This is my 22,460th day on planet Earth.
 
Sometimes, when a non-fiction book is written, the author actually attempts to do the legwork (or at least phone calls and emails) to verify information. When Abel Sanchez decided to write this book about Eddie Van Halen, "Van Halen 101", he spent two years talking to hundreds of people about the project. I'm pleased to say that Abel contacted me to check on a story he had heard about the origins of Eddies's use of the guitar "tapping" technique. He was told that I was one of the first guitarists to use tapping extensively. There was a magazine article by Lee Rittenour that mentions my use of the technique, but Abel told me there was still some doubt as to the chronology. Another guitarist, with whom I'd played for a couple of years was confused, he kind of forgot that he began using it only after he saw me do it on the same stage night after night. So, I dug up several phone numbers of people Abel could contact to verify what I was telling him, people who were there, people who lived in L.A. at that time, people who were at The Whiskey when we played there in the early 70's. In fact, he was able to reach two of the other members of the band in question. Abel checked his facts and when the book came out a few years ago, it contained a whole section about the origins of tapping, including my part in that.

Why is this important? I believe that all through history, people are quick to take credit for things they didn't actually do. I can not imagine not giving due credit to someone. All artists owe a debt to other artists, no one creates anything in a vacuum. I have never met a truly great artist who wasn't quick to say where he got any particular phrases, or colors or styles. All good artists then go on to make the style or technique their own, and that's exactly what VH did. You can read about it in this book.