We continue our series featuring some of our favorite interviews from 2024, this time with Alex Van Halen and Selena Gomez. Alex Van Halen talks about his life and the career he built with his late brother Eddie, and the formation of their band Van Halen. From growing up as immigrant kids in California, to the wild antics of life on the road as rock stars and some of his stunts, like setting his drums on fire.Selena Gomez talks about her role in the Spanish-language musical film Emilia Pérez, where she stars as the wife of a brutal drug cartel boss. We talk about the evolution of her career, from a Disney kid to a pop star.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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This is Fresh Air. I'm Tanya Mosley. Today we continue our series featuring interviews from 2024, this time with Selena Gomez and Alex Van Halen. Along with his late brother Eddie, Alex is a founding member of the rock band Van Halen. Known for their extravagant, high-energy performances, Van Halen is credited with being one of the most influential rock bands of all time.
I've seen the toughest around And I know Baby, just how you feel
In a memoir published this year called Brothers, Alex charts both he and Eddie's life and music career, from their arrival to the United States from the Netherlands as kids, to the influence of their father, who was a Dutch jazz musician, and the formation of the rock band in 1974, after meeting vocalist David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony.
But mostly, Brothers is a love letter to the music they created and to Eddie, who has been called for decades one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Van Halen disbanded after Eddie died in 2020, but throughout their run, Van Halen produced 12 studio albums, 4 compilation albums, 2 live records, and 56 singles. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Alex Van Halen, welcome to Fresh Air.
Thank you for having me.
Alex, music was in your blood because your dad was a jazz musician, so you were watching him while you guys were also performing yourselves. What was your earliest recollection of doing gigs?
The first thing we wanted to do was put a band together. And I think the first band we did put together was a band called The Broken Combs, which was, I played sax and Ed played piano. I had two other guys in there. And we managed to play for the school functions. And it was a good lesson for us as well.
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