(NORTHVALE, NJ) -- Alex Van Halen will host two book signing events in the local area for his deeply candid and insightful memoir, Brothers. In it, he shares his story of family, camaraderie, immigration, music, and loss, and offers a remarkable tribute to his late little brother and bandmate, Edward, a once-in-a-generation talent and transformed our understanding of what it's possible to do with a guitar.
“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 I’ve spent doing anything else in this life. We shared a depth of understanding that most people can only hope to achieve in a lifetime.”
Upcoming book signing events include Monday, October 21, 2024 at noon at Barnes & Noble (Fifth Avenue) in NYC and Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at 6:00pm at Books & Greetings (271 Livingston Street) in Northvale, New Jersey. Tickets for the book signing and live conversation events, as well as book preorders, are available now via Van-Halen.com.
In 1962, Alex Van Halen, his younger brother Edward or Ed (never “Eddie”), and their parents boarded a ship in the Netherlands to emigrate to America for the promise and opportunities it held. Ten years later, the boys formed a band and were launched on the path to international rock stardom. Written by Alex while still mourning Edward’s untimely death, Brothers is a candid love letter to a sibling bond that transcended the public stages. Told with acclaimed New Yorker writer Ariel Levy, this intimate portrait of a once-in-a-generation talent goes far beyond the standard rock memoir, sharing a story of family, camaraderie, immigration, music, and loss.
In his singular voice, Alex remembers the brothers’ childhood, first in the Netherlands and then in working-class Pasadena, California, where early on they struggled with their outsider, immigrant status. They gained different perspectives on life from their itinerant musician father and a very proper Indonesian mother. With Edward on guitar and Alex on drums, they would form an eponymous band that went on to sell over 80 million records and play sold-out shows around the world for four decades.
A fascinating story of a legendary band, its talent, and the passion to create, Brothers takes readers deep inside with tales of musical politics, infighting, and plenty of bad-boy behavior. But mostly Alex’s portrayal of brotherhood, music, and enduring love shines through the drama. Brothers provides the definitive take on Edward Van Halen’s life and death from the one who knew and loved him best.
Publication in the US and Canada will be on October 22, 2024; Harper UK, Australia/ New Zealand will follow on October 24 and October 30 respectively. For more on the book, click here.
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