I don't know if I've ever "bashed" him myself. I DO think he's a giant $@!, and he is. Very arrogant now for many reasons and that's been proven in interviews and videos. Regardless, he's one of my favorites, an amazingly innovative guitar player (well. was), changed the sound and style of rock guitar and is still one a great inspiration of mine. He got tones from that beater guitar and a variac that are still incredible to this day.

So although EV, Don Henley, Yngwie are huge pricks, they have the talent to back it up and will be legends.

People like Axel Rose and Ringo Starr are just as, if not more, arrogant and are worthless throw-away turds. Those $@! bags have no reason to have the attitudes they have.

Just my opinion.

I thought mccartney was more involved with himself than ringo, I always thought ringo was humble

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

So goes the old saw about public relations. If someone is a giant, a game-changer, a mind-blower, they receive tons of fast and easy praise. But let 'em slip a step or two, and everybody wants the first kick.

CLapton was God... now look how much crap he takes from people who can't even copy his licks, let alone come up with their own. Eddie The V, same thing. Good lord a'mighty, just imagine how much trash they'd be talking about Hendrix if he'd lived!

I always notice when people say that technically proficient players have no "soul." What's "soul?" Music you think you can play? Man, if you can't hear the passion and fire and the pure funhouse joy n Van Halen's playing, you're deaf or maybe feeling a littel threatened. It's loaded with soul... just not the bent-note guitar-face soul one is likely to encounter at Blooze Jam Night down at your local watering hole.

As for being frustrated over the band's demise... what, is a band supposed to last forever? Should you hang together at all costs and become a clown-faced money machine like the Stones? Settle for a lesser version of stardom and go do the State Fair gigs? A band has a life span, and Van Halen had theirs. He doesn't need the money... if I were Eddie, I'd spend the rest of my life kicking back, enjoying my time, and learning to play jazz, which I would never perform in public as long as I lived.

Exactly.

Michael Jackson's "Beat It"...........in 2 takes..............need I say more?

I have never bashed him, I just don't care for him or his guitar playing. That's just my personal opinion.

I wish him all the best in staying clean.