Last week, we wrote about the new mural being erected for Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen at the Hollywood Guitar Center. The mural was unveiled yesterday and it's a beauty.
The mural was designed by renowned muralist Robert Vargas and stands 17 feet tall and 105 feet long. It covers the entire rear entrance of the store.
Vargas commented “Eddie was one of my creative heroes. When I was young, the debut Van Halen record was the first album I ever owned. He influenced me over the years in so many different ways. As soon as the news hit of his passing, I knew I had to do something creative to memorialize him, and Guitar Center was the obvious venue. Right here on the Sunset Strip, where the band made their bones – I can’t think of a better place for this tribute to him, and I thank Guitar Center for giving me the canvas to share it with the world.”
The mananger of the Guitar Center, Jean-Claude Escudie, commented “Eddie Van Halen was a truly monumental force in rock music. He made lead guitar playing popular when it might have been slipping away into punk and new wave minimalist territory, and then basically the entire 80s hard rock scene followed in his wake. Guitar Center saw this first-hand, as generations of lead guitarists have flocked to our stores to try to capture something of what inspires them about Eddie’s sound. Besides that, sometimes people forget that he was an immigrant and multi-racial, so in so many ways his story is the story of the American experience.”
Head over to 7425 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90046, and see it for yourself. Here's a brief video.
According to multiple sources, Van Halen was plotting a massive farewell tour a few years back that unfortunately never came to fruition due to Eddie's health. Eddie's son Wolfgang has also made it super clear the band will not carry on without Eddie, though there may be a tribute concert in the future.
