WOLFGANG VAN HALEN On His Father EDDIE VAN HALEN: ‘I Don’t Think His Songwriting Gets Enough Credit’

BLABBERMOUTH.NET

Wolfgang Van Halen spoke to "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, about the upcoming debut album from his solo band MAMMOTH WVH. Asked what inspired and guided his compositional approach on the LP, Wolfgang said: "My father [late VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen] is always a huge inspiration. I don't think his songwriting gets enough credit. Obviously, his guitar playing overshadowed it a touch, but as a songwriter, I think my father was phenomenal. Another songwriter that inspires me, actually, is Jim Adkins, the singer of JIMMY EAT WORLD. I think he's a great songwriter; he compiles stuff really well. And also my good friend Clint Lowery from SEVENDUST; I think he's a wonderful songwriter, too, that I really look up to as well." Wolfgang also spoke about what resonated with him about VAN HALEN before he first joined the band for its 2007 reunion tour with singer David Lee Roth. He said: "In the Roth era, the aggression — they were just like a steam train that nobody could compare. And with the [Sammy] Hagar era, I loved how the melodic side was explored much more. They still maintained that edge, but they weren't afraid to explore the melodic side. Those were two really important things to me about the band. And also that the B-sides are just as good as, and maybe even better than, the popular songs, so once I got to make the setlist, I tried to fit in as many as I could." In October, a City Council meeting was held in Pasadena, California where a memorial honoring Eddie was discussed. City manager Steve Mermell was directed to come up with ideas for how to best honor the musician, who died on October 6 at the age of 65. Wolfgang addressed a possible Eddie Van Halen memorial during a November 20 appearance on Fox 11's "Good Day LA". "I think it's incredible that the support is there to wanna honor him," the 29-year-old said. "Whatever it ends up being, it has my full support. If I could suggest something, I think something as simple as a street name would be amazing." Among suggestions for the memorial are for alleyway Electric Drive to be renamed for Eddie; erecting a monument somewhere in the city; renaming a park; a life-size statue; and turning his childhood home into a historic landmark. Following Eddie's death after a long battle with cancer, fans left flowers at his childhood home on Las Lunas Street in Pasadena. Additional flowers, candles and fan mementos were placed on Allen Avenue where Eddie and Alex scratched their band's name into the wet cement of a sidewalk when they were teenagers. VAN HALEN was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Eddie Van Halen No. 8 in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists.