“You have to take what he says with a grain of salt. He also said he wrote Eruption and came up with the Frankenstein stripes”: Wolfgang Van Halen responds to David Lee Roth jibes – and says a Van Halen tribute tour is “impossible”

Wolfgang Van Halen has responded to comments recently made by David Lee Roth, in which he claimed the Mammoth WVH leader displayed antisocial behavior and poor decision-making during Van Halen’s final tour.

Wolfgang was sounded out about the “uncomfortable topic” while in conversation with The Morning X With Barnes & Leslie. During the interview, one of the hosts pointedly asked, “What the hell is going on with the hatred from David Lee Roth?”

The question was related to some of Roth’s recent comments, which saw the band’s former vocalist (voice-acting as Jesus at the time, for some reason) backhandedly remark he “would have had this job even if my dad wasn’t God”.

It was a jibe from Roth, who was clearly taking a dig at the fact Wolfgang had been hired as the Van Halen bass guitar player to play alongside his father, the late Eddie Van Halen.

In another clip, Roth said of Wolfgang, “This fuckin' kid. He's complaining the entire tour like I'm not paying enough attention to him on stage. He's complaining to everybody around me – the business manager, the security guy, the clothing lady – 'Dave's not paying enough attention to me.’”

When quizzed over why Roth was calling him out “in such a vile fashion”, Wolfgang responded: “I guess I'm honored he even thinks about me as much as he seems to.” 

In response to the unprovoked outburst, Wolfgang also drew attention to some of Roth’s previously misinformed and wholly outlandish comments regarding the Van Halen name, and said nothing he says can be taken at face value.

“I guess you have to take what he says with a grain of salt,” Wolfgang replied, “considering he also said that he wrote [Eddie's iconic instrumental] Eruption and came up with the Frankenstein stripes [the pattern that famously adorns Eddie's guitar].”

To that latter point, Roth was called out back in 2021 when he posted a seven-minute video in which he recalled the origin story behind the Frankenstein. In the video, he claimed he was the brains behind the iconic striped design.

However, his tale didn’t add up, and was later disputed by Chris Gill – Guitar World contributor, EVH guitar expert and co-author of Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen – who blasted his story as a “complete revisionist fabrication”.

“I guess that’s all I can say,” Wolfgang continued in his recent interview. “I seem to have been born into this Van Halen drama that has come way before me. I guess now that my dad isn't here to be a target, I guess he went to the next best thing.”

Wolfgang was also asked about the potential for a Van Halen reunion, or honorary tour – not with Roth – in the future. As he has done in the past, though, the EVH brand torchbearer shot down the possibility.

“It’s impossible to have a reunion,” he stated. “No way. No, I don’t want to play that music without my dad.”

As such, the closest thing we’ll probably get to an honorary Van Halen tribute is the upcoming Best Of All Worlds tour, which will see Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani and Michael Anthony share the stage for some Van Halen-filled setlists.