Runnin' with the Devil: A Backstage Pass to the Wild Times, Loud Rock, and the Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen - Softcover

Monk, Noel; Layden, Joe

Softcover

ISBN 10: 006247412X ISBN 13: 9780062474124

Publisher: Dey Street Books, 2018

Synopsis

The manager who shepherded Van Halen from obscurity to rock stardom goes behind the scenes to tell the complete, unadulterated story of David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, and the legendary band that changed rock music.

Van Halen’s rise in the 1980s was one of the most thrilling the music world had ever seen—their mythos an epic party, a sweaty, sexy, never-ending rock extravaganza. During this unparalleled run of success, debauchery, and drama, no one was closer to the band than Noel Monk. A man who’d worked with some of rock’s biggest and most notorious names, Monk spent seven years with Van Halen, serving first as their tour manger then as their personal manager until 1985, when both he and David Lee Roth exited as controversy, backstabbing, and disappointment consumed the band.

Throughout Van Halen’s meteoric rise and abrupt halt, this confidant, fixer, friend, and promoter saw it all and lived to tell. Now, for the first time, he shares the most outrageous escapades—from their coming of age to their most shocking behavior on the road; from Eddie’s courtship and high profile wedding to Valerie Bertinelli to the incredible drug use which would ultimately lead to everyone’s demise. Sharing never-before-told stories, Monk paints a compelling portrait of Eddie Van Halen, bringing into focus the unique combination of talent, vision, hardship, and naiveté that shaped one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time—and made him and his brother vulnerable to the trappings and failings of fame.

Illustrated with dozens of rare photographs from Monk’s vaults, Runnin’ with the Devil is manna from rock heaven no Van Halen fan can miss.

About this title

About the Authors

Noel Monk helped stage-manage Woodstock, served as Bill Graham’s right-hand man at the legendary Fillmore East, and worked with rock musicians including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, and the Sex Pistols. He is also the author of 12 Days on the Road: The Sex Pistols and America, and he lives in Colorado.

An award-winning journalist and bestselling author, Joe Layden has written more than thirty books, including The Last Great Fight, which was named one of the best sports books of 2007 by Sports Illustrated and the American Library Association. He is also the co-author of the New York Times bestsellers There and Back Again and The Rock Says. . . . He lives in upstate New York.

From the Back Cover

Beginning in 1978, Van Halen’s rise was one of the most thrilling the rock world had ever seen. Lifting back the curtain on one of the great untold stories of rock music, Noel Monk, the manager who shepherded Van Halen from obscurity to rock stardom, details the most outrageous escapades from his time as confidant, fixer, and promoter—from hotel room destruction to outrageous backstage behavior to Eddie Van Halen’s high-profile marriage to Valerie Bertinelli to the incredible drug use and drinking that would ultimately fuel the conflict between the band members.

More than just a portrait of rock and roll decadence, Runnin’ with the Devil goes behind the legend of Eddie Van Halen, illuminating the factors that shaped one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time and made him vulnerable to the trappings of fame. Shedding light on the band’s infamous breakup, Monk tells the story of David Lee Roth’s departure as he saw it, explaining how a band at the height of their success struggled in vain to hold it all together. Messy, loud, and most of all fun, this is a look inside Van Halen unlike any you’ve ever seen.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dey Street Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 006247412X
• ISBN 13: 9780062474124
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352