The audiobook version of Alex Van Halen’s upcoming memoir, Brothers, will feature the final song he worked on with his brother, Eddie Van Halen.
Titled Unfinished, the track will soundtrack Alex’s story, with the book aiming to “set the record straight” about his relationship with his brother and various events that unfolded during their time in Van Halen together. He has previously rallied against claims made by previous publications (via Rolling Stone) .
The 720-minute audiobook will also be available in physical and ebook formats – the latter a 240-page tome – and was written with the help of The New Yorker’s Ariel Levy. Much of its writing took place in the wake of Eddie’s passing in 2020, with the project providing the drummer with a chance to reflect on their legendary relationship.
“I was with him from day one,” Alex reminisces. “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.”
As such, the book promises an “intimate and open account” of their familial and musical bond, with the drummer saying it is “nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read”.
The book details their early years in the Netherlands, following them as they travelled across the Atlantic, relocating in working-class Pasadena, California. There, they formed their band.
Check out a video of an early high school performance from the band here.
Readers can expect “musical politics, infighting, and bad boy behavior” once that portion of the memoir kicks into gear.
It’s unclear what state Unfinished was left in when Eddie passed, but its title suggests an insight into their creative process more than a polished final bow from one of rock ’n’ roll’s most formidable songwriting partnerships.
Michael Anthony has previously spoken about an archive of unreleased Van Halen material, featuring himself and the two brothers.
While he says he is quietly resigned to that fact we'll “probably” never get to hear it – with the tapes in Wolfgang's possession – Unfinished could give fans a sneak peek into the kind of material that lurks on those tapes.
The memoir looks to bookend Alex Van Halen’s playing days, with the drummer having listed his gear for sale on Reverb earlier this year. It will feature never-seen-before photos lifted from Alex’s personal archive.
Head to Van Halen to preorder a copy of Brothers.
"There was a guy walking down the street, singing it at the top of his lungs. I thought, 'Wow — that song can be interpreted a whole different way.' " Warren Haynes explains the lucky break that led to his transformational take on U2's "One"
“It took me months of searching through tens of thousands of photos. And there we had it: George Harrison at home with his collection of guitars.” An unusual guitar is at the center of a mystery about the Beatles' White Album, released 56 years ago today
