Wolfgang Van Halen Says He Declined To Participate In Grammys Tribute To His Dad, But Isn’t Happy About How It Turned Out
Well, it wouldn’t be the Grammys if we didn’t have to spend at least some amount of the following week with the same old aftermath talking about whichever things the Grammys fucked up this time. This year, that’d be the “In Memoriam” section of the ceremony. If you bounce around Twitter you’ll find a whole lot of people (justifiably) angry that, somehow, Power Trip’s Riley Gale was omitted… in a year when his band was actually nominated for a Grammy. MF DOOM fans are pissed that the Grammys didn’t write “Doom” in all caps. And there’s also Wolfgang Van Halen, one of many people who have questioned why there wasn’t a more substantial tribute to Eddie Van Halen, undoubtedly one of the most iconic musicians we lost in the last year.
This evening, WVH took to Twitter to share a note responding to the tribute, or relative lack thereof. In it, he says the Grammys asked him to participate but he decided not to. But then, ultimately, he was also disappointed with what they came up with instead. You can read his whole note below:
The GRAMMYS asked me to play Eruption for the ‘In Memoriam’ section and I declined. I don’t think anyone could have lived up to what my father did for music but himself.
It was my understanding that there would be an ‘In Memoriam’ section where bits of songs were performed for legendary artists that had passed. I didn’t realize that they would only show Pop for 15 seconds in the middle of 4 full performances for others we had lost.
What hurt the most was that he wasn’t even mentioned when they talked about artists we lost in the beginning of the show. I know rock isn’t the most popular genre right now, (and the academy does seem a bit out of touch) but I think it’s impossible to ignore the legacy my father left on the instrument, the world of rock, and music in general. There will never be another innovator like him.
I’m not looking to start some kind of hate parade here, I just wanted to explain my side. I know Pop would probably just laugh it off and say “Ehh who gives a shit?” He was only about the music anyway. The rest didn’t matter.
I’d love to get the opportunity to speak with The Recording Academy not only about the legacy of my father, but the legacy of the Rock genre moving forward.
Former VH singer Gary Cherone concurs.
