@michael Castle can they ? I've been wondering about that for some time. I've been married to my Indonesian wife for twenty years and only found out their mom was Indonesian a couple years ago. I would have loved to talk to Eddie in Bahasa. Sya bisa sidikit Bahasa. 😁🇮🇩
Somewhere out there is Rush failing Rock Band with Tom Sawyer. Saw it. The game is entirely geared for small kids, so...I can see that. When they allow you to connect it to a MIDI in real instruments, it'll be more useful.
I was born in Holland and moved to the UK when I was 10. I'm absolutely certain that their ability to speak their native language so well after living in the States from a young age is 100% down to their parents continuing to speak Dutch with them at home. Nice post, thanks for sharing.
I was born in the UK and moved to the U.S. when I was 10, my mother was from England, my stepdad from the U.S. I fully understood all the intricacies of 'British' English although when I would go back to England I had a hard time speaking without a slight American accent to my voice.
Without question, this is from their parents speaking Dutch at home. While Dutch may be Eddie and Alex's first language, once they came to the US, outside of their home, everything was English and without their parents speaking it at home, they would *mostly* forget the language over time.
@@HallStevenson I never forgot the language of my home country even though I left at age 10. You're just assuming whatever makes sense to you. I communicated fully in the dialect of my native language in my home country for the first 10 years of my life. I didn't just 'hear' the language being spoken. The science simply doesn't support what you're saying. Whenever we would visit my home country I still knew the intricacy of the language fully even though my mother had never referenced these things while living in the U.S.
Of course their parents spoke Dutch. They were adults when they came to the US. Learning English was probably difficult. At home they would speak in the language they were most comfortable in. I believe their mothe was from Thailand. I wonder if she spoke to them in Thai?
@@rickjason215 Yes, I'm sure their parents spoke Dutch at home, but it's not easy to ensure that kids grow up being able to converse in their native language, especially at the age they were when they moved. I had to learn English from scratch in less than 3 months, but if it wasn't for my parents continuing with Dutch grammar lessons, I wouldn't be bilingual now. Their mother was from Indonesia (a former Dutch colony), not Thailand.
@@quincyd7356 Mijn zoons zijn ook indo, de oudste is van jouw leeftijd. Maar ze zijn nooit warmgelopen voor Van Halen ... Hoe heb jij ze leren kennen ?
Wow so cool to see these guys speak their native tongue. Van Halen seems so American, so California. The VH brothers are heroes to millions of rock fans here in the states.
"Van" is a very Dutch prefix of a surname... Like: Van Gogh, Rembrandt Van Rijn, Jan Van Eyck, etc... The list is very long. (also James Van Der Beek is from Dutch origin)
I am Dutch and it is funny to me to hear Eddie speak with quite a heavy American accent. Alex speaks more like a native Dutch citizen, but the way he says kroketjes (quite difficult to pronounce for a non native speaker) clearly shows that he also has an American accent. No surpise since they have lived far longer in the US than in the Netherlands.
They spoke Dutch with their mother, that is how they were at least able to speak it the level they could. It's kind of cute, how Eddie called Dutch 'Hollands' ... I don't know if they still use that term in Nijmegen nowadays (they lived in Nijmegen before leaving).
@Ben doverman That indeed makes sense. Dutch and English share a lot of words, and are much closer related than German and English (reading German philosophers in English is a no go in the Netherlands) as an example: in many cases English words ending with ion (Information, extermination, passion etc) are almost the same in Dutch, except they don't end with ion but ie (informatie, exterminatie, passie) there are more examples. I have to add that Eddie van Halen also has an Indonesian accent while speaking Dutch because of his mother, I noticed in another Dutch interview. In Alex this is lot less noticable, which is odd.
@Ben doverman As a Dutchman, I like your comment :) There are a lot of similarities between English and Dutch. They are related languages. Many words are the same or just slightly different pronounced or spelled out. Word - Woord, Work - Werk, Light - Licht, Music - Muziek, Conversation - Conversatie, Guitar - Gitaar. Just an example out of many. The only hard part of learning Dutch as a native English speaker is grammar. That's completely different and in some cases there are not even rules for it. To be honest, even the Dutch themselves are making a lot of mistakes.
What I find most interesting is....I have never really noticed an accent when they speak. As I understand it Alex was around 10...and Eddie 7 yr old...so to have no accent is pretty impressive.
@@ansjovisnl9059 EDDIE & ALEX were not only Dutch their mother was INDISCH (Indonesian-Dutch). My mother also from that area (Maluku, annexed and now Republic of Indonesia), so I'm very very proud of EDDIE & ALEX VAN HALEN, especially because their half Indisch, love it. RIP EDDIE, gitaarheld... GOD ZEGENT JOU XXX
@@ansjovisnl9059 absoluut, maar ansjovis ik ben geen Indonesische, maar een Molukse! Melanesiers geen Javanen! Maar super trots op onze VanHalen Indische boys.
@Tom Anderson He wasn't using drugs or alcohol for quite some time, though, right? I mean, even Keith Richards and Ozzy quit. Tho, i think Ozzy might be a lost cause...
Dr OZ said to Charlie Sheen " you can take a lot of hits until you're 45, then it gets dangerous" Eddie started smoking meth around this time, possibly a few years before, never mind the coke . You can see how bad he looked from 2002 to 2004. This is when the wife left then Sammy . 30+ years of chain smoking and drinking didn't help either . You can't live like that and get away with it. We have a responsibility(IMO) to take care of ourselves and live for the ones we love and for the ones who love us.
I'm surprised too but I'm thinking that their parents continued speaking Dutch in the house with them a lot when they were growing up. Just guessing. I've read that Alex and Eddie were very close to mom and dad
Couldn't have said it any better Eddie said " We came Here with 50 dollars and a Piano Now look at us, If THAT'S Not The American Dream I don't know what is. "
I knew they had roots in the Netherlands, but I didn't know they still spoke the language. All too often children let slip the culture and language of their parents when moving to another land. I met Eddie once when driving him from the airport to his hotel, he seemed like a nice guy...but our conversation never extended to the topic of languages. He will be missed.
he didn't "have roots" in the netherlands, he was born there and lived there for the first 7 years of his life, so of course he still spoke his mother tongue. it's not something you just forget after speaking it exclusively for so long.
@@rawgab4439 They were about six and eight when they moved, so even if they never spoke it again, I think they'd still remember at least a good chunk of it. But Eddie and Alex continued speaking Dutch to each other, I think all of their lives.
@Ezriq Xtra To know that it was forbidden to have polaroid, cameras inside the venue haha! Ticket teruggevonden, DLR te Brussel, 10/12/1988 voor omgerekend 14€. Ik was toen 19. Kristof.
I hope Eddie and Alex taught Wolf to speak Dutch. I am half Japanese and half British, and Eddie and Alex were the only musicians I knew of who were half Asian (Indonesian) and half European. I was born in Japan, and came to the U.S. three months shy of my seventh birthday. My dad was in the Navy, and we moved from Yokohama to San Diego. Rest in peace, Eddie. You are already terribly missed.
Yokohama to San Diego by ship? That is how the Van Halen family got to America! THREE weeks crossing the Atlantic by ship then across America by rail. That is what I heard anyway.
@@michaelrmurphy2734 I didn't say I came from Yokohama to San Diego by ship. We flew from Tokyo to Seattle, switched planes, and then flew from Seattle to Los Angeles. We stayed with my grandmother until the Navy settled us in San Diego.
@@ericandsarahsmom1000 In the US Navy. Did you like that life? I am in Halifax on the East Coast of Canada so I know about life in a navy town. Did you like Japan? I LOVE Japan! I have several reasons why!
@@michaelrmurphy2734 I liked Japan a great deal. But I left my homeland in 1965, so I consider myself an American. I unfortunately could not get dual citizenship because my mom was born and raised in Japan, and did not become an American citizen until I was 16. I became an American citizen at the same time. We lived on a large Navy base in Yokohama for two years. It was a tight-knit community. I still have family in Japan, so I want to go back and visit. The U.S. military still has 90 bases in Japan, with the Marines having the most, and the Navy coming in second. The U.S. Air Force has a lot of bases in the U.K.
Actually Eddie spoke three languages, English, Dutch, and music. I never realized how much he meant to my childhood until he died. I'm devastated. Another piece of my childhood is gone. Now it is our responsibility to be the keepers of the memories. In our memories you will always be alive.
I dont know how old you are. Im 57 and STILL find that hard to believe ehen I say that outloud! However being 57 I,like you, have watched many from my youth pass away from this and that. It is sad isnt it and yes it feels personal! We are connected to these song writers, singers,guitar Gods,poets. They wrote the soundtrack to our lives. A song comes on the radio and we are immediately transported to another place in time and we can VIVIDLY recall what was happening in our lives,a special day or night,perhaps an old lover or special friend we were with. It doesnt get more personal than that and I would imagine,for the artist who wrote or sang the song,theres no greater reward for what you do than knowing you impacted so many lives and do so EVERY SINGLE TIME your song is played somewhere. Every song is part of someones soundtrack of their life.
it is important. i feel the same way. we have to preserve our history. all of it. especially, and maybe most of all, our music. including Eddie Van Halen's 'Eruption'. my all time fave.
@@janalalewicz7385 wow, I couldn’t have said that any better ! I’m 44,so I was younger, but I still was around in the 80s listening to 1984 and 5150 ! Great music and a great time to be alive. Because when I hit my teens, the grunge revolution hit and before that was the awesome hair bands. I’ve seen some great music in my time.
I feel the same. I was born in 1980, Van Halen was EVERYWHERE and EVERYTHING in my youth. Piece by piece what once was is no longer. Very sad indeed. RIP Eddie.
Actually I was stunned to read that his Mother was (is??) Indonesian. May have read it years ago but it certainly was not repeated often enough for it to have been committed to memory. Anyway, the point is they might have spoken that language too.
Eddie & Alex can read the dictionary to me in Dutch and it would sound sexy. I’m just gutted by Eddie’s passing. My favorite band of all time. Saw them several times over the years. RIP Eddie 🙏🏼💜🍃🕊
My daughter when she was in high school was friends with a girl originally from France, she had been speaking English for around 10 years. I asked her once, "when you dream, what language do you dream in?" That question caught her off guard and all she could say was, "I don't know."
I get asked that question every other day. I'm a native speaker of French but I've lived in the UK for 30 years now. I think the language I think in depends on what I'm doing. When doing anything vaguely technological, I think in English because I developed my computer skills here; I've never even used the French version of Windows. Likewise with music synthesizers, whose menus and panel labels are written exclusively in English throughout the world. For anything I learned prior to moving here such as mental maths, including times tables, I will instinctively revert to French. However, this idea of 'getting a new language when you're dreaming in it' is a total myth, I'm afraid. I dream in both French and English, depending who I am talking to in the dream (sometimes it's not even the right language) and I can't tell you how many dreams I've had in (what I thought was) fluent Spanish, even though I'm pretty rubbish at it. This raises another question though: do we always use a language when we think or dream?
Glad they didn't lose their native tongue after all those years. Let that be a lesson to you. Don't forget your native tongue. It will work for you not against you in the future.
My mom (born in the US) told me her father wanted to teach her Polish (he was an immigrant, spoke about 4 languages) but she was never interested in learning as a child. (She remembers very few phrases). Now she wished she had learned, and I do too because she could have taught me. I know people who are bilingual (English and Spanish) who say their kids have no interest in learning Spanish now. I guess sometimes it just gets lost down the generations.
@@angelarose249 really?...i stand corrected then ,it is rare though,iv been to holland loads of times and i cant recall anyone who couldnt,far more then any other mainland western european country put it that way
@Fred BarendseYeah,its good education and a lot of dutch ive spoke too (long before the internet) say english has been like second nature, because holland is flat and just across the channel, they have been able to get british tv since the 50s...I lived in germany for 12 years in the late 70s/ 80s and a lot of them UNDERSTOOD english,but not on the dutch level..(a lot of swedes and norwegians do as well)
Great hearing this clip. Dutch was my first language but I lost most of it. I love listening to it spoken and it's a real treat when it is the van Halen brothers. My heart breaks at his loss 💔
In an interview Eddie related how his family endured "horrifying racism" while in the Netherlands because his mother was Indonesian. He stated he and his brother were called half-breeds and his mother was treated as a second class citizen. It forced them to leave their country and emigrate to the U.S. Once here they again suffered more racism because they spoke no english. In addition the boys were bullied in school by white students because they were different. How they overcame their harsh environment and exceeded far beyond anyone's wildest expectations should serve as an example to others facing racism and adversity, especially in today's world. Surround yourself with the support of those who love you, educate yourself and study your craft, stay the course and above all stay positive. RIP Eddie Van Halen
My mom and dad used to live next door to a full male cousin of theirs and that neighbour used to shiw my folks postcards coming un from when they were on the road...still tight with their family in The Netherlands.
Eddie’s passing really is a huge loss. His loss will be felt for a very long time. Luckily his son Wolfgang will dutifully carry on his father’s legacy. Wolfgang has risen to the occasion. He’s going on air to help perpetuate his father’s lasting talent and is the best representative Eddie could ever ask for.
The brotherly love Eddie and Alex had for each other reminds me of my own brother who has lived in Sicily for the past 20 years and haven't seen him since.
i am Portugees and i live in Holland!I fall for Van Halen when he made a special apearance in a Michael Jackson song,"Beat it"!!So i had to come here today,just to hear a idol,speaking in Dutch...!R.I.P.
Was never a Van Halen music fan but I recognize his impact on people, I’ve been watching all these videos the last few days and I am so Impressed by him as an artist and person
@Hammerschlägen M my friend had Dutch parents. They visited him he invited me..... At first I said no.... Then he said come meet them.... I did.. They were talking Dutch.... I listened for 2hours....they laughed at me and the look I had.... They said you are starting to understand us aren't you I said yes it.... It was weird...... The crazy thing is I'm a black guy.... Loll
Awesome To Hear These Guys Speak Their Native Language..I Also Came To America On A Cruise Ship From Italy Right Around The Same Time As The Van Halens..It Was Rough Learning English..Proud To Say I Still Speak Read And Write Italian
We are no longer of a single ethnic group, half of this and half of that or another, nothing is typical of a country ...But from the VH came a good contribution to rock
That’s a shame. You’ve lost what made you unique. Now you are mongrels and like everyone else. How can you have diversity if you are all mixed? It’s good to preserve a unique culture or race bc it keeps up things that are special. Don’t they say diversity is our strength? When we are all a mixed bag then everyone is the same. What’s so special about that?
@ihategoogle They faced so much racism, just read about them living in California. They were bullied by white people because they could not speak english and did not look white.
After seeing this video, I realized that I've seen/heard Alex speak more Dutch than I've ever heard him say in English. And this is the first time I've seen him speaking Dutch!
That's almost as impressive as the musicianship. They both speak it conversationally which means they were raised with it. I had NO idea these guys were so fluently bi-lingual and anyone that's tried to learn it can tell you it's a HARD language to master. Much harder than German. Rest in Peace. Gone but never forgotten.
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 people who have had strokes too. A lady I knew had the most wonderful Irish brogue, having never spent a minute of her life in Ireland. Turns out that her mother had been Irish tho.
All I can say is WOW! I had no idea that this even existed. Honestly, I had no idea that the brothers spoke another language. Great find! Thanks for posting!
@@believer2223Your reply is so kind... and it's not strange at all that you had no idea... They were children when they left The Netherlands and it is because of their parents that they kept their Dutch language alive...
RIP Eddie Van Halen, life journey of this family is so impressive, consistent in music even though has to move from Indonesia to Netherlands and finally USA
Pure Awesomeness.... RIP EVH, Millions of us will never forget your greatness. I feel like a part of my childhood just died with you. You were the persona of coolness. Peace! 😎🎸🎶🎶🎶
As a dutch speaker you can notice there's some "English tongue" getting through when Eddie speaks Ducth. With Eddie it seems noticeable if you listen but Alex speaks as if he never left The Netherlands.
@@dukeford8893 that is interesing. Can you mention some words that gave you that impression? And how long ago was your living here? I am always intrigued by the experience of my native tongue by people from abroad.
Alex was older...he spoke the language in their native land longer so it makes sense. Eddie was more of a baby when he arrived and learned to speak English.
@@dukeford8893 Frisian is the closest Germanic language related to English. And Frisia is split between northern Holland, Northern Germany and probably a little part of southern Denmark. Frisian sounds fairly close to Dutch, so it's no surprise that Dutch and English share some vocabulary, although the pronunciation is very different.
This has been a hard pill to swallow. Eddie's passing has been so heart breaking to say the least. Started listening to Van Halen in the late 70's and have always been such a fan I feel so thankful that I was able to see them in concert several times.The music of Van Halen will live on forever. Rest in Peace Eddie I know you are jamming up above. GOD SPEED
There is nothing more awesome than seeing your heroes be themselves. Listening to VH records taught me everything I needed to know about guitars, and fun.
addadd55.. Dank u wel voor deze video.. Ik ben een van deze Yankees dat leert het Nederlands te spreken. Inderdaad, ik heb een Yankee access waneer ik spreek. Uw video helpt me als het geeft me iets te horen. Groetjes!!! :):)
@@jimijames9792 Ik leer nog steeds. Ik werke met een Nederlandse Bedrijjf, Refresco. Ik begon met compact disks. Dan ik begon met collega’s dat speekt het Nederlands. Dann ging ik naar Nederland en heb ik en kanaalboot op Friesland gehuurd.
I love this! I was almost 4 when I came to Canada. Still speak and understand Dutch. My writing is horrible but yes, I would have said hagelslag op brood myself, and chocolade letters.
I’ve noticed comments that Alex sounds more fluent than Eddie. This is quite common in multi lingual households. The oldest may spend more time around grandparents, translates for parents etc, by the time the younger siblings are born, the parents may have learned more English. In my family, my oldest brother was the most fluent. I also notice they seem a bit shy about speaking in Dutch as the interviewer is a native speaker. Also very common. You’re aware of your American accent when conversing with a native speaker and it can be a little intimidating. They sound awesome. Love this.
My experience with anything Dutch yrs ago....KLM, very good airline, gorgeous stewards. Holland, beautiful country and women. And, well of course, the greatest band and guitar player of them all, in my opinion. Greetings from Canada lol
+Hammerschlägen M i guess that's because muslim people have more kids than the rest. i hope it doesn't spread all over the world, i don't like their manners
@Hammerschlägen M Not only will we spread even more, but we will by the will of god change the whole world into the only religion that is acceptable in the eyes of the almighty. May he throw both of you in hellfire on the day of judgement for disrespecting his word and his religion.
Eddie is a natural born rock star. a phenomenon. everything seems to be perfect, his talent for the guitar in the first place of course. I am glad I saw him on stage on Women and Children First tour.
Their Dutch is quite good. As I have a Dutch-Indonesian background too, I can hear a little bit that their mother came from there (she was Dutch-Indonesian, not Indonesian as I read sometimes, that's a big difference, because the Dutch-Indonesians were privileged, generally much better educated, even better than the people in The Netherlands at that time). Their mother was born in Rankasbitoeng (Lebak), ironically the place where the Amsterdam born writer Multatuli lived (and had lots of problems) for a few years around the 1850's. There's a Multatuli Museum now. That's why a lot of the Dutch-Indonesians were dissappointed and frustrated when they came (back) (forced by the Indonesians) to The Netherlands, late 40's and 50's. Although Dutch-Indonesians were generally good educated, they didn't get the same jobs as the Dutch already living here. Those were the times then. I think you can't call it racism, the Dutch were quite blunt even to the Jews that survived the war. Hard times. The very loyal to the Dutch crown Moluccan people were, as you can call it, betrayed by the Dutch and were put in former German camps! They weren't allowed to work here, because the Dutch government thought that they were here for only a few months! And, also very important, the weather in The Netherlands was also very cold in comparison to Indonesia! That can be an important thought why the Van Halen's came to the US. And that's the best decision their father and mother did in their entire lives. If they had remained in The Netherlands they were maybe like Golden Earring or Focus, but not as huge as Van Halen! If you are in The Netherlands you can still visit the streets where they lived, it's the Nico van Suchtelenhof and Michelangelostraat in Amsterdam and the Rozemarijnstraat in Nijmegen. Eddie was seen in Amsterdam during his and Janie's honeymoon. Last point: there's a little bit of translation not understood and written in the subtitles. Alex says to the interviewer Harry Vermeegen: "Harry just remains Harry". But I think that's not what Alex means. Alex says literally in Dutch: "Herrie blijft gewoon Herrie hè", but pronounced in English it sounds like Harry just remains Harry, but the Dutch word Herrie (pronounced as Harry in English) means noise. So I think what Alex means literally is: "Noise just remains noise", referring to Van Halen's music!
"I think you can't call it racism, the Dutch were quite blunt even to the Jews ..." I think racism very much describes Dutch attitudes to others ... apartheid?
@@ColtraneTaylor Apartheid is purely Britisch. ONLY the name is Dutch, how convenient. You clearly don't know nothing about the Dutch and their attitudes. BTW, Did you know the 3 best gittarplayers ever come from Holland? 1. Jan Akkerman (Even Eric Clapton admidded their is no one better than him). 2. Eddy van Halen. 3. Jimmy Rosenberg.
@@peterdevalk7929 Nice try. EVH was hounded out of Netherlands by Dutch racism. www.asian-dawn.com/2020/04/30/immigrating-to-america-half-asian-eddie-van-halen/amp/
The two brothers! It's beautiful that they spent their lives together doing something they absolutely love; a blessing for sure. I hope his family has comfort in their lost!
R.I.P. Edward, wat heb je de gitaar- en muziekwereld veranderd Wat een legendes. Goed dat ze naar Amerika waren verhuisd, alleen vanuit daar hadden ze de wereld kunnen veroveren.
Ja, jammer dat de Nederlandse muziekindustrie zo bekrompen is. Kijk maar naar Within Temptation, Floor Jansen en zelfs Caro Emerald; die hebben meer succes in het buitenland.
Als ze in Nederland gebleven waren, hadden ze inderdaad nooit zo beroemd kunnen worden!. Er zijn maar weinig Nederlandse artiesten die dat gelukt is, ook al hadden en hebben ze nog zoveel talent. Triest dat Eddie te jong hier is weggegaan!. Hij was een talentvolle en bescheiden man.
@@ansjovisnl9059 Nee man. Het is helemaal niet erg, ze zijn mooi veramerikaanst/d. En vanuit Pasadena hebben ze kunnen doen wat ze hebben kunnen doen. Nederland zou sowieso te klein geweest zijn.
america afforded them the opportunities they did not have in the netherlands. i don't think they would've had the same life and especially the music success coming from the netherlands as they did here in america. they would've never had any english hits, never would've met dave, michael anthony or sammy. they learned their music and developed their skills here in america. but you can never take away their dutch blood from them. they are who they are. RIP Eddie!
Actually his mother and his father where born in indonesia, coz indonesia was dutch colonize at that time, The different is his father 100%dutch and his mother 100%indonesian, And after indonesia gained the independent 1945, all of dutch kick out from indonesia, and his mother follow his father to move away to netherland and the rest of the history Sorry bad english
Many, many years ago while partying at a comedy show in Corona, California I won a pair of Van Halen tickets by correctly answering the DJ's question of where did the brothers Van Halen originally hail from? While everybody was shouting out L.A., Pasadena, Hollywood, etc., I shouted out "The Netherlands". The DJ looked right at me and handed me the pair of VH tickets! I also won a pair of Genesis tickets the same night by correctly answering where they originally hailed from...Sheffield, England. It was a great night! R.I.P., EVH!
I'm 55 yo. I've been a VH fan since I was a teen. Late 70's. I found out about two years ago that their mom was from Indonesia. 18 years AFTER I married my Indonesian wife. I wonder if they learned to speak any Indonesian ( Bahasa )??? Sya bisa sidikit Bahasa. Terima kasi Eddie and Alex for the memories and awesome music ! 👍👍💖💯🇮🇩🎸🥁🎼🎵🎶🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹
@Robert Evans All I know from another Dutch interview with Eddie and Alex is that whenever they were home at their recording studio/house in LA (the interview took place in their home when they were working on the soundtrack for Twister in 1996; their father Jan had died 10 years earlier) they talked with their mother Eugenia, who lived just a few minutes away, almost every day and they always spoke Dutch. (She died in 2005.) I'm not aware that they ever spoke Indonesian. Four years ago I transcribed that interview (watch?v=Nul26_lKpYk) and translated it into English. If you search through the comments section of that video, you can find where I posted it.
I have wondered for a long time if the Van Halen brothers could still speak their first language fluently, and now I know that they could. I met Tommy Lee almost 20 years ago at a club , and I talked to him for a few minutes. He was born in Athens Greece , and he came to America as a little kid. My parents were both also born in Greece , so it was my first language as a kid. Of course I asked Tommy if could speak any still, and he told me that all he knew were some of the bad words, and a few simple words like hello, yes, and a few others. He told me that it was too late for him to relearn all the Greek he knew as a little kid, but I told him that it was never too late. Sometimes you can lose your native language if you completely stop speaking it. That famous saying" Use It Or Lose It" pun intended. Lol
Oh man - Pipo the Clown! I remember this from 1960. My parents immigrated to Canada in 1957 - Mam took us back in 1960 for the summer - watched Pipo on TV then. Pap was known for his kroketjes, while Mam was a baker extraordinaire - appeltarte, amandeltaarte... And they never let us forget we were Dutch. I'm 67 and still speak quite a bit of Dutch. Nice to see another side to the van Halen brothers!
Rest now Eddie. Now you can finally do that! Sorry to see you leave us but your not hurting anymore. I cant imagine what you were going through but your free from it now. You were one of my guitar Gods. Im playing guitar because of you! You'll be forever missed Eddie.
NOT TOO MANY WELL KNOWN ROCKERS CAME OUT OF THE NETHERLANDS. EDDIE AND ALEX ARE EXTREMELY TALENTED AND ONE OF A KIND. VAN HALEN ROCKS LIKE NO OTHER! IN HIGHSCHOOL WE WOULD SAY VAN HALEN RULES!!!
It's interesting having grown up virtually in their neighborhood in Pasadena during the 80s and 90s and being a huge rock fan but never knowing this. You'd be surprised how much there is to know about the world just from getting out from under the American media hub! I now live in Spain and am a lot happier!
I know a guy who lived 2-3 doors down from the Van Halen family in Pasadena. He said that he’d be hanging out in the driveway or sidewalk outside their house while they’d rehearse and they’d throw records at him, trying to hit him. I don’t know who exactly did the throwing (but my guess would be DLR, ha!). This must have been very, very early in their career, like 1975 or so, just before the VH album was released and they were playing lots of parties and some club dates but I’m sure they must have had some of the songs from that album already worked out. I cannot imagine walking past their house and seeing Eddie work on perfecting ‘Eruption’, just yards away, without thousands of fans lurking about, still a virtual unknown. Probably like watching Thomas Edison work on that little thing called “the light bulb”.
People are upset that Eddie has passed, but remember you lived in an era where you can tell future individuals "yeah, I saw Eddie play live" or "I saw Eddie in person". You lived at a time when there was something unique happening in music and you get to carry forward his memory. Not just with his music, but having known a piece of history.
![รอจะบอกคำนั้น - KARN The Parkinson x DAOU PITTAYA [LIVE SESSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wACfLFATe2Y/mqdefault.jpg)
First time I have every heard the Van Halen brothers speak Dutch, shame it takes Eddie's passing to find this, RIP Eddie!
@michael Castle is
@michael Castle can they ? I've been wondering about that for some time. I've been married to my Indonesian wife for twenty years and only found out their mom was Indonesian a couple years ago. I would have loved to talk to Eddie in Bahasa. Sya bisa sidikit Bahasa. 😁🇮🇩
They were born there.
The sound of the language is so interesting. Not something you hear in California. Talented brothers.
Somewhere out there is Rush failing Rock Band with Tom Sawyer. Saw it. The game is entirely geared for small kids, so...I can see that. When they allow you to connect it to a MIDI in real instruments, it'll be more useful.
I was born in Holland and moved to the UK when I was 10. I'm absolutely certain that their ability to speak their native language so well after living in the States from a young age is 100% down to their parents continuing to speak Dutch with them at home. Nice post, thanks for sharing.
I was born in the UK and moved to the U.S. when I was 10, my mother was from England, my stepdad from the U.S. I fully understood all the intricacies of 'British' English although when I would go back to England I had a hard time speaking without a slight American accent to my voice.
Without question, this is from their parents speaking Dutch at home. While Dutch may be Eddie and Alex's first language, once they came to the US, outside of their home, everything was English and without their parents speaking it at home, they would *mostly* forget the language over time.
@@HallStevenson I never forgot the language of my home country even though I left at age 10. You're just assuming whatever makes sense to you. I communicated fully in the dialect of my native language in my home country for the first 10 years of my life. I didn't just 'hear' the language being spoken. The science simply doesn't support what you're saying. Whenever we would visit my home country I still knew the intricacy of the language fully even though my mother had never referenced these things while living in the U.S.
Of course their parents spoke Dutch. They were adults when they came to the US. Learning English was probably difficult. At home they would speak in the language they were most comfortable in. I believe their mothe was from Thailand. I wonder if she spoke to them in Thai?
@@rickjason215 Yes, I'm sure their parents spoke Dutch at home, but it's not easy to ensure that kids grow up being able to converse in their native language, especially at the age they were when they moved. I had to learn English from scratch in less than 3 months, but if it wasn't for my parents continuing with Dutch grammar lessons, I wouldn't be bilingual now.
Their mother was from Indonesia (a former Dutch colony), not Thailand.
As a Dutch guy .. still proud of those indo rockers from the Netherlands
Antoine Beau Man as an indo from the Netherlands I'm proud of them to and I wasn't even alive before 2003😢
@@quincyd7356 Mijn zoons zijn ook indo, de oudste is van jouw leeftijd. Maar ze zijn nooit warmgelopen voor Van Halen ... Hoe heb jij ze leren kennen ?
How good is their Dutch?
@@DJW489 Alex speaks very good Dutch, Eddie has a strong American accent but yeah he was very young when they moved to the states.
www.indischhistorisch.nl/derde-pagina/amerindos-2/amerindos-amerindos-2-eddy-en-alex-van-halen-indos-geen-indorockers/
Wow so cool to see these guys speak their native tongue. Van Halen seems so American, so California. The VH brothers are heroes to millions of rock fans here in the states.
The greatest
"Van" is a very Dutch prefix of a surname... Like: Van Gogh, Rembrandt Van Rijn, Jan Van Eyck, etc... The list is very long. (also James Van Der Beek is from Dutch origin)
That explains why he sliced his ear off. He was an American living in the Hollywood Hills.
Very kool
My last name mccoy is scottish irish
I am Dutch and it is funny to me to hear Eddie speak with quite a heavy American accent. Alex speaks more like a native Dutch citizen, but the way he says kroketjes (quite difficult to pronounce for a non native speaker) clearly shows that he also has an American accent. No surpise since they have lived far longer in the US than in the Netherlands.
They spoke Dutch with their mother, that is how they were at least able to speak it the level they could. It's kind of cute, how Eddie called Dutch 'Hollands' ... I don't know if they still use that term in Nijmegen nowadays (they lived in Nijmegen before leaving).
@Ben doverman That indeed makes sense. Dutch and English share a lot of words, and are much closer related than German and English (reading German philosophers in English is a no go in the Netherlands) as an example: in many cases English words ending with ion (Information, extermination, passion etc) are almost the same in Dutch, except they don't end with ion but ie (informatie, exterminatie, passie) there are more examples. I have to add that Eddie van Halen also has an Indonesian accent while speaking Dutch because of his mother, I noticed in another Dutch interview. In Alex this is lot less noticable, which is odd.
@Ben doverman As a Dutchman, I like your comment :) There are a lot of similarities between English and Dutch. They are related languages. Many words are the same or just slightly different pronounced or spelled out. Word - Woord, Work - Werk, Light - Licht, Music - Muziek, Conversation - Conversatie, Guitar - Gitaar. Just an example out of many. The only hard part of learning Dutch as a native English speaker is grammar. That's completely different and in some cases there are not even rules for it. To be honest, even the Dutch themselves are making a lot of mistakes.
@@boink800 Wouldn't they have spoken Dutch with their father since he was a native?
Its like listening to an Australian and not understanding anything.
Holy s**t! I've never heard Alex and Eddie speak anything other than English. This was pretty cool.
@kawasaki whip two
I know right!?! Glad I found this.
there are more interviews were they speak Dutch th-cam.com/video/Nul26_lKpYk/w-d-xo.html
What I find most interesting is....I have never really noticed an accent when they speak. As I understand it Alex was around 10...and Eddie 7 yr old...so to have no accent is pretty impressive.
@@rwh2559 kids usually lose their accents... adults usually don't.
kind of surreal too.
Eddie's passing has rocked us no doubt. No pun intended. RIP
You’re on a roll...
Always
Don't be a pussy. Intend your fucking puns.
@@michaelbianchi22 definitely
His passing rocked me too. Pun intended.
knew a girl called Helen Van ...of course we called her "Van Helen "
Lol
Knew a girl named April. Use to call her April Wine.
@@govtom4 knew a girl named marry (was really a larry) we no longer asked "MARY me?" ah...sorry!
I knew a Sally. Called her Long Tall Sally which was funny because she was short and fat.
Knew a girl in my accounting class back in college named....and I'm not joking....Anita Lay. Her parents must of been on dope! Lol.
RIP EDDIE VAN HALEN, bedankt voor de muziek.
RIP Eddie!. I am proud to be Dutch!. 🇳🇱🇺🇸🎸🇺🇸🇳🇱
@@ansjovisnl9059 EDDIE & ALEX were not only Dutch their mother was INDISCH (Indonesian-Dutch). My mother also from that area (Maluku, annexed and now Republic of Indonesia), so I'm very very proud of EDDIE & ALEX VAN HALEN, especially because their half Indisch, love it. RIP EDDIE, gitaarheld... GOD ZEGENT JOU XXX
@@hcpunkrockhxxx9247 Ik kan me ook voorstellen dat je als Indonesiër trots bent op Eddie!
@@ansjovisnl9059 absoluut, maar ansjovis ik ben geen Indonesische, maar een Molukse! Melanesiers geen Javanen! Maar super trots op onze VanHalen Indische boys.
EVH = het best.
RIP, Eddie Van Halen 😢🙏🏼 such a huge loss.
I think Eddies death has been the biggest shock for everyone. A legend taken way too soon.
:-(
@Tom Anderson He wasn't using drugs or alcohol for quite some time, though, right? I mean, even Keith Richards and Ozzy quit. Tho, i think Ozzy might be a lost cause...
Dr OZ said to Charlie Sheen " you can take a lot of hits until you're 45, then it gets dangerous" Eddie started smoking meth around this time, possibly a few years before, never mind the coke . You can see how bad he looked from 2002 to 2004. This is when the wife left then Sammy . 30+ years of chain smoking and drinking didn't help either . You can't live like that and get away with it. We have a responsibility(IMO) to take care of ourselves and live for the ones we love and for the ones who love us.
@Mike Cap th-cam.com/video/Vq1MK36fHMs/w-d-xo.html
@Tom Anderson th-cam.com/video/Vq1MK36fHMs/w-d-xo.html
Surprised they still speak Dutch so well because they left the Netherlands at an early age.
I'm surprised too but I'm thinking that their parents continued speaking Dutch in the house with them a lot when they were growing up. Just guessing. I've read that Alex and Eddie were very close to mom and dad
Your guessing is right. They spoke Dutch with their parents, especially their mom as she was the longest living of the two.
Their mom was Indonesian, so I'm wondering if she ever taught them Bahasa Indonesia.
@Hammerschlägen M Wow. What a dickhead response.
@@Eclipse2582 He is an internet Nazi, dont be surprised.
I completely forgot about this, that their parents immigrated to the US when they were young guys. Good to see.
As a Dutch guy myself, I approve this message
That is the American dream right there. Two kids move to LA when they are kids and become the greatest in the world at what they do.
Couldn't have said it any better Eddie said " We came Here with 50 dollars and a Piano Now look at us, If THAT'S Not The American Dream I don't know what is. "
The American dream is navigating racism on the road to success? No thanks.
@@miinfl7143 what the fuck are you going off on?
@@miinfl7143 There is always one isn't there, and today it's you.
Why are you writing that bullshit?. What has it to do with the subject?.
Eddie always has such awesome hair. I had no idea they spoke another language.
They were born in the Netherlands
I knew they were Dutch but I never knew they were half Indonesian too. Will be greatly missed. I hope Alex continues on someday.
It's funny I was just looking at pics of Eddie over the years and I thought, this guy had great f*****g hair!
I knew they had roots in the Netherlands, but I didn't know they still spoke the language. All too often children let slip the culture and language of their parents when moving to another land. I met Eddie once when driving him from the airport to his hotel, he seemed like a nice guy...but our conversation never extended to the topic of languages.
He will be missed.
he didn't "have roots" in the netherlands, he was born there and lived there for the first 7 years of his life, so of course he still spoke his mother tongue. it's not something you just forget after speaking it exclusively for so long.
@@Johnsmith69448 well ..you could forget if you have barely any chances to speak it
Will be more amazing if they both can speak they mother language...she’s from indonesia !! Will be wow Wow !
@@Johnsmith69448 : his father is Dutch and mother Indonesian. I’m sure both they parents always speak Dutch at home and they growing up with it .
@@rawgab4439 They were about six and eight when they moved, so even if they never spoke it again, I think they'd still remember at least a good chunk of it. But Eddie and Alex continued speaking Dutch to each other, I think all of their lives.
Wow. I have been a Van Halen fan my entire life and I never knew they could still speak Dutch.
So huge in the USA, but here in Belgium,Netherlands they did very few concerts. What a shame. I did see DLR in 88
and VH in 1993 Brussels.
@Ezriq Xtra To know that it was forbidden to have polaroid, cameras inside the venue
haha! Ticket teruggevonden, DLR te Brussel,
10/12/1988 voor omgerekend 14€. Ik was toen 19. Kristof.
But they couldn't sing in Dutch.
I hope Eddie and Alex taught Wolf to speak Dutch. I am half Japanese and half British, and Eddie and Alex were the only musicians I knew of who were half Asian (Indonesian) and half European. I was born in Japan, and came to the U.S. three months shy of my seventh birthday. My dad was in the Navy, and we moved from Yokohama to San Diego. Rest in peace, Eddie. You are already terribly missed.
Yokohama to San Diego by ship? That is how the Van Halen family got to America! THREE weeks crossing the Atlantic by ship then across America by rail. That is what I heard anyway.
@@michaelrmurphy2734 I didn't say I came from Yokohama to San Diego by ship. We flew from Tokyo to Seattle, switched planes, and then flew from Seattle to Los Angeles. We stayed with my grandmother until the Navy settled us in San Diego.
@@ericandsarahsmom1000 In the US Navy. Did you like that life? I am in Halifax on the East Coast of Canada so I know about life in a navy town. Did you like Japan? I LOVE Japan! I have several reasons why!
@@michaelrmurphy2734 I liked Japan a great deal. But I left my homeland in 1965, so I consider myself an American. I unfortunately could not get dual citizenship because my mom was born and raised in Japan, and did not become an American citizen until I was 16. I became an American citizen at the same time. We lived on a large Navy base in Yokohama for two years. It was a tight-knit community. I still have family in Japan, so I want to go back and visit. The U.S. military still has 90 bases in Japan, with the Marines having the most, and the Navy coming in second. The U.S. Air Force has a lot of bases in the U.K.
@@ericandsarahsmom1000 My friend Noriko lives in Okinawa and goes by the base there on her way to work. Which one is that?
Actually Eddie spoke three languages, English, Dutch, and music. I never realized how much he meant to my childhood until he died. I'm devastated. Another piece of my childhood is gone. Now it is our responsibility to be the keepers of the memories. In our memories you will always be alive.
I dont know how old you are. Im 57 and STILL find that hard to believe ehen I say that outloud! However being 57 I,like you, have watched many from my youth pass away from this and that. It is sad isnt it and yes it feels personal! We are connected to these song writers, singers,guitar Gods,poets. They wrote the soundtrack to our lives. A song comes on the radio and we are immediately transported to another place in time and we can VIVIDLY recall what was happening in our lives,a special day or night,perhaps an old lover or special friend we were with. It doesnt get more personal than that and I would imagine,for the artist who wrote or sang the song,theres no greater reward for what you do than knowing you impacted so many lives and do so EVERY SINGLE TIME your song is played somewhere. Every song is part of someones soundtrack of their life.
it is important. i feel the same way. we have to preserve our history. all of it. especially, and maybe most of all, our music. including Eddie Van Halen's 'Eruption'. my all time fave.
@@janalalewicz7385 wow, I couldn’t have said that any better ! I’m 44,so I was younger, but I still was around in the 80s listening to 1984 and 5150 ! Great music and a great time to be alive. Because when I hit my teens, the grunge revolution hit and before that was the awesome hair bands. I’ve seen some great music in my time.
I feel the same. I was born in 1980, Van Halen was EVERYWHERE and EVERYTHING in my youth. Piece by piece what once was is no longer. Very sad indeed. RIP Eddie.
Actually I was stunned to read that his Mother was (is??) Indonesian. May have read it years ago but it certainly was not repeated often enough for it to have been committed to memory.
Anyway, the point is they might have spoken that language too.
VAN HALEN was the perfect name for a Rock Band!!!!
In Finland We have Vanhanen !
Van Rockin'... don't knock.
Yes! Also a bit of an inside joke too, Van Hailin' 🤣
@@bonsouthall960 Inhaling?
VAN FLEET! next!!!!!!
Rest in peace Eddie! Also, this comments section is golden.
Eddie & Alex can read the dictionary to me in Dutch and it would sound sexy. I’m just gutted by Eddie’s passing. My favorite band of all time. Saw them several times over the years. RIP Eddie 🙏🏼💜🍃🕊
@Auntie LisaLisa BoPeepsa
Me too... it's so very sad.
Yep, saw them in 82 and 84 in NJ Rock in Peace Eddie
Proud to be DUTCH...RIP Edward Lodewijk van Halen 🇳🇱🕯🇺🇸🎸
My daughter when she was in high school was friends with a girl originally from France, she had been speaking English for around 10 years. I asked her once, "when you dream, what language do you dream in?" That question caught her off guard and all she could say was, "I don't know."
They say you’re really starting to get a new language when you start dreaming in it.
I never heard that before. 🙄🤔
Kaddywompous I speak Spanish and I did have a dream in it a few years ago.
I get asked that question every other day. I'm a native speaker of French but I've lived in the UK for 30 years now. I think the language I think in depends on what I'm doing. When doing anything vaguely technological, I think in English because I developed my computer skills here; I've never even used the French version of Windows. Likewise with music synthesizers, whose menus and panel labels are written exclusively in English throughout the world. For anything I learned prior to moving here such as mental maths, including times tables, I will instinctively revert to French. However, this idea of 'getting a new language when you're dreaming in it' is a total myth, I'm afraid. I dream in both French and English, depending who I am talking to in the dream (sometimes it's not even the right language) and I can't tell you how many dreams I've had in (what I thought was) fluent Spanish, even though I'm pretty rubbish at it. This raises another question though: do we always use a language when we think or dream?
I don't recall using any language in my dreams. I spreak three languages.
Glad they didn't lose their native tongue after all those years.
Let that be a lesson to you.
Don't forget your native tongue.
It will work for you not against you in the future.
My mom (born in the US) told me her father wanted to teach her Polish (he was an immigrant, spoke about 4 languages) but she was never interested in learning as a child. (She remembers very few phrases). Now she wished she had learned, and I do too because she could have taught me.
I know people who are bilingual (English and Spanish) who say their kids have no interest in learning Spanish now. I guess sometimes it just gets lost down the generations.
must have spoken dutch at their parents house as they left holland when eddie was 7
They learned to speak English very well, you would never know they didn't speak the language when they were kids.
it rare to find any dutch people who dont speak english,even then .
@@davehoward22 in another interview they said they didn't speak English when they came to America.
@@angelarose249 really?...i stand corrected then ,it is rare though,iv been to holland loads of times and i cant recall anyone who couldnt,far more then any other mainland western european country put it that way
@Fred BarendseYeah,its good education and a lot of dutch ive spoke too (long before the internet) say english has been like second nature, because holland is flat and just across the channel, they have been able to get british tv since the 50s...I lived in germany for 12 years in the late 70s/ 80s and a lot of them UNDERSTOOD english,but not on the dutch level..(a lot of swedes and norwegians do as well)
Great hearing this clip. Dutch was my first language but I lost most of it. I love listening to it spoken and it's a real treat when it is the van Halen brothers. My heart breaks at his loss 💔
Great interview. Love the Van Halens. Love the Dutch. Cheers from Texas.
This is cool. I always love hearing people speak their native language.
I agree, especially when they speak flawless English. Then to hear them speak their native tongue blows me away.
👍
In an interview Eddie related how his family endured "horrifying racism" while in the Netherlands because his mother was Indonesian. He stated he and his brother were called half-breeds and his mother was treated as a second class citizen. It forced them to leave their country and emigrate to the U.S. Once here they again suffered more racism because they spoke no english. In addition the boys were bullied in school by white students because they were different. How they overcame their harsh environment and exceeded far beyond anyone's wildest expectations should serve as an example to others facing racism and adversity, especially in today's world. Surround yourself with the support of those who love you, educate yourself and study your craft, stay the course and above all stay positive. RIP Eddie Van Halen
Well put! RIP Ed
Yeah and then they became the world's biggest stars. Shows those racists. R.I.P Eddie
Watch n learn all of you RACIST WHITE PEOPLE OUT THERE
A,testament to true sheer will and motivation to be the best American hard rock band ever !!!
My mom and dad used to live next door to a full male cousin of theirs and that neighbour used to shiw my folks postcards coming un from when they were on the road...still tight with their family in The Netherlands.
Eddie’s passing really is a huge loss.
His loss will be felt for a very long time.
Luckily his son Wolfgang will dutifully carry on his father’s legacy.
Wolfgang has risen to the occasion.
He’s going on air to help perpetuate his father’s lasting talent and is the best representative Eddie could ever ask for.
The brotherly love Eddie and Alex had for each other reminds me of my own brother who has lived in Sicily for the past 20 years and haven't seen him since.
Why not? We have these things called "planes" now, and...lol
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 I was meaning to until covid hit and the travel ban. Will see him next year.
i am Portugees and i live in Holland!I fall for Van Halen when he made a special apearance in a Michael Jackson song,"Beat it"!!So i had to come here today,just to hear a idol,speaking in Dutch...!R.I.P.
They have always been fluent in Dutch. Fun to hear them. Love you, Edward 💔❤
Well not fluent, you can still hear the american accent as a dutch speaker but i get your point. Rip eddie
Was never a Van Halen music fan but I recognize his impact on people, I’ve been watching all these videos the last few days and I am so
Impressed by him as an artist and person
Not a fan? Why???
You can definately hear the American accent
Dutch is very close to English...... Spend a few hours with Dutch people and you will start to understand them
@Hammerschlägen M It happened to me personally...
@Hammerschlägen M my friend had Dutch parents. They visited him he invited me..... At first I said no.... Then he said come meet them.... I did.. They were talking Dutch.... I listened for 2hours....they laughed at me and the look I had.... They said you are starting to understand us aren't you I said yes it.... It was weird...... The crazy thing is I'm a black guy.... Loll
@Hammerschlägen M He's full of shit
@@Swanlord05 dutch is closer to german, learn german and you understand dutch.
Awesome To Hear These Guys Speak Their Native Language..I Also Came To America On A Cruise Ship From Italy Right Around The Same Time As The Van Halens..It Was Rough Learning English..Proud To Say I Still Speak Read And Write Italian
If you look at their parents it's interesting. Their father was Dutch, but their mother was half Indonesian, half Italian.
We are no longer of a single ethnic group, half of this and half of that or another, nothing is typical of a country ...But from the VH came a good contribution to rock
That’s a shame. You’ve lost what made you unique. Now you are mongrels and like everyone else. How can you have diversity if you are all mixed? It’s good to preserve a unique culture or race bc it keeps up things that are special. Don’t they say diversity is our strength? When we are all a mixed bag then everyone is the same. What’s so special about that?
@ihategoogle They faced so much racism, just read about them living in California. They were bullied by white people because they could not speak english and did not look white.
@jeisa Jeis And all of those people are less than. Prefer standard WASP protestant northen European whites.
@jeisa Jeis That neanderthal bs is racist too.
I never knew they spoke Dutch. Loved their music. R.I.P
Because they were Dutch born....
After seeing this video, I realized that I've seen/heard Alex speak more Dutch than I've ever heard him say in English. And this is the first time I've seen him speaking Dutch!
STILL can't believe EVH is gone!
RIP 💞
I hope you're in a good place Eddie, free of cancer, playing your guitar, watching out over the family you left behind. 😇
That's almost as impressive as the musicianship. They both speak it conversationally which means they were raised with it.
I had NO idea these guys were so fluently bi-lingual and anyone that's tried to learn it can tell you it's a HARD language to master.
Much harder than German.
Rest in Peace. Gone but never forgotten.
Did you know that people with Alzheimers revert back to their native tongue? Even if they haven't spoken it since childhood...
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 people who have had strokes too. A lady I knew had the most wonderful Irish brogue, having never spent a minute of her life in Ireland. Turns out that her mother had been Irish tho.
@@virginiaviola5097 memories can be inherited
@@FelixtheMetalcat Wasn't common knowledge to me, that's why I mentioned it. In case you didn't follow, I was complimenting them.
@@FelixtheMetalcat Yes, but they arrived as children. Many immigrants who arrive as kids lose their native language.
Our dutch pride VAN HALEN!!!!
All I can say is WOW! I had no idea that this even existed. Honestly, I had no idea that the brothers spoke another language. Great find! Thanks for posting!
It didn't occur to you that they could because they were born in the Netherlands?
@@pauljordan4452 No, honestly I didn't, ashamedly. And thank you so much for pointing it out to me.
@@believer2223Your reply is so kind... and it's not strange at all that you had no idea... They were children when they left The Netherlands and it is because of their parents that they kept their Dutch language alive...
RIP Eddie Van Halen, life journey of this family is so impressive, consistent in music even though has to move from Indonesia to Netherlands and finally USA
SO freaking cool to see them still have their native language after so long. That's awesome.
Pure Awesomeness.... RIP EVH, Millions of us will never forget your greatness. I feel like a part of my childhood just died with you. You were the persona of coolness. Peace! 😎🎸🎶🎶🎶
As a dutch speaker you can notice there's some "English tongue" getting through when Eddie speaks Ducth. With Eddie it seems noticeable if you listen but Alex speaks as if he never left The Netherlands.
@@dukeford8893 Both Dutch and English are Germanic languages.
@@dukeford8893 that is interesing. Can you mention some words that gave you that impression? And how long ago was your living here? I am always intrigued by the experience of my native tongue by people from abroad.
Makes sense as Al is a couple years older.
Alex was older...he spoke the language in their native land longer so it makes sense. Eddie was more of a baby when he arrived and learned to speak English.
@@dukeford8893 Frisian is the closest Germanic language related to English.
And Frisia is split between northern Holland, Northern Germany and probably a little part of southern Denmark.
Frisian sounds fairly close to Dutch, so it's no surprise that Dutch and English share some vocabulary, although the pronunciation is very different.
This has been a hard pill to swallow. Eddie's passing has been so heart breaking to say the least. Started listening to Van Halen in the late 70's and have always been such a fan I feel so thankful that I was able to see them in concert several times.The music of Van Halen will live on forever. Rest in Peace Eddie I know you are jamming up above. GOD SPEED
No words.
Bedankt voor de muziek Eddie.
RIP.
Love you, Eddie. Thanks for the music of a generation. ❤
There is nothing more awesome than seeing your heroes be themselves.
Listening to VH records taught me everything I needed to know about guitars, and fun.
RIP Eddie Van Halen, your music will carry on ❤️🌹
FOREVER AND BEYOND
RIP my friend. I can imagine a meeting with J. Hendrix.
So cool- it seems like kids who learn to speak two languages at a young age are more intelligent in the long run💜
I agree (says a trilingual 😏)
That as well as music. Increases/supports intelligence
to play a musical instrument.
@ihategoogle Ohhhh don’t be a bore now.
I didn't know that Eddie Van Halen was Dutch,or even speak it! That's awesome! May he RIP 💐
addadd55.. Dank u wel voor deze video.. Ik ben een van deze Yankees dat leert het Nederlands te spreken. Inderdaad, ik heb een Yankee access waneer ik spreek. Uw video helpt me als het geeft me iets te horen. Groetjes!!! :):)
En, hoe gaat het momenteel met het leren van de Nederlandse taal?
@@jimijames9792 Ik leer nog steeds. Ik werke met een Nederlandse Bedrijjf, Refresco. Ik begon met compact disks. Dan ik begon met collega’s dat speekt het Nederlands. Dann ging ik naar Nederland en heb ik en kanaalboot op Friesland gehuurd.
I love this! I was almost 4 when I came to Canada. Still speak and understand Dutch. My writing is horrible but yes, I would have said hagelslag op brood myself, and chocolade letters.
I’ve noticed comments that Alex sounds more fluent than Eddie. This is quite common in multi lingual households. The oldest may spend more time around grandparents, translates for parents etc, by the time the younger siblings are born, the parents may have learned more English. In my family, my oldest brother was the most fluent. I also notice they seem a bit shy about speaking in Dutch as the interviewer is a native speaker. Also very common. You’re aware of your American accent when conversing with a native speaker and it can be a little intimidating. They sound awesome. Love this.
My experience with anything Dutch yrs ago....KLM, very good airline, gorgeous stewards. Holland, beautiful country and women. And, well of course, the greatest band and guitar player of them all, in my opinion. Greetings from Canada lol
+Hammerschlägen M well that's all europe mate
+Hammerschlägen M australia? really?
+Hammerschlägen M i guess that's because muslim people have more kids than the rest. i hope it doesn't spread all over the world, i don't like their manners
Boys, if you don't like it in the Netherlands, you're always free to fuck off.
@Hammerschlägen M Not only will we spread even more, but we will by the will of god change the whole world into the only religion that is acceptable in the eyes of the almighty. May he throw both of you in hellfire on the day of judgement for disrespecting his word and his religion.
My heart is broken. RIP I will always love you. Rock on Eddie rock on 🤘🎸🎸🎸❤️
Rest in peace,Dutch Guitar God!
Eddie is a natural born rock star. a phenomenon. everything seems to be perfect, his talent for the guitar in the first place of course. I am glad I saw him on stage on Women and Children First tour.
Eddie is one of my heroes! Super toffe gitarist en een van de besten die deze aardkloot hebben bewandeld. Rust in vrede, Eddie.🎼🎹🎸
Their Dutch is quite good. As I have a Dutch-Indonesian background too, I can hear a little bit that their mother came from there (she was Dutch-Indonesian, not Indonesian as I read sometimes, that's a big difference, because the Dutch-Indonesians were privileged, generally much better educated, even better than the people in The Netherlands at that time). Their mother was born in Rankasbitoeng (Lebak), ironically the place where the Amsterdam born writer Multatuli lived (and had lots of problems) for a few years around the 1850's. There's a Multatuli Museum now.
That's why a lot of the Dutch-Indonesians were dissappointed and frustrated when they came (back) (forced by the Indonesians) to The Netherlands, late 40's and 50's. Although Dutch-Indonesians were generally good educated, they didn't get the same jobs as the Dutch already living here. Those were the times then. I think you can't call it racism, the Dutch were quite blunt even to the Jews that survived the war. Hard times. The very loyal to the Dutch crown Moluccan people were, as you can call it, betrayed by the Dutch and were put in former German camps! They weren't allowed to work here, because the Dutch government thought that they were here for only a few months! And, also very important, the weather in The Netherlands was also very cold in comparison to Indonesia!
That can be an important thought why the Van Halen's came to the US. And that's the best decision their father and mother did in their entire lives. If they had remained in The Netherlands they were maybe like Golden Earring or Focus, but not as huge as Van Halen!
If you are in The Netherlands you can still visit the streets where they lived, it's the Nico van Suchtelenhof and Michelangelostraat in Amsterdam and the Rozemarijnstraat in Nijmegen. Eddie was seen in Amsterdam during his and Janie's honeymoon.
Last point: there's a little bit of translation not understood and written in the subtitles. Alex says to the interviewer Harry Vermeegen: "Harry just remains Harry". But I think that's not what Alex means. Alex says literally in Dutch: "Herrie blijft gewoon Herrie hè", but pronounced in English it sounds like Harry just remains Harry, but the Dutch word Herrie (pronounced as Harry in English) means noise. So I think what Alex means literally is: "Noise just remains noise", referring to Van Halen's music!
Thanks for this. Very interesting. My late Dutch neighbors came via Indonesia. Wonderful people.
th-cam.com/video/yb26D8bBZB8/w-d-xo.html
"I think you can't call it racism, the Dutch were quite blunt even to the Jews ..."
I think racism very much describes Dutch attitudes to others ... apartheid?
@@ColtraneTaylor Apartheid is purely Britisch. ONLY the name is Dutch, how convenient. You clearly don't know nothing about the Dutch and their attitudes. BTW, Did you know the 3 best gittarplayers ever come from Holland? 1. Jan Akkerman (Even Eric Clapton admidded their is no one better than him). 2. Eddy van Halen. 3. Jimmy Rosenberg.
@@peterdevalk7929 Nice try. EVH was hounded out of Netherlands by Dutch racism. www.asian-dawn.com/2020/04/30/immigrating-to-america-half-asian-eddie-van-halen/amp/
I LOVE THIS! Embracing their heritage. Its a beautiful thing to hear even if I didn't understand any of it. Cheers Eddie & Alex 🥰
The two brothers! It's beautiful that they spent their lives together doing something they absolutely love; a blessing for sure. I hope his family has comfort in their lost!
Damn I WISH my BROTHER was As CLOSE as the VAN HALEN'S ♥️👍
And a blessing for our ears as well
R.I.P. Edward, wat heb je de gitaar- en muziekwereld veranderd
Wat een legendes. Goed dat ze naar Amerika waren verhuisd, alleen vanuit daar hadden ze de wereld kunnen veroveren.
Ja, jammer dat de Nederlandse muziekindustrie zo bekrompen is. Kijk maar naar Within Temptation, Floor Jansen en zelfs Caro Emerald; die hebben meer succes in het buitenland.
Als ze in Nederland gebleven waren, hadden ze inderdaad nooit zo beroemd kunnen worden!. Er zijn maar weinig Nederlandse artiesten die dat gelukt is, ook al hadden en hebben ze nog zoveel talent. Triest dat Eddie te jong hier is weggegaan!. Hij was een talentvolle en bescheiden man.
@@ansjovisnl9059 Nee man. Het is helemaal niet erg, ze zijn mooi veramerikaanst/d. En vanuit Pasadena hebben ze kunnen doen wat ze hebben kunnen doen. Nederland zou sowieso te klein geweest zijn.
They get shared three ways!! The Dutch, The Indonesians and The Americans can claim them as their own!!!!
america afforded them the opportunities they did not have in the netherlands. i don't think they would've had the same life and especially the music success coming from the netherlands as they did here in america. they would've never had any english hits, never would've met dave, michael anthony or sammy. they learned their music and developed their skills here in america. but you can never take away their dutch blood from them. they are who they are. RIP Eddie!
🌈🎶🤘🏽☯️🤘🏽🎶🎋
Wonder if they retained any Indonesian culture from their Mom... kind of sad if that was entirely lost🌈☯️
@@louie115 Indeed the music has that californian vibe
And the Italians thanks to Valarie Bertinelli!
RIP Eddie 😭
R.i.p Eddie music wouldn’t be the same without you. Thank you for inspiring new guitar players all over world.🎸
We will miss you so.Never knew they could speak Dutch! Thank you for this❤
Most did not know the VH bros were Eurasian Dutch/Indonesian.
Most Americans, you mean. The prefix Van suggests they're Dutch.
Actually his mother and his father where born in indonesia, coz indonesia was dutch colonize at that time,
The different is his father 100%dutch and his mother 100%indonesian,
And after indonesia gained the independent 1945, all of dutch kick out from indonesia, and his mother follow his father to move away to netherland and the rest of the history
Sorry bad english
No his mother was Indo Chinese
Many, many years ago while partying at a comedy show in Corona, California I won a pair of Van Halen tickets by correctly answering the DJ's question of where did the brothers Van Halen originally hail from? While everybody was shouting out L.A., Pasadena, Hollywood, etc., I shouted out "The Netherlands". The DJ looked right at me and handed me the pair of VH tickets! I also won a pair of Genesis tickets the same night by correctly answering where they originally hailed from...Sheffield, England. It was a great night! R.I.P., EVH!
You never forget your first language. After almost 30 years of leaving germany with my parents as a kid I am still fluent. Rip Eddie 🙏
Eddy & Alex are so cute! I can't imagine Alex pain fromEddie's passing. Gosh....we miss Eddie.
I'm 55 yo. I've been a VH fan since I was a teen. Late 70's. I found out about two years ago that their mom was from Indonesia. 18 years AFTER I married my Indonesian wife. I wonder if they learned to speak any Indonesian ( Bahasa )??? Sya bisa sidikit Bahasa. Terima kasi Eddie and Alex for the memories and awesome music ! 👍👍💖💯🇮🇩🎸🥁🎼🎵🎶🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹
@Robert Evans
All I know from another Dutch interview with Eddie and Alex is that whenever they were home at their recording studio/house in LA (the interview took place in their home when they were working on the soundtrack for Twister in 1996; their father Jan had died 10 years earlier) they talked with their mother Eugenia, who lived just a few minutes away, almost every day and they always spoke Dutch. (She died in 2005.) I'm not aware that they ever spoke Indonesian. Four years ago I transcribed that interview (watch?v=Nul26_lKpYk) and translated it into English. If you search through the comments section of that video, you can find where I posted it.
En patat friet! Proud they are dutch as me...rest in power Eddie 🇱🇺
Mijn oprechete medeleven. Dank je Eddy.
Never knew they could speak Dutch. RIP Eddie Van Halen, and my heart breaks for his family. Sorry for your huge loss Alex, Jane, Wolfie & Valerie.
eddie and alex are the uncles of a friend of mine its very weird to know he still lives in the netherlands
chris plantinga dat is facking vet
How are Eddie and Alex your friend's uncles, if they don't have any other siblings?
@anonymous opinions mmhmmm
How does that work? They don’t have any other siblings?
They still speak it quite well.
Eddie a man of pure golden talent...
"Rust in Vrede..." 😢😢😫
I have wondered for a long time if the Van Halen brothers could still speak their first language fluently, and now I know that they could. I met Tommy Lee almost 20 years ago at a club , and I talked to him for a few minutes. He was born in Athens Greece , and he came to America as a little kid. My parents were both also born in Greece , so it was my first language as a kid. Of course I asked Tommy if could speak any still, and he told me that all he knew were some of the bad words, and a few simple words like hello, yes, and a few others. He told me that it was too late for him to relearn all the Greek he knew as a little kid, but I told him that it was never too late. Sometimes you can lose your native language if you completely stop speaking it. That famous saying" Use It Or Lose It" pun intended. Lol
Eddie Van Halen RIP 🇳🇱🇺🇸
My deepest condolences.
Mijn diepste medeleven.
@ 👍
Jan Akkerman (Focus) is also from Holland. R. I. P. Eddie
It's amazing how well they still could speak it after all of those years living in the States.
Oh man - Pipo the Clown! I remember this from 1960. My parents immigrated to Canada in 1957 - Mam took us back in 1960 for the summer - watched Pipo on TV then.
Pap was known for his kroketjes, while Mam was a baker extraordinaire - appeltarte, amandeltaarte... And they never let us forget we were Dutch.
I'm 67 and still speak quite a bit of Dutch. Nice to see another side to the van Halen brothers!
Rust zacht, Eddie....
I *didn't* know Van Halen were Dutch.
*COOL!*
rvpstudioscanada Van Halen is a Dutch surname FYI
In Finlanad We have Vanhanen as lastname !
I always knew they were originally from Holland. I didn't know they were half Indonesian until Eddie died.
@@mirfir In Finland ! My mistake !
@@avalondreaming1433 me2, and my mother was a Dutch-Indo!
Rest now Eddie. Now you can finally do that! Sorry to see you leave us but your not hurting anymore. I cant imagine what you were going through but your free from it now. You were one of my guitar Gods. Im playing guitar because of you! You'll be forever missed Eddie.
I love this nice to hear them speak Dutch.
NOT TOO MANY WELL KNOWN ROCKERS CAME OUT OF THE NETHERLANDS. EDDIE AND ALEX ARE EXTREMELY TALENTED AND ONE OF A KIND. VAN HALEN ROCKS LIKE NO OTHER! IN HIGHSCHOOL WE WOULD SAY VAN HALEN RULES!!!
don't forget Golden Earring
It's interesting having grown up virtually in their neighborhood in Pasadena during the 80s and 90s and being a huge rock fan but never knowing this. You'd be surprised how much there is to know about the world just from getting out from under the American media hub! I now live in Spain and am a lot happier!
I know a guy who lived 2-3 doors down from the Van Halen family in Pasadena. He said that he’d be hanging out in the driveway or sidewalk outside their house while they’d rehearse and they’d throw records at him, trying to hit him. I don’t know who exactly did the throwing (but my guess would be DLR, ha!). This must have been very, very early in their career, like 1975 or so, just before the VH album was released and they were playing lots of parties and some club dates but I’m sure they must have had some of the songs from that album already worked out. I cannot imagine walking past their house and seeing Eddie work on perfecting ‘Eruption’, just yards away, without thousands of fans lurking about, still a virtual unknown. Probably like watching Thomas Edison work on that little thing called “the light bulb”.
People are upset that Eddie has passed, but remember you lived in an era where you can tell future individuals "yeah, I saw Eddie play live" or "I saw Eddie in person".
You lived at a time when there was something unique happening in music and you get to carry forward his memory. Not just with his music, but having known a piece of history.
RIP Eddie! and may Alex find strength to keep the closeness with in his heart as he morns the loss of his beloved brother. 🙏🏽❤️😇
RIP EDDIE!
Adorable