Rocker addresses rumors for first time
Wolfgang Van Halen has commented about a proposed all-star tribute to his late father Eddie Van Halen. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the rocker was asked to elaborate on what’s going on with the tribute.
“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,” he says. “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 continues, “Look at anything that’s happened with Van Halen. And look how things have fallen apart. You know? The fact that in my tenure, in Van Halen, we managed to do three tours, put an album of original material and a live album out is a fucking miracle.”
Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted unveiled the potential Van Halen trek during a recent interview with the Palm Beach Post. He says drummer Alex Van Halen approached him last year about playing bass for the outing. Newsted agreed to jam with Alex and Joe Satriani in California but declined to take part in fear of it being a “money grab.”
“How could you?” he asks. “There’s nobody that can top it, so how do you show it honor? I didn’t want it to be viewed as a money grab. And then it kind of just all fizzled.”
Satriani also confirmed that he, Newsted and Van Halen had been in contact over the past year about doing a “true tribute to Eddie and the Van Halen legacy.”
In May, Roth was asked to confirm the news, in which he gave a cryptic answer.
“Yeah, I wrote the songs. I was the one who named the band. Are you talking about a tribute to me? I like this side of you,” he jokes. “Yes, absolutely. I’m only in the middle of my first retirement. I’m at the point now where making sure the entire world knows I’m not talking.”
However, Wolfgang says, “It was in such an early stage that it never even got off the ground,” and “It was already not happening” by the time Newsted shared his thoughts.
David Lee Roth seems to be holding up any potential tribute that’s been rumored in recent months. SiriusXM radio host Eddie Trunk shared during a recent episode of Trunk Nation on SiriusXM Volume 106 that Roth is the reason nothing has been solidified.
“I had a very, very, very reliable source tell me last night at The Black Crowes show that the hold-up on the Van Halen anything happening is a lot of it falling on David Lee Roth, that David Lee Roth — to no surprise, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody — is a difficult guy to wrangle, a difficult guy to get an answer on, a difficult guy to get focused on anything, a difficult guy to get to sign off on anything. He is all over the map, as you would expect and have seen throughout history, and that the big hold-up in anything happening with Van Halen is not Alex, who wants to do it and is trying. It’s actually Roth who needs to sign off and be involved.”
Wolfgang was asked if Roth was the reason for the failed tribute. “I would say ‘Do your research on the history of Van Halen, and come to your conclusions,'” he shares.
Eddie Van Halen died in October 2020 at the age of 65 due to pneumonia, a blood disorder known as myelodysplastic syndrome, and lung cancer as underlying causes also contributing to his death.
