Wolfgang Van Halen Prepared for ‘Wave of Hate’ Over Solo Album
Wolfgang Van Halen understands that his long-awaited solo album will inevitably be compared to Van Halen, and he's mentally preparing himself for a negative reaction to it on those grounds.
He had been asked by someone about whether being the son of Eddie Van Halen, with all that his father had achieved musically, was a "gift or a curse." Wolfgang posted his response on Instagram.
"That's a great question," he wrote. "It's really equally both. Being who I am, I think people at the least will be interested in what my work will sound like, which is very nice. But on the other hand, if it's not exactly what they want to hear or if I don't try to sound 'Van Halen-y' enough for them they'll hate me and won't give me the time of day. I'm fully prepared for a wave of hate when my music releases because it won't be what people think it'll be. I'm not trying to be my father, I'm trying to be me."
Wolfgang first started talking about his solo album five years ago and producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette said in 2018 that it was completed. But it wasn't until this past February that he signed a deal with Explorer1 Music Group; however, he admitted last week that that COVID-19 pandemic has thwarted his plans to put it out.
"The state of the world has really thrown a wrench into how I saw this releasing (given that no touring is able to happen until this all blows over)," he wrote, "but I have a few ideas that I'm really excited about, so stay tuned!!"
That same day, he uploaded a brief clip of bass and drum tracks from one of the songs to Instagram. All the instruments on the upcoming record were performed by him.