WOLFGANG VAN HALEN: It Was 'An Absolutely Ridiculous Honor' Being Nominated For A GRAMMY

Former VAN HALEN bassist and current MAMMOTH WVH frontman Wolfgang Van Halen says that it was "an absolutely ridiculous honor" being nominated for "Best Rock Song" at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

Wolfgang, the 32-year-old son of legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen, was nominated for his song "Distance" which he wrote about his late father. The award went to FOO FIGHTERS' "Waiting On A War".

Wolfgang spoke about his Grammy experience in a brand new interview with Noise11.com 's Paul Cashmere. Wolfgang said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just think, taking away from that, to be treated as an equal in a category about songwriting, I think that was enough of a win for me, to take that home and to be Grammy-nominated alongside people I've looked up to my whole life — from WEEZER to FOO FIGHTERS to THE BEATLES. An absolutely ridiculous honor. I would never have expected that would happen [Laughs]."

Hours after the awards ceremony, which was held on April 3, 2022 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Wolfgang took to his Twitter account to write: "We came, we saw, but we did NOT conquer and that's ok! I got to have a wonderful night with the two most important women in my world," referencing his now-fiancée, Andraia Allsop, and his mom, TV actress and Food Network personality Valerie Bertinelli.

"Such an honor to be nominated for the first song I ever released on my own, in a category with artists I've looked up to my entire life. I don't know if that'll ever fully set in.

"Pop didn't win the first time he was nominated too, so it looks like I'm following in his footsteps quite nicely," he continued.

"Who knows what the future holds. All I know is I'm feeling pretty damn grateful. What a wild experience this was.

"Thank you to @recordingacademy for the recognition, and thank YOU for the support. Y'all mean the world to me."

Bertinelli told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet that she was proud of her son.

"It is really emotional," she said. "I mean, the song that Wolfie wrote is absolutely stunning, gorgeous and it's really beautiful that he was honored for it, and for songwriting."

Wolfgang said that his dad would also be proud, but clarified: "He would be losing his mind, but also, at the same time, he would be, like, 'duh,' because that's how much he believed in me."

In a separate interview with People, Wolfgang said: "I just try to respect my father's memory in everything that I do. Everything that I do in music is for him. So, I just do the best I can and I make sure I try to make him proud in everything I do."

Wolfgang played bass for VAN HALEN from 2006 to 2020.

In November 2020, one month after his father's passing, Wolfgang announced the launch of his own band called MAMMOTH WVH.

"Mammoth II", the second album from MAMMOTH WVH, will be released on August 4 via BMG. The 10-track LP was recorded at the legendary 5150 studio and was produced by Wolfgang's friend and collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette.

At the age of 16, Wolfgang joined his father in VAN HALEN for the band's 2007 reunion tour with singer David Lee Roth, replacing bassist Michael Anthony.