Acclaimed American music journalist Steve Rosen has finally released his much anticipated book about legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen. TONECHASER – Understanding Edward: My 26-Year Journey with Edward Van Halen is about Steve’s 26-year friendship with Ed beginning in 1977 and ending in 2003. “It’s an honest and up-close look at what it was like to be friends with the greatest guitar player on the planet,” says Rosen of the book.
Rosen has written 16 cover stories in Guitar Player Magazine including Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Ritchie Blackmore. He’s also written 8 cover stories for Guitar World Magazine, which included three Edward Van Halen stories now considered to be some of the most important conversations with Ed ever published. Steve has also kindly contributed to Australian Musician.
Rosen began writing TONECHASER – Understanding Edward: My 26-Year Journey with Edward Van Halen in 2020, just six weeks prior to Edward’s passing. “I didn’t know where I was going or where it would take me,” he said, “but I wrote every day for over a year and it was the hardest stuff I’d ever written.”
”I was supposed to write Edward’s authorized biography back in the mid-’80s but that book never happened,” Rosen explained. “At that point, I put to rest the idea of ever writing a book about my friendship with him. Then in 2020, I thought about my relationship with him and I was just moved to begin writing. I didn’t know where I was going or where it would take me but I wrote every day for over a year and it was the hardest stuff I’d ever written. I finally finished the book around October 2021 and felt a great release. I was really proud of what I’d accomplished and I wanted fans to read and share in what I’d experienced in my friendship with Edward.”
The book is a hardcover with a 6″x9″ format and runs somewhere between 400-500 pages. There are some fantastic rare black-and-white photos inside. The book can be shipped to Australia for $110 (Aus). If anybody is interested, they can to go to Steve’s PayPal link: paypal.me/Tonechaser. And don’t forget to include your address.