Van Halen fans are getting their first preview of Alex Van Halen’s upcoming memoir, Brothers, with a 4 1/2-minute audio sample shared on Spotify.
In a clip titled “Overture,” Alex talks to and about his late brother and Van Halen bandmate, Eddie Van Halen, sharing, “Without my brother I would not be … there is a bond and unconditional love very few people ever experience in their lifetime.”
“Music was our heart and soul. That’s what we did, that’s what we loved, that’s what we enjoyed and that’s what we were good at,” he says. “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.”
Alex shares that Eddie was “more introverted, more impressionable and more sensitive” than him, noting that sensitivity made Eddie a “brilliant musician … there is only one Edward Van Halen.”
“Since you’ve been gone, I catch myself talking to you. Yelling at you, in my head or sometimes out loud. I still have trouble believing you’re gone and probably for me, you never will be,” he says.
“Outliving my little brother? This just wasn’t the plan,” he concludes. “As the older brother, I was supposed to die first. Same as always, Ed … butting in line.”
Brothers is due out Oct. 22. The audiobook features the song “Unfinished,” written by Alex and Eddie and described as “the last piece of music they wrote together.”
Alex will promote the book with a three-city book tour kicking off Oct. 21 in New York, followed by Oct. 22 in New Jersey and Oct. 24 in Los Angeles.
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