Wolfgang Van Halen is Sick of “Terminally Online” Social Media Trolls

Throughout his life, Wolfgang Van Halen has never been particularly shy about his negative feelings regarding social media. Most recently, he discussed the topic in a new interview with Baltimore radio station 98 Rock, where he spoke in plain terms about how he views social media as a person and an artist (via Blabbermouth).

“Social media is just this pile of negativity and just awful, awful things. But the thing that bothers me more than just people straight-up being mean — ’cause that’s sort of the status quo; you kind of phase that out — is just people being dumb and getting things wrong that are worth correcting. And so if I have the opportunity to do that while also being funny, I go for it because it’s fun.

“If you notice, when I’m not on tour, I’m not on social media as much. I think it’s a part of the job, unfortunately, in this day and age. It’s something you do kind of need to at least be semi in. But I have gravitated further and further away from it over the years. You begin to realize how much of a little bubble it is and not how much of an overall example of everything in the world is. I think more and more, as time has gone on, more of the terminally online, so to speak, are kind of there while everybody else is kind of living their life.”

Van Halen, who is obviously the son of late, legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen and the former bassist of the band Van Halen, previously told Guitar World that his mental health and outlook were greatly shaped by social media negativity. In that interview, he reminded those who suffer from mental illness that they are never alone and shared his own way of dealing with things.

“When it comes to dickheads on the Internet, that’s always there. Everyone deals with it. Sure, it hurts a lot when it’s directed toward you, but you’ve got to realize the place it’s coming from. I like to pick my battles.”