Interview with Nuno Bettencourt – “No one sits on Eddie Van Halen’s throne!”

When Extreme released their single “Rise” in March 2023, there was excitement in the guitar world. The reason for this was not so much the song itself, but much more the guitar solo, which carried many to true storms of enthusiasm. “Nuno the Great,” was the headline for YouTuber Rick Beato. Some even announced that the Portuguese native is now almost officially the successor to guitar icon Eddie Van Halen, who passed away in 2020.

Bettencourt himself sees it quite calmly, as he explains in our detailed interview. On “Six” — the first Extreme album in 15 years — he doesn’t really do anything differently than before, he says. The only difference is that people are just not used to having guitar solos in actual songs (and not just short Instagram clips). He does not see himself as heir to the throne of Eddie Van Halen – he is irreplaceable. Our forty-minute talk with the guitarist can be seen here: