“If there was going to be one time to do it, it was that time”: Wolfgang Van Halen says he won’t play Van Halen songs anymore following Taylor Hawkins tribute shows
The multi-instrumentalist says the shows were his way of “saying goodbye”.
Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Wolfgang Van Halen said that he doesn’t want to play Van Halen songs anymore in a recent interview.
When Melissa Ruggieri of USA Today asked him about the Van Halen songs he performed as part of the Taylor Hawkins tribute shows last year, he said that “If there was going to be one time to do it, it was that time”.
- READ MORE: Wolfgang Van Halen was so nervous for Taylor Hawkins tribute shows he had to change string gauge
The Mammoth WVH frontman continued: “It was kind of, like, my saying goodbye to that stuff… I don’t wanna play that music without my dad. My dad’s not here. It was a special moment for Taylor – I know Taylor would have lost it, man, he would have loved that. And I know Dad would have been proud.”
Also in the interview, he discussed his love for Blink-182, a band he counts as one of his formative influences. “Growing up, the first band that I really found on my own, where harmonies were the big thing for me, was Blink-182,” he said.
“I loved the way they sang and the way they would harmonise and stuff. That turned out to be kind of my mission statement when it comes to writing, because I think no matter how heavy it gets that melody is still right there, just as heavy.”
While he might have started out being best known as the son of rock legend Eddie Van Halen, he’s carving out a successful music career in his own right, fronting Mammoth WVH.
In a new interview with Guitar.com, he said that he’s carving out his own niche. “Being a fan of my father doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a fan of the music that I make. It’s really flattering to see people view me as my own person,” he said. “I’m gonna be myself whether or not anybody has a problem with it.”