News of an upcoming unauthorized biography about Eddie Van Halen was met with an eye roll from Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen.

Eruption: The Eddie Van Halen Story by Paul Brannigan was announced Wednesday by U.K. publisher Faber & Faber, with a release date set for September 23, less than two weeks before the one-year anniversary of Eddie's death.

The book is said to trace Eddie's story from his early life in California in the 1960s, to his immersion in rock music and through the musical revolution he sparked alongside his brother Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth.

Eruption is said to contain "unique insights" into Eddie's relationship with his band mates, his substance abuse, his divorce from Valerie Bertinelli and his multiple battles with cancer.

After seeing news of the forthcoming book, Wolfgang underscored via Twitter that the biography had no cooperation from his father's estate. When another user asserted that "Sometimes the unauthorized versions tells [sic] some truths that the entity being discussed always avoids," Wolfgang replied with his typical candor.

"Then buy the dumb f---in' cash grab book, dude. Just saying we have nothing to do with the litany of projects milking Pop's name since he passed."

For the past several years, Wolfgang has been quick to use social media to point out Van Halen-related products (and occasional scams) that have no affiliation with his family or that may be targeting the band's loyal fanbase.

As guitars associated with Eddie began showing up at auctions over the past year, Wolfgang noted that in most cases the guitars for sale were never played onstage by his dad. He added that he'll never sell his dad's dearest instruments.

"The only place they'd possibly belong is in a museum," he said in December.

Bill Moran

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