Brothers: An Intimate Account of Brotherhood and Rock Music

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIn this intimate and open accountnothing like any rockandroll memoir youve ever readAlex Van Halen shares his personal story of family, friendship, music and brotherly love in a remarkable tribute to his beloved brother and band mate, Edward Van Halen.Told with acclaimed New Yorker writer Ariel Levy, Brothers is seventyyearold drummer Alex Van Halens love letter to his younger brother, Edward, (Maybe Ed, but never Eddie), written while still mourning his untimely death.In his rough yet sweet voice, Alex recounts the brothers childhood, first in the Netherlands and then in working class Pasadena, California, with an itinerant musician father and a very proper Indonesianborn motherthe kind of mom who admonished her boys to always wear a suit no matter how famous they becamea woman who was both proud and practical, nonchalant about taking a doggie bag from a starstudded dinner. He also shares tales of musical politics, infighting, and plenty of badboy behavior. But mostly his is a story of brotherhood, music, and enduring love.I was with him from day one, Alex writes. We shared the experience of coming to this country and figuring out how to fit in. We shared a record player, an 800 square foot house, a mom and dad, and a work ethic. Later, we shared the back of a tour bus, alcoholism, the experience of becoming successful, of becoming fathers and uncles, and of spending more hours in the studio than Ive spent doing anything else in this life. We shared a depth of understanding that most people can only hope to achieve in a lifetime.There has never been an accurate account of them or their classic rock band, and Alex wants to set the record straight on Edwards life and death.Brothers includes neverbeforeseen photos from the authors private archives.This landmark music biography is the only book that tells the Van Halen story from the inside, straight from the heart: Brotherly Love: Follow Alex and Ed from an 800squarefoot house in Pasadena to the biggest stages in the world, sharing everything from a record player and a work ethic to the back of a tour bus. Setting the Record Straight: For the first time, Alex shares the accurate account of the bands formation, the musical politics, the infighting, and the real story of his brothers life and death. A Rock Family Story: Meet the itinerant musician father and the proper Indonesianborn mother who shaped the brothers, admonishing them to always wear a suit no matter how famous they became. An Intimate Tribute: Written in his own roughyetsweet voice while still in mourning, this is Alexs love letter to Ed, featuring neverbeforeseen photos from his private archives.