WOLFGANG VAN HALEN Says He Will Keep Firing Back At His Online Trolls

Wolfgang Van Halen spoke to The Washington Post about his penchant for facing his online detractors head on, never failing to fire back even harder against people that trash him, his music or his parents. Specifically, there was a Twitter user named FoodieAcademy who wrote Wolfgang after the multi-instrumentalist performed the song "Distance" with his band MAMMOTH WVH on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in February. "Don't know your music well. … What I've heard … was a guitar solo that was one note. Boring & uninspired, and in a tribute to your legendary dad," FoodieAcademy wrote, referencing VAN HALEN's iconic guitarist Eddie Van Halen. "I know he taught you better than that."

Wolfgang responded: "The solo for distance is ALL emotion, and at the emotional height of the song. It's why Pop loved it." He added "(So go fuck yourself)" along with a a red heart emoji.

Asked why he didn't just let FoodieAcademy go and take other people's advice by "letting the trollers die," Wolfgang said: "Oh, but it's so much more therapeutic to kill them yourself, isn't it, instead of let them die on their own? It's fun to put them down."

He explained: "Half the time, either one of two things will happen. They'll either double down and be even worse, or they'll immediately apologize because they get a fraction of what they just dealt to you and they don't know how to deal with it.

"There's been plenty of times where I've gotten something on Instagram or something, and I'll pin it at the top of the comment section. And then, you know, like moths to a flame, other commenters just do to them what they did to me, and they can't handle it. And it's like you can't dish it out if you can't take it, man, so I just throw it right back at them.

"I don't know. It's a fun way I found to deal with it, with humor, and it's almost like a puzzle. And so many people are always like, 'Oh, if you ignore it, it will go away,' and that's not true in the slightest. I think most people who say that aren't in the position or haven't experienced that sort of stuff. So, I found my fun way of dealing with it, and I'm going to keep doing it."

MAMMOTH WVH's self-titled debut album was released on June 11 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Wolfgang joined his father in VAN HALEN for the band's 2007 reunion tour with singer David Lee Roth, replacing Michael Anthony.

MAMMOTH WVH will support GUNS N' ROSES a U.S. tour, beginning on July 31 at Hersheypark Stadium and concluding in early October with a two-night run at the Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, Florida.

MAMMOTH WVH's touring lineup will feature Wolfgang on guitar and lead vocals, Frank Sidoris (SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS) on guitar, Jon Jourdan on guitar and vocals, Garrett Whitlock (TREMONTI) on drums, and Ronnie Ficarro on bass.