VAN HALEN Biographer Ian Christe - Extensive Interview Available
December 9, 2008, 15 years ago
A new interview with heavy metal journalist/VAN HALEN guru Ian Christe has been posted online. The following is an excerpt from the interview, conducted by Anthony Kuzminski:
Q: I read somewhere that you delved deep into Van Halen after interviewing Trey Azagthoth (MORBID ANGEL) and they were raving about what an influence Van Halen had been on them. After that interview, explain to me the process you went through... did you go back to the original Dave albums and get sucked back into Van Halen or was there another watershed moment?
A: "Yep, if you want to start at the beginning of my interest in Van Halen as a writer, that’s the truth. In the late 1990s I thought I was nine evolutions past Van Halen, until I interviewed Trey Azagthoth from Morbid Angel about death metal for my book Sound of the Beast. Like a lot of people, I turn back to MOTÖRHEAD, AC/DC, EXODUS, BLACK SABBATH, and IRON MAIDEN for metal fundamentals, but I realized I was overlooking the force that Eddie Van Halen held over almost everyone! Van Halen were playing thrashing molten metal tracks like 'Atomic Punk', 'We Die Bold', and 'Light Up the Sky' back in 1977, years before MÖTLEY CRÜE or METALLICA were spawned in other parts of Los Angeles. And Van Halen were heavy but added so much variety, they were really interesting subjects to spend a year writing a book about. So yeah, Trey Azagthoth awoke a demon - not for the first time."
Read the full interview at this location.
