Wolfgang Van Halen defended himself and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash in a recent tweet after a fan accused them of betraying their rock roots by participating in the Oscars performance of a song from the ‘Barbie’ movie soundtrack.
Wolf and Slash took part in an Oscars performance that quickly became a topic of conversation. They performed ‘I’m Just Ken,’ a song from the ‘Barbie’ movie soundtrack, led by actor Ryan Gosling, who portrayed Ken in the film directed by Greta Gerwig. Van Halen shared his excitement and gratitude for the opportunity on social media, writing:
“Sublime! (Thanks so much to Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in being on the score for ‘Barbie’ as well as last night’s performance of ‘I’m Just Ken’ at the Oscars. Honored to have played a small part in something so incredible).”
Criticism And Response
The performance, however, did not sit well with all fans. One user criticized Van Halen and Slash’s involvement in the project, saying:
“Looks like they just sold their souls to the devil, er I mean Hollywood. These two playing on a ‘Barbie’ song is like DaVinci agreeing to paint the ceiling of a gas station bathroom.”
The Mammoth WVH frontman’s witty reply underscored the irony of the criticism, especially coming from someone in the advertising industry in Los Angeles. He wrote:
“My brother in Christ, you are an ad agency in Los Angeles.”
The Making Of ‘I’m Just Ken’
The song ‘I’m Just Ken’ is a significant piece of the ‘Barbie’ movie, tying deeply to rock music with contributions from notable musicians, including Slash and Van Halen on guitar, Foo Fighters drummer Josh Reese, and Jellyfish keyboardist Roger Manning. The film itself garnered nine nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Slash revealed his initial surprise and eventual enthusiasm for contributing to the ‘Barbie’ movie soundtrack in a conversation with Brooke Marsden. Initially skeptical, Slash was convinced by Mark Ronson’s involvement and the challenge of the project. He revealed:
“Yeah, I did. I played on the Ken song. It was Mark Ronson. He wrote and produced music for that, and he called me up and said I would play on something. And I was like, ‘For Mark, I would do anything.’ I wouldn’t mind, so I just said, ‘Yeah, what have you got?’ And so he sent me a demo. It was the kid song, and I was like, ‘Huh.'”
The Oscars performance replicated a central scene from the movie, with Gosling’s Ken surrounded by many other Kens. This spectacle was one of the night’s highlights.
Below, you can check out Wolf’s tweets and watch the performance.
SUBLIME!
(Thanks so much to @MarkRonson and @Wyattish for this once in a lifetime opportunity in being on the score for Barbie as well as last nights performance of I’m Just Ken at the Oscars. Honored to have played a small part in something so incredible.)#Oscars #Barbie pic.twitter.com/pmOTNY2sP4
— Wolf Van Halen (@WolfVanHalen) March 11, 2024
My brother in Christ you are an ad agency in Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/eyTRbsW51h
— Wolf Van Halen (@WolfVanHalen) March 11, 2024
