Alex Van Halen has released an audio excerpt from his upcoming memoir Brothers.
The book is described as a “love letter” to the drummer’s brother and Van Halen bandmate Eddie Van Halen, who died in October 2020 after a long battle with cancer.
Entitled “Overture” and read by Alex himself, the four-and-a-half minute clip – which can be heard on Spotify – serves as a eulogy for Eddie.
“Music was our heart and soul,” he begins. “That’s what we did, that’s what we loved, that’s what we enjoyed and that’s what we were good at. It’s also the thing that made us as close as two brothers can be. We were connected in every way – genetically, artistically, financially, emotionally and though neither of us stuck with Catholicism, I’m going to go ahead and say spiritually. It’s very difficult to unwind that. It’s been almost four years since you passed, Ed, and sometimes it feels like it just happened this morning.”
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After praising his brother’s musical talent and lamenting that Eddie could sometimes be overly sensitive to criticism from the outside world Alex notes that he has watched, “sometimes with anger, sometimes with grief and other times with pride as the world has mourned your passing and other people have claimed to tell your story,” before promising to set the record straight in Brothers.
“I still have trouble believing you’re gone, and probably for me you never will be,” Van Halen declares near the end of the clip. “Outliving my little brother? This just wasn’t the plan. As the older brother, I was supposed to die first. Same as always, Ed… butting in line.”
‘Brothers’ Will Include Eddie and Alex Van Halen’s Last Piece of Music
Brothers will include “Unfinished,” the final piece of music the Van Halen brothers recorded together. Last month Alex shared snippets of the track on his social media accounts, which you can hear below. The book arrives in stores on Oct. 22. Alex will host two book signings and a live conversation event that same week.
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Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll
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