It’s clear to anyone who’s ever heard ‘Eruption’ by Eddie Van Halen that it’s near impossible to release a cover that’s better than the original. Regardless, A YouTuber has gone ahead and crafted a stop-motion animated video of a Jawa from ‘Star Wars’ rocking out to the song and we have to see the end result is pretty damn impressive.

Thomas J. Yagodinski, a self proclaimed ‘art nerd’, released the clip on YouTube on Saturday, January 23rd. The video shows the hooded creature announcing his presence before getting stuck into a guitar rift.

“Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was a virtuoso, innovator, intergalactic legend,” the Jawa says in sub-titled jibberish. 

“Rumors exist of his origin in this galaxy. Once I scavenged an artifact,” the creature continues in reference to Van Halen’s signature ‘Frankenstrat’ guitar. “I study and learn in deepest tribute. I will now perform for you, ‘Eruption’. Hit the lights.”

The Jawa then proceeds to burst into the entirely creepy, yet very impressive, rendition of the classic. 

Yagodinski posted some behind the scenes insight into the production of the clip on his Instagram.

“This was insanely fun to make, especially taking the solo apart, frame by frame, to replicate as closely as possible to the actual shredding. Plus, I flippin’ love Jawas!! RIP to the maestro, may his music live throughout the galaxy,” he wrote.

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Eddie Van Halen tragically passed away on October 26th, 2020, after a year long battle with cancer. The death certificate, obtained by TMZ, stated that his immediate cause of death was a cerebrovascular accident, or a stroke. He also had several underlying causes, including pneumonia, the bone marrow disorder myelodysplastic syndrome, and lung cancer.

The passing of Eddie Van Halen marked the end of reunion rumors for the legendary band, Van Halen, that fans were hoping for. Many of the bands devotees campaigned for his son, Wolfgang, to step into his father’s shows, but he shut it down.

“That’s fucking stupid,” Wolfgang Van Halen said during an interview on The Howard Stern Show, “You can’t have Van Halen without Eddie Van Halen, because I’m not Dad.” 

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