Wolfgang Van Halen is clearly taking shots at somebody on Mammoth‘s new single “I Really Wanna.” Some clues from the song and video suggest his target is none other than David Lee Roth.
You can watch the video for “I Really Wanna” below.
Like many of Mammoth’s previous videos, this one shows off Van Halen’s multi-instrumental prowess, as he toggles between singing and playing bass, guitar and drums. The lyrics find him running down an unknown person, with the chorus repeatedly declaring, “Ohhhhhh, I really wanna fuck with you.”
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Who Is Wolfgang Van Halen Portraying in the ‘I Really Wanna’ Video?
Van Halen also portrays another megaphone-wielding character, who is typically seen in the background looking bored, wearing sunglasses and a flashy red shirt.
The second verse provides the first clue that Roth is the subject of the song, as the red-shirted guy takes over the microphone and declares, “This fuckin’ kid is on the other side.”
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This line echoes the complaints Roth aired about Wolfgang — who was a member of Van Halen from 2007 to 2020 alongside his father Eddie, his uncle Alex and Roth — in a 2024 video posted to his YouTube page.
“This fuckin’ kid. He’s complaining the entire tour like I’m not paying enough attention to him on stage,” Roth said. “He’s complaining to everybody around me — the business manager, the security guy, the clothing lady — ‘Dave’s not paying enough attention to me.'”
“I guess I’m honored he even thinks about me as much as he seems to,” Van Halen responded two months later. “I guess you have to take what he says with a grain of salt considering he also said that he wrote ‘Eruption’ and came up with the Frankenstein [Eddie’s red-white-and-black-striped guitar]. … He said he wrote all the solos that Dad wrote.”
Wait … Are Those Nunchucks?
When the guitar solo arrives in the “I Really Wanna” video, it shows Van Halen tapping with his middle finger, winking and blowing a kiss at the camera. The red-shirt guy is then seen struggling with a pair of nunchucks — reminiscent of the baton-twirling displays Roth performs during concerts — knocking the sunglasses off his head at one point.
As the song and video come to a conclusion with a shot of an empty rehearsal room, Van Halen pops back into the frame to deliver one more middle finger.
READ MORE: Wolfgang Van Halen: Eddie ‘Ruined the Landscape’ of ’80s Rock
When Will Wolfgang Van Halen Release the New Mammoth Album?
“I Really Wanna” is the third single from Mammoth’s upcoming third album The End, following the title track and “The Spell.” The End marks the third album that features Van Halen acting as a one-man band and the first to drop the “WVH” from his band’s name. The record is due in stores on Oct. 24.
Watch Mammoth’s ‘I Really Wanna’ Video
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