In a new interview with Classic Rock, Mammoth WVH rocker Wolfgang Van Halen shared his picks for the records, artists, and gigs that have had a lasting impact on him. In his picks of singers, Wolfgang did not mention Sammy Hagar or David Lee Roth, but he mentioned two entirely different bands. He chose:
“Maynard James Keenan from Tool, and also Ian Kenny from Karnivool, the Australian band.”
Who Else Wolfgang Picked
The singer and guitarist also picked his guitar hero and his favorite songwriters. Once again, Wolfgang named neither Roth nor Hagar, but he did name his father as his guitar hero. He said:
“Well, of course, my dad. It’s not like we didn’t bond before, but when we started playing together, we were bonding on a different level. At the same time, I never wanted to be him or be another version of him. I wanted to try to play as well.”
He then named other guitarists other than his father:
“I was also a big fan of Paul Gilbert growing up, which is funny because I know he’s a big fan of dad as well. There’s also a guitarist named Aaron Marshall. He has a band called Intervals. I love his playing.”
Wolfgang named his favorite songwriters too:
“Dave Grohl. I think as a musician and a songwriter, he influences everything that I do in Mammoth. Trent Reznor, too. Those two are very big for me in terms of songwriting and lyricism.”
Wolfgang’s Thoughts On Sammy Hagar vs. David Lee Roth Debate
Earlier, Wolfgang Van Halen joined Amoeba Music’s ‘What’s In My Bag?‘ segment, where musicians go around the store picking out albums they like and chatting about them. Wolfgang chose the new Van Halen: ‘The Collection II’ 5-LP box set. The box set has all four ‘Van Hagar’ studio albums plus an extra disc of rare studio tracks.
While talking about the set, he got into the Sammy Hagar vs. David Lee Roth debate and shared his thoughts about it. He said:
“Not to delve into the exhausting argument of which singer is better, I’m kind of ‘of the mind’ where there’s positives in everything. And if you hate one side or the other, it’s like, ‘Hey, the same guy wrote this stuff.’ You can really find stuff to appreciate. And I really appreciate the melodic addition that Sammy added to the band with this music. I think it allowed my dad to explore a more melodic style of songwriting and there’s great stuff on here.”