John 5 says hearing Eddie Van Halen’s music for the first time as a teen made a huge impact on him .
While making a guest appearance on the Vinyl Obsession Podcast, the Mötley Crüe’s recruit also revealed that he bought the band’s self-titled debut record simply because it gave a word of thanks to one of his heroes.
“I bought this from the cover alone because it said ‘Gene Simmons’,” John 5 says, referring to the note of thanks to the Kiss bassist included on its cover. Simmons had believed in Van Halen’s talent and recorded demoes of the group before they were signed. Says John 5, “I remember putting this on, and I think maybe this record was the one that gave me the biggest shock, because of the sound.”
John 5 would go on to play a role in the band’s musical canon when he made his commercial breakthrough in David Lee Roth’s solo band. Doing so was a “full circle” moment for him, considering that Eddie’s guitar work had unveiled a whole new world to him.
“Now, I was already playing guitar,” John 5 continues, but he says Eddie showed him a new world of possibilities in virtuosity, speed and showmanship. “It was like seeing a car, and then seeing a race car,” he says. “I mean, Eddie’s playing really freaked me out.”
Eddie’s virtuosity was just one point of focus for a band that had plenty of fireworks up their collective sleeves — that includes Roth, bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Alex Van Halen. This, John 5 believes, helped Eddie shine even brighter.
“Without these four guys, it wouldn’t be the same — with Mikey’s vocals and his playing and Alex’s playing.”
Because of his connections with the band, John 5 was granted the honor of playing through Eddie’s live rig during the band’s A Different Kind of Truth era. That experience taught him something very important about guitar tone.
“It’s all in the hands,” he says. “It’s in his attack. It’s in his playing. That’s why he sounds like Eddie…because there was an attack and there was a certain way he really hit the strings. Same thing with Yngwie Malmsteen or people like that. They have a certain swing to them or a certain attack. And that’s how it was with Van Halen.”
John 5 — whose Telecaster obsession is well known — told Guitar Player that guitars were his “savior” as he battled with personal tragedy and mental health struggles in his life.
He talked the magazine through his 10 most prized Telecasters in the July 2024 issue, noting that he owns one from each year they’ve been produced. In the same interview, he revealed he played his “Goldie” Telecaster so much that doctors were concerned for his health.
Despite his deep association with glam rock and EVH flair, John 5 is a far more versatile guitarist than many would perceive at first glance For example, his chicken picking and banjo roll techniques, which form a huge part of his repertoire, are plucked from country music.
The guitarist’s long-awaited signature Telecaster, the Ghost, was released in 2023. Earlier this year, he called Fender’s new American Ultra II Series Tele “the perfect Telecaster in my eyes,” when putting it through its paces.
Meanwhile, the guitar world was treated to a brand-new Eddie Van Halen song in 2024. His brother, Alex, released “Unfinished,” the final track they worked on together to promote his new memoir.
