Paul tells a fan Q&A (via Blabbermouth): "Van Halen were a huge influence on me. Eddie and Alex inspired me and my brother so much. It was really just unbelievable the parallels that we had between ourselves.

"I remember the first time I met Eddie. He was in town and I was off doing something and my brother was in Phoenix. And my manager at the Clubhouse calls me and says, 'Hey, man, Eddie Van Halen is in the club. He wants to see you.' And I was, like, 'You've gotta be kidding me.'

"I hauled ass over, walked into the club, and he's sitting there at the table by himself waiting on me. I came in, and we gave each other a big hug. We'd been talking maybe 10 minutes, and he goes, 'It's unbelievable how much we've got in common - you and your brother, and me and Al.'"