Wolfgang Van Halen was recent guest on Eddie‘s Sirius/XM show Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk.
When discussing the project his uncle, Alex Van Halen is working on with guitarist Steve Lukather, Wolfgang told Eddie (via blabbermouth.net), “I haven’t played anything yet. So, I’m not sure what Al is talking about in that respect. They could be older ideas that maybe we worked on 15 years ago or something, ’cause there was a couple of years where Dad (Wolgang’s father Eddie Van Halen), Al and I were just jamming in the studio for three years or something. But, yeah, I really do think it’s more of Al‘s thing to talk about. I’m really just here in a position of helping him with whatever he needs. If he needs bass on something, I’m there. If he needs anything else, I’m there. Whatever he needs. But it’s definitely his thing to spearhead. And I am in a support position.”
Wolfgang was also asked about his involvement in the ongoing series of reissues of Sammy Hagar-era Van Halen albums that are being made available via Rhino. He said, “I’m there in a support position as well. Al is the decision guy. I’m just there to help him with whatever he needs. So, again, I’m just in that support position.”
On a related note, no pun intended, former Van Halen band members, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, were guests on Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern where they were also asked about Alex Van Halen‘s news.
When asked if they are involved with the upcoming LP, and if not, whether they would like to be, Hagar said (as transcribed by blabbermouth.net), “No. We haven’t been asked, number one. I can tell you, the day I walked in the studio, in 5150, to basically, if you wanna call it an audition, but to meet the guys and to play music, we played for about eight hours at least. And we recorded everything. Everything that I ever did, and every time we made a record, we recorded hundreds of hours of jam and music, and then we cut ’em up, made songs. That’s the way we did it. So there’s so much stuff from Mike and I and Ed and Al in the studio. Like I said, just the initial day that I went in there, we got Summer Nights, we got Good Enough and the beginnings of Get Up from [the] 5150 [album] — three songs that came from that eight-hour jam. And I remember there was a blues thing we did, and I was making up lyrics. So there’s so much stuff that Al could really choose from, if he wanted to include Mike and I. But, obviously, Al‘s got a reason, and he’s Alex Van Halen; he can do whatever he wants. And, to me, it’s an Alex Van Halen project, and it’s not necessarily a Van Halen project, but I guess we’ll see if it ever sees the light today. But I’m disappointed that Mike and I wouldn’t be invited. It’s, like, what? Are you kidding me? We’re still alive. We’re out here doing it. We’re playing those songs. We can still do it, you know?”
Added Anthony, “Yeah. If this is material that we jammed on or whatever, I’d have no problem coming in and singing or [playing bass] or whatever. It’s all good there.”
Earlier this month, Anthony told the WNCX radio station that the new Van Halen project should be kept instrumental, with the spotlight firmly on Eddie‘s playing.
“The way I personally feel about it is, if they wanted to do it justice, [the best idea would be] to just finish it up as a great instrumental nod to Eddie,” Michael said. “Because getting a new singer in there, we’re not forming a new band, and then you’ve got to work on lyrics and all that stuff. And who knows when anything would be put out at that point.”