Last Updated on December 12, 2025 by Black Sunshine Media
When approaching an intimate memoir like Brothers by Alex Van Halen, it’s important to establish what the book isn’t trying to do. Brothers isn’t a rock star tell-all. It’s not a searing fuck-off to former band members. It’s not a celebratory tale of rock n’ roll hedonism. If you go into Brothers looking for dirt, you won’t find it. Alex Van Halen has one thing on his mind: his younger brother.
What to Expect
Brothers is part open letter to the deceased Eddie Van Halen, and part tribute to a brotherhood (and band) that defined their lives and changed the landscape of rock music. It’s a memoir written by a man who hasn’t finished grieving the loss of his life partner. It’s a very personal story, and you must respect Alex Van Halen’s way of telling it.
Van Halen’s intraband squabbling has been happening since they formed, but eventually, it spilled into the public eye when David Lee Roth left the band. Not coincidentally, this is where Alex Van Halen ends the book. From 1985–forward, the brothers were in a perpetual war of words with Dave, and later, Sammy Hagar, too.
2024
★★★★★
Alex Van Halen’s love letter to his younger brother, Edward. From the brothers’ childhood to international fame and success, Alex shares tales of musical politics, infighting, and plenty of miscreant behavior, but it's mostly about brotherhood. Bonus points for leaving Sammy out of the story!
The Sammy Dilemma
When Brothers was published in October 2024, the reviews praised AVH’s courage and honesty, but certain people were cut from the narrative, specifically Sammy Hagar. “Alex Snubs Sammy in New Memoir”, “Sammy Left Out of AVH’s New Book”, etc. Followed by Sammy’s reaction and all sorts of arguments on social media.
Here’s another thing Brothers is not: a retrospective re-telling of the band’s history. And again, I remind you, this is Alex’s story, and if he doesn’t think Sammy belongs in the narrative, then Sammy doesn’t belong. Alex makes it pretty clear. The spirit of Van Halen died when Dave left the band. It wasn’t the end of the band, but it wasn’t the same.
I Know a Lil’ Bit About Van Halen
I’ve been a massive Van Halen fan since I heard Van Halen I on cassette at my friend Tim’s house in 1978. I bought the LP the next day. With a gun to my head, I would say Van Halen is my favorite band. If I had to choose the catalogue of one artist to hear for the rest of my life, I’d take the first six VH records they recorded with DLR.
David Lee Roth’s autobiography, Crazy From the Heat (1997), is one of my favorite books of all time—it changed my life, literally—and the Gold Standard of rock memoirs, so I was pleased to hear Alex’s side of the story.
Meanwhile, I’ve read four books about Van Halen (including Brothers). I have the hardcover of Runnin’ with the Devil by Noel Monk.
DLR’s autobiography, Crazy From the Heat, is one of the top 20 books that changed my life. I loaned my copy of Van Halen Rising to a guy in Taipei, and he never gave it back. I’ve had the Van Halen News Desk bookmarked in my browser since it first came online.
In terms of information about Van Halen, the band, there’s very little in Brothers that I wasn’t familiar with. I knew the reasoning behind the infamous M&M rider clause and the parachuting stunt to upstage Boston and Black Sabbath at Summerfest in 1978. Most of the band’s antics have been covered in various publications. Fortunately, AVH doesn’t linger on the logistics of rock n’ roll unless it’s crucial to the story.
Therapeutic Benefits of Brothers
What I got from Brothers, and I suspect you will, too, is Alex Van Halen’s perception, voice, and perspective. It’s a very humanizing narrative, and credit is due AVH for acknowledging the good and bad sides of the brothers’ relationships with each other, their family, and the world at large. As a fan, Alex’s side of the story has a therapeutic benefit.
Between the two of them, Al and Ed changed the face of rock music. Dave and Michael Anthony played a big role, too, but can you imagine Al playing drums for anybody but Eddie and vice versa? I can’t. For the most part, they only played together. They’re an inseparable musical unit. And now, sadly, one of them is no longer here. Only after reading Brothers can I imagine how it must feel to be the survivor.
