In a recent episode of Billy Corgan’s The Magnificent Others, Wolfgang Van Halen discussed his stance on keeping the Van Halen legacy alive.
It turns out that he has no interest in continuing his father’s work in the traditional sense. “When I did the Taylor Hawkins tribute where I played those two Van Halen songs for Taylor and for my dad, it was a big moment for me because it was, one, proving that I could do it and two, showing that I chose not to. I think my dad actually had a quote when they ended up doing a lot of cover songs. It was on ‘Diver Down.’ there was a lot specifically on that album and he said, ‘I’d rather bomb with my own material and succeed with someone else’s.'”
Wolfgang explained that while he could easily capitalize on his father’s legacy, he finds that idea creatively unfulfilling. “I feel very much that way. I could very easily shack up and do Wolf does Van Halen and do that and probably make a decent living at it. It’s very hollow and astoundingly creatively unfulfilling. So I feel like it’s kind of selling out. I could never do that, that’s not satisfying to me. I would rather bomb on my own than succeed with what my dad laid before me.”
Building His Own Musical Path
He has previously made it clear that he is not trying to replicate Van Halen’s sound. “I know Dad taught himself, and I wanted to follow the same way. It was important that I develop my own skills and my own sound. That’s helped me, or else you’d be listening to some sh*tty Van Halen cover band,” He acknowledged that playing classics like ‘Panama’ could bring him easy success, but he would rather take risks with his own music. “Given the opportunity to succeed by playing ‘Panama,’ or to fail by playing my music, I would choose to fail.”
For Wolfgang, Mammoth WVH is not just an extension of Van Halen but a project that stands on its own.
