Swedish guitar master Yngwie Malmsteen paid his tribute to the late guitar legend, Eddie Van Halen, for showing him the craft of not giving a flying f*ck.
In the recent interview with Guitar World, Malmsteen remembers listening to Van Halen’s self-titled debut album for the first time in 1978 and he was “so fucking blown away” by Eddie’s energy, method, and character.
“In 1978 I was playing in a band called Powerhouse,” the Malmsteen told journalist Richard Bienstock, “and one day the drummer came in and he brought Van Halen. And I was like, ‘What is this? Another band? Whatever.’ But he put it on and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I was so fucking blown away.”
“What really knocked me out was the energy and the ‘don’t give a fuck’ attitude that the whole band had. They were essentially a power trio and they were playing live. They made me so inspired because I had a power trio, too.”
Over and above, Malmsteen recollects the feeling of freedom and independent attitude he heard in Van Halen’s music.
Listen to Van Halen’s Runnin’ With The Devil below: