A New York City street artist paid tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen in the most clever way, turning the Van Siclen Avenue stop in Brooklyn into “Van Halen Avenue”. The same artist pulled a similar stunt last month, turning the 50th St. station in Manhattan into “Ruth St.” in honor of late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Adrian Wilson is the artist who conceived the subway tributes in honor of the guitar legend and the Supreme Court justice. After being featured on the news for his Ginsburg tribute, he figured someone else would have taken the initiative for the Van Halen guitarist, or at least taken credit for it. But, as he wrote on his Instagram, he ultimately took matters into his own hands.
“Come on people,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a pic of his “Van Halen Avenue” sign. “I even explained on TV how this works and how easy it is. A famous person dies, look up the name of a subway stop and put a sticker over it to memorialize the person. It’s that easy!”
Wilson continued, “I left it 4 days for someone else to head to Brooklyn and take the credit but nobody stepped up, so ok, I guess I’ve got to do it myself… you’re welcome.”
Apparently, the sticker has since been taken down, with Wilson offering an update on Monday morning (October 12th), letting people know that “it’s not there now.” As it was, subway riders might have been disappointed by the lack of mesmerizing guitar solos once they got off the train.
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Check out Wilson’s “Van Halen Ave.” and “Ruth St.” signs below. For more of his street art and numerous anti-Trump memes, visit his “Plannedalism” Instagram feed.
Wilson’s tribute is just one of many to Eddie Van Halen. See more from his Van Halen bandmates and fellow musicians.