In a recent interview with Brutal Planet Magazine, ex-GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal discussed how Eddie Van Halen impacted a completely new generation of rock music, particularly hard rock that emerged in the 1980s. He stated (according to BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Eddie, I joined the game a bit late. I was twelve years old. In 1982, I first came across VAN HALEN. I recall being at a band rehearsal when a kid there asked me, ‘Do you know how to tap?’ I was thinking, ‘What is tapping?’ I was completely unaware. And he demonstrated to me. And he played ‘Eruption’ for me. I thought, ‘Wow, I had no idea a guitar could perform like that.’ Then he played ‘Mean Street’ for me. And that completely distorted my mind. It amazed me. From that moment forward, my perspective, or I should say how I viewed guitar, changed entirely. And I believe it was for many individuals. It’s as if guitar music can be divided into pre-Eddie and post-Eddie eras, which were distinctly different… Now, it’s become acceptable to fill an album with instrumental guitar tracks.
And hitting a nylon string along with his tempo, just his pace shuffle and his rhythm and the intensity — simply listen to any tune. It’s similar to all the eye-catching soloing and the effort with the bar to merely pre-bend a bend. However, if you simply choose any riff, merely the groove along with all the ghost notes. And he played the drums. I suppose that living with his brother and being raised alongside a drummer surely contributed, as he exhibited such percussive, rhythmic, and dynamic qualities, along with an impressive groove and pocket in his performance. Simply outstanding. Furthermore, the power of his fingers, bending his index finger, and merely the expressions. He was unique — this rare individual from a background I’m unsure of, but I’m grateful we lived at the same time to witness it.
Expanding on Eddie Van Halen’s impact on rock bands of the 1980s, Bumblefoot remarked: “I believe hair bands might not have existed as they did without Eddie Van Halen.” Shred guitar and pure virtuosity on the instrument, emphasizing the guitar, as guitar music wouldn’t have the same presence. And he changed the direction of rock music. He genuinely did.
Thal also recognized Eddie Van Halen’s influence on his playing, stating: “Listening to VAN HALEN felt like receiving a permission slip that says, ‘Go do whatever you want.'” I began experimenting with guitar design, trying out unusual ideas and removing the frets from guitars.
“Prior to Eddie, my playing style was quite similar to Angus Young’s [AC/DC],” Bumblefoot stated. “Following Eddie, it became more about, ‘Everything that defines a person as unique, their individual identity, let me discover that and reveal it.'” It’s more than merely delivering the song as in, ‘Alright, I will perform for the song.’ I’m performing the tune. “And now, we have a guitar solo.” No. Now the guitar stands as its own voice, rather than simply being an instrument for the song.
Thal mentioned Eddie Van Halen in October 2021 when reflecting on one album that had “a significant influence” on his life: VAN HALEN’s fourth studio album, “Fair Warning,” released in 1981. He shared with the “Infectious Groove” podcast: “At 12 years old, I had been somewhat of an Angus Young-style guitarist. I recall being at a band rehearsal when a kid there asked me if I had heard of VAN HALEN. I had not listened to them previously, so he played a recording of the intro to ‘Mean Street’ from the newly released ‘Fair Warning’ album. And just like anyone who listened to VAN HALEN for the first time, it amazed me. I have never heard guitar playing like that before. Even now, I’ve yet to encounter that style of guitar playing again. That introduction was simply a noise I had never experienced, and it awakened my sight, my hearing, my thoughts, my soul, my whole essence. It completely altered my perspective on playing guitar, creating music, and the function of the guitar in a song and within music. And from that point, I transformed into a different type of player. I began thoroughly exploring and probing to discover my true identity. It will forever remain one of my beloved albums. “I feel incredibly thankful to have existed on earth during the time that VAN HALEN was.”
In an October 2020 interview with WDHA radio station, Thal discussed the impact Eddie Van Halen had on his guitar playing. He remarked at that moment: “I listened to ‘Eruption’ and I was instantly amazed.” It transformed my life — it truly transformed my life, that instant, and I recall it clearly. I acquired a cassette of ‘Eruption’ and returned home, dedicating months to mastering it. Slowly, by listening to a few notes on a cassette, I would locate them on the guitar, adding more and more until I had it all. After that, I opened the cassette, unscrewed the four small screws, took it apart, flipped the reel around, reassembled it, so everything was reversed, and then I learned it in reverse.
He went on: “At 13, I had a cover band named PARADOX. And we performed — one half of the set was RUSH and the other half consisted of various VAN HALEN tracks. I was the biggest VAN HALEN enthusiast. I signed up for Guitar World magazine and would read every interview with Eddie Van Halen. I began to innovate — I took my guitar apart, then performed all the techniques he was using, [such as] dipping the pickups in wax to adjust feedback levels, and all sorts of wild things. And that’s what inspired me to truly explore and delve deeply to discover my own voice. Because no one exhibited such a distinct personality, identity, and individuality in their playing as he did as a guitarist. You may contend that, indeed, but when you reflect on it, all that he contributed — the guitar tone, his method of using a Variac to alter the voltage and extract a unique sound from a Marshall amp — resulted in a fresh type of tone known as the ‘brown sound.’ The uniqueness of his style — how he performed, the manner in which he articulated everything, precisely what his fingers executed and all the tapping he employed, reminiscent of the grand conclusion of
‘Eruption’ and then elements like the beginning of ‘Little Guitars’, swiftly plucking one string while striking notes on another, as if [it were] two individuals playing a single guitar. He accomplished numerous tasks. Furthermore, the guitar’s function in a song was entirely distinct. It was once, ‘Alright, here’s your rhythm track, and you add the leads.’ However, he created a vibrant persona of an electrifying, high-energy being in a song. And within albums as well — he transformed the guitar’s function on a record, introducing interludes between tracks featuring distinctive guitar segments along with his lengthy guitar openings and elements that were rarely heard on rock albums — at least not in that manner. He truly was the top game changer. “From that moment forward, once he was noticed, everything shifted.”
Thal became a member of GUNS N’ ROSES in 2006 and contributed to the 2008 album “Chinese Democracy”, which featured tracks created prior to his arrival in the band. The album took 13 years to produce and achieved only moderate sales, selling around 500,000 copies.
Thal’s latest instrumental album, “Bumblefoot …Returns!”, was released on January 24, 2025. “Bumblefoot …Is Back!” came 30 years after Bumblefoot’s first solo instrumental record.
Rolling Stone magazine placed Eddie Van Halen at No. 8 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists.
VAN HALEN was welcomed into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007.
