David Crosby faces backlash for Eddie Van Halen 'meh' comment
He isn't a fan of Eddie Van Halen's musicianship
Eponymous Crosby, Stills & Nash star David Crosby has been feeling the wrath of social media after admitting he isn’t a fan of the recently deceased Eddie Van Halen.
The 79-year-old singer-songwriter was answering questions on Twitter on Saturday evening - five days after Eddie Van Halen's death from cancer aged 65 - when one user asked him “I know you're not into metal David, but what's your opinion on Eddie Van Halen?”
Terse and to-the-point with his response, Crosby simply replied ‘Meh .…’
L.A. Guns. guitarist Tracii Guns was quick to lambast David Crosby, writing: “Wrong answer as f--- and rude as f---!!! There are better ways to say you don’t care for someone’s music. That was very disrespectful. And yes straight out f--- you and your smug answer.”
Former Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider then piled in, writing in response to Tracii Guns: “Agreed. That said, I've always hated @thedavidcrosby AND his mustache. #JustSayin”
Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick added: “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.'”
After feeling the ire of Guns, Snider, Skolnick and hundreds of other Twitter users, David Crosby clarified his stance on Eddie Van Halen yesterday (Monday 12th October), writing: “Sorry …just meant he does not move me much.”
In another Tweet, he explained: “Jimi 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.”
Crosby’s explanation did little to quell the backlash, however, with Dee Snider later writing: “Now David Crosby knows what his eulogy will be from the 100s of millions of fans worldwide (and it's getting close) - "Today David Crosby died....Meh."
Canadian rocker Danko Jones, meanwhile, who claims he was blocked by David Crosby for an earlier comment, said: "There are two things about this tweet that are telling about @thedavidcrosby.
“1. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion but EVH just passed away. Crosby’s a classless trash bag.
“2. He has little grasp on grammar and punctuation.”
You can see tributes to Eddie Van Halen from Wolfgang Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Nikki Sixx, Tony Iommi, Joe Elliott, Metallica, Aerosmith, AC/DC and many more right here:
The rock world pays tribute to Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen - the legend in photos:
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen in 1978
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, and Alex Van Halen in 1978
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen striking a pose at the Kouseinennkinn-kaikan, Tokyo, June 1978
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen performs onstage at the Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, April 6, 1979.
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen doing a trademark jump on stage in 1980
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Michael Anthony, Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen in 1981
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen on stage in 1982
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen in his live element in 1984.
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen in the mid-1980s
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen and Sammy Hagar in 1986
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen in 1991
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen during Van Halen III Live in Chicago at Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, 1998
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen in 2012
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen with his son Wolfgang Van Halen in 2012
Eddie Van Halen RIP
Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth in 2015