Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and Brad Whitford are no slouches when it comes to their guitar talents, but both of them admitted to being awestruck by the playing of the late Eddie Van Halen.

Perry and Whitford recently sat for a lengthy interview with respected YouTube rock pundit Rick Beato, and during the conversation, Beato asked the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers what they thought of Eddie when they first heard him.

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Whitford answered first, noting, “Well, first of all, it was kind of annoying. … You didn’t know what he was doing.”

Brad then commented, “I mean, we knew a little bit about it,” recalling that famed late guitar and pickup designer Bill Lawrence “used to do the tapping when he’d sit and play for us.”

He continued, “But, it was like, damn … [Eddie] was on this [other] stratosphere. Like … the equivalent of Jeff Beck. You know, somebody who was just kind of out of reach. I mean, the more and more I listen to his stuff, it just blows my mind, because it’s so tasty. … There was nothing schlocky ever in it. And the power.”

Whitford went on to explain that he’d recently read Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen’s memoir, Brothers, and it gave him got an understanding about how Alex and Eddie honed their skills.

“[D]ay out, they would get up in the morning and go and play together till midday, every day,” Brad pointed out. “And … you listen to these records, and you hear the lock that those two guys had, and the power that that had. It was like, ‘Whoa!’ That’s one of the most powerful bands I’ve ever heard.”

Joe Perry’s Opinion of Eddie Van Halen and His Band

Perry then discussed what he appreciated about Eddie Van Halen and the band’s self-titled debut album.

“That first record, when I heard that, it was like they … used a lot of the old tricks that we all kind of like did it and left behind,” Joe noted. “And they took it and turned it up to 11, you know. And … that first album was f—ing stunning.”

Perry also shared an interesting recollection of watching Eddie playing live early in Van Halen’s career.

“I remember when they were playing clubs that [Eddie] would turn around and do s— so people couldn’t see what he was doing,” Perry recalled. “Though if people could see it, I don’t think they could do it anyway.”

Perry and Whitford Are Currently Touring Together

With Aerosmith announcing its retirement from touring in 2024 because of frontman Steven Tyler’s vocal issues, Perry has just launched a North American summer trek with an updated version of his side group The Joe Perry Project. The band’s current lineup features Whitford, Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, Stone Temple Pilots bassist Robert DeLeo, and Aerosmith touring keyboardist Buck Johnson.

Stone Temple Pilots drummer Eric Kretz also was supposed to be part of the group, but he had to drop off of the tour because of “a family emergency.” Jason Sutter, who played drums on some of The Joe Perry Project’s previous treks, is filling in for Kretz.

The tour kicked off on August 13 in Tampa, Florida, and continues tonight (August 14) in Hollywood, Florida. The band will wind down the 11-date trek by opening for The Who at a September 17 concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The Joe Perry Project also will support The Who on August 26 at Fenway Park in Boston. Visit JoePerry.com to check out all of the group’s scheduled concerts.

(Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)