Lukather, of course, knows that the world is wondering about the project he\u2019s working on with Alex Van Halen. Rumors have ranged from Luke taking his old pal Eddie Van Halen\u2019s place to the duo writing new music.<\/p>\n
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Steve Lukather and Eddie Van Halen in the studio in 1997. \u201cWe\u2019ve always been pals,\u201d Luke says of his relationship with Ed and Alex. (Image credit: Robert Knight Archive\/Redferns)<\/p>\n
The facts, most of which Luke isn\u2019t allowed to talk about, reveal that none of the above are true. What this project really comes down to is a brother and a close friend working together<\/a> to pay their respects to an electric guitar<\/a> legend via music.<\/p>\n With that said, Luke is not playing guitar<\/a> on a new Van Halen album. In fact, this isn\u2019t a Van Halen album at all, and as of now, Luke isn\u2019t playing a lick of guitar but co-producing.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m telling you, this is not throwaway shit,\u201d Lukather says of the tracks Eddie Van Halen left behind. \u201cWhen I heard them, I said to Al, \u2018How fucking come you didn\u2019t use these?\u2019 And the answer was because nobody could write to it. So if you think this is a bunch of throwaway crap that we\u2019re trying to Mickey Mouse together to suck the dollar out of poor, unsuspecting Van Halen fans, it\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Luke onstage with Toto in Aukland, April 2025. (Image credit: Xander James)<\/p>\n Lukather admits that he doesn\u2019t know what the project will be called. \u201cThose are Alex Van Halen questions,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m just here to be his sidekick, and somebody that he\u2019s gotten very close with since Ed\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Lukather\u2019s relationship with the Van Halens goes back further than that. \u201cWe\u2019ve always been pals,\u201d Lukather says. \u201cIt\u2019s like Al\u2019s missing a piece of himself. That\u2019s how I feel. He looks at me as somebody he trusts, and who was close with Ed.\u201d<\/p>\n When I heard them, I said to Al, \u2018How fucking come you didn\u2019t use these?\u2019 And the answer was because nobody could write to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Steve Lukather<\/p>\n For Lukather, the reward comes via the process. \u201cI don\u2019t have ulterior motives,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is not about money. This is about love of the guys and trying to help. I\u2019m not gonna be involved in an obvious way. So, I wish people would get the fuck off my back!\u201d he says with a laugh.<\/p>\n And even if Lukather was asked to play guitar, which he isn\u2019t, he doesn\u2019t feel he\u2019s the person for the job. \u201cI\u2019m not qualified,\u201d he says. \u201cCall Dweezil \u2014 he plays that shit. Call Nuno! I can name 10 guys, like Vai or Satch. I\u2019m nowhere near qualified to start dabbling in the Van Halen world.\u201d<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n \n Luke onstage with Toto. (Image credit: Courtesy SKH Music)<\/p>\n What did you think about the initial rumors that you were taking over as guitarist of Van Halen?<\/p>\n Well, first off, that\u2019s the most ridiculous and humorous thing I\u2019ve ever heard. I am no more qualified to try and play like Ed Van Halen than I am to be the first man to tug my dick on the planet. [laughs] I don\u2019t know how anybody could think that would even be a reality. Honestly, it\u2019s laughable. I don\u2019t play\u2026 I couldn\u2019t\u2026 I don\u2019t play like Ed. It\u2019s crazy.<\/p>\n How far back do you and Alex go?<\/p>\n We\u2019ve been friends for 45 years. I mean, I was close friends with the Van Halens, but I really love all the guys. The only guy I don\u2019t know is David Lee Roth. I met him once or twice, but very briefly. I\u2019ve just always been a fan since the beginning, you know? What can I say?<\/p>\n What are you and Alex actually working on?<\/p>\n Well, being a fan isn\u2019t what it\u2019s about. Alex needs some help. He came to me and said, \u201cLook, I need some help with this.\u201d I went, \u201cHow can I help?\u201d But there\u2019s no need for another guitar player.<\/p>\n Meaning you\u2019re not playing guitar on this?<\/p>\n First off, Eddie played some of the most amazing shit I\u2019ve ever heard. And it\u2019s not pieces on the floor that have to be snapped back together and try to Mickey Mouse something together that might be sellable. These are fucking finished tracks with Ed and Al, and Ed\u2019s playing bass<\/a> on a lot of it. That\u2019s all I can say right now because it\u2019s a much bigger picture, and it\u2019s Alex\u2019s story to tell.<\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s Alex\u2019s story to tell.\u201d The Van Halen brothers in 1994. (Image credit: Jeff Kravitz\/FilmMagic, Inc)<\/p>\n You can\u2019t reveal the nature of the music, but can you expand on your role?<\/p>\n I am there 100 percent to be his co-producer and help him through the technical aspects. I\u2019m not gonna play. There\u2019s not gonna be any Lukather or Toto fingerprints on a Van Halen thing. I can fucking promise you that. I\u2019m there to be Al\u2019s wingman, and go, \u201cHow can I help you do this?\u201d I\u2019m there to go, \u201cWant me to help you do some vocals? How do we do these mixes?\u201d It\u2019s about making sure that there\u2019s quality control from somebody he trusts.<\/p>\n Does being a friend and a contemporary make you the right person for the job?<\/p>\n I can listen to stuff, and go, \u201cI know Ed wouldn\u2019t like that.\u201d I can say, \u201cI think Ed would dig that,\u201d you know? I\u2019m just being that third ear.<\/p>\n Is Wolfgang involved?<\/p>\n I\u2019m hoping that Al is gonna ask Wolf to be involved on some level. I haven\u2019t talked to Wolf in a long time. It\u2019s sad, actually. I\u2019d like to, you know? We sort of just got busy, and we haven\u2019t. But I think what he\u2019s doing is wonderful. I think he\u2019s an incredible musician. I think if anybody is gonna play anything that\u2019s needed, he would be qualified to do so. But there really isn\u2019t a need for other players to come in at this point.<\/p>\n Surely, listening to this stuff has to be a reminder of Ed\u2019s greatness.<\/p>\n We all did the tapping thing when it first came out because it was an amazing trick to learn. And after a while, guys like Satch and Steve Vai did it their own way because all the guys were doing a very derivative and obviously Van Halen thing. It just got a little tired.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s not what Ed was trying to do\u2014Ed was trying to fill out a three-piece band. The intricacy between his lead and rhythm playing at the same time was pretty peerless, man. There\u2019s not a lot of guys who could make the racket that Eddie Van Halen did, man. It changed the world.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ssPbLCkpodtJtusX4TWGWc.jpg\")
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