Wolfgang Van Halen claims he’s “not a person to some people”
Wolfgang, the son of the late Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen, has addressed the downside of having a surname of such a celebrated rock ‘n’ roll grandeur. Not only is the expectation high, but his name feels more like a brand.
“I’m not a person to some people,” he lamented in a recent conversation with Classic Rock, “I’m just an extension of the name.”
Sadly, Wolfgang has been blamed by some for profiting from his name under the nepo baby tag. However, Wolfgang explains that the name is also rather burdensome and all-consuming.
“People being rude and trying to say hateful things don’t bother me,” Van Halen explained, adding that he’s “had fun” battling Twitter trolls. “It’s when people are stupid: ‘Oh, you’re milking the Van Halen name.’ It’s my fucking name, you grape. Stupidity bothers me more than people trying to hurt me.”
The abuse began back in 2007 when Wolfgang joined Van Halen as Michael Anthony’s replacement.
“It was tough,” Wolfgang admitted, remembering his first teenage tour playing with the classic band. “I was there to support my dad, but I was aware that I’d become the biggest enemy of every forty-to-fifty-year-old man out there in the world. It was something I didn’t know how to handle. That did a lot of damage to me.”
Following Eddie Van Halen’s death from cancer in 2020, Wolfgang has been pressured by some fans to perform a tribute concert.
“The thing is, people are, like: ‘You need to do a tribute, man.’ I am a tribute,” Wolfgang explained. “Everything I do is for and because of my dad, and I think that’s tribute enough.”
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