Did you know that the numbers on the blackboard in the Hot For Teacher video correspond to numbers that spell 'holy shit' backwards?

The first album ever recorded at the 5150 studio was '1984.'

Alex and Eddie Van halen were born in Holland.

Eddie sang for the band at first, before Roth and Michael Anthony joined.

The band was called Mammoth, until they realized another band had that name. That's when they decided on Van Halen.

What cha got for me? :)

Eddie actually learned how to play drums first and Alex learned guitar first, then they decided to switch instruments.

Eddie Van Halen has a line of guitars out through Peavey called "Wolfgang" named after his son.

In 1977, Kiss' Gene Simmons financed a demo recording session for Van Halen after seeing them at the Starwood Club.

Van Halen's standard performance contract contained a provision calling for them to be provided with a bowl of M&Ms, but with all the brown candies removed.

The disturbing cover art of "Fair Warning" is a detail from "The Maze" by Canadian artist William Kurelek.

Originally posted by abcmcd
Van Halen's standard performance contract contained a provision calling for them to be provided with a bowl of M&Ms, but with all the brown candies removed.
You're kidding!!! :eek: I read that about another band, too, but I can't remember who! Doesn't that seem a little stupid to y'all? It's the tan ones that give me the creeps....:lol:

Former Scandal vocalist Patty Smyth was Eddie's first choice to replace David Lee Roth. She was pregnant at the time and declined the offer.

Femmetal is right, not many people know that one.


Eddie Van Halen played Charvel guitars with Gibson PAF pickups. At the time Wayne Charvel was a contract maker of Fender Guitars extra parts. When Wayne started making his on line of Charvel guitars, Fender sued him.

Eddie used to hammer his pickups in his guitars with nails.

Eddie developed his trademark right hand hammer scales from saxophone scales.

Eddie supposedly has Charvel tattoed on him somewhere.

Eddie's original "Wolfgang" guitar design was with Ernie Ball guitars, he pulled out of the deal and went with Peavey. Ernie Ball still makes the exact guitar under the label "Axis". Peavey also produces his signature 5150 line of amps.

Eddie has had hip replacement surgery and part of his tongue removed that was cancerous.

Eddie is an avid golfer and was featured in Golf Digest, he is apparently very bad however.

Eddie and Alex's father played a clarinet solo on Diver Down album.

When they were Mammoth they played on a double bill with Quiet Riot. That means that Eddie and Randy Rhoades played on the same stage.

I will add some more later....

wow, lots of good info culled from this post for a VH night on the air.. thanks for the info..

Well, I just like to hear the dirt, but if it helps ya out, then it's twice as nice. :) :lol:

all the info I can get on various music.. etc.. will work for me.. as a DJ.. the hardest work is prepping for the show..

Before the name Mammouth, they band was known as Rat Salad.

Eddie has stated that the only reason he allowed Dave to join the band was because he owned his on P.A.

With a running time of under 50 minutes and several cover charges, Eddie Van Halen has stated that if people bought Diver Down, they should have contacted the Better Business Bearue (spelling?)

Van Halen sold more than twice as many records with Sammy Hagar as they did with Dave and Gary Cherrone combined.

Van Halen's Pretty Woman video was banned from MTV for its scenes of a woman tied to a stake. (wooden pole, not a piece of meat)

Thier JUMP video was filmed in one day, in under 6 hours for under $250,000.

David Lee Roth hated Jump, and almost refused to sing it, and was bitter about the songs success.

As a result, Sammy Hagar would pull the most drunk person he could find at Van Halen shows during the 5150 tour, and let them sing JUMP, as a F&*K you to Dave.

Van Halen with David Lee Roth sang cover versions of songs by The Kinks, Martha and the Vandellas, Roy Orbison, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and many many others.

According to David Lee Roth, the reason for that was that the promoters often times did not read the contracts carefully enough. Since Van Halen's shows were always very light and sound heavy, there were certain structural and electrical requirements that the venues had to meet to ensure the safety of the band, crew and audience. Many times those requirements were not met by the promoters, threatening everyone's safety, because they had just glanced over the contract before signing. David asked that the rider be added as a way of determining if the contract had been thoroughly reviewed. If the band showed up, and there were brown candies in the M&Ms bowl, they knew that the promoter had not read the contract. Fits were thrown about this and that is part of the reason that the band gained a reputation as being difficult to work with. In the light of what could have happened otherwise, however, their behavior is somewhat understandable. The stories about the sexual connotations being given to any particular color of M&Ms are purely myth - possibly made up by Dave himself - and have no bearing on the real reason for the rider.


Van Halen's standard performance contract contained a provision calling for them to be provided with a bowl of M&Ms, but with all the brown candies removed.

The video that MTV refused to show - "Pretty Woman" - because of the woman tied up was in fact a cross dressing man. As Dave said "They told us we couldn't have a lady tied up in our video, well I got news for you, that ain't no lady".

Alex and Eddie are actually half Indonesian. Their father met there mother in the South Pacific and they moved back to his native Holland where both boys were born. I had never heard this before, and would have found it hard to believe, but I heard Alex talking about it on the radio.

Alex says that Wolfgang Van Halen is an incredible guitar player.

5150 is the california health and safety code for a criminally insane or mentally unstable person

Eddie's famous guitar solo in Michael Jackson's "Beat It" is NOT solely him. Toto's Steve Lukather(MY FAVORITE GUITARIST-Sorry Ed) shared the honors!
Read about it here!
http://www.stevelukather.net/Session.aspx?id=33


By the way Eddie & Steve are best buds! Steve has sang background(uncreditied) on several VH songs! Also Eddie has appeared on 2 of Luke's solo albums! His 1989 album "Lukather also with Pop Star Richard Marx, Billy Idol's guitarist Steve Stevens, the Fixx's Cy Curnin, Keyboardist/Miami Vice Composer Jan Hammer, as Well as Toto Buddies David Paich and the Late Jeff Porcaro! Eddie plays BASS (Yep! You read that right!) on the track "Twist the Knife"!
http://www.guitar9.com/guitarmusic9/lukather.html


And on his ultra cool 2004 Christmas release "Santamental! Eddie plays on the track "Joy to the World"! Others on the album are Steve Vai,Michael Landau,
Edgar Winter & Slash from GnR!
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6288276/a/SantaMental.htm

Jeff Porcaro died?

Unfortunately, Jeff had a heart attack due to an adverse reaction to pesticides sprayed at his residence.
http://www.povlab.org/jeff.porcaro/jporcaro.php

Jeff was considered by many (Professional drummers included) to be one of the best drummers to have ever lived.There is an incredible CD released entitled "Tribute To Jeff" -Dave Garfield & Friends" Since Jeff appeared on countless hit songs as a sessions player the CD is a virtual who's who of guest artists including the best singers AND musicians in the business! Included are:All of Toto,Jason Scheff & Bill Champlin(Chicago),Richard Marx,Don Henley, Michael McDonald,David Pack(Ambrosia),Boz Scaggs & More!
In a related Van Halen note Eddie plays on the CD on Hendrix's "If 6 Was 9"!
http://www.povlab.org/jeff.porcaro/jporcaro.php

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=3837660

There was also an amazing concert that I HOPE will come out on DVD!!!! :thumb:
Eddie performed in the concert doing "Ain't Talkin Bout Love" with Luke,also Luke & Eddie brought the house down with dueling axes on Hendrix's "(Let Me Stand Next To Your) Fire"! Eddie also joined Toto on the finale performance with all guest arits on their classic Rocker "Hold the Line"!

According to David Lee Roth, the reason for that was that the promoters often times did not read the contracts carefully enough. Since Van Halen's shows were always very light and sound heavy, there were certain structural and electrical requirements that the venues had to meet to ensure the safety of the band, crew and audience. Many times those requirements were not met by the promoters, threatening everyone's safety, because they had just glanced over the contract before signing. David asked that the rider be added as a way of determining if the contract had been thoroughly reviewed. If the band showed up, and there were brown candies in the M&Ms bowl, they knew that the promoter had not read the contract. Fits were thrown about this and that is part of the reason that the band gained a reputation as being difficult to work with. In the light of what could have happened otherwise, however, their behavior is somewhat understandable. The stories about the sexual connotations being given to any particular color of M&Ms are purely myth - possibly made up by Dave himself - and have no bearing on the real reason for the rider.

And here all these years I just thought they hated Brown M&M's!!!!!!!!!

'And the Cradle Will Rock' was a Top 20 hit in Canada. It only reached #55 in the U.S.

also at first alex was taking flamenco lessons on guitar and while eddie was out painting house numbers on curbs of homes alex was playing his drums and when he saw how good alex was doing he what the hell i'll play guitar and the rest is history

Alex and Eddie are actually half Indonesian. Their father met there mother in the South Pacific and they moved back to his native Holland where both boys were born. I had never heard this before, and would have found it hard to believe, but I heard Alex talking about it on the radio.

This is not soo strange as Indonesia has been a dutch colony. There's alot of Indonesian people in Holland.