Eddie Van Haleneddie van halen of van halen in 1979 Paul Natkin, Archive Photos/Getty Images loading... "I was really taken aback and it really changed my life — I would say Eddie Van Halen definitely was that for me. When elaborating on his reasoning for Malmsteen, John 5 admitted that he never understood the "less is more" philosophy when it comes to guitarists. READ MORE: John 5 Names His 5 Favorite Records of All Time"I appreciate great guitar players so much. I really, really love when I find these certain guitar players that are super inspiring to me and the world.