During a recent interview with Rock History Music, rock journalist Steve Rosen pondered on Ritchie Blackmore’s criticism of Eddie Van Halen owing to’ severe insecurity.’
Rosen initially recalled presenting himself to Blackmore, and continued:
“Edward is standing next to me, and I’m about to say, ‘Richie, this is Ed,’ but before I can, he offers his hand to Edward and says, ‘Hi, I know you. Don’t you play guitar? And it’s like, “Oh my God, Richie, you fcking btch.” You actually stated that. You’ve got to be Richie Blackmore tonight of all nights.
Decoding Ritchie Blackmore’s Behavior
The journalist went on to explain the circumstances of Ritchie’s meeting with Eddie.
“Obviously, he knew who it was, and the funny thing about Ritchie Blackmore, which I tried to emphasize in the novel, was that Ritchie Blackmore had nothing to prove to anyone. Even if he recognized Edward as one of the ‘young terps‘ as I describe him in the book, tapping had penetrated his defenses, and this is the new generation of Strat players.”
The Silent Aftermath Of The Encounter
Steve added the following, reflecting on Eddie’s reaction to the event and his interpretation of Blackmore’s actions:
“Ritchie Blackmore was a legend, my God.” If he had merely recorded ‘Machine Head,’ that would have sufficed, but he had done so much more, and that type of greeting could only come from a position of extreme insecurity. ‘I don’t want to acknowledge who you are,’ on top of being a really unpleasant guy. So, yes, that was bad. Edward remained silent on the way home. I was afraid to bring it up, but I could tell he was hurt.”
Van Halen’s Admiration For Blackmore
Eddie, on the other hand, was deeply impacted by Ritchie’s quick guitar riffs and solos. In a 2015 Billboard interview, Van Halen shared his favorite riffs, including one from Deep Purple’s 1974 song ‘Burn.’ Van Halen loved Blackmore’s riffs, as well as his usage of the vibrato bar, according to a 2011 Rolling Stone interview. He noted:
“I enjoyed Ritchie Blackmore’s usage of the vibrato bar on ‘Deep Purple in Rock.’ They also come up with fantastic riffs. “Come on, ‘Smoke on the Water‘ is one for the history books.”
Eddie commended Ritchie Blackmore for starting his interest in the whammy bar in a 1978 interview with Classic Rock magazine, just after the release of Van Halen’s debut album.
You can watch the full interview below.
