Album 1 track 1 "RUNNIN' WITH THE DEVIL," album 1 track 2 "ERUPTION," what else do you need to know about the Dutch immigrant and rock and roll change agent who was arguably the most gifted and influential guitarist of the last half century? Sometimes he would erupt out of a volcano at warp speed like a hard-rock MOZART. Sometimes he would allot himself eight short bars to finger-tap a melodic solo in the middle of a blissful, and presumably metaphoric, three-minute pop ode to dancing the night away, as if he were an orchestral soloist hired to sweeten a girl-group song. Also sometimes—OK, this was just once—he would rewrite the bridge to one of the KING OF POP's signature songs, unsolicited, when the King stepped out of the studio for a few minutes. But everything you need to know, really, is in those first two songs and first five minutes of that classic 1978 debut album named for the band which was named for him (and his brother the very very good drummer who knew how to make metal swing), in which he turns a satanic metal trope into a classic rock singalong and then turns his guitar into a barrage of thunderbolts. A year later, he'd add some nylon string guitar wizardry, and five albums down the line there'd be (glorious) synthesizers, but the Dutch immigrant and rock and roll change agent who was arguably the most gifted and influential guitarist of the last half century, who made metal softer and sexier and who made pop louder and harder while all but turning the electric guitar into a different instrument, gave you all the information you needed in that amazing opening volley, delivered with an infectious smile and unfettered joy. RIP EDDIE VAN HALEN... He also, of course, helped usher in hair metal, providing a bridge from LED ZEPPELIN and HEART to MÖTLEY CRÜE and GUNS N' ROSES. Let it be known he had better hair and better songs than pretty much everyone who followed him down that road... He helped the aforementioned King of Pop cross over (<--video quality terrible, sorry), too... He drank too much for too long and had a lifelong rocky relationship with the first and best of his three lead singers and you never would have known from watching him play. I mean, seriously, that smile... And now for the tears: This story of Eddie, DIMEBAG DARRELL and VINNIE PAUL. Beautiful. Dammit... PRESIDENT TRUMP on Tuesday pulled the rug out from under lawmakers trying to negotiate a new stimulus bill and then, several hours later, tried to tweet the rug back into place, leaving indie music clubs confused and worrying anew for their future. The $10 billion SAVE OUR STAGES act, passed by Congress last week as part of a sweeping $2.2 trillion rescue package, seems that much less likely to survive than it did 24 hours ago, and clubs and other sectors of the indie music industry are worrying about their survival, too. "Say goodbye to every venue you love," BIKINI KILL RECORDS' MAGGIE VAIL tweeted. "I'm not sure how much longer people can hold on," STEPHEN CHILTON, owner of the REBEL LOUNGE in Phoenix, told Billboard... A flicker of light in the darkness: SONGWRITERS OF NORTH AMERICA has reopened its Songwriter Fund, which is offering $1,000 grants to writers who've lost work because of the pandemic. You can apply for a grant here, or donate to the fund here... Jazz singer CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT wins a MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant"... RIP also "I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW" singer JOHNNY NASH, ANTHONY GALINDO IBARRA and NORMAN BERNAL.