The only band I was really over-into was Cream. And the only thing I really liked about them was their live stuff 'cause they played two verses, then go off and jam for 20 minutes, come back and do a chorus and end. And I love the live jam stuff, the improvisation.

Some people think a song without words isn't a real song. Tell that to Beethoven and he'll kick your ass!

We're musicians. We make music for a living. It's that simple. Nothing else matters.

Rock stars come and go. Musicians play until they die.

You've only got 12 notes and however you mix them up is your thing.

The name Van Halen, the family legacy, is going to go on long after I'm gone.

I'm not a rock star. Sure I am, to a certain extent because of the situation, but when kids ask me how it feels to be a rock star, I say leave me alone, I'm not a rock star. I'm not in it for the fame, I'm in it because I like to play.