Van Halen: Eddie Van Halen Interviewed By Smithsonian

Smithsonian magazine recently conducted an interview with Eddie Van Halen about the legendary Van Halen axeman's decision to donate his guitar, the Frank 2, to the National Museum of American History. 

When asked which of his past musical collaborations stands out his favorite, Eddie said, "Michael Jackson's 'Beat It' is a stand out for me. (Producer) Quincy Jones called me up and asked me to play on it. When I got there, it took me 15 minutes to rearrange the song and I played two solos and told them they could pick the one they liked best. Then Michael walked in and said, 'Wow! I really like that high fast stuff you do.' It was a lot of fun to do. It's crazy that something could take such a short amount of time and can grow into something beyond anything you could ever imagine."

Read the entire interview from Smithsonian magazine.

Van Halen is reportedly mixing its long-awaited new album for a fall release, which is when the band is also expected to hit the road in support of the effort.

Van Halen staged a successful reunion tour with Roth in 2007 and 2008, with rumors of a new album persisting since then. The group began recording in January with producer John Shanks.

Van Halen's last full album, "Van Halen III", came out in 1998 and featured the only appearance of Exreme singer Gary Cherone as lead vocalist.