Michael Anthony surprised by Alex Van Halen’s instrument auction

In May, Van Halen co-founder and drummer Alex Van Halen announced he was auctioning off his personal collection of instruments and memorabilia, and the news was a surprise to his former bandmate Michael Anthony.

In a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, Anthony says he hasn’t talked to Alex in a while, although he tried to reach out via text on Alex’s birthday in May, but didn’t get a response.

As for the auction, he shared, “Somebody had sent me the link to it, and it appears like he’s selling everything right down to his last drumstick.”

Anthony believes Alex’s grief over the October 2020 passing of his brother and bandmate Eddie Van Halen could be the reason behind the sale. 

“I never really knew Alex to be a person to go out and jam with other people or other bands. Unless Eddie was a part of it,” Anthony says. “Maybe he feels that … Since his brother’s gone, he doesn’t feel the desire to go out and play anymore. But I can only speculate.”

Anthony describes the auction as “pretty sad,” because he believes it rules out any chance of a future Van Halen tribute.

Alex is also set to release a new memoir, titled Brothers, and Anthony says he is interested in reading it.

“And knowing Alex, he’ll probably speak about the band and everything,” Anthony says. “But I think that he might be focusing more on just his and Eddie’s relationship growing up and moving here with their family to the States. And just the relationship that he had with his brother.”

Bidding on The Alex Van Halen Collection at Backstage Auctions runs through June 9. More info can be found at backstageauctions.com. Brothers is due out Oct. 22.