Jason Becker looked back on his 1996 meeting with Eddie Van Halen, and listed some of the things the late guitarist had done for him.
Becker was at the start of a promising career when he was diagnosed with wasting illness ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) around 1989, aged just 20. It quickly became impossible for him to perform live and he had to leave David Lee Roth’s band, although he’s continued making music ever since.
Asked by Ultimate Guitar about the time Van Halen first came to meet him, Becker replied: “It was very bittersweet. I couldn’t really talk. My voice was so weak, and it took so much energy. [Partner] Serrana and my parents were the only ones who could barely understand me. I hadn’t started using the communication system my dad invented yet, so I didn’t say much.”
He continued: “Eddie brought me a guitar, but he went in another room with my mom and cried, and told her he felt stupid bringing it because I couldn’t play. He was very affectionate, hugging and kissing my head. He really wished David Lee Roth had come too, and had stayed in touch with me.“
The pair made a public service announcement for a health telethon run by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. At the time, Becker was struggling to breathe in a sitting position, so he had to push his lower jaw out to create an airway. Despite that, he noted, “The MDA had asked him to do a satellite thing from LA, but he wouldn’t do it unless he could come meet me in person.”
Becker was still making music, albeit much more slowly, and in 1996 released second album Perspective. “He really loved it,” he said of Van Halen. “He said he did music like that, but Warner Bros. didn’t want to put it out… He made Warner release Perspective and got them to give a really nice advance, which was sorely needed. He also gave my family money privately.”
He added: “ALS takes a huge toll on everyone; Eddie understood that instinctively, as does the whole guitar community and fans through the years. I wish he was here to see the non-profit Serrana and I co-founded. He would be proud, and probably involved. Through generosity from fans and others, we’ve been able to give significant financial assistance to 15 people with ALS, so far, helping them remain cared for at home, as I have been.”
Meanwhile, Alex Van Halen announced a limited-edition book titled simply Van Halen. It comes packaged with a 7-inch vinyl disc containing Glitter, a previously-unreleased demo from 1974 (although it’s been bootlegged over the years). Only the signed Collector edition remains available for pre-order, complete with clamshell case and souvenir keyring and picks.
