Author(s): Keira Dunn

Music

From the ultra-tight power chords that launched Eruption to the iconic galloping grooves of Hot for Teacher, Alex Van Halen's drumming was the ferocious yet dexterous heartbeat driving Van Halen's rise to legendary status.But as indispensable as his foundation was to the band's virtuoso playing, Alex's steadying influence behind the scenes proved equally vital. As the pragmatic pulse amidst rock's most volatile superstars, he diplomatically navigated the tumultuous clashes between the clashing giants of David Lee Roth's Cheeky showmanship and Eddie Van Halen's unbridled genius.
When the Roth/Eddie powder keg finally exploded in 1985, it was Alex who handpicked new singer Sammy Hagar and fostered their Van Hagar rebirth. He and the roguish Red Rocker struck an unbreakable Poundcake bond as next-level party monsters. Yet another implosion a decade later brought Van Halen to its knees until Alex initiated Roth's storybook 2007 reunion.
Through dizzying highs of record-shattering tours and KO album sales to sober Chicago basement rehearsals, debilitating injuries, and rehabs, Alex remained Van Halen's consummate professional and level-headed linchpin. His colossal skills behind the kit merged Keith Moon's barbaric power with John Bonham's metronomic time wizardry. He never faltered delivering the thunderous grooves that counterbalanced Eddie's extravagantly innovative riffs and tones.
In this no-holds-barred biography, experience the untold truth about just how indispensable Alex Van Halen was to keeping his wildly talented but dysfunctional brother, bandmates, and rock circus on an upward trajectory. Filled with shocking personal revelations and behind-the-music anecdotes, it's an unvarnished look at the man who manned the chaotic beating heart of one of modern music's most iconic groups.
Don't miss this electrifying oral history that gets to the core of Alex Van Halen: The Steady Pulse - Holding Together Rock's Most Volatile Band. The must-read rock biography of the year is available for pre-order now!