For many years, rock fans and guitar enthusiasts have had an image of Eddie Van Halen holding a Fender Stratocaster on their walls. Whatever your thoughts on his uniquely American style of hard rock, there’s no denying his technical proficiency and effortless style. The guitarist from Amsterdam served as an inspiration to a whole new wave of rock and roll followers. However, a far wider range of artists influenced him during his illustrious career than people generally acknowledge.
Like Alice Cooper, the dark prince, Eddie Van Halen is an inevitability when it comes to the rock scene of the twentieth century. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the two developed a friendship over the years. Cooper had a bit of an advantage over Van Halen. He had made a name for himself in the 1960s American music scene by performing in a sinister manner. Additionally, he drew inspiration from horror films to write his lyrics.
Alice Cooper played a pivotal role in shaping the hard rock genre that Van Halen would eventually come to define. Given their merit, you could overlook the duo’s apparent haughtiness regarding their contributions to the rock genre. Even during their periods of fame, Cooper and Van Halen, though, continued to be amazed by their early inspirations. Glen Campbell, a legendary figure in country and Western music, was one such unexpected influence.
On the surface, Glen Campbell’s soft country sounds like nothing at all compared to Eddie Van Halen’s or Alice Cooper’s scorching rock & roll. Even the most creative music experts would find it difficult to find similarities between songs like “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Dead Babies” by Alice Cooper, but that didn’t stop the two from becoming close friends. As he would with Eddie Van Halen, Cooper would frequently play golf with Glen Campbell in an almost unbelievable scenario.
In an interview with Johnnie Walker on The Rock Show, Cooper talked about his friendship with Van Halen and how Glen Campbell continued to be a wonderful person for them both. Eddie Van Halen once called me and said, “Hey, I wanna come to Arizona and play golf,” the man recalled. I replied, “Okay, great.” Now, Eddie asked, “How’s my game?” following the first round of golf. “Eddie, you are a great guitarist,” I exclaimed. “Yeah, but what about my game?” he responds. “Eddie, you’re a great songwriter,” I say.
However, it doesn’t appear that Van Halen and Cooper met just to discuss Van Halen’s short game. Cooper recalls that “the real reason he came in was to say, ‘Okay, let me tell you the real reason I wanted to come in’. Please arrange for Glen Campbell to teach me how to play the guitar. When other guitarists heard Glen Campbell play, they could not help but think, “Oh my gosh, this guy’s amazing.” Glen Campbell was thus scheduled to instruct Eddie Van Halen on guitar.
It seems absurd that anyone, much less a country and western star, could teach Eddie how to play the guitar. However, Glen Campbell was a far better guitarist than most people realize. While it’s true that he didn’t get many opportunities to display his amazing abilities on his most well-known songs, that didn’t stop Eddie Van Halen and Alice Cooper from recognizing his extraordinary talent. Eddie Van Halen and Alice Cooper both acknowledged his extraordinary talent. Alice Cooper even took a guitar lesson from Campbell.
