Wolfgang Van Halen says he'd be "selling out" if he made his living by performing Van Halen songs.
The son of the late Eddie Van Halen writes and performs his own material in his successful band Mammoth WVH, but he often faces calls from fans to play Van Halen songs.
Wolfgang played bass in Van Halen from 2007 up until his father's death in 2020 and some would argue he has every right to play that band's songs.
But the 33-year-old has no desire to cash in, saying he takes his lead from his father.
He tells The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan: "My dad actually had a quote when Van Halen ended up doing a lot of cover songs. It was on Diver Down, there was a lot specifically on that album. He said, ‘I'd rather bomb with my own material than succeed with someone else's.’ And I feel very much that way.
"I could very easily shack up and do ‘Wolf Does Van Halen’ and do that and probably make a decent living at it.
"It's very hollow and astoundingly creatively unfulfilling so I just can't. I feel like it's kind of selling out and I could never do that. That's not satisfying to me. I would rather bomb on my own than succeed with what my dad laid before me."
Wolfgang adds that he'll stick to his guns despite hearing constant calls from the crowd to play Van Halben.
He says: "I guarantee you there's at least 20% of every crowd at our show that leaves disappointed I didn't play Panama. Great song – not a Mammoth song."