Reviews - Brothers | The StoryGraph

You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

171 reviews for:

Brothers

Alex Van Halen

4.0 AVERAGE

ttodd86's review

5.0

emotional medium-paced

If you are a Van Halen fan this is a must-read.

ivyldc's review against another edition

5.0

Dan and I listened to this on audio. Alex Van Halen took four years to publicly talk about the death of his beloved younger brother, Edward Van Halen. The Van Halen brothers were exceptionally close. As young boys they emigrated from Holland to Pasadena, CA, where their father was a working musician (he played clarinet). The elder Van Halen taught his sons to rely on each other the value of hard work. He also obviously imparted a great deal of natural musical talent. Alex ironically purchased a guitar and Ed a drum kit, but it was soon apparent that Ed was a guitar virtuoso and they switched. The book is a mostly chronological telling of their life together with the most focus on the David Lee Roth era of Van Halen. Interspersed are reflections on life lessons and the pain of Al’s loss. He relates his regrets about the way Eddie continued to chase his early 20s success long after that era ended. He speaks poignantly of his sobriety and their shared values of love for their children. He also patently admits that many bad choices were made along the way— for instance, Van Halen was basically banned from the country of Scotland after destroying a high end hotel. I would recommend this memoir for casual or devoted Van Halen fans or anyone seeking a story about a sibling relationship. The world lost a good one when Eddie passed away. I enjoyed learning more about him.