“He can do a lot of things people didn’t expect him to be able to do”: Dweezil Zappa thinks Wolfgang Van Halen’s success has proved wrong people who gave him a “hard time for no reason”
With the spectacular success of his band Mammoth, Wolfgang Van Halen has certainly proved those who have accused him of riding on the back of his father’s success wrong.
And as a fellow child of a musical pioneer, Dweezil Zappa has his sympathies with what Wolfgang has been through.
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In a new conversation on the Andertons YouTube channel, Zappa – son of legendary musician Frank Zappa – says Wolfgang has been given a “hard time for no reason”, commending him for being a “trooper” in his response to critisicm
Wolfgang has dealt with critics even since replacing Michael Anthony as Van Halen bassist in 2006. Earlier this year, he said his dad would be “disgusted” at online trolls who think they are defending Van Halen’s legacy.
It’s Wolfgang’s stoicism in the face of criticism that, among other traits, garnered Dweezil Zappa’s admiration, but also his musical skill.
“He can do a lot of things that I think people didn’t expect him to be able to do,” he says. “And I’m sure it’s not because he wanted to prove them wrong. “It’s in his blood. It’s a thing for him to just keep exploring.”
Dweezil also says the fact Wolfgang is also a musician isn’t indicative of nepotism.
“I equate it to like, let’s say my dad was a medieval shoemaker… And he was the guy that invented the pointy-toed shoe.”
“I would have to perfect the pointy-toed shoe to carry the business forward, that’s how I look at it. I’m still working on making that pointy-toed shoe be as good or better than the original.”
Dweezil also notes that it’s important to find your own voice as an artist regardless, as he found himself compelled to do in his youth. However, as he explained in an interview with Marshall in June: “I don’t think I ever really developed my own style until I went through a whole other process of learning a lot about my dad’s music.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
