SkyeBaggie
van Halen
This is a picture of MOLEN DE ADRIAAN, in Haarlem. Built in 1779 and named for it's first owner.
So why the title? Rock music was becoming a little stale by the end of the 1970's. In the early 1980's the band Van Halen changed the scene with their high energy, electrifying sound. The band was called Mammoth but had to change it due to another band having that name. So the surname of brothers Alex, drummer and Eddie, guitarist, replaced it. Eddie was, in my opinion, the Hendrix of this generation.
Long before information was so easily accessible by clicking the keyboard, our information was gained by reading books and journalism. Cross referencing was possible, but time consuming. I once read that van Halen means from Haarlem and that Eddie was born there! Maybe there is a blue plaque on a wall in the town marking the spot! This information has been lodged in my brain for a long time. On preparation for visiting Haarlem, I did some research. It turns out this information is not fact! The brothers moved to America because their Indonesian mother was subject to racism. The boys were born in The Netherlands-probably Amsterdam, maybe Njmagen, but definitely not Haarlem. There is a town in Linburg named Halen and thus the surname was probably related to their ancestors being from there.
Both brothers were classically trained pianists from the age of five, originally Alex took up the guitar and Eddie the drums, but they swapped when it was clear that Alex was the better drummer! Their father was a jazz musician. And a lesson for us all, it is said that Eddie practiced the guitar for up to ten hours a day, in the belief his skill would make him popular with the girls. Alex is said to have practiced little, because he was always out-with the girls!!!!
van Halen
This is a picture of MOLEN DE ADRIAAN, in Haarlem. Built in 1779 and named for it's first owner.
So why the title? Rock music was becoming a little stale by the end of the 1970's. In the early 1980's the band Van Halen changed the scene with their high energy, electrifying sound. The band was called Mammoth but had to change it due to another band having that name. So the surname of brothers Alex, drummer and Eddie, guitarist, replaced it. Eddie was, in my opinion, the Hendrix of this generation.
Long before information was so easily accessible by clicking the keyboard, our information was gained by reading books and journalism. Cross referencing was possible, but time consuming. I once read that van Halen means from Haarlem and that Eddie was born there! Maybe there is a blue plaque on a wall in the town marking the spot! This information has been lodged in my brain for a long time. On preparation for visiting Haarlem, I did some research. It turns out this information is not fact! The brothers moved to America because their Indonesian mother was subject to racism. The boys were born in The Netherlands-probably Amsterdam, maybe Njmagen, but definitely not Haarlem. There is a town in Linburg named Halen and thus the surname was probably related to their ancestors being from there.
Both brothers were classically trained pianists from the age of five, originally Alex took up the guitar and Eddie the drums, but they swapped when it was clear that Alex was the better drummer! Their father was a jazz musician. And a lesson for us all, it is said that Eddie practiced the guitar for up to ten hours a day, in the belief his skill would make him popular with the girls. Alex is said to have practiced little, because he was always out-with the girls!!!!