted to do a great job for him. We could write together really well.”
He went on to say, “Everything went really well together. And I really enjoyed being in the studio, ’cause it was just that thing. We clicked with each other with ideas and things like that, and it all came together really fast. So, I’ve had nothing but a great experience with writing with Dave and working with Dave.”
John 5 toured last fall on the ‘Strung Out’ tour with Turning Jane as a special guest. The tour ran from September 1 in Boston to October 24 in Novato, California, with some Canadian shows. He also played with Mötley Crüe at festivals like Louder Than Life and Aftershock.
