Why Wolfgang Van Halen Says David Lee Roth ‘Doesn’t Like’ Him

Wolfgang Van Halen is convinced David Lee Roth no longer likes him following a series of YouTube videos that were released by the Van Halen lead singer in recent months.

Wolfgang Van Halen appeared on a recent episode of the WTF with Marc Maron podcast where he discussed his years playing bass in the band. Maron eventually brought up Roth and asked if the two of them get along.

"Not really," Wolfgang Van Halen said. "At least as of recently I thought we were on good terms, and he actually made a couple YouTube videos about me, about how much he doesn't like me."

Earlier this year, Roth shared a story on YouTube about how Wolfgang Van Halen supposedly had the band's accountant's thrown out of the backstage area of two shows.

Wolfgang Van Halen says much of what you hear Roth say about him in his YouTube videos isn't true.

"He basically just said a bunch of stuff that was true to him, I guess" Wolfgang Van Halen said to Maron. "It doesn't matter it it's not true because the people who are going listen to him will believe it anyway and use it to hate me. So you just kind of move forward."

Wolfgang believes much of Roth's anger toward him can be traced as far back as the early days of Van Halen when the singer and Eddie Van Halen would have "difficulties." He says Roth is targeting him now that his father is no longer alive.

"I think one of the bigger things is my dad isn't around, so he just went for what's still there to kind of point at."

Backlash After Joining Van Halen

When Eddie Van Halen announced his son would takeover for Michael Anthony on bass in 2006, it immediately sparked anger among some longtime fans.

Wolfgang says a lot of the frustration from both the fans and Anthony ended up directed at him when he really wanted to be there to help his dad with his sobriety journey.

"That's between my dad and him" Wolfgang Van Halen said of Anthony. "I was just there to kind of make sure my dad stayed on the sober path that he was on."

He would eventually grow into his role as bass player and started making up the band's setlists after starting to tour in 2007.

"I started putting in B-sides that I don't think Van Halen ever played back in the day," Wolfgang Van Halen said on the podcast.

"Just to keep them engaged?" Maron asked.

"Yeah, I just wanted to give fans something because why can't we just make music and have a good time doing it?"