Wolfgang Says ‘Some People’ Are Making Van Halen Tribute Show ‘Very Difficult’
A Van Halen tribute show and/or tour was in the works, as first leaked by bassist Jason Newsted, who was being considered for part of the lineup. There hasn't been any traction on this since and now Wolfgang Van Halen has told Rolling Stone that "some people" are making it "very difficult" to move ahead with plans of any sort.
Exactly who those "some people" are is not something the multi-instrumentalist, who released his debut album with Mammoth WVH last year, is willing to reveal, despite radio host Eddie Trunk have previously suggested it was singer David Lee Roth who is holding everything up.
When pressed about this potential tribute show, which was also rumored to feature drummer Alex Van Halen and guitarist Joe Satriani as well, Wolfgang tells Rolling Stone, "What I can say is that there was an attempt at doing something. But, you know, I don’t like to speak negatively about people, but there are some people that make it very difficult to do anything when it comes to Van Halen. After being in Van Halen for a long time, I really have strived to have an environment where there is no walking on eggshells and there is no personality that you have to deal with. It’s just guys having fun making music and just having a good time. But, you know, from my time in Van Halen, there was always some stuff that gets in the way from just making music and having a good time. And, I think, that’s what happened."
He then admits he would "love to just sit here and say everything and say the truth," but that telling the truth didn't always work out for his dad, Eddie Van Halen, when he "straight up just said everything" in interviews. Wolf conveys that fans "hated [Eddie] for it" and confused the truth for lies, so spilling all of the beans ultimately will not do much good.
"So I could just say shit," Wolf goes on, "but people have already decided how they feel about things, facts or not. So I can say the facts. But that may not align with how certain people feel. I know how Van Halen fans get. They are very motivated by which specific people they like in the band. And it’s just not worth it. Just, we made an attempt, and some people can be hard to work with, and made it not happen."
While many fans may assume that Wolf is calling the shots in regards to a tribute event, the rocker asserts that is simply a false notion. "When it comes to Van Halen, and decision-making overall and what Van Halen does, it’s Al, and then I’m there and supportive. You know, I basically help make the decisions that dad would be there to make, because I’m in there in his stead," states Wolfgang, who then confirmed the tribute was not intended to be a tour.
Prodding further, Rolling Stone asks, "And if someone were to assume that the main problem was a certain singer with three initials, what would you say to that?" Wolfgang replies, "I would say, 'Do your research on the history of Van Halen, and come to your conclusions."
Read the full interview here.