Of course! You're Eddie Van Halen! Why would that even seem unusual?! 'He's just done his first magazine cover…he'll be on the cover of GQ with George Clooney' Ed told us proudly. They're indelible, godlike entities, not guys who shake your hand and pick up their dog. They exist on album covers and posters and giant screens at gigs. 'People like Eddie Van Halen don't just walk in. A few moments later, in walks Eddie Van Halen. Next thing, a small pomeranian dog came running in, followed by Eddie's wife, Janie. There we waited in the lounge area - the walls lined with signature guitars. The gates opened and we went into the studio.

To demonstrate some of his techniques, Eddie grabbed a Wolfgang off the wall and began to play parts of Eruption Then I noticed the sign that said 'Private Property: Armed Security Will Be Called'.

'What if I say something that makes him angry?', 'What if the recorder breaks down? What if the spare recorder breaks down? What if both recorders break and my phone runs out of memory?'. 'We sat in the car outside the electronic gates, and I still remember the fear. There was a lot riding on the next conversation, and if it went wrong, the 11-hour flight home was going to feel a hell of a lot longer. 'You see, there are plenty of tales and accounts of Eddie Van Halen - a guy whose excess was matched by his outspoken, no-shit attitude, particularly towards interviewers who he didn't engage with.

Eddie van halen