A clip from Billie Eilish's interview with Jimmy Kimmel last week is going viral after the singer said she didn't know who Van Halen was.
Billie Eilish didn't know who Van Halen was, I'm sobbing.
People quickly started giving Billie shit for not knowing the band.
I know u guys think that this is ok and I get it but...cmon girl it’s VAN HALEN. https://t.co/1ZJadMVW9I
My take: you should definitely know who Van Halen is even if you’re 17.
Okay so yeah, my dad owned a record store. I knew who Van Halen, Beatles, Dead Kennedy’s, Butt-Hole Surfers, Aquabats, The Damned, and Sarah McLachlan all were at age 8. Hot take: but yeah, Billie Eilish should know who Van Helen is. VH1 still plays Behind the Music.
Luckily, people jumped in to defend Billie, pointing out that Van Halen's peak was DECADES ago.
wow 17 year old girl doesn't know of a band who's peak was nearly 40 years ago, that's crazy aha https://t.co/Gq2OEqTkJo
"Who cares if a teenager doesn't know the music you knew when you were a teen? Introduce them!" columnist Leslie Streeter said.
Who cares if a teenager doesn’t know the music you knew when you were a teen? Introduce them! Y’all didn’t come onto this earth knowing all the stuff you know now either. Doesn’t matter when they meet the good stuff. Shut up and play it for them. #VanHalen #BillieEilish
Author Dan Amrich pointed out that Van Halen hasn't done/released much during her life time.
I say this as a superfan: Van Halen has given Billie Eilish no reason to know who they are. They've done very little during her lifetime. Don't complain about other people's musical experience being different. Instead, share -- give people a reason to love what you love. 🎧
Music critic Caryn Rose also added that if this was a man saying he didn't know Van Halen, no one would care.
if billie eilish was a dude no one would care that she didn't know who van halen was, but she's young and a woman and successful and wears baggy clothes and defies conventional beauty standards. its like punk rock never happened you idiots
Like, how can you get mad at Billie? Van Halen's biggest song, "Jump," peaked in 1984 — 17 years before Billie was born!
Even Wolf, the bassist for Van Halen, caught wind of the backlash, saying "If you haven't heard of Billie Eilish, go check her out. She's cool. If you haven't heard of Van Halen, go check them out. They're cool, too."
If you haven’t heard of @billieeilish, go check her out. She’s cool. If you haven’t heard of @VanHalen, go check them out. They’re cool too. Music is supposed to bring us together, not divide us. Listen to what you want and don’t shame others for not knowing what you like.
"Music is supposed to bring us together, not divide us. Listen to what you want and don't shame others for not knowing what you like." Perfectly stated, Wolf! Let people LIVEEEEEEEE.
