EDDIE VAN HALEN: 'Loving Life, My Son, Music And My New Wife'

Legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen has posted the following message on his official MySpace blog:

"Just wanted to say hi and let you know what has been going on in my life lately.

"Janie [Liszewski, Eddie's girlfriend of three years] and I had a very special and amazing wedding here at the house with our friends and family. Wolfgang [Van Halen; Eddie's son and current VAN HALEN bassist] was my best man and Alex [Van Halen; Eddie's brother and VAN HALEN drummer] married us. Janie's Pomeranian walked her down the aisle. It was one of the biggest and best moments of our lives.

"Our European honeymoon was just as wonderful, it was good to see Amsterdam again. I had hand surgery and arthritis treatment in Germany and recovery is going extremely well.

"Alex, Wolfgang and I just started rehearsing up at the studio again. It feels great to play and my hand is getting better every day. I am not entirely up to speed yet, but I am getting there.

"I was asked to do a cameo for [CBS comedy] 'Two and a Half Men'. I typically shy away from these requests as I am not an actor, but [actor] Charlie [Sheen] and I are friends and since it was a scene with him, I agreed. Charlie and I had a great time, even though I was very nervous. The cast and crew were a pleasure to work with and helped me feel a little more at ease. I believe this episode airs September 21st.

"I have been asked to do an interview and Guitar World cover shoot with Tony Iommi. He is such a great guy and good friend; of course I said YES! I just saw him in L.A. last week and discussed my medical treatments. He has similar problems with his hand and hopefully he will find the same relief I have found.

"Loving life, my son, music and my new wife.

"Can't wait to see you all again soon."

Eddie Van Halen told Rolling Stone that he underwent the hand surgery due to a bone spur, a twisted tendon, and a cyst in the joint of his left thumb. He explained that the hand problems first popped up during VAN HALEN's last tour, saying, "During the last leg of our tour, I started developing pain in my thumb and my pinky. I didn't think much of it at the time. It got progressively worse to the point that about three months ago I wasn't able to play at all. My pinky and my thumb were totally locked up and felt like there was something broken."

He sought help from hand specialists in Dusseldorf, Germany, who at first were treating him for arthritis before further examinations showed the extent of the problem: "They said the only way to fix it was surgery, which of course scared the shit out of me, but I was told it was the only way to fix it. Surgery was a success, now I just have to let it heal. I am totally jazzed that they found the problem, fixed it and in about four months my hand will feel like I am 18 again. Thank God."

The stitches came out within a few days, his recovery will be complete in four-to-six months. "In the meantime I am able to write a bit, but cannot overexert my hand because it needs to heal properly," he said.

Van Halen says that like all of VAN HALEN's albums, the seeds to all great material stems from jam sessions with brother Alex. "What I do on any record is I basically lock myself up in the studio with my brother, and we jam, and whatever comes out is what we (laughs) use," he said. "And a lot of the stuff we, we don't use, 'cause it's not good (laughs). But the good stuff we keep, and we just carry on from there."

VAN HALEN — featuring brothers Eddie and Alex, Eddie's son Wolfgang, and David Lee Roth — are expected to record a new album and tour sometime in 2010.

Photo courtesy of Eddie Van Halen's MySpace page: