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00:00We had a Radio Shack computer, and we ended up numbering everything,
00:05punching it up on the computer, telling me what was on it.
00:07Known as the happiest guitar hero to ever shred a stage,
00:10Eddie Van Halen lit up the planet for decades with his wild riffs,
00:14crazy energy, and that big grin everyone loved.
00:17But behind that legendary smile was a storm he kept hidden.
00:21At 62, Eddie finally broke the silence.
00:24He had a list, a private blacklist of six rock icons
00:28the world believed he adored, but deep down, he couldn't stand.
00:32These weren't random names either.
00:33They were the same legends who once inspired him, jammed with him,
00:37and even shaped his signature sound.
00:39But something went wrong.
00:40They betrayed him, dismissed him, or hit him where it hurt most.
00:44And once the truth came out, the rock world couldn't believe what they were hearing.
00:49So buckle up and make sure to hit that subscribe button.
00:52It helps this channel big time.
00:53Let's jump right into this wild story.
00:56Eric Clapton, the idol who broke Eddie's heart.
00:59First on Eddie Van Halen's secret hate list is the name no one ever expected.
01:02Eric Clapton.
01:03Yeah, that Clapton.
01:05The guitar legend Eddie once idolized so much,
01:07he literally wore out his Cream records from spinning them non-stop.
01:12Friends from back in the day said you couldn't even step into Eddie's room
01:15without hearing Crossroads shaking the walls till the speakers almost gave out.
01:20Eddie didn't just admire Clapton.
01:22He studied him. Every solo, every lick, every tone, Clapton was his playbook.
01:28But everything changed in 1980 when Clapton did an interview that would flip Eddie's world upside down.
01:34A reporter asked what he thought of Eddie's playing.
01:36Clapton could have tossed him a kind word, maybe a simple compliment.
01:40Instead, he hit Eddie where it hurt most, saying,
01:43He's very good technically, but I don't hear much soul.
01:46When Eddie read that, it was like the air got sucked out of the room.
01:51Those close to him said his face just went blank.
01:53No yelling, no tears, just quiet heartbreak.
01:56He told his friends,
01:58I learned everything from him, and he says that, that line haunted him.
02:01But the real heartbreak came later, backstage in Los Angeles.
02:05Eddie finally met his idol in person, shaking, excited, like a dream coming true.
02:10But when Clapton walked in, it wasn't what he imagined.
02:14No smile, no warmth, just quick glances at his watch, like he couldn't wait to leave.
02:20Eddie walked away muttering,
02:22I think he just wanted it to end.
02:24That crushed him completely.
02:26The man he'd worshipped for years turned out cold, distant, almost like a stranger.
02:31Years later, Eddie finally opened up to someone close to him and said,
02:35I loved the myth more than the man.
02:37And that's why Eric Clapton landed right at the top of Eddie's secret blacklist.
02:41Not because of a wild feud or any public drama,
02:44but because that disappointment cut deeper than any guitar string ever could.
02:49Richie Blackmore, the stare that froze the room.
02:51Eddie Van Halen never forgave Richie Blackmore.
02:54And the crazy part?
02:56Blackmore didn't even have to say a single word.
02:58The first time they crossed paths,
03:00the energy in the room dropped like someone killed the lights.
03:04Cold, tense, and sharp as glass.
03:07Eddie walked in all hyped, finally getting to meet one of his guitar heroes.
03:11But the second his eyes met Richie's, that excitement turned to ice.
03:15Blackmore just stood there, still as a statue,
03:18giving him this piercing glare that said, loud and clear,
03:21You're not welcome here!
03:23Eddie talked about that moment years later, still sounding shocked.
03:26He just stared at me, didn't say hi, nothing, he said.
03:29That silent stare hit harder than any insult ever could.
03:33Eddie was known for his warmth, always smiling, cracking jokes, lifting everyone's mood.
03:38But Blackmore, he gave him absolutely nothing.
03:41No handshake, no nod, no word, just cold, empty silence.
03:44It was like a slap in the face in front of a crowd that didn't dare breathe.
03:48And it didn't stop there.
03:50At a late 70s festival, one of the techs tried to play matchmaker,
03:53suggesting the two guitar legends should talk tone sometime.
03:57Blackmore didn't even fake interest.
03:58He turned away and said in a low, sharp voice,
04:02Not now.
04:02I don't have time for that, kid.
04:04Eddie heard every word.
04:06So did everyone else.
04:07The whole place went awkwardly quiet,
04:10and the embarrassment stuck in the air like thick smoke.
04:13Then, just when it seemed like things couldn't get colder,
04:16Blackmore dropped another jab in the press.
04:18When a magazine asked him what he thought of Eddie's explosive playing style,
04:22he brushed it off with a smirk and said,
04:24He's a fine player, but too many notes.
04:26That wasn't feedback.
04:28That was dismissal.
04:29The kind of remark that says,
04:31Stay in your lane, kid.
04:32From that moment on,
04:33Eddie's tone changed every time Blackmore's name came up.
04:37That teenage admiration, gone.
04:40What replaced it with something darker.
04:42A quiet, steady resentment.
04:45Years later,
04:46Eddie summed it up in one haunting line.
04:48Some people give you the shaft with their eyes.
04:51Then he added with a half laugh,
04:53Blackmore didn't just give it.
04:55He perfected it.
04:56Joe Perry,
04:57the rock star who pretended Eddie didn't exist.
05:00Now, the story between Eddie Van Halen and Joe Perry,
05:04that one's just cold.
05:06Before the two ever even exchanged words,
05:08there was tension thick enough to slice through.
05:10Eddie joined the 1978 tour,
05:13pumped to share the stage with Aerosmith,
05:15a band he'd idolized growing up.
05:18But the moment he stepped backstage,
05:20the vibe hit him hard.
05:21Every time Eddie passed Joe Perry in the hall,
05:25Perry just walked right by.
05:26No eye contact,
05:27no,
05:28hey man,
05:29nothing.
05:29It was like Eddie was invisible.
05:31Eddie didn't sugarcoat it.
05:32He said straight up,
05:34Joe Perry would just give me the shaft with his eyes.
05:36That silent stare said everything,
05:39and it burned way worse than any insult.
05:41Not a nod,
05:42not a wave,
05:44not even a half smile.
05:45Eddie wasn't asking for applause or worship,
05:47just a little respect.
05:49But Joe Perry,
05:50he used silence like it was a weapon.
05:53And the coldest moment came one night after soundcheck.
05:56Eddie spotted the Gibson Perry was holding and walked over,
05:59all smiles,
06:00just wanting to talk shop.
06:01Before Eddie could even get a word out,
06:03Perry raised his hand,
06:05without turning his head,
06:06and motioned,
06:07don't talk.
06:08Then he just kept chatting with someone else,
06:10like Eddie wasn't even there.
06:12Eddie stood frozen for a moment,
06:14completely humiliated.
06:15Later he told a close friend,
06:18it was like I didn't even exist.
06:20That one moment,
06:22just a quick brush off,
06:23stuck to him like a scar he couldn't shake.
06:26Years later,
06:27Joe Perry finally tried to make things right,
06:29calling Eddie a genius.
06:31But by then,
06:32it didn't matter.
06:33The wound had already settled deep.
06:35That silence,
06:36that total lack of respect,
06:38it haunted him for years.
06:40With Joe Perry,
06:41the quiet spoke louder than any insult ever could.
06:44Randy Rhodes,
06:45the rival who struck Eddie right in the heart.
06:47The tension between Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhodes
06:50didn't build slowly.
06:51It erupted the moment Randy's name
06:53started appearing beside Eddie's in rock magazines.
06:56Eddie had just changed the entire game of guitar playing.
06:59Nobody sounded like him.
07:01But then,
07:01out of nowhere,
07:02came this young,
07:04classically trained prodigy
07:05everyone started calling,
07:07the next Eddie Van Halen.
07:09That title cut deep.
07:11Eddie didn't bother hiding how much it got under his skin.
07:13In one fiery interview,
07:15he said sharply,
07:16he learned everything from me.
07:18To Eddie,
07:19it felt like the industry was trying to pass his crown
07:22to someone who hadn't walked his path yet.
07:24And even though Randy wasn't copying him,
07:26the media wouldn't let it go.
07:28Every article,
07:29every radio host,
07:30every fan debate
07:31turned it into a silent battle for guitar supremacy.
07:34Their styles couldn't have been more different.
07:37Eddie was chaos and fire,
07:38pure emotion,
07:39raw energy,
07:40and instinct.
07:42Randy was discipline and control.
07:44Structured,
07:45technical,
07:45with that classical edge.
07:47But that didn't matter to the press.
07:49They kept forcing a rivalry,
07:51making it sound like a battle
07:52for who truly ruled the fretboard.
07:54Then came the moment
07:55that flipped things from tension
07:57to pure bitterness.
07:58While Randy was on tour with Ozzy Osbourne,
08:01one of his crew members
08:02thought it'd be hilarious
08:03to tape a tiny photo of Eddie
08:04under Randy's wah pedal.
08:06So every time Randy hit it,
08:08he was literally stomping on Eddie's face.
08:11Randy thought it was funny
08:12and left it there.
08:13And soon,
08:13everyone backstage
08:14was laughing about it.
08:16When the story made its way back to Eddie,
08:18he tried to brush it off in public,
08:19but inside,
08:20he was furious.
08:21That joke crossed the line for him.
08:23It wasn't playful anymore.
08:25It was flat-out disrespect.
08:26Ozzy didn't make things better either.
08:28Later,
08:28he said that Randy
08:29didn't have a nice thing
08:30to say about Eddie.
08:31That rumor only poured more fuel
08:33on an already burning grudge.
08:35Eddie felt cornered,
08:36like the same industry
08:37that once praised him
08:39was now replacing him.
08:40The man who had inspired thousands
08:42suddenly felt pushed aside,
08:44watching someone else
08:45being celebrated
08:46as the new guitar hero.
08:48But here's the twist.
08:49Randy Rhodes
08:50was struggling with it too.
08:52The constant comparisons
08:53wore him down.
08:55Both of them hated
08:56being pitted against each other,
08:58but neither would say it out loud.
09:00Deep down,
09:01they knew the truth.
09:02They respected each other's talent,
09:04maybe even admired it.
09:05But pride
09:06wouldn't let them admit it.
09:08And when Randy tragically passed away,
09:10that rivalry didn't fade.
09:11It haunted Eddie.
09:13Even years later,
09:14Randy's shadow lingered over him.
09:17No matter how many stages
09:18Eddie lit up,
09:19no matter how many solos he played,
09:21the ghost of that rivalry
09:22never left his mind.
09:25Randy Rhodes became the one opponent
09:26Eddie could never truly escape,
09:28even long after the music stopped.
09:31Tom Schultz,
09:32the engineer who crossed the line with Eddie,
09:34The bad blood between Eddie Van Halen
09:36and Tom Schultz from Boston
09:38didn't start behind closed doors.
09:40It blew up right on stage
09:41in front of thousands of fans.
09:44Eddie had just finished tearing through
09:45one of his blazing solos,
09:47the kind that made the whole crowd
09:49lose their minds.
09:50Then, moments later,
09:52Tom Schultz hit the stage for Boston's set
09:54and launched into a solo
09:55that sounded way too familiar.
09:57Same rhythm,
09:58same phrasing,
09:59same attitude.
10:00Eddie stood frozen at the side of the stage,
10:02staring in disbelief like,
10:04did he really just copy my solo?
10:06When the show ended,
10:08Eddie didn't waste a second.
10:09He went straight up to Schultz and asked,
10:11why'd you play my solo out there?
10:13Why take something that personal?
10:15But Schultz didn't flinch.
10:17He just shrugged and said,
10:18it sounded good
10:19before walking away like it was nothing.
10:21That casual brush off hit Eddie like a slap.
10:24For Eddie,
10:25it wasn't just about someone mimicking his sound.
10:27It was about respect.
10:29Schultz acted like Eddie's creativity
10:31was just another riff to recycle.
10:33Like it didn't mean anything.
10:34That arrogance lit a fire in him.
10:36Eddie could handle competition.
10:38He thrived on it.
10:39But what Schultz did?
10:40That felt like theft mixed with ego.
10:42And if that wasn't enough,
10:44things got even worse later on.
10:46At another show they both played,
10:48Eddie decided to take the high road.
10:50He gave Schultz a polite nod backstage,
10:53a silent olive branch.
10:55But Schultz didn't even acknowledge him.
10:57Crew members said he literally turned his head away,
11:00pretending not to see him.
11:02That was the breaking point.
11:04Eddie could forgive rivalry,
11:06even playful jabs.
11:07But disrespect?
11:09Never.
11:09Tom Schultz didn't just borrow a solo.
11:12He acted like Eddie himself didn't exist.
11:15That's why his name stayed locked
11:17on Eddie's secret blacklist.
11:18Not because of the music,
11:20but because he couldn't even look
11:21the man he borrowed from in the eye.
11:22Rick Derringer,
11:24the veteran who pushed Eddie past the edge.
11:26Rick Derringer holds a not-so-proud record.
11:29He's the only guitarist Eddie Van Halen
11:31ever kicked off a tour.
11:32And that alone says everything
11:34about how quickly things spiraled out of control.
11:37There was no slow buildup,
11:38no silent tension.
11:39This one went nuclear from the jump.
11:41What makes it even crazier?
11:43Eddie actually liked Rick at first.
11:46He respected his skills,
11:48his old hits,
11:49and figured they'd vibe on tour.
11:51But things went south
11:52faster than anyone expected.
11:54The respect turned into friction.
11:56And the friction turned into open hostility.
11:59So bad that Eddie personally
12:01ordered him off the tour.
12:03See, Eddie had grown up jamming along
12:05to some of Rick Derringer's classic riffs.
12:07He admired that confident,
12:09showy stage presence.
12:10But once they shared the same bill,
12:12that admiration flipped to frustration.
12:15The breaking point came during a live show in 1978.
12:18Eddie had just finished one of his jaw-dropping solos,
12:21the kind that left the entire crowd staring in awe.
12:24Minutes later,
12:25Derringer stepped on stage
12:26and played Eddie's solo.
12:28Not just inspired by it,
12:30note for note,
12:31the exact same solo
12:32in front of the same audience.
12:34Eddie watched from the wings,
12:36shocked and furious.
12:37To him,
12:37that wasn't flattery.
12:39It was flat-out disrespect.
12:40He'd spent years perfecting that style,
12:42pouring every ounce of emotion into it,
12:44only for someone he respected
12:46to treat it like a party trick.
12:48Backstage after the show,
12:49Eddie didn't hold back.
12:50He confronted Rick,
12:52voiced tight with anger,
12:53and made it crystal clear.
12:54No one steals his sound
12:56and gets away with it.
12:57Word spread fast through the tour crew.
12:59Rick Derringer was done.
13:01Just like that,
13:02Eddie had him dropped from the lineup.
13:04Eddie was standing offstage,
13:05watching every move,
13:06and the look on his face said it all.
13:08He wasn't flattered one bit.
13:10He was furious.
13:11What should have felt like a tribute
13:12hit him like a slap in the face.
13:14It wasn't homage.
13:15It was theft.
13:17After the show,
13:18Eddie didn't hold back.
13:19He pulled Rick Derringer aside
13:21and kept it real.
13:22He told him straight,
13:23I don't care if people use tapping,
13:25but copying my melody?
13:27That's different.
13:28He even reminded Rick
13:29how he'd once looked up to him as a kid,
13:31hoping that maybe that would spark
13:32a little respect between them.
13:34But Rick brushed it off
13:36like it was no big deal.
13:37He muttered something vague about
13:38just giving the crowd what they liked,
13:41then turned and walked away
13:42without another word.
13:44That arrogance hit Eddie like a punch.
13:47He'd tried to handle it with class.
13:48But the next night,
13:50Derringer took things from bad
13:51to straight-up disrespectful.
13:53When it was his turn to hit the stage,
13:55Derringer pulled the same stunt again.
13:57Same melody,
13:58same phrasing,
13:59same finish.
14:00And then,
14:01just to twist the knife,
14:02he closed his set with
14:04You Really Got Me,
14:05the Van Halen anthem
14:06that had already become
14:07their signature hit.
14:09The crowd went wild,
14:10but Eddie,
14:11he was done.
14:12That was the moment
14:13the switch flipped.
14:14He didn't shout.
14:15He didn't argue.
14:16He didn't even waste breath
14:18on another confrontation.
14:19Eddie just made the call.
14:21He told the band
14:21and the crew straight up,
14:23Derringer's not opening
14:24for us anymore.
14:25No debates,
14:25no warnings,
14:26no second chances.
14:28Rick Derringer had crossed the line once
14:29and then did it again
14:30with a smirk.
14:31And Eddie shut that door for good.
14:33That decision locked
14:34Derringer's name
14:35into Eddie's secret
14:36blacklist forever.
14:37Because for Eddie,
14:38music wasn't just about
14:39riffs or solos.
14:41It was about honesty,
14:42heart,
14:43and respect.
14:44And when that respect
14:45got tossed aside,
14:46there was no going back.
14:48So now that the six names
14:49on Eddie Van Halen's
14:50hidden blacklist
14:51are finally out there,
14:52Eric Clapton,
14:53Richie Blackmore,
14:54Joe Perry,
14:55Randy Rhodes,
14:56Tom Schultz,
14:57and Rick Derringer,
14:58which one hits you
14:59the hardest?
15:00These weren't random names.
15:01They were heroes,
15:03idols,
15:03legends,
15:04but somewhere between
15:05admiration and betrayal,
15:07they crossed a line
15:08that Eddie could never forgive.
15:10Eddie Van Halen
15:11may have been
15:11the happiest guitar hero
15:12on stage,
15:13but behind the amps,
15:14behind that bright grin,
15:16lived a man
15:16who carried quiet scars.
15:18Each name
15:19on that secret blacklist,
15:20Clapton,
15:21Blackmore,
15:22Perry,
15:22Rhodes,
15:23Schultz,
15:23and Derringer
15:24told a story of heartbreak,
15:25disappointment,
15:26and lessons learned
15:27the hard way.
15:28These weren't enemies
15:29born from chaos
15:30or jealousy.
15:32They were men
15:32he once admired,
15:33even loved,
15:34before pride and ego
15:36tore that respect apart.
15:38People always saw
15:39Eddie as unstoppable,
15:41the smiling rock god
15:42who turned a guitar
15:43into lightning.
15:44But even legends
15:45bleed behind the spotlight.
15:46Every cold stare,
15:48every backhanded comment,
15:49every stolen riff
15:50chipped away
15:51at that carefree spirit.
15:53Yet what made Eddie
15:54truly different
15:54was that he never
15:55let bitterness win.
15:57He didn't drag those feuds
15:58into the public eye.
15:59He didn't trash anyone
16:00in interviews
16:01or go chasing headlines.
16:02Instead,
16:03he poured it all
16:04into his playing,
16:05turning pain
16:05into pure sound,
16:06heartbreak into history.
16:08That's the wildest part.
16:09While others
16:10played politics,
16:11Eddie played passion.
16:13He stayed true
16:14to his love for music,
16:15no matter who doubted him
16:16or disrespected him.
16:18Every time he hit that stage,
16:19it was like he was saying,
16:21you can take my ideas,
16:23but you'll never play them like me.
16:25And he was right.
16:26Nobody ever did.
16:27Even when those six names
16:29lingered in the back
16:29of his mind,
16:30Eddie didn't let hate
16:31define him.
16:33He grew from it.
16:34He kept reinventing himself,
16:35pushing his sound further,
16:37faster, louder.
16:39Every riff he played
16:40after those betrayals
16:41became sharper,
16:42more emotional,
16:43more alive.
16:44That was Eddie's real revenge,
16:46turning pain into power.
16:48Years later,
16:49close friends said
16:50he never stopped
16:51loving the music
16:51of those he once admired.
16:53He still listened
16:54to their songs,
16:55still respected their craft,
16:56but he never forgot
16:58the moments that taught him
16:59how cold the industry could be.
17:01Those memories
17:02became lessons
17:03carved deep into his soul.
17:05They reminded him
17:06to stay grounded,
17:07to stay real,
17:08and to never lose the joy
17:09that made him who he was.
17:11So when fans talk
17:13about that secret list,
17:14they're not just talking
17:15about grudges,
17:16they're talking about
17:16the human side
17:17of a legend.
17:18Eddie wasn't just
17:19a guitar hero.
17:20He was a man
17:21who felt every note,
17:22every slight,
17:23every bit of love
17:24and pain
17:25the world threw at him.
17:26And through it all,
17:27he kept smiling
17:28that same grin
17:29that lit up
17:30millions of lives.
17:32Eddie Van Halen's story
17:33isn't just about
17:34who hurt him,
17:34it's about how
17:35he rose above it.
17:37His music outlived
17:38every feud,
17:39every disappointment,
17:40and every whispered rumor.
17:41He didn't need
17:42to tear others down,
17:43his guitar did
17:44all the talking.
17:45So what do you think?
17:46Which story from
17:46Eddie's secret blacklist
17:47shocked you the most?
17:49Drop your thoughts
17:49in the comments,
17:50hit that like button
17:51if you love a good
17:52rock and roll deep dive,
17:53and don't forget
17:54to subscribe for more
17:55wild music stories
17:56and untold rock legends.
17:58Thanks for watching,
17:59and we'll see you
17:59in the next video.
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