About everything in the world. Interesting facts about the monarchs of the world

The Van Halen brothers started working together musical activity, when Eddie (Eddie Van Halen) sat down on the drums and Alex (Alex Van Halen) took the guitar. But sometimes, while Eddie was delivering newspapers, Alex would secretly sit at Eddie's drum kit and play. But eventually Eddie caught wind of it, and was so disappointed that he told his brother, “Well, to hell with it, I'll play guitar then,” and took Alex's guitar. In 1972, the brothers formed a band called MAMMOTH, with Eddie on guitar and vocals, Alex Van Halen on drums, and Mark Stone on bass. They rented the machine from David Lee Roth, but decided to save money by allowing David to be the lead vocalist, although they had previously auditioned him and were not willing to take him on. After two years, the group decided to replace Stone. Therefore, Michael Anthony, the bassist and vocalist from the local group SNAKE, was auditioned. After a jam session that lasted all night, Michael was included in the group as a bass player and backing vocalist.

The guys soon discovered that their name was already being used by another group, and they decided to change the name from "VAN HALEN". Roth said it was his idea. They played at backyard parties and on a truck stage in Hamilton Park. Then they played in clubs in Pasadena and Hollywood, and began to gain an audience, gaining popularity through independent PR - before playing, they threw out flyers in local schools. Soon, in this way, they gathered significant support.

In 1974, the group landed their first gig outside of Pasadena, at the once famous nightclub Gazzarri on the Sunset Strip. They had already tried to get there, but the then owner said that “they were too loud” and did not agree to hire them. But the new managers - Mark Algorri and Mario Miranda, who by chance began to run the club, agreed to this deal. Soon after, VAN HALEN recorded their first demo at the now-closed Cherokee Ranch Studios in Northridge, where they had just completed work on the Steely Dan album. After that, they became the most important band on the Sunset Strip of Hollywood in the mid-70s, and constantly played in such famous clubs like "Whiskey Go Go".

In 1977, Gene Simmons of KISS saw them at the Gazzarri Club and financed their second demo tape, sending the group to Electric Lady Studio in New York to record the songs "House of Pain", " Running with the Devil." Eddie didn't like the demo because he didn't use his own equipment and he had to overdub one guitar track over another. Simmons wanted to change the name "VAN HALEN" to "Daddy Shortlegs" and even came up with the cover design, but the band decided to keep their original name. Simmons then took the demo to the director of the band KISS. He replied that “they have no chance,” and, having received negative feedback, Simmons ceased further collaboration with VAN HALEN.

In 1977, Mo Ostin and Ted Templeman of Warner Bros. Records saw VAN HALEN live at the Starwood Club in Hollywood. Although the audience was small, the guys were so impressed that they were offered a contract within a week. So VAN HALEN recorded their first album of the same name at Sunset Sound studio. Recording took place from mid-September to early October 1977. The guitars were written one week, and the vocals were written the next two. All tracks were mixed in such a way that there were practically no overdubs or double tracks. In principle, some minor blots were left, as well as simple arrangements, in order to give the recording the feeling of a live performance.

During this time they continued to play in various places in southern California, making several significant concerts at the Convention Center in Pasadena, organized by their promoter and impresario Steve Tortomasi, who was deeply involved in the local rock and roll scene.

Upon its release, Van Halen peaked at number 19 on the Billboard pop charts, becoming one of rock's most commercially successful debuts. The album is widely known under the hard rock label. It features songs that have become VAN HALEN classics, such as "Running with the Devil" and the guitar solo of "Eruption", on which Eddie used the guitar tapping technique. The band toured for about a year, opening for BLACK SABBATH and building a reputation. The band's unique selling point was the guitar wizardry of Eddie Van Halen and the pomp of David Lee Roth, which later made them rivals.

They returned to the studio in 1979 to record a second album, similar in style, called Van Halen II. The album included their first hit single, "Dance the Night Away".

Over the next few years, the band managed to shift the quality of their tours and albums towards increasing commercial success and positive critical reviews. In 1980, the disc “Women and Children First” was released, which further cemented the success of “VAN HALEN”. But during the recording of the next disc, entitled “Fear Warning,” friction began to appear in the group. The album came out somewhat gloomy and did not receive serious commercial success.

Driver Down, released in 1982, was much better. The group received a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the most expensive performance - $1.5 million for a 90-minute set at the US Festival. Although the group returned to form, disagreements between Eddie and David continued and this led to friction with other members of the team. According to world famous bassist Billy Sheehan, after his band TALAS finished touring with VAN HALEN, Eddie approached him and asked him to replace Michael Anthony. The reasons for this were never known to Sheehan, as nothing came of it.

The next album, VAN HALEN, released on January 9, 1984, became the pinnacle of commercial success. It was recorded at Eddie's newly built studio, 5150 Studios. The disc featured keyboards that had previously been used quite rarely. The keyboard bridge and vocal melody of the hit “Jump” brought the group into the top 1 pop hits and determined their Grammy nomination. There were other hits on the disc - “Panama”, “I’ll wait”, “Hot for Teacher”. Videos were shot for many of the songs and aired on MTV. The album was praised by both critics and fans, and it peaked at number two on the Billboard charts, right behind Jackson's ( Michael Jackson) "Thriller".

However, this disc also became a turning point in the history of the group. Right in the middle of the tour, both stage and personal tensions between the musicians reached their peak. Based on interviews given by various VAN HALEN members, the reasons varied, but were rooted in controlling the band's overall sound and stage image. Roth didn't like Eddie playing outside the group without counting anyone, and Eddie was sick of David Lee Roth's royal behavior and stage persona. The latter, however, also had a successful solo career with his own hit and EP (a remake of the Beach Boys classic called "California Girls"), as well as the songs "Just a Gigolo"). Roth was also offered film work by Warner Bros., although this offer was later rejected. On April 1, 1985, Roth left VAN HALEN.

Eddie invited SCANDAL's Patty Smyth to replace Roth, but she declined. Then Eddie was introduced to Sammy Hagar, who sang in the band MONTROSE in the 70s and was a fairly successful solo artist at the time (his 1984 album VOA included the hit "I Can't Drive 55 "). Hagar agreed to join the band, and also played rhythm guitar on stage to thicken the VAN HALEN sound.

In 1986, the disc “5150” was released, which soared to the very top of the Billboard hit parade. The disc includes singles with a predominance of keyboard parts, such as “Why Can’t This Be Love?”, “Dreams”, “Love Walks In”. The disc featured a variety of songs, from the driving “Get Up” and the rocking “Summer Nights” to the riff-driven “Good Enough” with a heavy guitar part. To announce a new era in the band's history, a new band logo appeared on the cover. The logo was similar to the old one, but the stripes now seemed to go around an invisible sphere. The album "5150" is considered the strongest of the period with Sammy Hagar.

The band then went on tour to support the album. North America. The tour was called "1986 Tour", like the previous "1984 Tour" in support of the previous disc. Van Halen showed that concert activity with the new vocalist it became no worse than with Roth. After the tour, the videotape “Live Without a Net” was released. During the tour, Hagar wanted to minimize the number of songs he had previously recorded with David Lee Roth that were not unambiguous classics by the band. This trend continued and songs with Hagar gradually replaced songs recorded with David in the set list.

While working with Hagar, the group set a musical standard that proved commercially successful in the United States. Hagar's style allowed VAN HALEN to become more accessible to a wider audience by making the lyrics more traditional and sophisticated. Eddie's work with keyboards allowed for a broader musical texture in the songs and The general trend leaned towards pop music. The songs became longer: during the Roth period, songs were typically three and a half minutes long, and some discs struggled to reach the half-hour mark. With Hagar, songs became approximately five minutes or more in length. They became more distinctive compared to the early fun riffs of VAN HALEN. Mixing pop and hard rock allowed VAN HALEN to reach a new level of sound.

All four studio albums period with Haggar reached number one on the Billboard pop charts, and seventeen singles broke the top 12 bar on the mainstream rock charts. During this period, "When It's Love" reached the top 5. In addition, VAN HALEN was nominated for two Grammys - Best Hard Rock Performance of 1991 and Best Vocal Performance for the album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. VAN HALEN continued to bask in its glory throughout the mid-90s. In 1995, many fans were surprised by BON JOVI's support for VAN HALEN on their European summer tour.

The commercial success and sound of the new Van Hagar brought back former fans who were worried about Roth's departure and refused to support the group further. Eddie repeatedly said that he liked Hagar's singing better and Roth would not return.

However, during the recording of the Twister soundtrack, tensions began between Hagar and the Van Halen brothers, which resulted in Hagar leaving in 1996. The band recorded the song "Human Being", for which Eddie had to write all the lyrics because Hagar's lyrics "were a bit weak". This upset Hagar and when they were about to write the second song for the film, Hagar left for Hawaii. He didn't want to take part because it would "offend the fans", so the song became an Eddie and Alex instrumental and was called "Respect the Wind".

The band was also working on a compilation album, which Hagar also didn't want to be associated with because he felt it wasn't what the fans wanted and wasn't what the band needed because further career was still open. This led to conflict with Hagar and new manager Ray Danniels. The group worked on the compilation with great reluctance.

Hagar was also rumored to be concerned about comparisons on the compilation, which featured both his and David Lee Roth's songs. Hagar said he was fired. VAN HALEN announced that he left the band on his own. The scandals surrounding Hagar's departure allowed him to quickly recover solo career. However, these media reports did not help VAN HALEN because they only covered empty place behind the microphone. The meteoric success of the past years had raised expectations high and fans around the world were waiting for the band's next step. Meanwhile, Michael Anthony managed to remain on good terms with Hagar.

After Sammy Hagar was fired from the band, they quickly hired Mitch Malloy. They jammed and recorded a demo with him. He was Eddie's friend and knew the band. Eddie decided he could be invited.

David Lee Roth called Eddie to discuss which tracks would be included on the planned VAN HALEN compilation, work on which had begun before Haggar's departure. They had a good chat and Eddie invited him to his home studio. The band soon entered the studio with David Lee Roth and producer Glen Ballard. Two songs from these studio sessions were included on the Greatest Hits album and were also released as PR singles.

In September 1996, VAN HALEN was invited to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards. They agreed, and for the first time in eleven years the group appeared in public with the original lineup. This allowed the compilation to reach number one on the US charts. However, although Roth was unaware of it, the group continued to audition other singers. After the band's appearance on MTV, Malloy decided that VAN HALEN could not succeed with a new singer, since the audience now needed David Lee Roth. He called Anthony and left the group. Millions of fans heard Roth talk at the concert about being back in the band.

An appearance on MTV fueled rumors of a reunion. However, a few weeks later it turned out that Roth was again out of the group. He released a statement apologizing to the media and fans for being the victim of a PR stunt by the band's manager, Ray Daniels. The next day, Eddie and Alex released statements saying that they had been completely clear with Roth and had not asked him to rejoin the group. Although they were annoyed by Roth’s phrase “Thank you for reminding us why we broke up eleven years ago.”

The band hired Gary Cherone, frontman of the then-defunct Boston band EXTREME. The result of this work was the album “Van Halen III”, released in 1998. Many songs have become longer and airier. It featured less rock and more philosophical songs, such as “How Much Say I” with Eddie on vocals. Because of these changes, many fans turned away from the group, and they failed to attract new ones. By the standards of the group, the success was rather weak - the album only reached the fourth line of the American charts, becoming gold. However, the disc contained one hit called “Without You”, and the song “Fire in the Hole” was included in the soundtrack of the film “Lethal Weapon 4”. It was also revealed that Eddie only allowed Anthony to play bass on three songs, with Eddie playing the rest. However, Anthony was listed on all tracks, which created some behind-the-scenes difficulties. The disc was followed by a rather sluggish, albeit large-scale, tour. VAN HALEN played in new countries, including previously unvisited Australia and New Zealand.

VAN HALEN soon returned to the studio. In early 1999, they began work on a new album, which was rumored to be called “Love Again”. The working titles of the songs were “Left for Dead”, “River Wide”, “Say Uncle”, “You Wear it Well”, “More Than Yesterday”, “I Don"t Miss You...Much”, “Love Divine” and “From Here, Where Do We Go?”

However, the new disc was left unfinished when Sharon amicably parted ways with the group in 1999. Music publications speculated that this was due to the blow the band had suffered with the failure of Van Halen III, and the tour with Sharon had left the band disillusioned with their ability to attend their concerts. Unlike the situations with the two previous vocalists, this time they managed to part ways peacefully and Sharon continued to be in contact with VAN HALEN. And, as with Hagar's departure, rumors began to swirl about a reunion with Roth.

In 1999, Eddie recovered from hip surgery, but from 2000 to 2004, no official statements, much less music, were heard from VAN HALEN. However, some information has leaked. The Van Halen brothers recorded at 5150 Studio, Gary Sharon recorded an album and went on tour with new group"TRIBE OF JUDAH". "TRIBE OF JUDAH" features a song that Sharon wrote for VAN HALEN called "Left For Dead". However, only the text remained, and the music was reworked. Hagar and Roth continued their solo careers at the time.

In 2000, the group worked with Roth at Studio 5150, writing new music, and then died out again. Eddie did not appear in public, and further musical work would have been suspended in any case due to his divorce from his wife, actress Valerie Bertinelli, with whom he lived for 21 years. In November 2001, Anthony mentioned that Roth had been working with the group again for several months, but lawyers quickly hushed up this statement. Strangely, Anthony later denied his statement. The Warner Bros. label, to which the group had been signed since 1978, refused further cooperation this year. Some good news was Eddie's complete recovery from cancer in May 2002.

Eddie made a public appearance performing with MOUNTAIN in August 2002 and at a private NAMM jam party, where he appeared completely drunk at the end of the show. Also in the summer of 2002, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar teamed up on the Song For Song, the Heavyweight Champs of Rock and Roll tour. The joint tour of the two former VAN HALEN singers attracted media and public attention, as it was even more unlikely that one or the other would return to the group. The concerts attracted large crowds. In interviews, Roth pitted himself against Hagar, saying, “He’s the kind of guy you can go and have a friendly drink with. I'm the kind of guy you can go and have a friendly drink with." Hagar's band, THE WABORITAS, featured Michael Anthony on bass, and sometimes even sang lead vocals. During performances, Hagar teased Anthony with questions like, "Do your brothers know you're here?" Anthony never played with Roth. Gary Sharon also made an appearance for the occasion. Hagar released a live album, Hallelujah, with Mike and Gary on vocals, and a documentary DVD, Long Road to Cabo, about touring with Roth.

Hagar then joined Joe Satriani ( Joe Satriani) and JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon to form Planet Us, with Michael Anthony and Deen Castronovo on drums. The band recorded a couple of tracks and performed live several times before Hagar and Anthony reunited with VAN HALEN. While the two vocalists were promoting their tour, rumors surfaced of mutual resentment and disgust between them. It was later revealed that Roth and Hagar kept their distance from each other behind the scenes.

On July 4, 2004, Roth sang with the Boston Pops at the annual Pops Goes The Fourth festival. Hagar continued to create, releasing five albums and creating his own merchandising chain, Cabo Wabo. He reunited with MONTROSE in 2003 and 2005 for a couple of shows, and also maintained a relationship with Michael Anthony, performing with him occasionally. During VAN HALEN's inactivity, Anthony promoted his merchandising projects, such as his signature Yamaha bass, and even created his own website. Also joined the work of the annual NAMM festival.

During these years, rumors arose that Anthony had been fired, despite the fact that his name was still listed on the VAN HALEN website. The official website denied these rumors, although it was later revealed that he only played three songs on Van Halen III, leaving his position in the band rather precarious. Everything depended only on Hagar's position - whether he should stay in VAN HALEN. In 2006, it was confirmed that Anthony had left the group.

In January 2003, the Van Halen News Desk website reported that Hagar was working with VAN HALEN. No official information there have been no reports on this matter for a long time. In late March 2004, Van Halen and Sammy Hagar announced that he was returning to the group for the Best of Album and a US concert tour.

In July 2004, VAN HALEN released its second Greatest Hits compilation (this time a double album), with execution of three new songs with Hagar: “It"s About Time”, “Up For Breakfast”, “Learning to See”. These songs were fresh material written by the Van Halen brothers and Sammy Hagar. The authorship was indicated as follows: Hagar/Van Halen/Van Halen, which was unusual as Michael Anthony had previously been included on the bill, but all four were booked for the show, and Michael later revealed in an interview that Eddie Van Halen didn't want him on the reunion tapes and wouldn't allow him into the studio. , and thus his name was not on the cover. Eddie played all the bass parts himself. Although this was the only new work by the band in recent years, the disc did not include songs written with Gary Sharon on Van Halen III. The album received platinum status in 2004.

The tour grossed approximately $55 million and was ranked among the 10 highest-grossing tours of 2004 according to Pollstar statistics. Most of the concerts received positive reviews from professional critics. At some concerts, Eddie's son came on stage and played with him the song "316", which Eddie wrote in his honor. However, as it turned out, the tour was not ideal - prices for the concerts were high and not all tickets were sold out.

• Amsterdam, Kingdom of the Netherlands

Edward (Eddie) Lodewijk Van Halen(Dutch. Edward Lodewijk van Halen; January 26, Nijmegen) is an American guitarist of Dutch origin. Songwriter, designer of guitars and amplification equipment. Founder (along with his brother Alex) of the hard rock band Van Halen of the same name.

Biography

Van Halen in 1993

Eddie said in an interview: "I always considered Eric Clapton to be a guitar player who had a huge influence on me, but Jimmy Page influenced me more in terms of incredible energy playing the guitar."

Eddie is missing a third of his tongue, which was removed during cancer treatment. Eddie himself confirmed the information in 2001.

Video on the topic

Founding of Van Halen

The band's line-up was Eddie Van Halen (guitar), Alex Van Halen (drums) and Mark Stone (bass).

They did not have their own amplifiers and had to rent them from David Lee Roth. Eddie began to look closely at David as a vocalist, and even in this case they could save on renting a device.

Before starting to play their own music, the group performed cover versions.

Eddie and David Lee Roth

The album rose to second place on the Billboard list. It was surpassed only by Michael Jackson's Thriller, in which Eddie also took part. Eddie can be heard on Michael Jackson's song "Beat It" from the Thriller album.

Many consider David's period to be Van Halen's golden age, although the band was still commercially successful and popular after Lee Roth's departure.

Sammy Hagar Appears

With the addition of new vocalist Sammy Hagar, the band changed their sound to adapt to Sammy Hagar's much stronger vocals. Eddie began to use keyboards more often in his songs (partly spurred by the enormous success of the 1984 hit "Jump") and the guitar sound in general became less harsh and aggressive. Due to the drastic change in sound, fans began jokingly calling the band "Van Hagar" to highlight the differences in sound. Despite the change in sound, the group still remained famous and commercially successful.

The interesting thing is that with the new singer, Van Halen has changed dramatically concert performances and set lists. The group with Sammy Hagar did not perform songs written during the Lee Roth era, with the exception of such hits as "Aint Talkin' Bout Love", "Jump" or "Panama", but the bulk of all the songs were songs already written with Sammy Hagar. The band also performed two songs that Sammy had written before joining Van Halen, such as “I Can`t drive 55” and “ Only One Way To Rock”, in which Sammy played second guitar in addition to singing.

Also in the early 90s, Eddie had already stopped using the so-called “brown sound” that Van Halen were famous for, abandoning the use of the Marshall Plexi amplifier, which Eddie used until 1990. The 1991 album F.U.C.K. was recorded using a Soldano SLO100 amplifier, which was the inspiration for his own Peavey 5150 amplifier, which Eddie still plays today.

Eddie also stopped using his Frankenstrat guitar and began using Wolfgang model guitars designed specifically for him. Also, during the period with Sammy Hagar, two DVDs were filmed - “Live Without A Net” in 1986 and “Right Here, Right Now.Live” in 1991

Guitar playing technique

Eddie Van Halen is known as the inventor of a special style of guitar playing.

Eddie is considered one of the first popularizers of tapping. Tapping is a technique for playing an electric guitar when the guitarist right hand produces sound by striking the fingerboard with a finger, exciting the vibrations of the string.

Eruption - a solo performed at Van Halen concerts, contains a part that is performed using tapping (hitting the neck of the guitar with the left and right hands). Eruption is ranked second on the magazine's list of greatest solos.

This one of the most famous American hard rock bands originated in 1973 in Pasadena, California. Eddie Van Halen (b. January 26, 1957, Nijmegen, Netherlands; guitar, keyboards), Alex Van Halen (b. May 8, 1955, Nijmegen, Netherlands; drums) and Michael Anthony (b. June 20, 1955, Chicago, USA; bass ), who played in Broken Combs, persuaded vocalist David Lee Roth (b. October 10, 1954, Bloomington, Indiana, USA) to leave the Real Ball Jets and join them. Having received the latter's consent, they changed the name of their group to "Mammoth". Performing cover versions of famous hard rock songs from the late 60s and early 70s, the guys performed in bars and clubs in Los Angeles virtually non-stop throughout the mid-70s.

It was at one of these performances that Kiss bassist Gene Simmons noticed them. He was amazed by the energy they brought to the crowd and the brilliance of their singer. Simmons began producing Mammoth demos, but, oddly enough, most major record companies refused to sign the band. It was then discovered that their name had already been registered, so the guys had to change it. Roth suggested we call ourselves simply Van Halen.

On Simmons' recommendation, producer Ted Templeman took over the band's affairs. He liked the team and eventually convinced Warner Brothers to sign a contract with them. Under Templeman's leadership, Van Halen entered the studio, resulting in their self-titled debut album in 1978. The release was well received by critics and received comparisons to Montrose's 1974 debut. It featured a unique fusion of the energy and virtuosity of Eddie Van Halen's guitar and Roth's self-assured vocals. The album sold two million copies within 12 months, peaking at number 19 on the Billboard charts. The disc sold successfully and subsequently sold more than 9 million copies in the United States by 1996. Guitar Player magazine named Eddie Van Halen "Best New Guitarist of 1978."

Van Halen II, made in the same vein as its predecessor, was no less successful. Roth's stage antics became even more sensational - he was a Showman with a capital S, skillfully combining theatrical tricks with a stunning voice to great effect. On the album "Women and children first", the group deviated slightly from their previous style, starting experiments with the use of synthesizers. This trend continued to develop on Fair Warning, where the musicians' style was completely different from theirs. early work. "Diver down" turned out to be Van Halen's weakest album, because... the most decent tracks here were cover versions of compositions from the 60s. But the band’s numerous fans continued to buy up their records, and this disc, like all previous ones, received platinum. Eddie Van Halen participated as a guest in the recording of Michael Jackson's next hit, "Beat it" in February 1983.

The album “1984” returned Van Halen to lost ground. Led by the song "Jump" (No. 1 in the US and No. 7 in the UK), the album stayed at number two in the US charts for five weeks. The whole raspberry was ruined by Roth, who left the group in 1985 to pursue solo career. We had to accept ex-Montrose vocalist Sammi Hagar (b. October 13, 1947, Monterey, USA) into the team to fill the vacant position. The group resisted pressure from the record company to change its name, and released 5150 with a new line-up in June 1986. The accompanying single "Why Can't This Be Love" reached number 3 on the Billboard charts and number 8 in England, while the album itself was the first in their discography to reach number 1 on the US charts and remains their the most sold-out disc to date.

“OU812” turned out to be more mediocre, although it also occupied the top lines of the US charts for some time. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (F.U.C.K. for short) had some problems during its release. However, the musical material on the album with such a cool name was an impeccable collection of compositions by uncompromising rockers. The group again confirmed its success and entered the 90s on a new creative wave - it goes without saying that the disc received platinum status. Their live album served as the prototype for their next release, “Balance.” Van Halen's popularity seemed to remain immune to the ravages of time or fashion. The group's best-of compilation, released in 1996, topped the Billboard charts, although this is very unusual for compilations.

After long and persistent rumors that Hagar had fallen out with other members of the group, the latter left the lineup in 1996. Fans immediately rejoiced when it was announced that David Lee Roth would be returning to the team. But a few months later, he made a statement ruling out his further involvement with Van Halen. The vacancy was filled by Gary Cherone (b. July 26, 1961, Malden, USA) shortly after the announcement of the dissolution of Extreme in October 1996.

After several years of creative downtime, Eddie Van Halen's battle with cancer, the group finally reunited in 2004 with Sammy Hagar as vocalist. A double compilation of the band's best songs, The Best of Both Worlds, was released, which included three new songs. This was followed by a large-scale six-month tour of the United States, and despite the fact that after this tour the group entered the list of the most successful touring acts in the United States, many were unhappy with the performance of Eddie, who sometimes performed while heavily intoxicated, and this had an extremely negative impact on the quality of the performance. After the end of the tour, Sammy Hagar left the band and Michael Anthony was fired.

Inspiration is not for sale, but you can sell the manuscript!

Unusual facts from life famous writers, how they made their way to their success, coping with various troubles. And unknown facts from the modern book world.

Three Musketeers

Alexandre Dumas published his best novel, “The Three Musketeers,” in a newspaper using the “to be continued” system. The contract with the publisher stipulated line-by-line payment for the manuscript. To increase the fee, Dumas, always distinguished by his entrepreneurial spirit, came up with a silent servant of Athos named Grimaud, who spoke and answered all questions in monosyllables, in most cases “yes” or “no.” The continuation of the book, entitled “Twenty Years Later,” was paid by the word, and Grimaud had to talk a little.

Poison for the King

One day, the great François Rabelais did not have the money to get from Lyon to Paris. Then he prepared three bags with the inscriptions “Poison for the King”, “Poison for the Queen” and “Poison for the Dauphin” and left them in a visible place in the hotel room.

Upon learning of this, the hotel owner immediately reported to the authorities. Rabelais was captured and convoyed to the capital directly to King Francis I so that he could decide the writer’s fate. It turned out that the packages contained sugar, which Rabelais immediately drank with a glass of water, and then told the king, with whom he was friends, how he solved his problem.

"Ladder" by Mayakovsky

The poet brothers accused Mayakovsky of cheating, claiming that his famous poetic “ladder” was aimed solely at increasing his fees. And indeed, poets in those days were paid line by line, so Mayakovsky received 2 or even 3 times more for poems of similar length.

"Moscow - Petushki"

When Venedikt Erofeev’s poem “Moscow - Petushki” was published as a separate book, at the author’s request, the price was set at 3 rubles 62 kopecks. This is how much a bottle of vodka cost at the time the poem was written.

Kipling's Golden Word

Word English writer Rudyard Kipling was literally worth its weight in gold: he received a shilling for each, which today is equal to a pound sterling.

Can't make money from children's books?

His first book, Harry Potter and philosopher's Stone» JK Rowling graduated in 1995. 12 publishing houses rejected the manuscript sent to them. Only a year later it was accepted by the small London publishing house Bloomsbury, although it Chief Editor assured Rowling that she would not make much money from children's books, and advised her to find permanent job.

Tax on "word"

In 1976, Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren's progressive income tax was 102%. She wrote a satirical article on this issue, which caused fierce controversy. It is believed that as a result of this discussion, the Social Democratic Party lost the next election and did not join the Swedish government for the first time in 40 years.

An honest publisher usually pays

In most cases, the author has to be content with the wording “The writer is entitled to 10% of the amount received after the sale of the edition” (to this is added a percentage from the republication of the book in another country, royalties from publishing abroad, etc. - as a result, several thousand dollars from one novel are added or a story).

It is not uncommon for an aspiring writer to sell his manuscript for $200.

Do you want to write a book, but don't know how? Auto training from Itzhak Pintosevich " " will help you with this. Just 2 months - and you're already Great Author!

Million for Akunin

Modern authors and publishers keep information about writers' fees in the strictest confidence. However, some information still leaks to the press: Boris Akunin, according to rumors, was paid one of the largest fees for Russia - 1 million rubles. Memoirs of stars are usually valued at between $3,000 and $7,000.

Booker Prize

The Booker Prize can bring the laureate $12.5 thousand in prize money, and the Little Booker Prize can bring approximately $5 thousand. In 2013, the amount of the Nobel Prize, including for literature, was $1.2 million.

Widely known catchphrase from Shakespeare's tragedy "Richard III": "Horse! Horse! Half a kingdom for a horse!” In the original, the king offers exactly twice as much, that is, the entire kingdom: “A horse, a horse!” My kingdom for a horse! There are two opinions regarding the origin of this inaccuracy in the translation of actor Yakov Bryansky. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Bryansky did not use the English text, but a French prose translation. Or he deliberately changed the size under the influence of Russian fairy tales, where feats are often promised a hand the king's daughter and half a kingdom to boot.

What did Alexey Mikhailovich mean when he wrote: “Time for business, time for fun”?

The expression “Time for business, time for fun” was first used in a collection of falconry rules, published at the direction of Alexei Mikhailovich. The Tsar personally made this postscript to the preface, meaning that time should be devoted to both work and fun - rest. Moreover, the word “hour” is used here not in the sense of 60 minutes, but as a synonym for the very concept of “time” to avoid repetition. Nowadays, this proverb is often interpreted literally: much more time should be devoted to work than to entertainment.

Having ascended the Russian throne in 1881, Emperor Alexander III soon adopted the “Manifesto on the Inviolability of Autocracy.” His first line ended with the phrase: “and entrust upon Us the Sacred Duty of Autocratic Rule.” Since it was most often read out loud to the people, people heard the word “pineapple” in the awkward phrase, and the document became known among the masses as the “pineapple manifesto.”

In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Japan was ruled by Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, who went down in history under the nickname “Dog Shogun.” He passed an animal rights decree, the earliest known law of its kind in world history, prohibiting, on pain of death, the killing of dogs, cats, and driven horses. The townspeople had to affectionately address stray dogs as “High Nobility Dog,” and those who did not comply with this requirement were subjected to corporal punishment. In the capital of Edo, several shelters were built for breeding dogs, where they were entitled to a ration greater than that for peasants. These measures, along with the financial crisis, caused growing discontent among the population, and after the death of Tsunayoshi, his successor immediately repealed this law.

The Queen of Great Britain does not have a passport, but she can travel freely around the world. The official website of the British Monarchy states that since United Kingdom passports are issued in the name of Her Majesty, the Queen herself does not need this document. All other members royal family have passports. The Queen is also the only person in Great Britain who is allowed to drive a car without a license.

In Buddhism, Tara is a female bodhisattva who has achieved perfection and liberation, but refused to enter nirvana out of compassion for people. After Catherine II established the post of Pandit Hambo Lama - the head of Buddhists Eastern Siberia and Transbaikalia, Buryat lamas recognized her as the earthly incarnation of White Tara - one of the incarnations of Tara, who is a healer and bestower of good luck. Since then, Buddhists have revered every ruler in the form of White Tara. Russian state, regardless of whether he was a woman or a man.