Rock legend Eddie Van Halen passed away last week at 65 years old after a years-long battle with throat cancer. Figures from around the music world shared their thoughts about the pioneering musician following his death, and the majority of them were filled with praise for the guitarist’s skill and influence. Those are not feelings that David Crosby shares, though.
Over the weekend, a fan asked Crosby on Twitter, “i know you’re not into metal david, but what’s your opinion on eddie van halen,” to which he responded, “Meh ….” Somebody else followed up, “Wow! That was rude, unkind and totally lacking empathy,” and Crosby replied, “Sorry ..just meant he does not move me much.”
Meh …. https://t.co/rncBUS0tnw
— David Crosby (@thedavidcrosby) October 10, 2020
Sorry ..just meant he does not move me much https://t.co/qR0LOLBnB1
— David Crosby (@thedavidcrosby) October 10, 2020
Later on, somebody took exception to Crosby’s dismissal of Van Halen, writing, “I can demonstrate how he could have answered WITHOUT being an asshole: ‘I don’t care for the end product, it’s just not my style. But there’s no question at all about his talent and the revolution he brought to the whole industry.’ Feeling expressed and still respectful, see?” Crosby agreed, sharing the tweet and adding, “Better.”
Crosby then clarified his “meh” tweet by saying that Van Halen didn’t have the same impact as Jimi Hendrix, noting that Van Halen was nice the one time they met but that his music just isn’t his cup of tea: “Hendrix changed the world of guitar. Nobody else really …look I get it ..many of you loved Van Halen ….and the one time I met he was nice ….and he was talented …meh to me means I don’t care that much ….and I don’t …doesn’t mean he wasn’t good ,he was but not for me”
Better https://t.co/rAD5PYt9nY
— David Crosby (@thedavidcrosby) October 12, 2020
Hendrix changed the world of guitar. Nobody else really …look I get it ..many of you loved Van Halen ….and the one time I met he was nice ….and he was talented …meh to me means I don’t care that much ….and I don’t …doesn’t mean he wasn’t good ,he was but not for me https://t.co/onttfvowU8
— David Crosby (@thedavidcrosby) October 12, 2020
Crosby’s comments prompted a good amount of backlash, like from LA Guns guitarist Tracii Guns, who wrote, “Wrong answer as f*ck and rude as f*ck!!! There are better ways to say you don’t care for someone’s music. That was very disrespectful. And yes straight out f*ck you and your smug answer.”
Wrong answer as fuck and rude as fuck!!! There are better ways to say you don’t care for someone’s music. That was very disrespectful. And yes straight out fuck you and your smug answer.
— Tracii ⨁ 🇺🇸🇩🇰 (@TraciiGuns) October 11, 2020
Check out some other responses below.
I appreciate @thedavidcrosby too much for this to get in the way, but a much better answer would have been: “I know he meant a lot to so many but his sound & style just weren’t my thing.” Patti Smith doesn’t seem like she’s ever been much of a VH fan either, still she posted this pic.twitter.com/GqKO4S5v4R
— Alex Skolnick (@AlexSkolnick) October 11, 2020
https://twitter.com/horsemennyc/status/1315279851104989187
Little Jealous David ??? EDDIE !!! ☮️❤️🎶💪👊
— K Koz 🌞 (@80_kkoz) October 11, 2020
That’s cool cuz I have the same opinion of you and your catalog 👍🏻
— Keith Rochford (@KeithRochford) October 11, 2020
Who the Fuck is David Crosby?
— Jump1014 (@_jump101465) October 11, 2020
I love your honesty. It's why I follow you. However, there is a time & place for it. This is truly a time & place where if you dont have something nice to say, then dont say anything at all. You could have come up with a much nicer yet still honest answer, and you sadly didn't 😒
— RobynNeon (@bgblueeyes) October 11, 2020
