Wolfgang Van Halen on stepping out of his father’s shadow: “I’m happy that people are beginning to take me seriously as my own artist and separate me from my family history”
Carving out your own identity in rock is tough – even more so with the Van Halen name hanging over your head.
Wolfgang Van Halen has spent years stepping out of one of rock’s biggest shadows, and in a recent interview with Chile’s Radio Futuro, the Mammoth leader slash Van Halen alum opens up about the challenges and freedoms of forging his own path, and the satisfaction of finally being taken “seriously” as an artist in his own right.
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Asked what it feels like to be recognised for his own musical accomplishments, Wolfgang says [via Blabbermouth], “It’s pretty great. I’m very lucky and happy that people are beginning to take me seriously as my own artist and separate me from my family history. ‘Cause at the end of the day, that’s all I would really like to do, is be taken at face value for what I represent and not for what my family represents. And I think that’s why I’m trying to do something different.”
“I don’t play Van Halen music at my shows,” he adds. “I would rather fail on my own than succeed by playing Van Halen music. So I think it just shows the work that I’ve been putting in and people beginning to see the person I am on my own. So I’m very grateful.”
Still, the musical connection to his father runs deep. As Wolfgang explains, both he and Eddie “started on the drums”, which gave them a “great sort of rhythmic background to the foundation of being a musician”.
“And so I think we both attack guitar playing from a rhythmic perspective,” says Wolfgang. “And so I think that’s a really great thing that my dad and I have in common. And I’m very happy to have that in common with him.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Wolfgang also praises the growing presence of women in rock, saying “It’s awesome… I think it’s an archaic mindset to think that women can’t be in rock and roll.”
“I mean, I think one of my favorites out there right now is a very close friend of mine, Lzzy Hale of Halestorm. I think what she’s doing is incredible, and she’s one of the best singers out there. And also, yeah, the drummer that they’ve got for Rush [Anika Nilles] is incredible. I can’t wait to see what the shows are gonna be like. I remember I watched some of her videos on Drumeo, on the YouTube channel, and she’s just absolutely insane. No wonder they picked her… [Linkin Park’s Emily Armstrong], she’s badass as well,” says Wolfgang.
Mammoth is currently riding the wave of their third album, The End, which they celebrated with a headline tour that wrapped up earlier this month.
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