WOLFGANG VAN HALEN Says He Was 'Incredibly Nervous' To Perform At OZZY OSBOURNE's ROCK HALL Induction

Wolfgang Van Halen joined super-producer Andrew Watt and TOOL singer Maynard James Keenan at last month's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony, which saw the induction of Ozzy Osbourne as a solo artist. They performed one of Osbourne's most popular songs, "Crazy Train", backed by RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' Chad Smith and METALLICA's Robert Trujillo.

Asked in a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station how he got involved in the event, Wolfgang said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I got the request from Ozzy. So you don't say, 'Yeah, no.' You're, like, 'I'll do what I can, sir.' [Laughs] That's all I could do."

Wolfgang went on to say that he and the other musicians "had two rehearsals in Los Angeles before we came out [to Cleveland], and then a rehearsal the day before in Cleveland. So it was nice," he added. "So the band got to jell, got to jam with Rob and Chad. And it was nice to just kind of establish that baseline, so it wasn't just thrown together."

Asked if he had ever worked with Watt before, Wolfgang said: "No, I haven't, but I've heard wonderful things. He's a great dude. He was kind of the one setting everything up and he was kind of like the ringleader of it all. So it was really cool."

Wolfgang added that he "felt so out of place" because he was surrounded by "a crazy supergroup of people." But, he noted, "It was nice to have Zakk [Wylde, longtime Ozzy guitarist] there, so I could be, like, 'Hey, am I doing this right?' And he's, like, 'Yeah, you're doing fine.' It's, like, 'Okay, thank you.' [Laughs]"

Wolfgang also talked about playing the guitar solo originally written and recorded by Ozzy's late guitarist Randy Rhoads, who has influenced many musicians and is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Asked where he places Rhoads on his scale of guitarists, Wolfgang said: "You know what? I really don't make lists like that anymore. I think it's an unfair thing to do when there's just so much good out there than the stack of things against each other. Sure [I have my favorites], ones that I've been more influenced by others, but, yeah, Randy was an incredible guitar player and it's a shame we never got to see where he was gonna go. To make that much of a mark that early, it's a real shame [that he died]."

According to Wolfgang, he was "certainly incredibly nervous" to perform at Ozzy's Rock Hall induction. "But everybody, they made it really easy and it was really comfortable," he said. "And personally, it was really cool to be able to hang out with Maynard. I've been a huge TOOL fan my whole life and he's one of my favorite singers."

Asked if he had ever met Maynard before, Wolfgang said: "No, I hadn't. And he's a really great dude. It was a good time."

Wolfgang said that the circumstances prevented him from acting like too much of a fanboy around Maynard. "It's business time, so I had to put away the fan shirt and just kind of be, like, 'Yes, sir. Hey, how's it going? Nice to meet you. I'm here to jam with you,'" he explained ."But yeah, after a while, you just kind of hang out, and it's a good time."

Osbourne was inducted into the Rock Hall by actor and TENACIOUS D frontman Jack Black, who called Ozzy "the greatest frontman in the history of rock 'n' roll. He went on to say that the cover of Ozzy's debut solo album, "Blizzard Of Ozz" "was the most metal thing I had ever seen, and I didn't even know what metal was. Then I went back to Ozzy's earlier albums, to BLACK SABBATH. And I was, like, unholy shit, this motherfucker invented heavy metal ... the darkest, heaviest shit the world had ever heard."

After Black's induction speech, Osbourne accepted the award while seated on a throne. He told the crowd: "Well, here we are. You know what? I can't believe I'm here myself. Let me get the thank yous out of the way, because I'm not going to bore you with a long, drawn-out fucking monologue. I'd like to thank whoever voted me into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for my solo work. A great thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

"My fans have been so loyal to me over the years, I cannot thank them enough. I've been fortunate over the years to play with some of the world's greatest guitar players, drummers, bass players, and a few of them are here tonight. But I've got to say one thing for a guy by the name of Randy Rhoads. If I'd hadn't have met Randy Rhoads, I don't think I'd be sitting here now. And moreso more than that, my wife Sharon. Saved my life. And my grandbabies and my babies. I love them all."

Osbourne earned a solo Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction for his nearly six-decade career in music. This honor makes Ozzy one of a handful of artists with multiple inductions into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Artists are eligible to be inducted into the Rock Hall after at least 25 years have passed since their first record was released.

Rhoads was posthumously inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame during the 2021 ceremony. Rhoads, who played in Ozzy's band more than four decades ago, received the Musical Excellence Award at the October 2021 event.