JOHN 5 On What Made EDDIE VAN HALEN's Playing So Unique: 'It's All In The Hands'

During an appearance on AXS TV's "Vinyl Obsession" podcast, MÖTLEY CRÜE's new guitarist John 5 spoke about some of his favorite albums of all time, including VAN HALEN's classic 1978 debut and KISS's "Love Gun". Regarding "Van Halen", he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I bought this from cover alone, because it said 'Gene Simmons', and he worked on the record. And I remember putting this on, and I think maybe this record was the one that maybe gave me the biggest shock, because of the sound. Now, I was already playing guitar. And it was, like, 'Whoa.' It was like seeing a car, but then seeing a race car. You're, like, 'Whoa.' I mean, [Eddie's Van Halen's guitar playing] really freaked me out. And then with Dave's [Lee Roth] vocal and the sound and everything… Without these four guys, it wouldn't be the same — with Mikey's [Anthony, bass] vocals and his playing and Alex's [Van Halen, drums] playing."

Elaborating on what stood out to him about Eddie's guitar playing, John 5 said: "I remember I would get on Eddie's rig and I would get on his guitar rig, and it's all in the hands — it's just in the hands. It's in his attack. It's in his playing. That's why he sounds like Eddie. That's why when people play other people's music, you can hit all the notes, but it's just different with certain players, like Eddie, because there was an attack and there was a certain way he really hit the the strings. Same thing with Yngwie Malmsteen or people like that. They have a certain swing to them or a certain attack. And that's how it was with Van Halen."

As for "Love Gun", John 5 said: "I remember this vividly, going through Sears, and I was seven years old. It was June. And because the record was just coming out and there was a big display. Remember in the record stores when they had huge displays and they had all the records… And I just remember getting it and taking it home and playing this record and loving it.

"I bought this from the image alone," he revealed. "And a lot of people, a lot of musicians I know did the same thing. It was [KISS's] 'Destroyer' [album], though, for them; that was the record that that did it for them. But this was everywhere. So when you walked, that's what you saw — you could not not see it.

"These guys were masters of marketing — really," John 5 continued. "So after I got this and listened to it and obsessed on it, then I got everything — 'Destroyer' and the debut and 'Hotter Than Hell' and 'Dressed To Kill'. Now, 'Dressed To Kill', it was funny because I thought — I mean, I was so young; I was seven years old — and I thought 'Dressed To Kill' was the first record 'cause it was black and white. And I didn't know, 'cause I used to love watching all the monster movies and I understood that they were very old and it was before color, but I thought 'Dressed To Kill', which is the third record, was their first record 'cause it was black and white.

"This is what a stupid kid I was. I used to think when they played KISS on the radio, which was rare, I used to think that they would go to the radio station, set up, play and then leave," John 5 added. "So whenever they had KISS playing on the radio station, I was, like, 'We gotta get to the radio station. KISS is playing at the radio station.' So I was so stupid. I just thought that all these artists would just go, 'Hey, what's up, Ted Nugent?' We're gonna play our song.' But in my defense of stupidity, it kind of happened like that in the '50s and things like that. When they were on the radio, they would go and they would play live. It was those old shows."

This past June, John 5 released a new solo song called "A Hollywood Story". The track, and accompanying video, details John 5's incredible journey, from picking up his first guitar at the age of 7 to recording acclaimed solo material and touring the world with the likes of Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford and — currently — MÖTLEY CRÜE.

The new track came after the release of the instrumental masterpiece "The Ghost" in October 2023 as well as a series of sold-out tour dates in 2023.

John 5 hit the road again this past fall on the "Strung Out" tour, with special guest TURNING JANE, beginning September 1 in Boston, Massachusetts and ending October 24 in Novato, California, with a number of Canadian dates. These new solo appearances were in addition to John 5's dates with MÖTLEY CRÜE, including Louder Than Life and Aftershock festivals.

For over 30 years, John 5 has been one of the most in-demand guitar players on the planet. As well as being a songwriter/guitarist for hire, John 5 has shared the stage as axe-man for Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson and Rob Halford. He has also worked with an impressive array of names, from all walks of music, including KD Lang, Rod Stewart, David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper, Tina Guo, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, Meat Loaf, Dolly Parton and Ricky Martin. In October 2022, it was revealed that John 5 would be joining MÖTLEY CRÜE as their guitarist following the announcement that Mick Mars would be retiring. John 5 continues to tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE.