"At our age, you don't want to stop"
About this Quote
A wry shrug and a vow all at once, the line carries the logic of momentum. It comes from a drummer whose art is literally keeping time, and it recognizes that time gets heavier as you age. Stop, and starting again takes twice the force. Keep moving, and the groove holds you up. For Alex Van Halen, decades behind a massive kit taught that the body is an instrument tuned by repetition; lay it down too long and the stamina, reflexes, and calluses that make thunder feel effortless begin to fade. At a certain point, perseverance is not bravado but maintenance.
There is also identity pressed into the phrase. Lifers in rock do not punch out at 65. Their sense of self has been forged on stage, in the flash of the kick drum and the roar of a crowd. To stop is not just to rest; it is to confront what remains when the lights go down. Alex grew up in a band that turned youthful audacity into a permanent address, then weathered breakups, reunions, and the attrition of time. He has seen what happens when the engine cools and when it roars back to life. The lesson is practical as much as romantic: keep the machine running because cold starts are cruel.
There is a quiet defiance, too, against the cultural script that equates aging with retreat. The line does not pretend time can be beaten; it suggests time can be partnered with, like a tempo set just fast enough to demand attention. Work, art, and even health ride on that steady pulse. You keep going because you love it, because you fear the rust, and because the act of going becomes the point. A drummer measures life in bars and counts, and the most honest way to face the count is to keep playing through it.
There is also identity pressed into the phrase. Lifers in rock do not punch out at 65. Their sense of self has been forged on stage, in the flash of the kick drum and the roar of a crowd. To stop is not just to rest; it is to confront what remains when the lights go down. Alex grew up in a band that turned youthful audacity into a permanent address, then weathered breakups, reunions, and the attrition of time. He has seen what happens when the engine cools and when it roars back to life. The lesson is practical as much as romantic: keep the machine running because cold starts are cruel.
There is a quiet defiance, too, against the cultural script that equates aging with retreat. The line does not pretend time can be beaten; it suggests time can be partnered with, like a tempo set just fast enough to demand attention. Work, art, and even health ride on that steady pulse. You keep going because you love it, because you fear the rust, and because the act of going becomes the point. A drummer measures life in bars and counts, and the most honest way to face the count is to keep playing through it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Aging |
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