Push comes to shove is a genius track in my mind, no matter what category you put it in it’s a dark, smoky, nasty groove almost like a movie track, and that lift in the second part of the solo is just freaking smart, just the perfect change that you don’t expect.
Dweezil I have to say how much Alex is a factor. I have never heard mammoth until now and he nails the fills on war pigs, wow. And if you watch the Oakland unchained video, he does a fast one right before the break down that blows my mind. It’s just incredible how in time and together they always were. Such a package deal that let Edward just shine. How old were you for your first VH show again? Mine was Sammy’s first tour as I was about to finish being 11. By the time Ed was half way through his solo part of the show, I could not hear anything except the very fast metallic strike of the pick on his strings. It was so loud I couldn’t hear him anymore! Anyway fun episode with Corgan thank you!
That's a tough question! I love them all for various reasons. You and Vai's personal stories tied to you learning guitar. Gilbert playing the lead vox melodies on guitar (which I've began to learn). And who could forget Blues' "SACK BABY" revelation!?!
Another great one Dweezil! Out of curiosity how many more do we have left in the early years series? And are you going to include the planned ADKOT episode in that or will it be for something different? Thanks a lot !! Lee
Thanks, glad you’re enjoying the episodes. The ADKOT is planned for the Right Here Right Now bundle. As for the Early Years, we have Diver Down and 1984 left plus an early years wrap up episode - which may end up being 2 episodes. So there’s some bonus stuff to look forward to!
It's "Mean Street" not "Mean Streets" Billy. Corgan sounds like an intelligent guy, but not convinced hes'a studied fan of the album. To not stop to talk about the clean flanger intro, the guitar work that covers the verse, not to mention the nasty/dark, inclusive of siren line lead work in "Hear About it Later" in favor of chalking the song up as "Poppy Cheese" and "Cutesy" is telling. "Too Wink/Winky"???? - If your'e going to call out that his playing on this album as "mean" in nature and tone, then to miss/not discuss that lead as some of the meanest playing on the album, WHAT? Most of what he came up with during the interview when asked to break down the playing was "I like the rhythm playing most" (yeah, what fan hasn't recognized that). I struggle to think Corgan could play along to VH I and do it any justice. I could be wrong. Dweezil- Really nice job! Love these conversations.
It's pretty easy to make the Mean Streets mistake. I've caught myself doing it too! Even Nuno called it Mean Streets. I was surprised Billy didn't like "Hear About It Later" but it doesn't stop me from loving that tune! In the Nuno episode, we went into great detail about that song. Doing 2 episodes on the same album is a bit tough because there are too many possibilities to cover the same points. I wanted to be sure to make the episodes as complete as I could but also have each one offer some different perspectives.
Thanks Dweezil. I appreciate the response! Yeah, I hear ya on Mean Street, maybe an unfair dig. Different perspectives is a good thing and yes loved the Nuno episodes where there was more discussion around the specific playing. Very much looking forward to the upcoming episodes!
When talking to the guests it's always a roll of the dice as to how deep to go with the details in the playing. Some players are inclined to talk about all of the nuances and others are more comfortable talking in general terms. I try to add in other layers of detail when I can if I feel like the listeners might like to hear more. There isn't a set formula for how to make a RWTD episode and each one turns out differently.
Excellent analysis Scott U. I've NEVER seen a video, heard a song, or read an article that showed Corgan to be more than a strummer. I would love to have heard him play along to "I'm the One".
When he was interviewed for the "Beyond a Lighted Stage" documentary on Rush and he said he could play Entre Nous and many other complex Rush songs, I scoffed. Now that he's on this podcast (only because of a Guitar World article that he wrote ~25 years ago) I'm full on choking at comments like "he plays mean"... no shit sherlock!
He should have listened to the in-depth, fanatical breakdowns by Gilbert, Bettencourt, Vai and Saraceno. That's what's expected here.
There are definitely players that don't fit the hard rock genre that would have done a much better job than Corgan. I'm indifferent towards John Mayer but the dude can rip and was a bonafide VH fan.
I know most of us here are absolute fanatics about Van Halen and their music. You never know who will offer an interesting perspective. As you probably know by now, I do my best to cover as much ground as possible. The tricky part is trying to find a way to uncover cool or unknown details about playing and recording while also having some fun storytelling to keep things moving along.
I've got some super detail-oriented guests coming up in the wrap-up episode(s) to the Early Years. More on that soon!
Dweezil! Killer series. So much fun. Glad you pushed the “swing” in his playing as opposed to the speed which everyone always focused on when we were young.
If you’ve got time, can you suggest some supplementary materials to aid in our journey together?
Like your top 5 live recordings/demos/stems, etc...to reference btwn episodes? Example might be, the Fresno ‘79 and Oakland ‘81 vids on YT, some of the recent snbd releases like Tuscon ‘78, or the “Zero” demos, etc...I’m a completist so I’m curious what your list would be.
Glad you're enjoying the podcast! I like you're idea. I'll see what I can do. My time is stretched thin at the moment but I'll put it on the ever growing list of things to do!
I've been working hard on catch up and I was planning to do an announcement about my progress tomorrow. I'm hard at work on a few episodes at once. The Billy Corgan episode is nearly ready and I hope to release it tomorrow. I will be writing an update blog very soon that will give details on what is coming next. I also want to start doing some of the online listening parties for the 5150 package.
Thanks for becoming a Silver Subscriber. Your subscription gives you access to all of my music for streaming. Every album comes with at least one free download. I've also created music content that is available only for Silver Subscribers. It's all accessible in the music store. The Silver Subscriber package does not include the RWTD podcast, that is a separate item. The podcast is available for purchase in 3 differently priced packages and individual episodes are also available for purchase $2.99. The 5150 package is the all-inclusive version which gives you access to every single episode plus a subscription to Premier Guitar and some really cool other features like access to the reverse engineering of the EVH guitar sound which also includes guitar presets for Fractal Axe FX, Line 6 Helix and Kemper. Hope that helps. Best, DZ
You are doing a great job with these podcasts! I was curious what is the ETA on the Billy Corgan episode? Even though at the age of 6 I discovered Edward's playing on the 1984 album (which started my obsession with the instrument), my formative musical years happened in the early 90's with that movement in music. I remember buying the copy of Guitar World back in the day when Corgan interviewed EVH. I'm really stoked to hear his perspective on Fair Warning because he did talk a little about how much he loved that record during their discussion (from what I remember).
Kevin, I disliked that Nuno could not focus on Dweezil's questions and the constant profanity added nothing. Maybe the guy suffers from ADHD? I do not mean it as a barb or a jest. I really like Nuno's music, but despite Dweezil's spin on the episode, I had to stop the program twice. It was a mess. Here's to the next one!
I subscribed / purchased previously. When I hit the site now and am signed in, I can't listen - it says "purchase." Please assist. Also curious when wav/flac for all episodes will be available? Thank you.
Just curious if that is happening with the Nuno Ep 7 or any other episodes. If it's Nuno Ep 7 that may be happening because a new version of the file was uploaded and that may have changed the status of that particular episode for some people.
I will send you a link to the Flac Files to your email this week. Sorry it's taken so long! Best, DZ
Thanks DZ - I appreciate it. The "purchase" option for all episodes is shown for all episodes on the main product page. When I go into my account and orders and navigate that way I can play them. Perhaps its a site user token tracker issue. I had never had the issue before which is why I wanted to report it. Keep up the good work.
I liked it - a different perspective and style. He shared some unique insights and love for the music. Made some really important points at the end about the importance of the whole band that really resonated with me.
It is almost criminal that more people haven't heard "Push Comes to Shove." I hadn't until a year or two ago when I went on a VH deep dive. I think it might be one of the best songs of the Roth era.
Hey dweezil going to start off by saying you got to be one of the coolest guys ever. And I just stumbled upon this today I was just surfing through the web. And want to say thank you very much for putting this out and sharing it with us. I'm 49 years old I live in the Bay area and I'm just another guy you still can't believe that eddie's gone. I'm a left-handed guitar player who really sucks, though I try to play everyday in between being a chimney sweep during the day. Actually I play a neon slime green Jackson just like the one you play. I just wanted to tell you that you're one of my influences along with Eddie, Jerry Garcia, buckethead, Trey from phish and last but certainly not least frank zappa . I got turned on to your pops like 10yrs ago and fuck n holy hell when I picked up ( shut up and play your guitar ) shit change in my mind . There are no wrong notes lol. My buddy Dave has a 24/7 Zappa radio that he broadcasts at burning man every year . Just wanted give a shout out to your dad man , ZAPPA RULES.. But you are the man and like I said you seem so fn cool , you like one of us . Your real , honest and talk from the heart. I just subscribe to your podcast .The early years for which I am listening to right now. . I can't wait to listen to the rest of this you have made my day. THANK YOU
Dweezil, when I first read that you were doing this I had to buy it. I knew that you were one of “us”. You understood. You knew. No one’s sound and playing has touched me like Eddie’s. He spoke to me and their music spoke to me like no other music has. When you first hear it, you just know, and you know. He is the GOAT. No one will ever have the complete package of talent, tone, feel, musicianship, and shear virtuosity like he did. I wish I would have been able to know him like you did. Thank you so much for bringing this podcast to us and for your passion and love of the music I love. You are a brilliant player that really comes the closest that I’ve ever heard to capturing his sound and playing.
When I was younger I remember saying that same thing about those one foot solos and friends going “huh?” I would just say, never mind I know they rip. Go listen to that other crap it’s fine.
I have a hard time listening to the whole episode, because every 5 minutes I have to go play one of the albums or a song you are talking about. You get me fired up to hear the songs so it takes a long time for the episodes lol...
Oh man, fair warning part 2 may be the best episode yet. My favourite VH album of course and exactly like Nuno said, seperates the fair weather fans from the rest.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. As you know from listening to it, there was a lot of extra post production to really bring it to life. I wanted to do that for a number of reasons but mainly because Fair Warning is my all time favorite VH album and it was so inspirational so I wanted to reflect that in some way for the listeners. I wish I could do stuff like that for every episode but but there aren't enough hours in the day and I've already fallen behind schedule. I'm glad you enjoyed the episode though! Now you know about the Godzilla connection!
Push comes to shove is a genius track in my mind, no matter what category you put it in it’s a dark, smoky, nasty groove almost like a movie track, and that lift in the second part of the solo is just freaking smart, just the perfect change that you don’t expect.
Jason, it's some of the best guitar playing ever. It's certainly my favorite EVH solo.
Great track. It owes a lot the Rolling Stones from Lee Roth's Mick Jagger-style raps to the funky feel. EVH plays one of his best solos.
Dweezil I have to say how much Alex is a factor. I have never heard mammoth until now and he nails the fills on war pigs, wow. And if you watch the Oakland unchained video, he does a fast one right before the break down that blows my mind. It’s just incredible how in time and together they always were. Such a package deal that let Edward just shine. How old were you for your first VH show again? Mine was Sammy’s first tour as I was about to finish being 11. By the time Ed was half way through his solo part of the show, I could not hear anything except the very fast metallic strike of the pick on his strings. It was so loud I couldn’t hear him anymore! Anyway fun episode with Corgan thank you!
Hi Jason,
Glad you’re enjoying the series. I was 12 when I saw the Diver Down tour. It was also loud as hell! It was amazing!
Dweezil, these episodes are FREAKIN' FANTASTIC!!! I've listened to them multiple times over. You're doing great work, my friend
Thanks Jason! Glad you’re enjoying them! Which one is your favorite?
That's a tough question! I love them all for various reasons. You and Vai's personal stories tied to you learning guitar. Gilbert playing the lead vox melodies on guitar (which I've began to learn). And who could forget Blues' "SACK BABY" revelation!?!
Good to know! That Blues story is still funny!
best, DZ
Another great one Dweezil! Out of curiosity how many more do we have left in the early years series? And are you going to include the planned ADKOT episode in that or will it be for something different? Thanks a lot !! Lee
Hi Lee,
Thanks, glad you’re enjoying the episodes. The ADKOT is planned for the Right Here Right Now bundle. As for the Early Years, we have Diver Down and 1984 left plus an early years wrap up episode - which may end up being 2 episodes. So there’s some bonus stuff to look forward to!
Thanks for the info! Looking forward to it all!
It's "Mean Street" not "Mean Streets" Billy. Corgan sounds like an intelligent guy, but not convinced hes'a studied fan of the album. To not stop to talk about the clean flanger intro, the guitar work that covers the verse, not to mention the nasty/dark, inclusive of siren line lead work in "Hear About it Later" in favor of chalking the song up as "Poppy Cheese" and "Cutesy" is telling. "Too Wink/Winky"???? - If your'e going to call out that his playing on this album as "mean" in nature and tone, then to miss/not discuss that lead as some of the meanest playing on the album, WHAT? Most of what he came up with during the interview when asked to break down the playing was "I like the rhythm playing most" (yeah, what fan hasn't recognized that). I struggle to think Corgan could play along to VH I and do it any justice. I could be wrong. Dweezil- Really nice job! Love these conversations.
Hi Scott,
It's pretty easy to make the Mean Streets mistake. I've caught myself doing it too! Even Nuno called it Mean Streets. I was surprised Billy didn't like "Hear About It Later" but it doesn't stop me from loving that tune! In the Nuno episode, we went into great detail about that song. Doing 2 episodes on the same album is a bit tough because there are too many possibilities to cover the same points. I wanted to be sure to make the episodes as complete as I could but also have each one offer some different perspectives.
Thanks Dweezil. I appreciate the response! Yeah, I hear ya on Mean Street, maybe an unfair dig. Different perspectives is a good thing and yes loved the Nuno episodes where there was more discussion around the specific playing. Very much looking forward to the upcoming episodes!
Hi Scott,
When talking to the guests it's always a roll of the dice as to how deep to go with the details in the playing. Some players are inclined to talk about all of the nuances and others are more comfortable talking in general terms. I try to add in other layers of detail when I can if I feel like the listeners might like to hear more. There isn't a set formula for how to make a RWTD episode and each one turns out differently.
Excellent analysis Scott U. I've NEVER seen a video, heard a song, or read an article that showed Corgan to be more than a strummer. I would love to have heard him play along to "I'm the One".
When he was interviewed for the "Beyond a Lighted Stage" documentary on Rush and he said he could play Entre Nous and many other complex Rush songs, I scoffed. Now that he's on this podcast (only because of a Guitar World article that he wrote ~25 years ago) I'm full on choking at comments like "he plays mean"... no shit sherlock!
He should have listened to the in-depth, fanatical breakdowns by Gilbert, Bettencourt, Vai and Saraceno. That's what's expected here.
There are definitely players that don't fit the hard rock genre that would have done a much better job than Corgan. I'm indifferent towards John Mayer but the dude can rip and was a bonafide VH fan.
Hi Fab,
I know most of us here are absolute fanatics about Van Halen and their music. You never know who will offer an interesting perspective. As you probably know by now, I do my best to cover as much ground as possible. The tricky part is trying to find a way to uncover cool or unknown details about playing and recording while also having some fun storytelling to keep things moving along.
I've got some super detail-oriented guests coming up in the wrap-up episode(s) to the Early Years. More on that soon!
Best, DZ
pseudo Van Halen fan (soo͞′dō văn hā′lĭn făn) n. - False or counterfeit fan of the Mighty Van Halen; see Billy Corgan; also see poser guitar player.
He he. Is that you, Dave?
Blah, blah, blah.
Dweezil! Killer series. So much fun. Glad you pushed the “swing” in his playing as opposed to the speed which everyone always focused on when we were young.
If you’ve got time, can you suggest some supplementary materials to aid in our journey together?
Like your top 5 live recordings/demos/stems, etc...to reference btwn episodes? Example might be, the Fresno ‘79 and Oakland ‘81 vids on YT, some of the recent snbd releases like Tuscon ‘78, or the “Zero” demos, etc...I’m a completist so I’m curious what your list would be.
Cheers.
the Jammy Bastard
Hi Kenneth,
Glad you're enjoying the podcast! I like you're idea. I'll see what I can do. My time is stretched thin at the moment but I'll put it on the ever growing list of things to do!
Best, DZ
Hey Dweezil!
What's the airing schedule for the next episodes?
Thursdays or has that all changed? Did you get the computer issues resolved?
Thanks.
Hi Orjan,
I've been working hard on catch up and I was planning to do an announcement about my progress tomorrow. I'm hard at work on a few episodes at once. The Billy Corgan episode is nearly ready and I hope to release it tomorrow. I will be writing an update blog very soon that will give details on what is coming next. I also want to start doing some of the online listening parties for the 5150 package.
Be well, DZ
Hey DZ, to clarify if I bought the Silver access to the site that doesn’t give me access to running with Dweezil podcasts, or does it?
Thanks
Kent Stage alum- Don
Hi Donald,
Thanks for becoming a Silver Subscriber. Your subscription gives you access to all of my music for streaming. Every album comes with at least one free download. I've also created music content that is available only for Silver Subscribers. It's all accessible in the music store. The Silver Subscriber package does not include the RWTD podcast, that is a separate item. The podcast is available for purchase in 3 differently priced packages and individual episodes are also available for purchase $2.99. The 5150 package is the all-inclusive version which gives you access to every single episode plus a subscription to Premier Guitar and some really cool other features like access to the reverse engineering of the EVH guitar sound which also includes guitar presets for Fractal Axe FX, Line 6 Helix and Kemper. Hope that helps. Best, DZ
Really enjoyed the Nuno episodes. It was pretty much off the chain...
Hey Dweezil,
You are doing a great job with these podcasts! I was curious what is the ETA on the Billy Corgan episode? Even though at the age of 6 I discovered Edward's playing on the 1984 album (which started my obsession with the instrument), my formative musical years happened in the early 90's with that movement in music. I remember buying the copy of Guitar World back in the day when Corgan interviewed EVH. I'm really stoked to hear his perspective on Fair Warning because he did talk a little about how much he loved that record during their discussion (from what I remember).
Cheers!!!
Kevin, I disliked that Nuno could not focus on Dweezil's questions and the constant profanity added nothing. Maybe the guy suffers from ADHD? I do not mean it as a barb or a jest. I really like Nuno's music, but despite Dweezil's spin on the episode, I had to stop the program twice. It was a mess. Here's to the next one!
I subscribed / purchased previously. When I hit the site now and am signed in, I can't listen - it says "purchase." Please assist. Also curious when wav/flac for all episodes will be available? Thank you.
Hi Chris,
Just curious if that is happening with the Nuno Ep 7 or any other episodes. If it's Nuno Ep 7 that may be happening because a new version of the file was uploaded and that may have changed the status of that particular episode for some people.
I will send you a link to the Flac Files to your email this week. Sorry it's taken so long! Best, DZ
Thanks DZ - I appreciate it. The "purchase" option for all episodes is shown for all episodes on the main product page. When I go into my account and orders and navigate that way I can play them. Perhaps its a site user token tracker issue. I had never had the issue before which is why I wanted to report it. Keep up the good work.
Enjoyed the first three guests. Nuno was a disaster.
Hi Ryan,
I think there's some fun stuff in the Nuno episodes. There's always so much to try cover in a short period of time.
Hey Ryan J. I am curious why you felt Nuno was a disaster.
I liked it - a different perspective and style. He shared some unique insights and love for the music. Made some really important points at the end about the importance of the whole band that really resonated with me.
Yes sir, it’s tough but I will get through it:)
It is almost criminal that more people haven't heard "Push Comes to Shove." I hadn't until a year or two ago when I went on a VH deep dive. I think it might be one of the best songs of the Roth era.
Hey dweezil going to start off by saying you got to be one of the coolest guys ever. And I just stumbled upon this today I was just surfing through the web. And want to say thank you very much for putting this out and sharing it with us. I'm 49 years old I live in the Bay area and I'm just another guy you still can't believe that eddie's gone. I'm a left-handed guitar player who really sucks, though I try to play everyday in between being a chimney sweep during the day. Actually I play a neon slime green Jackson just like the one you play. I just wanted to tell you that you're one of my influences along with Eddie, Jerry Garcia, buckethead, Trey from phish and last but certainly not least frank zappa . I got turned on to your pops like 10yrs ago and fuck n holy hell when I picked up ( shut up and play your guitar ) shit change in my mind . There are no wrong notes lol. My buddy Dave has a 24/7 Zappa radio that he broadcasts at burning man every year . Just wanted give a shout out to your dad man , ZAPPA RULES.. But you are the man and like I said you seem so fn cool , you like one of us . Your real , honest and talk from the heart. I just subscribe to your podcast .The early years for which I am listening to right now. . I can't wait to listen to the rest of this you have made my day. THANK YOU
Sincerely just another punk kid who plays guitar,
Travis English
Dweezil, when I first read that you were doing this I had to buy it. I knew that you were one of “us”. You understood. You knew. No one’s sound and playing has touched me like Eddie’s. He spoke to me and their music spoke to me like no other music has. When you first hear it, you just know, and you know. He is the GOAT. No one will ever have the complete package of talent, tone, feel, musicianship, and shear virtuosity like he did. I wish I would have been able to know him like you did. Thank you so much for bringing this podcast to us and for your passion and love of the music I love. You are a brilliant player that really comes the closest that I’ve ever heard to capturing his sound and playing.
thank you Dwez.
When I was younger I remember saying that same thing about those one foot solos and friends going “huh?” I would just say, never mind I know they rip. Go listen to that other crap it’s fine.
I have a hard time listening to the whole episode, because every 5 minutes I have to go play one of the albums or a song you are talking about. You get me fired up to hear the songs so it takes a long time for the episodes lol...
Hi Jason,
I'm sorry we got you so fired up and made you love Van Halen even more. We shouldn't have done that. LOL
Oh man, fair warning part 2 may be the best episode yet. My favourite VH album of course and exactly like Nuno said, seperates the fair weather fans from the rest.
Hi Lee,
I'm glad you enjoyed it. As you know from listening to it, there was a lot of extra post production to really bring it to life. I wanted to do that for a number of reasons but mainly because Fair Warning is my all time favorite VH album and it was so inspirational so I wanted to reflect that in some way for the listeners. I wish I could do stuff like that for every episode but but there aren't enough hours in the day and I've already fallen behind schedule. I'm glad you enjoyed the episode though! Now you know about the Godzilla connection!