A memoir by Alex Van Halen titled Brothers is set for an October 22nd release via HarperCollins.
The 384-page hardcover autobiography comes as a surprise given how private Alex has been since the passing of his brother Eddie Van Halen in 2020. HarperCollins will also be publishing a 720-minute audiobook and an ebook edition in addition to the physical hardback. Pre-orders are now ongoing.
Although limited details are currently available, HarperCollins’ preview revealed the working title for the book, “The Brothers Van Halen.” We can surmise that the book will follow Alex and Eddie’s ascent to rock stardom as the drummer and guitar wizard of Van Halen, respectively.
Famously, the two almost had reversed roles, as they would swap instruments as kids before Eddie stuck to guitar for good. The seeds of Van Halen were planted when the brothers’ formed their early band Mammoth in 1972 prior to teaming up with singer David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony to form the classic Van Halen lineup two years later.
As mentioned, Alex has kept his distance from any talks involving a possible Van Halen reunion or tribute. This includes Sammy Hagar’s upcoming “Best of All Worlds” tour (tickets available here), which will lean heavily on Van Halen material.
The Red Rocker went as far as to invite Roth and Alex Van Halen to join him onstage during the jaunt, though Hagar has since said that he feels that Alex doesn’t want to play without his brother being there.
“Mike and I, 20 years ago, did a reunion,” Hagar explained in a recent interview. “And it’s been 20 years this year. I’m going, I don’t have another 20 years to be waiting on Alex Van Halen, who’s the only guy left. So he didn’t want to do it? You know, he, I guess, just doesn’t like playing without his brother. Don’t blame him. God bless him.”
You can pre-order Alex Van Halen’s memoir Brothers Pre-orders are now ongoing. Stay tuned to Heavy Consequence for further updates regarding the book.