“He doesn’t want to be Ed Jr”: Why Alex Van Halen is “proud” that Wolfgang Van Halen doesn’t play his father’s music
Since Eddie Van Halen’s death in 2020, his son Wolfgang Van Halen has remained adamant that he wants to carve out his own musical identity, and not lean on the enormous legacy left behind by his father.
So far, Wolfgang has released three studio albums with his band Mammoth: Mammoth (2021), Mammoth II (2023), and The End (2025). And while there’s numerous nods to Eddie throughout the catalogue – like Distance, the emotionally moving tribute on the first album, and Selfish, from the latest album, which Wolfgang jammed with Eddie before he died – Wolfgang has developed a sound very different from his father’s.
READ MORE: “Makes me feel closer to Pop”: Watch Wolfgang Van Halen use Eddie’s Frankenstein guitar to record his new single
And he’s explained how it’s been a conscious decision to walk his own musical path on multiple occasions. “I’d rather fail at my own thing than succeed on my dad’s legacy,” he said last year.
Now, Wolfgang’s uncle and Eddie’s brother and former Van Halen bandmate Alex Van Halen has expressed his “pride” in his nephew at being so determined to do his own thing.
“He’s very careful that he doesn’t want to be Ed Jr,” Alex says in a new interview with KazaGastão. “He was in a very tough spot, meaning he could have just continued with the Van Halen stuff, but he decided he was his own man.
“Everything that he’s done – I’m very proud of him, by the way. That’s probably not the right thing to say about an adult, he’s [35] years old! You shouldn’t be proud of an adult, right… That’s what you do to your children!
“He’s followed his own path,” Alex says.
He goes on to explain how Wolfgang got the gig in Van Halen, and how it had nothing to do with “family influences”.
“Ed and I, as usual, were in the studio alone, because nobody else tolerated it, they’d rather be at the beach!” he says. “I’ve got news for you, you’ve gotta work for this shit.
“Nobody showed up, and one day Ed and I were playing and this bass comes in, and it had a nice feel to it. And behind the curtain it was Wolf… For the record we did call Mike [Michael Anthony, longtime Van Halen bassist], because we owed him that. We did call him, and he just didn’t answer.”
Meanwhile, Wolfgang isn’t blind to the massive legacy he carries with his name. In May last year, he said bearing the Van Halen name is a “fucking tightrope to walk, with the shadow I’m under and the expectations”.
Mammoth are on tour in 2026. For a full list of dates, head to their official website.
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