Christmas came early this year for Van Halen fans across the globe with the release of Alex Van Halen’s memoir, Brothers, in October. The book chronicles his family’s immigration from the Netherlands to the United States when he was just 8 years old and follows the band’s meteoric rise to fame in the 1980s. More than just a testament to the American dream, the book serves as a heartfelt tribute to his late brother, Eddie, who passed away from cancer in 2020. As he reflects on their shared passion for music and insights into the music industry, Alex imparts invaluable lessons for anyone aspiring for success, regardless of their chosen field.
Lesson: You may have the greatest product in the world, but without the proper marketing, no one will know to buy it.
At the urging of their mother, both Alex and Eddie were classically trained pianists (Eddie took home first place at the annual piano competition at Long Beach City College from ages 9 to 12, despite the fact he never learned to read music). They turned their attention to rock and roll after hearing bands like The Dave Clark Five and The Beatles and knew they wanted to dedicate their lives to music. By high school graduation, they were recognized as the best musicians in their hometown of Pasadena, Calif. But their father, who was also a professional musician, explained to Alex that, “People go to ‘see’ the band, they don’t just go to ‘hear’ the band.” Against Eddie’s judgement, Alex knew they needed to partner with David Lee Roth, who was a far inferior musician, but who could bring the “show” to Van Halen like no one else. “We knew enough to know that a guy like Dave, with his ego and charisma, would give us more space to be who we really were. The audience could watch Dave while they listened to us play.”
Lesson: Talent is not enough—you have to put in the work.
Many believe that based on the brothers’ amazing talent, nothing was going to stop them from achieving success. But as Alex describes in the book, the bigger your dreams, the harder you need to work. “Look, I thought Dave was an odd duck. But what I respected was that he was willing to do the work, the same way we were. He understood it’s audition, play, practice, audition, play, practice. Go, go, go, twenty-five hours a day.” Van Halen notoriously tackled the Sunset Strip in 1974, and played relentlessly until the band’s first album in 1978. “You develop timing and phrasing within the band when you play over and over and over again with the same people. You can’t get that any other way than putting in the hours.”
Lesson: Having a backup plan can sometimes distract you from seizing opportunities.
Beyond mere talent and work ethic, achieving extraordinary goals requires unwavering focus. As Alex put it, “Dad taught us: everything you do in this life, you should do with laser focus. A light shining all over the place is just a blur. But focus down to a laser beam and it can cut through a door.” Mark Stone was Van Halen’s bass player in 1972. Alex writes, “He was a really nice, laid-back guy. But Ed and Dave and I had a different attitude about our careers: we were all in. Mark was torn. ‘I was a straight-A student in school, and doing the band, I was split between these two things,’ Mark said in a documentary, ‘and basically I just couldn’t keep up with them.’” He left the band in 1974, before they secured a major record deal. Alex writes, “I went and saw Mark’s widow after he died—just ten days after Ed, if you can believe that. She told me that Mark’s whole life, he felt like he missed his golden opportunity.”
Lesson: While it is scary to leave your comfort zone, raising your ambitions can lead to greater opportunities, even in challenging circumstances.
In the book, 10x Is Easier Than 2x, Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy discuss the need to continually elevate one’s goals for massive success. Alex and Eddie believed the same thing. Their first taste of success came when they were routinely filling backyard parties in their neighborhood with 3,000 screaming kids—the police were regularly called to break up these enormous parties. However, they aspired to achieve more than local fame, so they set sights on the Sunset Strip and eventually became the regular house band at a club called Gazzarri’s. As Alex writes in the book, “Weeks turned into months. Months turned into several years. I felt like life was passing me by. At the end of the day, we were just the house band at a bar, and that wasn’t going to cut it. Music industry people were not coming to Gazzarri’s. We knew we needed to get onstage somewhere we could get more exposure, get signed.” The band took a big chance and said goodbye to their steady paycheck at Gazzarri’s, and with the help of local radio DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, they were allowed to play the Starwood on Santa Monica Blvd. The night they were discovered by Warner Bros. record executives, they were playing a high-energy set on a rainy Tuesday night at the Starwood, to an audience of five whopping people.
The Van Halen story illustrates that true achievement is not solely rooted in talent but is also a product of relentless dedication, strategic partnerships and an unwavering focus on one’s goals. As we reflect on the Van Halen legacy, let’s remember that the path to greatness is often paved with hard work, calculated risks and the courage to embrace discomfort. The lessons drawn from Alex and Eddie’s lives serve as a powerful reminder that success is not just about reaching the stars but about the journey that takes you there—one note, one practice, one bold decision at a time. So, dare to dream big, work tirelessly and never forget the importance of a little showmanship along the way.
This article originally appeared at Wealthmanagement.com