“He took the time to spend with me and talk about guitars”: Norman’s Rare Guitars host on his chance meeting with Eddie Van Halen
What are the odds of your favourite rockstar dating your friends’ mum? Though a rather rare thing to happen in life, that’s exactly how Michael Lemmo met his hero, Eddie Van Halen.
Lemmo – singer, guitarist and Norman’s Rare Guitars Guitar Of The Day host – has shared the tale in a new episode of Premier Guitar’s Rig Rundown, in which he recalled hanging with EVH at 14-years-old, and how he made the time to talk about guitars with him, despite dealing with a lot on his plate at that time.
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“I was obsessed,” Lemmo says in the video (via Guitar World). “Sure enough, after all that yearning, he was on tour – this was 2004 with Sammy Hagar – and he was dating my friend’s mum. It was my good friend Ryan Crosley, and he was new to the town. He’d just moved in.
“His mother hit it off with Eddie, and I went to the house. My friend Terry goes, ‘You’re not going to believe it. Eddie Van Halen is at our friend Ryan’s house. I was just over there hanging out with him!’ I was like, ‘Dude, you know I have to go over there.’”
He continues, “I went over there, hung out with him for two hours, and he was so cool. He was just such a kind guy. Obviously going through a lot at that time but still took the time to spend with me and talk about guitars.
“I brought a Wolfgang and a Kramer. I went in, and he knew it. Right away, he knew it, and he just loved it. It was a special moment… I never ran into him again. It was a crazy moment. I was a freshman – I was about 14 years old – so it was just out of this world. Definitely one of the highlights of my life.”
Lemmo kept a guitar pick given to him by Van Halen, which remains in place on the headstock of his Fender ‘Godzilla’ Jazzmaster. Watch the full video below:
Find out more about Michael Lemmo.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
