Alex Van Halen has revealed that he's considering finishing some unreleased Van Halen material, using artificial intelligence to generate new guitar solos and asking Robert Plant to provide vocals. The drummer made the revelations in a major new interview with Rolling Stone.
In a wide-ranging discussion, the older Van Halen brother discusses his grief following the death of Eddie Van Halen, reveals that Ozzy Osbourne was approached to front a new version of the band, and blames David Lee Roth for the failure of the mooted Van Halen tribute tour.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is reserved for Van Halen's thoughts on the band's archive, as he reveals that there's plenty of unreleased material on tape – much of it recorded at jam sessions taking place over decades – but that the songs are incomplete.
"They're all little pieces,” he says. “A bunch of licks don’t make a song.”
Van Halen reveals that he's approached OpenAI – the non-profit organisation behind AI chatbot ChatGPT – about analysing "the patterns of how Edward would have played something" so that new solos could be generated. Even more unlikely is the drummer's choice of Led Zeppelin man Plant, who he hasn't seen in over three decades, to front the project.
"You’re gonna think I’m out of my fucking mind,” says Van Halen. "But when conditions are right, things will manifest."
Alex Van Halen's memoir Brothers is set for publication on October 24.
The book is described by its publishers Harper Collins as “nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read”, with a synopsis for Brothers stating, “Alex Van Halen shares his personal story of family, friendship, music and brotherly love in a remarkable tribute to his beloved brother and band mate.”
