Yngwie Malmsteen revealed details about his interactions with Eddie Van Halen in a recent interview with Classic Rock.
The guitarist expressed his admiration for Van Halen while sharing several incidents that revealed a complex relationship between them.
“I never said a bad word about him [Eddie Van Halen],” Malmsteen stated. “I never will. Because I think he was amazing.”
A grocery store employee’s interaction with Van Halen provided Malmsteen with an interesting anecdote.
“I used to know a guy that worked in the grocery store where Eddie would shop, and the guy would ask him: ‘Hey, what do you think about Yngwie Malmsteen, the new Swedish kid?’ And Eddie would say: ‘I don’t know who that is,'” he recalled. “Meanwhile, Dave Roth told me that Eddie would have his ghetto blaster, playing my sh*t on it all day long.”
Malmsteen described a memorable encounter at an event.
“I go to the show – I had my tux on and everything – and I see Eddie there. I’m waving at him, trying to get his attention, and he sees me… and he runs away. He literally ran away!”
A festival incident in Holland added another layer to their story. Van Halen was scheduled to headline the event.
“I was doing a concert festival in Holland, and Van Halen were headlining. I’m like, ‘Great, I finally get to meet Eddie and give him my concerto.’ Because I’m proud of my concerto, you know? I find out they cancelled the show. They said Alex Van Halen had broken his little finger or something,” he explained. “And then I hear that the promoter got a phone call from Eddie himself, who said: ‘Just to let you know, if Yngwie Malmsteen is playing, I’m not playing. And I will never f*cking play the same stage as Yngwie Malmsteen.'”
Malmsteen shared his bewilderment at the situation. “I’m like, ‘What?’ He obviously felt threatened. Which is crazy to me. You’re f*cking Eddie Van Halen. No one could threaten you!”
The relationship between the two guitarists contained more complexity than these incidents suggest.
Findings from Ultimate Guitar revealed Malmsteen’s stance on Van Halen’s style. He never attempted to copy it, considering such attempts futile. Instead, he found inspiration in other aspects of Van Halen’s work.
A report from Alternative Nation highlighted Malmsteen’s observations about the era’s guitar community. He noted how various guitarists, including Van Halen, drew inspiration from one another in an interconnected web of influences.
These insights paint a picture of two influential guitarists whose relationship transcended simple rivalry. Their connection reflected the complex nature of musical influence and artistic respect.
