{"id":389246,"date":"2026-01-05T14:23:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T14:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/389246\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T14:23:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T14:23:12","slug":"wolfgang-van-halen-interview-mammoth-the-end-and-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/389246\/","title":{"rendered":"Wolfgang Van Halen interview: Mammoth, The End and mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wolfgang Van Halen<\/a> has the words \u2018play play\u2019 written on his right arm. One in blue, one red, scrawled as if in biro. Slicker tattoos of Moon phases and the logo of his band, Mammoth, are positioned more prominently, but that scratchy little message carries a special weight. It\u2019s his father\u2019s handwriting, transferred from a Christmas card and now a permanent reminder to his son. An expression of joy, from one musician to another. Words to live by.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was being silly, and he wrote it with both markers to almost make it like it was a 3D effect,\u201d the 34-year-old grins, looking down at the words. \u201cSo I just use it as kind of a life lesson, so that if I\u2019m playing guitar I can always see that, just to make sure I keep following it.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sitting next to me on a sofa at Fender\u2019s HQ in Covent Garden, Wolf (as he introduces himself) comes over remarkably normal for someone with such A-list parentage. Black jeans, band T-shirt (Canadian prog-metal instrumentalist group Intervals, who opened for Mammoth last year), wedding ring, gentle laugh, no rock-star pretensions. Serious about music and his father\u2019s legacy. Comparatively less fussed about everything else.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s easy to imagine him fitting in with the Alter Bridge\/Slash \u2018family\u2019, of which he\u2019s now very much a part. In his twenties he played bass for Mark Tremonti\u2019s solo band. His touring guitarist in Mammoth, Frank Sidoris, also plays in Slash\u2019s Conspirators. Michael \u2018Elvis\u2019 Baskette (Alter Bridge\u2019s go-to guy, and two-time Slash collaborator) has produced all the Mammoth records. As we go to press, Myles Kennedy<\/a> is on tour with them in the States \u2013 as the support act.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Wolfgang\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Travis Shinn)<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s insane, man,\u201d Van Halen shakes his head. \u201cI\u2019m gonna have to be on my A-game, because when you have fucking Myles Kennedy singing and playing guitar before you go on, you got to make sure you\u2019re good.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are moments, though, when the \u2018ordinary guy\u2019 curtain is lifted \u2013 just a little. Quiet reminders that he\u2019s not just another bloke who started a band. His easy kinship with rock\u2019s top tier (Metallica, Dave Grohl, Maynard Keenan, the late Ozzy Osbourne\u2026). His uncle Patrick, white-haired and baseball-capped, silent in the corner throughout our conversation, like a downto-earth bodyguard. His calm but clear devotion to 5150, the studio made legendary by his father.<\/p>\n

Now, though, Wolf is its custodian on his own terms. Most recently the third Mammoth album \u2013 The End<\/a>, on which he once again sings and plays all instruments \u2013 was recorded there. He lives in the adjacent property with his wife Andraia, a software engineer. Marlon Brando, Charlton Heston and Steve Martin lived in the neighbourhood, high in the green, expensive reaches of Coldwater Canyon in Beverly Hills. When he\u2019s not on tour, Wolf rarely leaves the place.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI live in my childhood home now, so the studio\u2019s right there,\u201d he says. \u201cYeah, I feel very protective over 5150. It\u2019s what I need to watch and protect, for the rest of my life now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the first Mammoth album<\/a> in 2021, Van Halen Jr\u2019s music has stood confidently apart from the band that made his family famous. Less 80s flash and fireworks, more brooding 90s grunge flavours thoughtfully spliced with metallic beef, subtle gear shifts and pop-perfect harmonies. Sounds that stir big feelings. Songs that stay with you.<\/p>\n

But perhaps his roots do come through in subtle ways. There is a real taste of that inimitable Van Halen magic, for example, in The End\u2019s title track: specifically, the 40-second tapping solo that kicks it off. It\u2019s an incendiary moment. The same dizzying technique and groovy sense of fun that made Roth-era VH\u2019s Hot For Teacher<\/a> so exciting. Its accompanying video<\/a>, directed by horror heavyweight Robert Rodriguez, finds the band facing down zombies at a gig, plus cameos from Myles Kennedy (a bloodthirsty zombie), ultimate tough guy Danny Trejo (the surly doorman) and Slash<\/a> (looking on nonchalantly, being cool \u2013 very on-brand). A team effort, hinged on the softly spoken Van Halen\u2019s uncompromising artistic standards, set for himself.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s been fun because we\u2019ve had to play an acoustic version of it,\u201d he says, giggling nervously at the memory. \u201cIt\u2019s very funny to hear that, trying to do the tapping acoustically.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mammoth: The End (Official Video) – YouTube
\n\"Mammoth:<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

In the studio Mammoth (now minus the \u2018WVH\u2019, having resolved a trademark issue this year) might be Van Halen\u2019s sandbox, but live it\u2019s very much a band affair. Completed by the aforementioned Sidoris, guitarist Jonathan Jourdan, bassist Ronnie Ficarro and former Tremonti drummer Garrett Whitlock, they soar way beyond their deceptively straight, black T-shirted image \u2013 taking their frontman\u2019s hot-blooded, cleverly written songs and turning them into livewire events. Last year we saw them at a jam-packed Islington Academy. It was, comfortably, one of the best rock shows we\u2019d seen in years.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day that\u2019s what matters to me more than anything. It\u2019s not about having a guy jumping around on stage and saying [adopts boorish rock star boom] \u2018Are you fucking ready!\u2019 It\u2019s about playing the fuck out of your instruments. Bands like Tool<\/a> and Meshuggah<\/a>, they will stand right there and they will destroy. That\u2019s what I aspire to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Typically, they rehearse about two weeks ahead of a tour, polishing their chops in soundchecks to keep the tight-but-loose quality that makes them so fun and easy to watch. Is he a demanding boss?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not at all,\u201d he replies. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever actually said: \u2018Hey, you\u2019re playing that wrong.\u2019 I think it\u2019s important that they feel themselves in the material. So they always learn it themselves. If they have any questions on what exactly to play I\u2019ll tell them, obviously, but they\u2019re so good at what they do I never have to worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wider upshot of this has been Mammoth becoming one of rock\u2019s most bookable acts. Foo Fighters<\/a>, Guns N\u2019 Roses<\/a> and Creed have all taken them on tours. On Metallica<\/a>\u2019s 2023-2024 stadium run, Mammoth were the only support to play every show.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey gave us a Perfect Attendance Award!\u201d he laughs. \u201cIt\u2019s a plaque that has the pick from every show, because they did custom picks for the whole thing. So yeah, they\u2019re very cool like that.\u201d He smiles, as if he were talking about an elder brother\u2019s nice mates. \u201cThey\u2019re very sweet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally, he was supposed to join Metallica at the now legendary Back To The Beginning concert. In the end, he had to pull out due to the event\u2019s changing rehearsal schedule, which clashed with Mammoth\u2019s tour commitments \u2013 i.e. opening for Creed on a big run of arena shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know at one time I was supposed to play Sweet Leaf,\u201d he says, of what he might have played on the day. \u201cAnother time I was supposed to play guitar on Changes. But, you know, it just didn\u2019t end up happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mammoth: “Same Old Song” (Official Video) – YouTube
\n\"Mammoth:<\/p>\n

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Seemingly his involvement with Ozzy Osbourne<\/a>\u2019s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction \u2013 at Sharon and Ozzy\u2019s request \u2013 took the edge off this ill-fated timing. At the ceremony he played Crazy Train with Tool\u2019s enigmatic vocalist Maynard Keenan, a huge hero of his. (\u201cWe hit it off and we text each other all the time now. I so badly want to visit his vineyard because he\u2019s super-passionate about that. My mom has made her own wine, she has a vineyard on her property. I want to bring her and tour his vineyard, it\u2019d be fun.\u201d) Backstage, post-gig, he and Ozzy talked for 10 or 15 minutes, sharing unrepeatable stories from Van Halen<\/a>\u2019s days opening for Sabbath.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first I was like: \u2018Was that good enough?!\u2019\u201d Wolf remembers. \u201cAnd his exact words, I believe, were: \u2018It was bloody brilliant.\u2019 He gave me a hug. That meant everything. And I got him to laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has no regrets over those Creed shows. For a guy who cut his live teeth in arenas, playing bass in Van Halen, it was a nostalgic experience, returning to venues he hadn\u2019t visited since those days with his dad. Back then he was 15, facing the world on a nightly basis and acting as an anchor to a newly sober Eddie Van Halen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a lot to have on your shoulders,\u201d he agrees, \u201cand you certainly experience a lot. I was forced to grow up as quickly as possible, mentally, in that respect. But, you know, I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way. I was very happy I was able to share that with my dad.<\/p>\n

\u201cI almost feel most comfortable in sports arenas for shows,\u201d he continues. \u201cStadiums are huge and crazy, but to me the perfect rock show is in an arena, because it can still sound good and it\u2019s a controlled environment where the lights can really work and give a good show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mammoth: “I Really Wanna” (Official Video) – YouTube
\n\"Mammoth:<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Even so, his greatest kick comes from the venues Mammoth now sell out as headliners. Bigger and bigger theatres. People singing his songs. Playing with bandmates chosen because they got on brilliantly, who also happened to be first-class musicians. Their rider includes coffee, water, Gatorade and \u2018Uncrustables\u2019 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Wolf doesn\u2019t drink (\u201cI just didn\u2019t find much interest in it, and with my Indonesian roots I get that \u2018Asian flush\u2019 and it\u2019s incredibly uncomfortable\u201d). It\u2019s a friendly set-up, between actual friends. They were all present at Wolf\u2019s wedding in 2023 \u2013 an intimate home affair.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all helped him relax into a role that\u2019s tremendously at odds with his personality; a quiet, introverted soul who might have been a drummer in another life.<\/p>\n

Do you get nervous?<\/p>\n

\u201cVery nervous,\u201d he says, without hesitation. \u201cAlways. Usually I\u2019m really bad with firsts. So the first time we\u2019re playing a new song, the first show of the tour. It\u2019ll ease out through the rest of the tour, but I\u2019m still\u2026\u201d He considers this for a moment. \u201cYeah, I\u2019m a nervous wreck all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

What helps you?<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing!\u201d he half-whispers, eyes wide, almost laughing. \u201cI just have to push through it. I mean, when it\u2019s our gig and it\u2019s people who are there to see us, it\u2019s a lot more comforting. But sometimes you just have to stuff it in your pocket and ignore it, which is really tough. Or you can try to harness it. I like to try and use that nervous energy for good, which you can do sometimes, but other times it\u2019s\u2026 it\u2019s tough. So you never really know. It\u2019s just a matter of doing it over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mammoth: “The Spell” (OFFICIAL VIDEO) – YouTube
\n\"Mammoth:<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

In September 2024, Mammoth were on a plane to Mexico for stadium shows with Metallica. Miles above ground and increasingly aware of the altitude he\u2019d be singing at, Wolf fell into a panic attack. It set the tone for The End, taking the listener on a journey through different anxious headspaces, and different ideas of what \u2018the end\u2019 might feel like. Lows, highs, grey areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d never in my life been freezing but completely drenched in sweat,\u201d he recalls, making eye contact with uncle Patrick, who goes to all their shows and was with him at the time. \u201cIt fucked me up. It felt like it was forever, but it was probably about a ten-minute thing. In hindsight it\u2019s hilarious, but during, very traumatic. I think that headspace \u2013 I\u2019m already an anxious person \u2013 bled into the whole writing process.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do you think you were scared of, besides potentially fucking up your voice?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I get like that it doesn\u2019t really matter. At any time, I can just freak out because something\u2019s gonna go wrong, or I\u2019m gonna make an ass of myself, or I\u2019m gonna ruin it, I\u2019m gonna mess up, or, you know\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He pauses, pulling back from the impulse to spiral downward that all naturally anxious people can relate to. For a moment you can see the strange, heightened few years he\u2019s had, hurtling through grief, judgement, success.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess I am my toughest critic,\u201d he continues. \u201cAnd growing up in the scrutiny of the public eye, since I was fourteen, I think might have a lot to do with that; issues that I\u2019ve got to work on. I\u2019ve been to therapy a couple times, I\u2019m medicated, all that. So it\u2019s just a matter of working your way through it, being more comfortable in yourself, not needing that approval from others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making The End offered a safe haven. Recording took place in the 5150 studio, literally paces away from his house, with producer\/musical co-pilot Michael \u2018Elvis\u2019 Baskette. He writes mostly at home, on the sofa with a guitar, in quiet spaces between tours and playing videogames or watching reality TV with his wife.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Wolfgang\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Travis Shinn)<\/p>\n

Unlike the first two Mammoth albums, The End\u2019s tracks were demoed straight into instruments \u2013 as opposed to Logic audio software. It made for a more instinctive energy, and a willingness to run with unexpected gear changes that felt good. You can hear it in the epic yet gnarly swoop of One Of A Kind; the sassy Meshuggah-funk of I Really Wanna; the grungy blues<\/a> stomp and blissed out harmonies of Better Off; the dreamlike, Soundgarden-meets-Alice In Chains heartache of Happy. All of which flowed in the studio he grew up in, crawling over amps and inhaling rock history.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s home, you know?\u201d he shrugs. \u201cSo it feels very nice to be able to continue that musical legacy. You almost feel like it\u2019s a duty to fill the walls with music every year.\u201d<\/p>\n

It must be a strange thing, carving your own, distinctive legacy in a place so imbued with your family\u2019s iconic moments. The only place he\u2019s ever lived. The home he returns to for holidays with his wife, when touring is finished. They haven\u2019t had a honeymoon yet, but hope to go to Japan off the back of a tour at some point.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point it\u2019s where 5150 is,\u201d he says, of his enduring loyalty to Los Angeles, \u201cand I feel a lot of protection and ownership over that, so I don\u2019t see myself going anywhere anytime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

We talk about his Christmas plans and his mum\u2019s place with her five cats (Bubba, Beau, Henry, Tigger and Batman). He hugs me goodbye and moves on to his next interview. Uncle Patrick quietly taps at his phone, looking at guitars on the walls around us. Later, as I transcribe my recording, he feels more like a comfort than a bodyguard. An emotional support. Something like a father figure to this guy with a uniquely challenging, inspiring past, and so much to offer on his own terms. His dad\u2019s voice, his message to \u2018play play\u2019, etched onto his arm forever<\/p>\n

The End is out now via BMG. Mammoth are on tour from March<\/a>. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mammoth: The End – Today’s Best Prices<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wolfgang Van Halen has the words \u2018play play\u2019 written on his right arm. One in blue, one red,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":389247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[236,88],"class_list":{"0":"post-389246","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}