Hey, I’m Wolf Van Halen, and today we’re going to talk about how incredible my uncle, Alex Van Halen, really is. Let’s watch some clips—there’s Dad on the drums, yeah. We’ll check out a few kits and photos; some of them look like exhaust pipes. What’s that phobia people have when they see circles? I’m even going to try playing things I haven’t touched in ages, so wish me luck.

Why Alex Van Halen Matters
You know, if Alex wasn’t in a band with Ed Van Halen, I think he’d be hailed as one of the greatest drummers of all time. People who really understand already give him the credit he deserves. Watching a live show, you’ve got Dave jumping and spinning, Dad doing all sorts of crazy stuff, and then Al just absolutely destroying it in the most amazing way. There’s so much happening that you almost miss how Alex is just tearing it up. He’s the closest drummer to Bonham in terms of that feel—when you hear him play, you know it’s him.

Nobody on the planet has a more precise double pedal shuffle than Al, like on “I’m the One” or “Hot for Teacher.” It’s unbelievable how perfect it is. If you look under his floor tom, there’s a whole bunch of photos—like an opera going on under my feet! Alex’s kits are extravagant, but he uses every inch of them. Even the fire extinguisher on his drums is just for looks, though it can get pretty hot up there.

Alex’s Unique Drum Kit Philosophy
Talking to Alex, I learned that his wild setups were part function, part visual. He used everything, but some elements were just for aesthetics. The Rototoms, for example, were added around VH2 and never left his kit. He’s always had these cool, sometimes flammable additions. That’s just how he rolls—everything on the kit has a purpose, even if it’s just to look awesome.

Romeo Delight by Van Halen (Performance)
Alex always met the needs of the music, whether it was with light or power. Maybe you’ve loved Van Halen and Alex’s drumming for years but never tried playing drums yourself. At Drumel, we’d love to help you take that first step—our lessons and courses will teach you everything from the ground up. With amazing teachers and the best community, you can try seven days free and see what it’s all about. Alex’s extravagant kits might look intimidating, but he truly uses every part.

Alex’s 1986 “Live Without a Net” Drum Solo
The gong is epic. I love how his foot is always moving; it’s just so funny—a massive kit, but he uses every piece. The Simons start to sound like a helicopter, especially in “Hot for Teacher.” It’s literally about to take off. There are two things I wanted to do differently when I started playing with him: I told him to do something with the toms before “Hot for Teacher,” because he usually jumped right in.

Wolf’s Thoughts on “Hot for Teacher”
That intro is so complicated—the shuffle is wild. I talked to Josh Freese about it before the Hawkins tribute in the UK; that fill is legendary. Alex started playing those wires and just nailed it. At the end of the show, there was a fill that was just phenomenal, like watching a professional basketball game.

Wolf’s Favorite Van Halen Drum Kit
For me, the Fair Warning kit—black and white—is probably the most iconic. It’s always been one of my favorites. He’s got everything on there, even extra kicks on the side. On the 2007 tour, one of his extra drums was my fridge for Red Bulls and water. That’s classic.

Sunday Afternoon in the Park by Van Halen (Performance)
Let’s talk about some other things we did. Last year, for example, we used the Diver Down kit—just as wild as Fair Warning’s. Those drums are just attached to pedals and look like exhaust pipes. It gives off serious circle phobia vibes.

Alex’s 1982 “Burnin’ in Buenos Aires” Drum Solo
Dad played bass, and we did some songs live, including originals and a few covers. But Alex’s solos always stood out. When we covered “My Hero,” I added extra toms just for fun.

Why Alex Used Simmons Electronic Drums
The Simmons came in around 1984 because the 550 was just a dual control room and a small room. It all blended together with everything else. The Simons weren’t really a creative choice; it was more about necessity, since things got so loud.

Drop Dead Legs by Van Halen (Performance)
Maybe in the future, I’ll do a Van Halen tribute band, but I’m definitely doing a Hagar band—just maybe not now. Who’s wearing the hat? Kind of a Fred Durst vibe.

How Wolf Ended Up in Van Halen
Was it ever part of a plan for me to join the band? Not really—it just happened. Dad had just gotten sober, and his drinking was mostly due to anxiety before shows. He’d always say, “If my 15-year-old son can do this, what’s wrong with me?” We started playing together out of nowhere; I made a playlist of songs, learned them, and we played both Hagar and Roth era tracks.

I remember when we finally brought Dave in and showed him the song list. He picked it up and said, “What’s ‘Get Up’?” I was just like, “Oh, don’t look at that list!” The first song we played was “On Fire,” which is why I wanted to play it at the Hawkins tribute—it’s really for the hardcore Van Halen fans.

On Fire by Van Halen (Performance)
It just felt right. Dad’s solo on that is totally improvised—Al just said, “Go for it,” and he did. Over the years, we played so much together, especially before tours. For three months, we’d rehearse every day except weekends, until it was second nature. If Dad messed up, we’d fix it instantly and get back on track.

I never understood how it worked, since Al played with a metronome but we couldn’t hear it. If Dad missed a beat and still had the click in his ears, he’d have to bring it back to rhythm—somehow, he always did.

Alex’s 2013 “Live at Stone Music Festival” Drum Solo
We did the Dave Clark V thing once, with actual costumes—the only show we ever did that. I’d go out dancing, and they’d play with sunglasses on. Alex’s polyrhythms are insane; he’s always doing something with his foot, playing around the beat. We even did “Jump” on piano for a film in Los Angeles, and played the Billboard Music Awards in 2015 or 2016.

Wolf’s “Jump” Story From Japan
I remember doing a show in Japan—Osaka, I think. David filmed this whole samurai video, and our keyboard guy accidentally started the “Jump” track in the middle of David’s solo. The crowd went wild before it was interrupted. At another show in Los Angeles, our keyboard guy stood on my side of the stage, and I just couldn’t handle the secondhand embarrassment. I ran to Dad’s side and said, “Can you believe what just happened?”

Jump by Van Halen (Performance)
We were all in a great mood, and it was an awesome show. In 2015, we played the Billboard Music Awards, and Taylor Swift introduced us. It’s surreal to think about—leading up to the mighty Dave Clark V, here we were.

The Story Behind the Jimmy Kimmel Live “Panama” Performance
There was the time we played on Kimmel and Dave hurt himself with his baton. We jammed for 15 minutes while he fixed it with duct tape. We had no idea what we were doing, so we improvised the bridge of “Panama” for ages. I admired many bands with great drummers, but none had someone as incredible as Al. I always wanted to be like him.

Is Alex Van Halen Still Playing Drums Today?
Is Al still playing these days, or has he retired? Honestly, it’s kind of like me with Van Halen—I’m not really interested in playing the stuff with Dad anymore, and I know Al feels the same way. I play for fun now and then, and if Dave Grohl asked, I’d say yes. But I don’t listen to Van Halen much; my connection was different, and I’m grateful for the time I had as part of that trio. Al was always a reserved guy, so I get why he doesn’t want to play anymore. I’m sure he still practices, but it’s just not as fun now.

Right Now by Van Halen (Performance)
Watching those performances, you see them at their peak. One, two, one, two, three, four—here we go. I hope you enjoyed listening to some Van Halen and watching Alex absolutely crush it. I had a blast, and I hope you did too.