“I feel very protective over 5150. It’s what I need to watch and protect, for the rest of my life now”: Wolfgang Van Halen on his father’s legendary studio
Wolfgang Van Halen’s childhood was steeped in rock royalty, but these days he’s the one safeguarding the magic. The 34-year-old musician, who recorded Mammoth’s third album, The End, in the legendary 5150 studio, says protecting the space is now a lifelong responsibility.
“I live in my childhood home now, so the studio’s right there,” the young Van Halen tells Classic Rock. “Yeah, I feel very protective over 5150. It’s what I need to watch and protect, for the rest of my life now.”
The studio, immortalised through countless Van Halen records, has become Wolfgang’s own creative haven. Here, he sings and plays every instrument on Mammoth’s latest release, merging brooding 90s grunge influences with metallic heft and melodic pop sensibilities.
READ MORE: Wolfgang Van Halen thinks it would be “unfair” to call him a “nepo baby”
But the legacy of his father, Eddie Van Halen, occasionally shines through – most vividly on the album’s title track, which kicks off with a 40-second tapping solo reminiscent of Eddie’s iconic moves in Hot For Teacher.
Wolfgang also keeps intimate reminders of his father close: the words “play play,” written in red and blue on his right arm, were transferred from a Christmas card and serve as a permanent life lesson.
“He was being silly, and he wrote it with both markers to almost make it like a 3D effect,” says Wolfgang. “I just use it as kind of a life lesson, so that if I’m playing guitar I can always see that, just to make sure I keep following it.”
Offstage, the pressures of life in a Van Halen household are still felt. While en route to support Metallica on their 2024 M72 World Tour, Wolfgang says he experienced a panic attack on the plane to Mexico City.
“I’ve never in my life been freezing but completely drenched in sweat,” he recalls. “It fucked me up. It felt like it was forever, but it was probably about a 10-minute thing. In hindsight it’s hilarious, but during, very traumatic.”
“I guess I am my toughest critic,” the musician adds. “Since I was 14, growing up under scrutiny, I think that might have a lot to do with it. I’ve been to therapy, I’m medicated, all of that. It’s just about working through it and being comfortable in yourself – not needing approval from others.”
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