Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon thinks Eddie Van Halen is the Mozart of rock.
In a new interview with Cassius Morris, the guitarist touched on the impact of Eddie Van Halen’s passing and how he motivated a lot of fans and musicians:
“Eddie Van Halen was very charismatic. His personality, his smile, his energy, his personality and his approach to the guitar and his innovativeness was very unique. And on one hand, he seemed like a very friendly guy. And on the other hand, he played this amazing guitar, innovative groundbreaking guitar that was like from another planet. So yeah, I think people really gravitated towards those things. And he will go down in history as the Mozart of rock and roll guitar.”
While he is sure that Eddie Van Halen will go down in history as the Mozart of rock, the Tesla guitarist also mentioned another famous rock guitarist and praised his personality:
“And the same with Jimi Hendrix. I mean, Jimi Hendrix was so photogenic and had such a personality and a vibe you can walk into Target and see a Jimi Hendrix t-shirt with his face on and instantly recognize ‘Oh, there’s Jimmy.'”
Hannon Was Influenced By Eddie Van Halen
Formed in 1981, Tesla was around just when Van Halen was one of the most successful rock acts. So, naturally, Hannon was inspired by the guitarist, from his guitar-picking techniques to his solos. Despite being greatly influenced and even making similar albums to Eddie’s sound, such as ‘Cumin’ Atcha Live’ and ‘Modern Day Cowboy,’ Hannon chose to ‘not be like Eddie.’ Here is the reason:
“But, to take it even further than that, I kind of had to choose to try to not be like Eddie Van Halen, because everybody, all the guitar players on the planet — George Lynch, the guy from White Lion — everybody in the ’80s was trying to play Eddie Van Halen style of guitar. So me personally, I decided, well, I can’t really do it anyway.”
Hannon Is Sure Nobody Can Overstate EVH
While he is well aware of the effect and the impact Eddie Van Halen had in the 80s, he is also confident that no one can overstate it. Recalling the days he first got ‘Van Halen I’ on his hands, he recounted how it left a lasting impression on him:
“It is not possible to overstate the impact he had in the ’80s and the late ’70s when I remember coming home from Tower Records with ‘Van Halen I’ and putting it on my Kmart turntable and hearing the intro of the album, ‘Runnin’ With The Devil’ with the sirens coming down and then that guitar, and then out of that straight into ‘Eruption’ and then into ‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.’ The sound of the guitar, it was just mindblowing.”
You can watch the interview below.
