In a new YouTube video, Van Halen singer David Lee Roth attacks Eddie Van Halen's son.
The group Van Halen no longer exists since 2020 and the death of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, but tensions between the surviving members still seem to be very high.
Singer David Lee Roth launched a YouTube offensive on Wednesday (January 24) against Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen, who played bass in the band from 2007 to 2015 and is currently enjoying success with his own band Wolfgang WVH. In his video, Roth repeatedly calls Wolfgang a “damn brat” and a “schlemiel” (“idiot” in Yiddish), mocks him for profiting from nepotism, and complains that Wolfgang allegedly ordered the expulsion of an accountant. after mistaking her for Roth's girlfriend.
The video begins with a fake interview in which Wolfgang (who replaced original Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony) is portrayed as “Jesus Christ”: “I want people to know that I got this job because of my talent” says the fake Wolfgang. I would have had this job anyway even if my father wasn't God. I just want people to know that I got this job because of my talent.”
Roth then makes fun of Wolfgang, who supposedly felt that the singer wasn't paying enough attention to him on stage, and tells an anecdote about Wolfgang supposedly getting revenge on Roth by killing a woman who led the group the site observed, was expelled from the scene from two concerts. According to Roth, Wolfgang believed the woman was Roth's girlfriend, but in reality she was the bookkeeper who handled payroll for the entire tour and the Van Halen family would not have gotten their free tickets.
Wolfgang avoided criticizing Roth directly, although he did suggest in a Rolling Stone interview in 2022 that the singer was the reason a planned Eddie Van Halen tribute concert didn't happen. “There are some people who make it very difficult to do anything when it comes to Van Halen,” Wolfgang said. Since joining Van Halen, there have always been things that stop me from making music and having fun. And I think that's exactly what happened… The fact that during my time with Van Halen we managed to tour three times, release a new album and a live album is a fucking miracle… Apparently they are Some people are too self-absorbed to let others have fun. »
Brian Hiatt
Translated by the editorial team