Eric Blair of The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show caught up with Testament guitarist, Alex Skolnick at the 2020 NAMM show in Anaheim, California, and spoke to him about late Rush drummer Neil Peart, who passed away on January 7 after a three-year battle with brain cancer (glioblastoma), and Van Halen guitar hero, Eddie Van Halen.

In regards to Peart's passing, Skolnick says: "It just came out of nowhere. I never knew him personally. Those who knew him personally knew for a while, so it wasn't that much of a shock, although, I tell you, how could it not be a shock? What can you say? I had just recently started listening to Rush more and intensely, more focused on the drums. It was strange, I had this extra urge to airdrum. And then this happened. I'm just grateful for the music. I'm grateful I got to see them on the Clockwork Angels tour. I had seen them only once before, back in high school. When I saw them, they were just in full form. And yeah, you would never know. I'm just thankful for the music and for him. What an amazing person, lyricist, thinker. A big inspiration. For those of us that don't always fit in, he's a huge inspiration, not just to drummers."

Speaking of Eddie Van Halen, Alex adds: "He's another... in a different way, he's a treasure, more for guitar players. Both those guys changed how everybody plays their instrument. There are few of us that do that. Even among some of the busiest, most visible musicians out there, even among that group there's still very few that change how a big chunk of us play. Eddie's one of those."

Watch the interview below: