Washington | In-Person

Is Rock ‘n’ Roll All About Reinvention?

Eddie Van Halen

LOCATION:
National Museum of American History
14th St and Constitution Ave, NW
Washington, DC
Parking information available here.
A Smithsonian/Zócalo “What It Means to Be American” Event
Moderated by Denise Quan, contributor, Rolling Stone

What makes rock ‘n’ roll quintessentially American? The answer may lie in our talent for innovation and reinvention–two subjects no one knows better than Eddie Van Halen. A Dutch immigrant and naturalized U.S. citizen, Van Halen created an iconic American band–and kept it relevant for five decades by continually reinventing it. As a performer, songwriter, and inventor of instruments that allow musicians to make sound in new ways, he redefined how the guitar is played and designed. Is reinvention the definitive quality of the art of rock ‘n’ roll? Rock icon Van Halen discusses his American journey, and how he’s reinvented himself, his band, and the way the guitar is played.

Photo courtesy of Clay Patrick McBride.

LOCATION:
National Museum of American History
14th St and Constitution Ave, NW
Washington, DC
Parking information available here.

The Takeaway

Necessity Is the Source of Eddie Van Halen’s Inventions

The Path to Rock Superstardom Involves Immigration, Experimentation, and the Occasional Electrocution

Rock legend Eddie Van Halen didn’t set out to change the way the guitar was played. But, as he explained to a standing-room-only crowd at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of …