Billie Eilish Gets Backlash For Not Knowing Who Van Halen Are, Then Wolfgang Van Halen Comes To Her Defense
It doesn’t matter how many people love you, some will still find a reason to hate you. Take Billie Eilish, for example. She’s easily one of the most adored artists in the music industry today. However, as of recently, Billie is receiving backlash for not knowing who Van Halen is. Yes, a 17-year-old is unaware of rockers who got together in the seventies and saw most of their success in the eighties.
Billie admitted this on Jimmy Kimmel Live! when Kimmel was quizzing her on some bands who were popular when he was 17 himself (1984). During the same interview, she also said she didn’t know Huey Lewis and when asked to fill in the blank, ‘Run-D-M’ replied, “What? What is that?” before Jimmy explained to her that it was a reference to the famous 1980s hip hop group Run-DMC.
17-year-old Billie Eilish admitted to not knowing who Van Halen is in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Immediately, Twitter users started mocking her “ignorance”
Image credits: _Kenziepuff
The things that Eilish and Kimmel talked about just moments before the “big revelation” is what really makes this ironic. When the host of the show asked the artist whether or not she feels as if she’s competing with other artists when they’re performing on the same stage, Billie said, “Almost, but it’s more like competitiveness with myself, if that makes sense?”
Kimmel said he totally knew what she meant and elaborated. “I’ve been in situations where there’s been a bunch of comedians on and you always want to be the best one, doesn’t mean you want the other ones to not be good.”
“It’s weird,” Billie responded. “It’s like the whole universe is, like, trying to pit every artist against each other.”
Image credits: DamonJOfficial
When Van Halen began trending on Twitter due to the interview, Wolfgang Van Halen, the band’s bassist and son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, stepped in with a wholesome response to silence the critics. After the tweet, fans have also pointed out that Eilish was only 10 when Van Halen last came out with new music, 2012’s “A Different Kind of Truth.”
Trying to figure out more about the situation, Bored Panda spoke with an independent music critic, Emilija Visockaitė. “First of all, I believe that an artist doesn’t have to unite or polarize audiences,” she said. “Quite often, it’s the boring ones that unite, the ones that try to please everyone. On the other hand, the ones that pit them against each other tend to be innovative and strange, refuse to follow the rules. Having said that, I think Billie Eilish did unite a big part of younger music lovers – it’s been a while since there was such a colorful figure on the stage, expressing the things that are important to an entire generation. Also, the fact that older listeners aren’t happy with new up and coming artists isn’t something new either. Often they don’t bother to fully understand and appreciate where the musician is coming from and what their work is all about. It’s easier to determine their “value” based on their looks (‘What, green hair!?’), videos (‘Why is there blood coming from her nose? Is she a drug addict?’) or other shallow criteria.”
It’s obvious that Billie Eilish has become successful despite analyzing every little detail about all of the artists and bands that made it into the Billboard charts the past decades. “As long as she has enough creative ‘material’ inside of her, she doesn’t need to know it all,” Visockaitė said. “I think some people are simply constantly looking for ways to find fault with artists like Billie. ‘Even though they made a name for themselves, they’re still young so they have to be stupid, right?'”
“This situation, in particular, is really funny because the band in question is Van Halen. Not Mozart or Bob Dylan. Who could’ve thought that Van Halen is still relevant?“
However, Eddie Van Halen’s son and the current bassist of the band, Wolfgang, defended Billie in a wholesome response to the haters
Image credits: WolfVanHalen
Image credits: billieeilish
For the record, as of March 2019, Van Halen is 20th on the Recording Industry Association of America’s list of best-selling artists in the United States. The band has sold 56 million albums in the States and more than 80 million worldwide, making them one of the best-selling groups of all time. The band had numerous albums and songs that dominated the Billboard charts and even won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
Image credits: wolfvanhalen
Which made the discussion way more civil
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I found the whole concept of the video with Billie Eilish and Jamie Kimmel ridiculous. What was the point? To laugh at her for not knowing some musicians?
Yes actually. People love to gatekeep and tear people down :(
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Why would there be some moral obligation to know the name of any particular musical act? I didn't know who Billie Eilish is until I read this article. Does that make me a bad person?
She is 17 years old. She has years ahead of her to discover all sorts of things she doesn't know now. That's how life works if you're doing it right.
If it makes you sick to your stomach that somebody doesn't know something about a certain type of music, you need to take a hard look at your priorities.
Probably will make you puke now.I love Mozart,Mercadante,East European Gypsy music,Sub-Saharan dance music,all latin American music,Bessie Smith,Billie Holliday,the Big Bands,Louis Armstrong,Charlie ParkerRolling Stones(saw their concert in Hyde park when very, young)and many,many others.I do not like Kuduru or Rap very much...and never heard of Billie Eilish (will look her up though)as young American popular music rarely is heard in Europe unless you are very young..and I am not.
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This is just obnoxious. So teenage girl doesn't know one of her dad's moderately favorite bands? Let's be fair here I as a 38 y/o, have never heard of Billie Eilish..... just looked here up now. Anyone who is taken aback by this is probably projecting their insecurity of realizing they're old or how mediocre Van Halen was.
Van Halen formed in 1972. The band itself is about 47 years old, 30 years older than Billie Eilish herself. For context, I'm in my 40s and would be berated for not knowing bands in the early 1940s, when my parents were born. I feel like people should back off the girl unless they too can name a ton of bands that were popular 30 years before they were born. I appreciate Billie Eilish's creativity and like her voice far more than I ever liked Van Hagar.
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Well, I know the music of Billie Eilish and VanHalen but would recognize neither if they were standing in front of me.
Anyone berating her for not knowing a 30+ year old song HAS to know all the songs of every single year of the last 30 years. And the 40years before that.
Wolfi is right... isn't there enough division in the world? I'm in my 50s, really like Billie Eilish, and I really don't care who she knows or doesn't know. No one knows everything....
This is stupid.... Who cares? Why do people have to gatekeep like this?
My husband said the first day he felt really old, he was working at Nintendo of America, talking to a customer on the Game Play Counseling line. They're having a conversation and my husband blurts out "..Steve Perry, and not the lead singer from Journey." The guy responded with "Who? Never heard of 'em."
She would probably know their most popular song if someone played it, like a lot of people know "welcome to the black parade" by my chemical romance but if you aren't "emo" or like that style of music theres a chance you don't always remember its by mcr because it isn't your style of music. I know a lot of country songs but i don't always know who it's by since i listen to pop-punk and indie but if you played a country era taylor swift song to me, i would know it
Everyone has different tastes in muic. I'm stuck in the 80's, and I don't listen to modern music. I'm not going to ridicule people just because they don't know the music I like. Wolf Van Halen is right. Music should bring people together.
I have no clue who Billie Eilish us and have never before heard of “Van Halen“. Don't people have actual problems to get mad about?
I don't know who van halen Is either. Also just because a band was popular in a country, doesn't mean everyone else have to like it/know it. Music is fun and it's supposed to bring people together not to feed superiority complexes and just because you don't like a music genre or artist means they are s**t or is not "real music", people saying that just show deep insecurities and how much of an a*****e they can be
That is also a good point, about popularity in specific countries or regions. I'm a 1990s kid, growing up in Europe, with If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next blasting off TVs and radios all around. I grew with the perception the Manic Street Preachers were super popular world wide. Then I moved to Korea and imagine the "shock" when I couldn't even find Tolerate or Motorcycle Emptiness, not even A Design for Life at the Karaoke. Then I realised some things....
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Billie Eilish was born in December of 2001. I'd give her a pass. Lemme see, when I was an 18-year-old art student, I did now some major names (Leonardo Da Vinci, Van Gogh, etc.) but I still had to take art history classes to learn about Henry Moore, Degas, Botticelli, etc.
sooo... i dont know who is billie, i thought its a guy.. bearded guy with cowboy style.. lol
Music is music! I don't care what genre you listen to or what decide you prefer to listen too. Appreciate the music these bands/ person made! I listen to most everything! Do I have a preference of a genre, absolutely! I've NEVER not had an appreciation for music! It can soothe your soul, it can make you cry. Feel happy and elate you... listen to anyone and everyone! Listen to it as they would like to you to hear it (especially unedited).
Well, I know someone who thought Last Christmas was a Beatles' song.... But that's an extreme. I'll side with the post.
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she's 17!! should she have to know every band that ever existed? just dumb
Billie Eilish is 17 and creates new music. She has a shipload of years to go to listen to everything that already exists. How many bands did you know at that age? Who were not in the charts at that time? I am 45 years old and still 'discovering' bands I never listened to. My 73 year old mother does the same. I'm actually quite proud she recently listened to System of a Down's Aerials and claimed it for her funeral. As she is probably the first one to go, me and my brother just have to deal with it :D
That last comment makes a great point. I can't tell you how many times my husband has mentioned a band to me and I didn't recognize the name, but when he played a song of theirs, I immediately recognized it.
Oh, so Jimmy did the same thing that Ellen did with that young girl. Cool.
When you make Art, you should know what others did before you, so as to avoid repeating what has already been done or to avoid committing plagiarism. This is one of the most basic lessons there is in art, music, literature, etc. Her ignorance is inexcusable, also because she is white and privileged. She should know better. I am not going to excuse were willing and voluntary ignorance.
When you make art, you should know who came before you and what they did, so that you find your own path and do not repeat what others already did or commit plagiarism. That is one of the cornerstones of Art. Her level of ignorance is ridiculous and non-excusable.
I don't care about Van Halen, and I have no idea who Billie Eilish, and Im not going to find out. Damn, what an important article. :)))
Honestly, I probably couldn't name any people from my favorite bands, let alone Van Halen.
Primates have a tendency to form peer allegiances, and collectively "like" or "dislike" something or someone. I can recall the silly adolescent divisions over musical tastes. Ultimately if we live long enough, we'll be happy for mellow instrumentals by Chet Atkins and gregorian chants by sufi steam punk mystic musicians.
So, back in the 70s, when Van Halen were best known, when you were all rabid fans, how many of you knew who Vera Lynn was? Or Perry Como? Even if you did, I doubt you thought much of them, they were mum and dad, or even grandma music. So just realise you're getting old because a 17 y/o doesn't know your fave band.
Where would Eilish have heard Van Halen? MTV doesn't play music. Many people don't listen to the radio -- I only listen to Public Radio when I'm not listening to tunes from my phone (I'm 58).
It's one thing if the guy bagging my groceries doesn't know but for a professional in the music industry it's a bit surprising that she wouldn't know if an Iconic band like Van Halen. But... I'm not really loosing any sleep over it.
Ignorance is bliss I suppose. It's not a matter of shaming for not knowing what someone else likes, but the matter of not knowing some classics. If you paint, you probably should have at least heard about Picasso or Van Gogh, if you skate, you probably heard about Tony Hawk. If you are a musician, you should know some classics... such as Elvis, MJ, Sinatra or... Van Halen...
You're wrong. Why would she know Van Halen? There are literally 1000's of other rock bands, (Not to mention other genres of music that I'm sure she already knows about, and the 1000's of bands in those genres). Do you know the names of every band member of every rock group? I bet you don't.
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I would put money on it that she knows Van Halen songs she just doesn't know that Van Halen performed them. There are many songs I know many of the words to, but could not tell you who the artist is.
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I recall people in the 1990s had the same opinion about pop music of that era. Same goes for the 2000s. Guess Anna from Frozen is right: "some things never change" ♥
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I found the whole concept of the video with Billie Eilish and Jamie Kimmel ridiculous. What was the point? To laugh at her for not knowing some musicians?
Yes actually. People love to gatekeep and tear people down :(
Load More Replies... Why would there be some moral obligation to know the name of any particular musical act? I didn't know who Billie Eilish is until I read this article. Does that make me a bad person?
She is 17 years old. She has years ahead of her to discover all sorts of things she doesn't know now. That's how life works if you're doing it right.
If it makes you sick to your stomach that somebody doesn't know something about a certain type of music, you need to take a hard look at your priorities.
Probably will make you puke now.I love Mozart,Mercadante,East European Gypsy music,Sub-Saharan dance music,all latin American music,Bessie Smith,Billie Holliday,the Big Bands,Louis Armstrong,Charlie ParkerRolling Stones(saw their concert in Hyde park when very, young)and many,many others.I do not like Kuduru or Rap very much...and never heard of Billie Eilish (will look her up though)as young American popular music rarely is heard in Europe unless you are very young..and I am not.
Load More Replies... This is just obnoxious. So teenage girl doesn't know one of her dad's moderately favorite bands? Let's be fair here I as a 38 y/o, have never heard of Billie Eilish..... just looked here up now. Anyone who is taken aback by this is probably projecting their insecurity of realizing they're old or how mediocre Van Halen was.
Van Halen formed in 1972. The band itself is about 47 years old, 30 years older than Billie Eilish herself. For context, I'm in my 40s and would be berated for not knowing bands in the early 1940s, when my parents were born. I feel like people should back off the girl unless they too can name a ton of bands that were popular 30 years before they were born. I appreciate Billie Eilish's creativity and like her voice far more than I ever liked Van Hagar.
Load More Replies... Well, I know the music of Billie Eilish and VanHalen but would recognize neither if they were standing in front of me.
Anyone berating her for not knowing a 30+ year old song HAS to know all the songs of every single year of the last 30 years. And the 40years before that.
Wolfi is right... isn't there enough division in the world? I'm in my 50s, really like Billie Eilish, and I really don't care who she knows or doesn't know. No one knows everything....
This is stupid.... Who cares? Why do people have to gatekeep like this?
My husband said the first day he felt really old, he was working at Nintendo of America, talking to a customer on the Game Play Counseling line. They're having a conversation and my husband blurts out "..Steve Perry, and not the lead singer from Journey." The guy responded with "Who? Never heard of 'em."
She would probably know their most popular song if someone played it, like a lot of people know "welcome to the black parade" by my chemical romance but if you aren't "emo" or like that style of music theres a chance you don't always remember its by mcr because it isn't your style of music. I know a lot of country songs but i don't always know who it's by since i listen to pop-punk and indie but if you played a country era taylor swift song to me, i would know it
Everyone has different tastes in muic. I'm stuck in the 80's, and I don't listen to modern music. I'm not going to ridicule people just because they don't know the music I like. Wolf Van Halen is right. Music should bring people together.
I have no clue who Billie Eilish us and have never before heard of “Van Halen“. Don't people have actual problems to get mad about?
I don't know who van halen Is either. Also just because a band was popular in a country, doesn't mean everyone else have to like it/know it. Music is fun and it's supposed to bring people together not to feed superiority complexes and just because you don't like a music genre or artist means they are s**t or is not "real music", people saying that just show deep insecurities and how much of an a*****e they can be
That is also a good point, about popularity in specific countries or regions. I'm a 1990s kid, growing up in Europe, with If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next blasting off TVs and radios all around. I grew with the perception the Manic Street Preachers were super popular world wide. Then I moved to Korea and imagine the "shock" when I couldn't even find Tolerate or Motorcycle Emptiness, not even A Design for Life at the Karaoke. Then I realised some things....
Load More Replies... Billie Eilish was born in December of 2001. I'd give her a pass. Lemme see, when I was an 18-year-old art student, I did now some major names (Leonardo Da Vinci, Van Gogh, etc.) but I still had to take art history classes to learn about Henry Moore, Degas, Botticelli, etc.
sooo... i dont know who is billie, i thought its a guy.. bearded guy with cowboy style.. lol
Music is music! I don't care what genre you listen to or what decide you prefer to listen too. Appreciate the music these bands/ person made! I listen to most everything! Do I have a preference of a genre, absolutely! I've NEVER not had an appreciation for music! It can soothe your soul, it can make you cry. Feel happy and elate you... listen to anyone and everyone! Listen to it as they would like to you to hear it (especially unedited).
Well, I know someone who thought Last Christmas was a Beatles' song.... But that's an extreme. I'll side with the post.
Load More Replies... so excited my broken relationship been restored my ex lover is back after he left me and our kids for an'mother woman. i was so happy to met Dr SABO how he help many people to bring there Lover back so i contact him to help me too. that was how SABO help me to bring my lover back.. A big thank to you SABO because I never thought my ex lover will be back to me so quickly with your spell. You are the best and world greatest. if you are here and you need your Ex Lover back or your lover moved to another woman, do not cry anymore, contact this powerful spell caster now. Here’s his contact: Email him at:(saboherbalmedicine@gmail.com ) whatsapp.him on +2348074412569 you can also reach me on +15019914802 mmhhhjkik
she's 17!! should she have to know every band that ever existed? just dumb
Billie Eilish is 17 and creates new music. She has a shipload of years to go to listen to everything that already exists. How many bands did you know at that age? Who were not in the charts at that time? I am 45 years old and still 'discovering' bands I never listened to. My 73 year old mother does the same. I'm actually quite proud she recently listened to System of a Down's Aerials and claimed it for her funeral. As she is probably the first one to go, me and my brother just have to deal with it :D
That last comment makes a great point. I can't tell you how many times my husband has mentioned a band to me and I didn't recognize the name, but when he played a song of theirs, I immediately recognized it.
Oh, so Jimmy did the same thing that Ellen did with that young girl. Cool.
When you make Art, you should know what others did before you, so as to avoid repeating what has already been done or to avoid committing plagiarism. This is one of the most basic lessons there is in art, music, literature, etc. Her ignorance is inexcusable, also because she is white and privileged. She should know better. I am not going to excuse were willing and voluntary ignorance.
When you make art, you should know who came before you and what they did, so that you find your own path and do not repeat what others already did or commit plagiarism. That is one of the cornerstones of Art. Her level of ignorance is ridiculous and non-excusable.
I don't care about Van Halen, and I have no idea who Billie Eilish, and Im not going to find out. Damn, what an important article. :)))
Honestly, I probably couldn't name any people from my favorite bands, let alone Van Halen.
Primates have a tendency to form peer allegiances, and collectively "like" or "dislike" something or someone. I can recall the silly adolescent divisions over musical tastes. Ultimately if we live long enough, we'll be happy for mellow instrumentals by Chet Atkins and gregorian chants by sufi steam punk mystic musicians.
So, back in the 70s, when Van Halen were best known, when you were all rabid fans, how many of you knew who Vera Lynn was? Or Perry Como? Even if you did, I doubt you thought much of them, they were mum and dad, or even grandma music. So just realise you're getting old because a 17 y/o doesn't know your fave band.
Where would Eilish have heard Van Halen? MTV doesn't play music. Many people don't listen to the radio -- I only listen to Public Radio when I'm not listening to tunes from my phone (I'm 58).
It's one thing if the guy bagging my groceries doesn't know but for a professional in the music industry it's a bit surprising that she wouldn't know if an Iconic band like Van Halen. But... I'm not really loosing any sleep over it.
Ignorance is bliss I suppose. It's not a matter of shaming for not knowing what someone else likes, but the matter of not knowing some classics. If you paint, you probably should have at least heard about Picasso or Van Gogh, if you skate, you probably heard about Tony Hawk. If you are a musician, you should know some classics... such as Elvis, MJ, Sinatra or... Van Halen...
You're wrong. Why would she know Van Halen? There are literally 1000's of other rock bands, (Not to mention other genres of music that I'm sure she already knows about, and the 1000's of bands in those genres). Do you know the names of every band member of every rock group? I bet you don't.
Load More Replies... I would put money on it that she knows Van Halen songs she just doesn't know that Van Halen performed them. There are many songs I know many of the words to, but could not tell you who the artist is.
Load More Replies... I recall people in the 1990s had the same opinion about pop music of that era. Same goes for the 2000s. Guess Anna from Frozen is right: "some things never change" ♥
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