As Quiet Riot and Van Halen became staples on the Sunset Strip, the guitarists for both bands made names for themselves as gunslingers while each group developed a loyal following before securing record deals.
“At some of the shows, we would see David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen there, which was always interesting to me,” recalls Quiet Riot fan club president Lori Hollen, “because I know Randy never went to see them play….but they would always come to see Quiet Riot and Randy play.”
If Randy wasn’t checking Van Halen out on the circuit, he was aware of - and inspired by – “the competition”, according to Eddie.
“He was one guitarist who was honest, anyway,” explains Eddie, “because I read some interviews that he did and he said everything he did he learned from me. He was good, but I don’t really think he did anything that I haven’t done. And there ain’t nothing wrong with it. I’ve copied other people’s licks, you know?”
To motivate Rhoads during live performances, his guitar tech, Brian Reason, would tape a picture of Eddie on Randy’s wah wah pedal
“He wasn’t very excited about [it], but it was in the perfect place,” says Reason, “because every time he stomped on his wah wah pedal, he stomped on it as if he wanted to crush it.”
Set to premiere via Video On Demand on May 6, “Randy Rhoads: Reflections Of A Guitar Icon” is directed by Andre Relis and narrated by L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns.
See also:
Randy Rhoads documentary coming to Video On Demand
Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler shares autobiography update
Ozzy Osbourne shares new album update
Ozzy Osbourne reschedules European tour to 2023
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