Wolfgang Van Halen Shares Ironic Belief

07-22-2025

(MS) Wolfgang Van Halen sat down for an in-depth conversation with radio host Mark Strigl at the SiriusXM Studios in New York City. The interview aired at 2 PM ET today on Ozzy's Boneyard (channel 38) and is now available on demand in the SiriusXM app by searching "Wolf Van Halen."

In the wide-ranging interview, Van Halen discussed a number of topics including working with Mark Tremonti of Creed, his admiration for legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads, and his thoughts on Maynard James Keenan of Tool. He also gave Strigl a preview of The End, the forthcoming third album from Mammoth, due out this October.

When asked about his various talents as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Van Halen emphasized that songwriting is at the heart of his creative process: "I think the songwriter leads more than anything. I don't know, I think that what makes me happy, what brings me purpose with Mammoth is writing the songs. That is why I think there are some songs that don't even have a guitar solo.

"Whenever there is a song that doesn't have a guitar solo people are like 'dude? what?' and it's like it's more about the song and how it is crafted altogether, not everything needs a guitar solo. That might be stupid coming from the son of Eddie Van Halen to say but for me that is where I get my most joy from, crafting the song piece by piece."

Strigl also asked whether fans could expect more solos on The End, the upcoming Mammoth WVH release: "Yes. There are definitely more guitar solos, for sure but again, that is not what it is about for me. But it is there and I am going to give my A-game."

The full conversation is now available exclusively on the SiriusXM app.