One of the Greats

The word “maestro” refers to a “distinguished musician” – although it’s usually used in classical music. If it were applied to a guitar player in the genre of Rock ‘n Roll, the world definitely lost one today. Eddie Van Halen, one of the greatest guitar players of all time, passed away today at the age of 65 after a long, arduous battle with cancer. The son he had from his marriage to actress Valerie Bertinelli, shared the loss of his beloved dad via social media, saying “I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss.” Anyone who has lost a parent knows that is true – you never really, truly get over it. For the music world and fans of the group Van Halen, it is also a devastating loss of a legendary musician known all over the globe. I never had the privilege of seeing Van Halen perform live, and some hardcore fans of the band would probably not like the fact that my favorite album of theirs is “1984”. With a virtuoso like Eddie known for his phenomenal guitar riffs, the introduction of the synthesizer into their unique sound bothered some fans. Still, the album sold millions, and for me, my memories of it bring me back to the summer of 1985 and my first trip to my ancestors’ hometown in Hungary. The young adults and teenagers in the small town in Communist Eastern Europe craved ANYTHING American that they could get their hands on: shoes, tshirts, and – of course – American music, especially Rock ‘n Roll. Relatives of the same age group brought cassette tapes of the latest albums with them on their visit. Along with “Born in the U.S.A” by Bruce Springsteen, “Scarecrow” by John Mellencamp, “She’s So Unusual” by Cyndi Lauper, and “War” by U2 – 1984 by Van Halen was one of the ones that we played the hell out of – every chance we got. Definitely every night hanging out in the pub. One of the locals had a shirt with the 1984 album cover emblazoned on the front, and he wore it like ALL the time. Before we learned his name, we referred to him as “the kid in the Van Halen tshirt”. That’s just one memory, just one moment in time, and has very little to do with the death of Eddie Van Halen today. However, to put it into perspective – what a living legend this guy really was – kids in a tiny Eastern European village under a Communist regime who couldn’t speak English – even they knew who Eddie Van Halen was. And how great he was. And they are mourning today too. Because, like all of us, they are remembering their youth, and how the music made them feel. And they are getting lost back in time, listening to those songs again. And, of course, it’s not the same as losing your father, but they too are probably never going to fully recover from this loss. Godspeed, Edward. Fly high. And thanks for the amazing music.