Rex Talks to Wolfgang Van Halen of Mammoth WVH

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Perfect. You should see his namepop up and he's sick. I think
my internet is working. How's itgoing, good man? How are you?
I wish I had better internet,But other than that, I'm doing
all right. How are you?You'll look fine? Man, I wouldn't
worry about it. Well, we'llmuddle through. So how is it?

(00:21):
How's everything going? Just give methe basic Hello? You know it's it's
uh, it's good. It's niceto be busy. Yeah, it's it's
an honor to be busy, honestly, Um, to be doing what I'm
doing. Uh. You know?Do I wish I got a little bit
more sleep last night? Yeah?Maybe, but you know, I'll try
again tonight. Is that the toughestpart? Because I have a I have

(00:42):
a really hard time going to sleep. Last night my girl flew in,
she was out of town. Sheflew in, and I didn't go to
bed until it was like after one, and then I'm up at like four
thirty to do the show. Andthen I was like, oh great,
this is this out of all themornings, this is one we're going to
talk to. We'll gang and I'mjust not sure. No, I think

(01:02):
I might have you beat there likeI have these uh these like sleep sleep
gummy thing. I have the sameones. Yeah, and they're supposed to
knock you out, and they failedme last night so hard. I was
up. I maybe got two hoursof sleep. Have you ever have you
ever taken an ambient or like halfan Ambien? I have not, Like
I that's like some heavy duty stuffand that scares me a little bit.

(01:25):
But but man, I just youknow what, a little bit of coffee
and I'm good to go. Mygirl absolutely loves Ambien. It's the only
way she can sleep at night.And once in a while, like maybe
once every two or three weeks,she'll break me off like a tiny bit
of it's like not even a half. We have to negotiate what half I'm
getting. That stuff absolutely will knockyou on your ass and I and I

(01:49):
can see why people love it somuch, but then you become so dependent
on Okay, it's time to sleep, let me take half an ambi.
And that's when I wake up threehours later and I realize that I've made
a complete me in the other room, or I drove somewhere exactly. Yeah,
I don't want to get into that. I think I'm gonna I would
rather struggle than than than get scaryand weird independent on something like that.

(02:12):
But hopefully usually if I have abad night of sleep, the next night,
I make up for it. Didyou know that the schedule was going
to be this hectic for you whenyou started? I mean, when you
when you, I mean, obviouslyyou're fantastic at all the instruments. We
already know that you play everything.Your your sense of humor has to do
you so well, because when Iwatched the videos and you playing your own

(02:32):
characters, it's like it's almost likea Zach Gillifanakis directed your your videos.
But did you realize what you weregetting yourself into? Uh? I don't
know. I don't know if Iknew exactly what I was getting myself into.
But I know that in order toyou know, I don't know.

(02:53):
I think I'm just I was alwaysfrom the beginning prepared to do whatever work.
Uh necessary. Yeah, I reallyto to build something from the ground
up for myself. You know,I don't know that I will. I'll
do whatever. Whatever I gotta do. Is the payoff for you as good

(03:14):
as you envisioned it, Because onceyou finally get there, I've talked to
artists and comedians and they talk aboutthis thing that they want, the unattainable
fame or the goal. And youget there, and does it feel like
you got there or is there somethingbeyond reach still? Well, I don't
know, because that's not where Imean, that's not where I want to

(03:35):
be. I just I want tofind I don't know if I have an
end goal. I think I justwant to find a rhythm, Yeah,
where where I'm able to make musicand play with my friends and my family
and make a comfortable life for allof us together, where we can do
this together and and and be happyand nothing bad ever happens. Ever,

(03:57):
I've had conversations with you in thepast. I don't know if you remember.
Probably not, I mean you talkto a zillion different people. But
I was left with the impression ofjust, you know, total peace,
you know, and that's such anachievement because you seem so peaceful. You're
yeah, you're something to drive,You're very soothing to talk to. Actually,

(04:18):
you know, it's like talking tomy brother that I haven't seen in
a while or something. You know, it's a really cool You have a
calming quality about you, do youhear that about yourself. Uh, you
know I do. Uh, Ido this uh radio show on Serious Classic
rewind Um and yeah, there's alot like dude, your voice is so
relaxing. It's like, wow,it's very kind. You know. If

(04:42):
music doesn't work out, you couldmake like sleep tapes where you could just
as streamer or something you kind oflike talk people into their slumber zag or
you know what. Oh, youknow what the peak of that job would
be. We would be uh doinga like voiceover for like nature documentaries or
yeah, the am you should usethat in your next video. You should

(05:03):
do something like that. I wouldn'tlove it. Maybe that's my next that's
my dream to to kind of earthdocumentary. The end goal is he wants
to be on the discovered channel.So uh, playing another celebration at the
end of the world first probably theshortest title that I've ever played. But

(05:27):
when when? Is that a songthat you fumbled your way into or have
you had that in your bank fora while or were you just messing around
and it just happened. It wasa very loose idea I had since I
think like twenty sixteen that just neverreally uh, you know, coalesced,

(05:48):
so to speak. And I thinkI really had to desire for more upbeats,
I mean, because that this kindof song didn't really exist on the
first album. So it was reallythat born out of that drive of like
I want a fast, you know, kind of thrashy upbeat song. Uh.
And so it was that and thatwas that's kind of what set the
tone for the whole album, waswas finding and achieving that song. Um

(06:12):
uh yeah. And I really justthink it's set the pace for for everything,
because overall the album is is avery aggressive, I think, more
you know, heavier album in comparisonto the first one. You know.
And what's interesting about that is thatyour place on the radio, it's definitely
a sound that that's been missing.You know, I play this. I

(06:35):
don't want to mention different artists andwhatnot, but you play stuff and sometimes
I'll sit here and just go,oh God, I've got to play this
again, and then yours comes onand I'm like good. It's a complete
running change of pace. You know. It's I don't want to say question
new, but you know, it'snot a Mentos commercial, It's it's a
it's a piece of rock and rollthat. I don't think radio listeners across

(06:59):
the country have really been treated toolately. Thank you. It's that's a
very kind thing to say. It'scool. I mean, like your place
there, you know that that it'sit's the mass acceptance, you know.
Yeah, that's the thing I neverexpected. Um. Uh, you still
got some work to do in thatrespect. I think that work will never
be complete. But um, youknow, I've got a big shadow I'm

(07:20):
I'm working under. But for thepeople who do listen to it and and
see that I have married on myown outside of what my last name entails
is A is A is a veryhuge uh that that people giving me a
shot as my own person. Uhnot as you know the Van Halen boy.

(07:41):
When I when when I watch thevideos and I see your the comedy
of you, that just kind ofcomes easily. Have you had any like
cameo offers for movies and stuff likethat. No, but I would love
that would be fun as hell.I would love I would love to do
that. You know, I didfeed her in high school. Uh you
know, you know, you knowmy mom is my mom. I've got

(08:01):
some of that in me, sothat that would certainly be fun. That'd
be a good time. That's reallycool. It's important not to take yourself
too seriously, you know. Ijust it's nothing worse than the guy who
just you know, folded arm andfrowning the whole time. No way to
go through life, definitely, noman. So you're right. Last time
that we talked, I'll give youa point of reference. I'm very good

(08:24):
friends with ash photographer whoa yes,yeah, yeah, and I remember,
yeah, I was way back inlike twenty twenty when we talked. Yeah,
he did. You were with acompletely different effort, a completely different
band, and he did a photoshootof that. And as I spoke with
him, he said, oh,you're oh to make sure you say hello.

(08:46):
He'll definitely remember me. And youdo, so that's cool. I'm
like, you know, if itweren't for your stunning good looks, your
long hair and your accent, you'dbe nobody. He'd be just another guy
with the camera. Do you whenyou're touring with these guys alter Bridge,
seven Dust? If you do,you do you commonly hang out with these
guys? I mean? Or isit click? I've known I've known the

(09:07):
guys in alter Bridge and and sevenDust for wherever since since two thousand and
seven, two thousand and eight.Really, so they're good friends. I
love all of them. And yeah, the fact that we're gonna be touring
together is like I dream come true. If you told, you know,
if you told young Wolfe from fifteenyears ago, this would be happening,

(09:28):
he'd lose this ship. That's happening. August nineteenth over at Concrete Street Amphitheater
and I was flipping through the thewebsite and I came across, like the
store. Your autograph apparently way highdemand. I mean, everything that you
sign is sold out within like twoseconds. Your your hands must retired.

(09:50):
And oh no, I sold Isigned a lot. Yeah, an unacceptable
amount amount, an amount so high. I will never do that again where
you're signing like I forgot. Ithink next time, next time, let's
do half. And you know,you know, it's just I don't know.
I my wrist still hurts. Ithink I'm going to develop. My

(10:13):
signature is irreparably changed. Gave yourselfa dumb name is now reduced to a
W and gave yourself a carporal tunnelwith a sharpie in your hand. Yeah,
oh man, is there any isthere any any instrument that you haven't
conquered? Is there something that youwant to play and you go, Man,
playing the dijury due would sure becool. Oh Man, well,

(10:37):
well, thank you for the compliment, but I don't think I've conquered anything
I play. Uh. You thinkyou're always learning, but uh, I
think it would be really fun.I've been always mystified by the by the
Freman, I think that's a hilariousto your instead of sinus medical. No,
it's like that's a great name.Um, it's it's like the one

(11:01):
where you play it without like youchoose the frequency and then you it's it's
like the it's the spooky ghost whistlesound. I'll have to google it and
see what it looks like, ifit would look good on stage or not.
Oh, it wouldn't look weird.It wouldn't look weird, but it
would be cool. Man, he'sreally nice because you got to check out
his theorem and solo therem and soloman checks are just fulling in their tops

(11:22):
on stage during the theoromy every time. If I knew how to spell it,
i'd google it. But you know, I think a nap for both
of us is in order alter Bridgealter Bridge out at Concrete Street with Seven
Dust and Mammoth. Have you haveyou toured around with Metallic? Have you
played with those guys? You're gonnabe up in the Dallas area doing that.

(11:45):
Yeah. Yeah. We've done aboutfour or five shows them over here
in Europe so far, and they'vebeen insane. Man. Just to be
a part of it is just ridiculous. It's a huge honor. They're so
kind, everybody on the crew isso wonderful. Um. Yeah, and
it's been insane. I I'm veryexcited, uh to to be there in
the States that it's gonna go off. It's gonna be insane. You have

(12:07):
you changed lives when when your albumcame out and then you you did a
tour and the guys in your bandalthough incredible, you know, artists all
of a sudden, you, hey, guys, guess what we're going to
Europe? I mean, were theyall just cool with it prepared or were
they just like, oh my god, you know what? Just some are

(12:28):
more seasons than others. You know. Garrett, Garrett and Ronnie back in
the day actually toured together with twoseparate bands. Uh, one time ago
over here Frank has been all aroundthe world with Slash millions of times.
Uh. John is a bit newto the experience, but he's such a
seasons musician that it's not an issue. Really. I feel like it's more
me than anyone that is, like, this is so near and spooky.

(12:52):
But now that you know this isour second time around here with Mammoth,
that it's you know, he's youjust you get used to it's part of
the job and you're just excited tobe out. People like me, they
really like me yet, but it'sit's certainly to see people singing the lyrics
when English isn't their first language,is a nuts feeling. It's it's a

(13:13):
it's a huge honor. It's it'slike me when I sing Manah, you
know, like I can sing manah, but I don't know what the hell
I'm actually saying. Kind of comealong. Yeah, You've been a pleasure
again to talk to Alter Bridge ofSeven Dust and Mammoth. That's Wolfgang van

(13:33):
Halen August nineteenth. It's the Pondsand Kings tour out at Old Concrete Street
Amphitheater. But you got to goto the official Mammoth website so you can
check out the videos and the albumart is incredible. By the way,
I think that's so cool. Yeah, John Brosia, amazing artist, beautiful
man. Well, thanks for takingsome time this morning with me and hanging
out. You've been fantastic and Ilook forward to seeing you in Corpus.

(13:56):
Yeah. I can't wait, man, Thank you so much. Thank you. Energy