In a recent interview, guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen claimed that the legendary Eddie Van Halen deliberately avoided him in the 1980s and even pretended not to know who he was, suggesting the late Van Halen felt “threatened” by his presence.
Eddie Van Halen exploded onto the rock scene with the release of Van Halen in 1978. With his revolutionary technique and unmistakable tone, he quickly became a dominant force in guitar music, standing shoulder to shoulder with other icons like Randy Rhoads. By the early 1980s, Eddie had already achieved near-mythical status. Malmsteen, a Swedish-born shredder known for his neoclassical style, emerged a few years later, first making waves in the U.S. with Alcatrazz in 1983 and then as a solo artist with Rising Force in 1984.
In a new conversation with Classic Rock magazine (via Guitar), Malmsteen claimed that while Eddie was secretly listening to his music, he publicly denied even knowing who he was:
“I never said a bad word about him. I never will. Because I think he was amazing,” Malmsteen stated. “But I used to know a guy who worked in the grocery store where Eddie would shop, and the guy would ask him: ‘Hey, what do you think about Yngwie Malmsteen, the new Swedish kid?’ And Eddie would say: ‘I don’t know who that is.’”
Malmsteen further alleged that Van Halen was, in fact, a closet fan:
“Meanwhile, Dave Roth told me that Eddie would have his ghetto blaster, playing my sh*t on it all day long.”
The Swedish guitarist also recounted an incident at the 1986 Grammy Awards, where he says Van Halen blatantly avoided him:
“I go to the show – I had my tux on and everything – and I see Eddie there. I’m waving at him, trying to get his attention, and he sees me… and he runs away. He literally ran away!”
Malmsteen went on to describe a missed opportunity to meet Van Halen at a concert festival in Holland. According to Malmsteen, Van Halen’s band had been scheduled to headline the event, but allegedly pulled out once they discovered Malmsteen was also on the bill:
“I was doing a concert festival in Holland, and Van Halen were headlining. I’m like, ‘Great, I finally get to meet Eddie and give him my concerto.’ Because I’m proud of my concerto, you know?”
“But I find out they cancelled the show. They said Alex Van Halen had broken his little finger or something. And then I hear that the promoter got a phone call from Eddie himself, who said: ‘Just to let you know, if Yngwie Malmsteen is playing, I’m not playing. And I will never fu**ing play the same stage as Yngwie Malmsteen.’”
Malmsteen concluded by expressing disbelief that someone of Eddie Van Halen’s stature could feel insecure:
“I’m like, ‘What?’ He obviously felt threatened. Which is crazy to me. You’re fu**ing Eddie Van Halen. No one could threaten you!”
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