According to Van-Halen.com, the audiobook version of Brothers, the upcoming book from legendary Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen, will contain a previously unreleased song composed by Alex and his brother, legendary Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Titled Unfinished, it is the last piece of music they wrote together and can be heard as Alex narrates his story.
Due on October 22nd via HarperCollins Publishers, the 384-page book is categorized under “Biography & Autobiography” and currently has a list price of $32.00.
In this intimate and open account — nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read — Alex shares his personal story of family, friendship, music, and brotherly love in a remarkable tribute to his beloved brother and bandmate.
Told with acclaimed New Yorker writer Ariel Levy, “Brothers” is the 70-year-old drummer’s love letter to his younger brother, legendary VAN HALENguitarist Edward “Eddie” Van Halen, written while still mourning his untimely death.
In his rough-yet-sweet voice, Alex recounts the brothers’ childhood, first in the Netherlands and then in working-class Pasadena, California, with an itinerant musician father and a very proper Indonesian-born mother — the kind of mom who admonished her boys to “always wear a suit” no matter how famous they became — a woman who was both proud and practical, nonchalant about taking a doggie bag from a star-studded dinner. He also shares tales of musical politics, infighting, and plenty of bad-boy behavior. But mostly, his is a story of brotherhood, music, and enduring love.
“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 famous, 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.”
There has never been an accurate account of them or the band, and Alexwants to set the record straight on Edward‘s life and death.
“Brothers” includes never-before-seen photos from the author’s private archive.
Fans who order this book from VanHalenStore.com will receive a free exclusive collectible as a bonus.
Brothers will also be made available as a 720-minute audiobook and an eBook.
The Brothers book cover, pictured above, was first shared by Rolling Stone.
The Van Halen brothers formed a band called Mammoth in Pasadena, California in 1972, then renamed it Van Halen when singer David Lee Roth joined the group and, later, bassist Michael Anthony.
Van Halen was one of the biggest rock bands in the country in the 1980s, with hits like Runnin’ With The Devil, Dance The Night Away, Hot For Teacher, Panama and Jump. The group, which later featured Sammy Hagar on vocals, was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007.