Episode 03: Mentor and Disciple: “The Death of Superman” - A Tribute to EVH
Ever since Shakyamuni, the original buddha, sat in meditation under a bodhi tree and became awakened to the truth of existence, nearly 2500 years ago, the principles of his practice have been passed along, century after century, in the same manner. From teacher to student.
Through the years, there have been many different schools of buddhist thought, but they’ve all built upon the original teachings and passed down what they’ve learned to the next generation. They did this by following in the footsteps of their mentor and honoring them by living the teachings with integrity, setting the example and then passing the torch to the next generation, keeping the flame of the dharma burning brightly. This is how all humans have learned things, from the dawn of mankind. However, the purity of the wisdom depends entirely on the integrity of the teacher…
If you’ve been listening to these podcasts, there’s a good chance you’re either a musician, or someone who loves music. Whether you’re a guitar player, like me, or if you’ve never even held a guitar, there’s not a chance that you haven’t heard of Edward Van Halen. Arguably, there hasn’t been a guitar player who’s had more impact on the instrument in the last 45 years than Edward. What Jimi Hendrix did for the electric guitar in the late 1960’s and even posthumously in the 1970’s, Edward multiplied it by ten and magnified it a thousand percent, from the second he erupted into our ears and hearts in 1978.
Jimi Hendrix was certainly my first guitar guru, but Edward has been my mentor, since the very first time I became aware of him and over the last four decades, my admiration and respect for him as both a guitar player and a human being has grown, exponentially. Not only did he singlehandedly change the way guitar players approached the instrument, he also changed the instrument itself and inspired millions to pick up the guitar and trailblaze their own path. But even aside from his guitar playing abilities, for me, the most inspiring thing about Edward was that even though he was considered the “King” of modern rock guitar, he remained modest and humble and never used his fame or esteem to put himself above any other artist. For him, music wasn’t a “contest” of who was better, or who sold the most albums. To quote his own words, he was “just a punk kid who plays guitar…” But even so, he lived his life and career with such gratitude for being able to do what he loved and bring joy to so many millions of others, and the perpetual smile on his face throughout his life showed it.
In a world where feigned modesty is publicized and displayed, 24/7, in “selfies”, myopic mumbling and self-promotion so ubiquitous on social media, it can be difficult to distinguish who’s real and who’s in it for their own, selfish means. In Edward’s case, he lived a life that was true to who he was and from an early age, he knew exactly what his mission was and he accomplished it, tenfold. Despite all his hardships, throughout his life and career, he always gave selflessly and sincerely, remaining true to himself and to his passion.
In Edward’s case, these traits weren’t just stumbled upon, accidentally. They were taught to him, by his very first mentor. His father. Anyone familiar with Ed’s history knows the admiration he had for his parents, but especially for his father, and that he subsequently passed these values on to his only son, Wolfgang, who is currently forging his own path of creating music and sharing it with the world, with the same humility and integrity as his father, uncle and grandfather, before him.
This lineage of mentor and disciple is woven into everything we do and having the right mentors throughout our lives can determine the outcome of our mission and whether we succeed or fail. I wanted to honor one of the most important musical mentors I’ve ever had and exemplify just how his wisdom and influence played such a big part in who I’ve become, musically as well as personally. The lessons I’ve learned by following Edward Van Halen over the last forty years go far beyond just music.
Losing Edward on October 6th, 2020 was much more devastating to me than even I had imagined it would be and I still feel like a piece of who I am is no longer with me. I put this episode together as a tribute to him and the piece in the second half was written as sort of my own, personal eulogy, that I’d imagined reading at his memorial. I asked some of my very best guitar player friends to contribute some music, so that this would be an extra special episode that Edward himself would appreciate! There’s some killer guitar music in this episode and all who contributed are also disciples of King Edward, the punk kid from Pasadena, who made all of our lives so magical. I’m sure Edward would approve! I hope you enjoy it!
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