Wolfgang Van Halen recently joined the Talk Is Jericho podcast and touched upon a promise he made to his father. In the interview, Wolfgang highlighted that he has a single rule for his performances but confessed to breaking it during a tribute to Taylor Hawkins. He expressed:
“That moment was unique. Taylor was an immense fan, and it felt fitting to dedicate a direct tribute to my father then. I’m deeply honored by it.”
During this tribute, Wolfgang collaborated with renowned artists such as Justin Hawkins from The Darkness, Dave Grohl, and Josh Freese. Reminiscing about this experience, he exclaimed:
“Setting aside the emotions and the backdrop of the event, just playing alongside these legends I’ve always admired was surreal. But considering the entire context, I’m amazed I managed to pull it off.”
Elaborating on his earlier rule, he expressed:
“I aim to carve my niche. The crucial thing is, I’m not merely replicating my father’s work. I’m striving to define my identity, which is why I steer clear from performing Van Halen tracks in my shows.”
Wolfgang made it clear he’s not a fan of cover songs. He noted this sentiment was shared by his father, Eddie. He shared:
“My father was never keen on covers. He once told me, ‘I’d choose to fail with my original work than ride on someone else’s success.’ This is precisely why I’m hesitant to perform ‘Panama’.”
In a previous talk, Wolfgang had mentioned this sentiment from his father, drawing a parallel between expecting Foo Fighters to perform Nirvana songs.
Wolfgang, leading the band Mammoth WVH, emphasizes that his current path is the best homage to his legendary father.