Eddie Van Halen Once Pointed a Gun at Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst
Eddie Van Halen has been in and out of the news a lot over the years but there have been no rumors of him being a particularly violent sort…until now.
Photo Credit: Loudwire. com
Award winning video and documentary film maker and photographer Andrew Bennet recently released a photobook called ‘Eruption in the Canyon: 212 Days and Nights with the Genius of Eddie Van Halen’. In the book he recalls an incident where Van Halen held a gun up to Limp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst’s head.
It all started when Van Halen and Durst were hanging out at the same party. Limp Bizkit had just lost their guitarist Wes Borland and they were looking for a replacement. A record executive who was also at the party suggested that Van Halen and Durst collaborate.
Reportedly, Van Halen was open to the idea and said, “Fuck it, let’s jam.” Durst did not have a similar sentiment and responded by saying, “That would be hilarious. The best guitarist ever plays with the worst band ever.”
Despite Durst’s opinion, a jam actually did break out at the party. However, Van Halen left after some party goers started smoking weed. This apparently offended the singer and he took off without grabbing any of his gear.
The next day Van Halen called Durst to try and get his gear back. When he didn’t hear back after 24 hours, he drove to Durst’s house in a military vehicle he bought at an auction wearing jeans held up by rope, combat boots that were duct taped together and a Samurai bun on his head.
According to Bennet, Van Halen explained what went down next as follows. "I put my gun to that stupid fucking red hat of his, and I said, ‘Where’s my shit, motherfucker?’ That fucking guy just turned to one of his employees and starts yelling at him to grab my shit.”
After that Van Halen waited on the lawn of Durst’s residential home smoking a cigarette with a gun pointed at the Limp Bizkit singer as he and his staff loaded up the guitarist’s vehicle with the gear that was left behind.
Eruption in the Canyon documents the time Bennet worked with the band Van Halen in their studio between 2004 and 2006. The footage Bennet took during that time was supposed to be used for a documentary but Van Halen said he wasn’t happy with the footage. He ended up launching a legal battle against the photographer as a result.
Eruption in the Canyon is available for sale on the book’s web site page. It is appropriately priced at $51.50.
