The Eddie Van Halen - Nobody Knew

Over the last five years of his life, the rock icon had a secret correspondence with a former music journalist, spilling gossip, gripes, hopes, fears-and revealing himself like never before

- Blair Fischer

"HOW'S MICHAEL ANTHONY DOING?" That's the first thing I say to Eddie Van Halen, the legendary guitarist and co-namesake of the rock band Van Halen. Rather, that's the first thing I say to someone who possibly is but probably isn't Eddie Van Halen. I mean, who am I kidding? There's no way the real Eddie Van Halen's email address should be available for anyone to find in a public database - and it sure as shit shouldn't be an America Online account.

In other words, this can't be him, which is why the first email I send is something this stupid and slapdash. Those familiar with the history of Van Halen know Anthony - the band's original bassist was not so much fired from Van Halen as he was replaced in 2006 with Eddie's son, Wolfgang, without anyone ever bothering to tell Anthony. At least that's how Anthony's told it. So, my opening line is the type of thing you might see a Van Halen traditionalist hold up on a giant sign at a concert just to troll Anthony's replacement. This isn't just a fan talking. In a former life, I'd been a music journalist, including some time as an editor for ROLLING STONE's website. Back then, I got to interview everyone from Ozzy Osbourne to Diddy. But now it's 2015, and I'm more than a decade removed from my dream job. Today, as a market researcher for a health-insurance company, I stare at data tables till my eyes water and monitor my employer's social media mentions, featuring angry posts about how only "fraudelent fucks" and "#scumbags" would work there.