Wolfgang Van Halen has admitted he seldom listens to Van Halen.
The 34-year-old, now the linchpin of hard rock act Mammoth, was the bassist of Van Halen from 2006 to 2015 and played with the ‘classic’ lineup of his father Eddie (guitars), his uncle Alex (drums) and singer David Lee Roth.
However, the now-singer/multi-instrumentalist can’t listen to the band’s music for fun anymore. Eddie passed due to complications from throat cancer aged 65 in October 2020.
Wolfgang says in a new video with Drumeo (via Guitar.com): “I just don’t listen to Van Halen anymore. I understand, like, that’s the connection that everybody has. But, obviously, my connection was a little different.”
He goes on to imply that Alex has a similarly distant relationship with Van Halen’s material.
“So, when it comes to listening to it, it’s just like, I have the memories,” he adds. “I’m so happy of the time that I was able to be in that three-piece with Dad and Al.
“But I totally get why Al is… Al was already a private guy to begin with. Now, it’s like, why would you want to play? I’m sure he probably keeps the chops up every now and then.
“But yeah, it’s just not as fun, unfortunately.”
Wolfgang has performed Van Halen material only a handful of times since his father’s passing, most famously when he played Hot For Teacher and On Fire at a tribute concert to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022.
Explaining why he so rarely touches the band’s songs live, Wolfgang says, “I’m really just not interested in playing it anymore without Dad. And I know he [Alex] feels the exact same way.
“I’ll play it for fun every now and then. If [Foo Fighters frontman] Dave Grohl comes to me and goes like, ‘Hey, you wanna do this?’ Like, ‘Yes, Dave Grohl, I would like to do that with you.’ But, overall, it’s really a tough thing for me.”
Wolfgang has released two albums under the Mammoth banner and said last year that he’s been working on a third. He put out the single The End in May, accompanied by a video directed by Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn, Spy Kids, Sin City).
Mammoth also announced a 2025 North American tour, which will feature support from Alter Bridge singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy. See dates and details via the Mammoth website.
