A few weeks after revealing that he declined an invitation to perform a live tribute to his late-father Eddie Van Halen during the 2021 GRAMMYs, Wolfgang Van Halen is not wavering from his criticism of the Recording Academy's award show.
Rock fans from around the globe universally panned the GRAMMYs for playing just a 20-second clip of Van Halen's "Eruption" during an otherwise extended 'In Memoriam' segment that contained performances for several other late-icons.
After years of being hounded by disillusioned Van Halen fans, Wolf has routinely dodged comparisons to his father. He explained after the GRAMMYs that he was uneasy about appearing to step into his dad's shoes before a national audience. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the younger Van Halen added that he just followed his instincts.
"It just didn't feel right," he said. "And I think some people are like, 'Well, you should have just f---ing done it anyway.' And I don't think they were really thinking about the emotional attachment to it. And just the fact that it isn't the right thing to do and something I'm not comfortable with."
A GRAMMYs producer defended how the broadcast handled the segment, telling Variety that "eight or nine guitarists" were suggested for the segment, but Wolfgang's management reasoned that they would be best off showing a clip, since Eddie was such a singular talent.
While Wolfgang was miffed about the brevity of the clip, he added in his initial statement that what bothered him most was that his dad was not mentioned atop the broadcast during a discussion of icons who passed in 2020.
It's no way to treat the legacy of one of the most important musicians of the 20th century.
"I'm a little biased, but I think you cannot argue the impact that three guitar players had on the history of the instrument," Wolfie continued. "And that's [solid body electric guitar pioneer] Les Paul, Jimi Hendrix, and my dad. And so when something like this happens, you think he would be deserving of a bit more time."
On Friday, Wolfgang launched the third and fourth singles from his Mammoth WVH solo album, "Don't Back Down" and "Think It Over." The first single of the album, "Distance," debuted in 2020 and hit No. 1 on the rock charts.
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