Sammy Hagar discusses Eddie Van Halen

[GreggFromJoisey]

from Eddietrunk.com
Sammy Hagar Discusses Eddie Van Halen
Posted By DSR on 07.28.06

Alan Sculley of The Californian recently spoke with Sammy Hagar. A few excerpts the interview follow:

Hagar on the Van Halen reunion tour of 2004:

"It wasn't a great experience. Onstage, the fans made it a wonderful experience by being so receptive and so overwhelming. They made us all just look at each other and go 'Oh my God, this is the greatest thing in the world.' So it took the edge off. But the second we went and left the stage or certainly building up to going onstage, I couldn't even go (near guitarist Eddie Van Halen).

"I don't know when you're going to see the whole band again. That baby is put away until somebody gets himself together. There's a person who's really not user-friendly right now."

Discussing bringing an entire village to venues on his current tour, featuring Mexican food, drinks (margaritas being a favorite beverage), volleyball and more:

"It's kind of like a dream come true. Really the word tequila isn't even the important thing. That's just the fuel. It's really a Cabo Wabo festival. It's about what happens in Cabo. It's about the lifestyle, the food, the music, the ambience of that."

Talking about his new solo CD, "Livin' It Up":

"It's purely a lifestyle record. It is really the closest to exactly where Sammy Hagar is today in his life. It's still a Sammy Hagar record, it's just totally aimed at my fans. There's no anger on it because I'm in a whole different space in my head and in my life today. The only thing that's missing is, if you took a hardcore old Montrose fan or something, they're going to go 'I don't hear the anger. He's not dissing about anything.'"

Talking about his previous statement that Van Halen will not reunite unless he sees some fundamental changes in Eddie Van Halen's behavior and disposition:

"I couldn't even go (near Eddie). They had to keep us so separated. We were going to fist fight. I've got my beliefs, and not to ego trip about how it should be done, but I believe you care about what you're doing enough to go out there and play the damn songs right. And I mean, night after night that never happened. There were times where Alex, his brother, would be looking at me and I'd say what song is he playing? I don't know. It just wasn't fair, number one, to the players and everyone else, to come out in the condition that he was in 99 percent of the shows. Some shows were brilliant. There were times when even under the conditions, he still pulled it off, but not enough for me. And when you're charging that kind of money, I'm sorry, there were times when I was embarrassed."

Describing Eddie Van Halen on the 2004 tour:

"I've never seen such a personality change in any person I've ever known in my life. The guy used to be the sweetest, humblest guy and the most considerate musician. This guy, when he put on a guitar, even if he had been drinking in the past, he still was always in condition to really know the song and know what he was doing. He just wasn't like that (on the last tour). I don't know what happened."

"Van Halen is now, I look at it, and I hope (people) don't take this as a rude statement, but it's my side band. I care about my band so much right now and I think we're so great and this show. ... It's the best show I've ever put together, song for song, plus dollar for dollar, it is just the s---. I wouldn't give this up for nothing, especially for some half-ass version of Van Halen. If we can do the whole-ass version, man I will be there, and I will be there with flying colors."

Read Sammy Hagar's entire interview at: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/07/26/entertainment/music/72606114741.txt.


Click here for full Sammy Hagar archive!


Click here for full Van Halen archive!

PLEASE NOTE THIS NEWS FEATURE IS NOT WRITTEN BY EDDIE TRUNK, BUT BY DSR . ALL WRITERS ARE CREDITED AS ARE THE SOURCES. THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS DO NOT ALWAYS REFLECT THOSE OF EDDIE TRUNK. OFTEN THESE ARE REPRINTS OF STORIES THAT HAVE APPEARED ELSEWHERE. AGAIN, SOURCES ARE CREDITED IN ALL CASES.

[mark]

To see them both beating each other up on stage might have been better then the concert! :eek:

[GreggFromJoisey]

I want to see a tour with Sam and Dave and VH

[GuitarPLYR]

WOW!!!! Sounds like Edward is in serious need for an intervention. He and Dave are perfect for each other.

[jeff connelly]

Dave Has Pretty Much Cleaned His Act Up,just If Eddie Could He Could Never Hit The Road Again,not In The Shape He Is In.even If He Got Help.eddie Needs Some Help Bad.alex This Would Be Your Call.

[Vazor]

Sammy Hagar's overrated anyway. If he wants to pursue his solo interests, then so be it.

[GreggFromJoisey]

God bless Valerie B for her patience with Eddie, I feel sorry for the kid who's a teenager by now. Amazing guitar player, he joined VH on stage in 2004.
Yes, Eddie needs an intervention.......but Dave has too much ego....you're right it's Alex's call.... :(

[yleekiyote]

I think Eddie is still carrying around what Dave did to him right after the 1984 album, and left. It was like "stick a fork in him, he's done". VH progressed into the Sammy era fairly nicely. No one likes to see a new singer in one of your favorite bands (Journey, Bad Company, etc...), but it's a fact that you can't escape. I always hear of "how bad VH went down hill" or some negativety about Sammy and my feeling is this "If Ed didn't want to play what Sam wrote, then Ed should have changed it before it went through 4 studio albums".

Like many bands that have risen from the 70's and 80's for that last shot of stardom or their last place under the spotlight, I think VH will now rest in peace. Too much drugs and alcohol, fueled the band. Today, Ed appears disgrunted at the world. If he cared about the fans, he would go on record and speak his mind. But he rather crawl back underneath a rock and wait for death to come and get him. "IF", (and that is a big if), Ed welcomed back Dave, it would be hard to make that magic again. If Ed bombs, Dave will let him know. But if there is anyone out there, who could possibly straighten him out, it would be Dave. I think now, this tour will happen in a year or two, once Ed wakes up and realizes how his life will end up being for his heritage and for his family.

[mark]

I agree. He's overrated olo or with a band.


Sammy Hagar's overrated anyway. If he wants to pursue his solo interests, then so be it.

[GreggFromJoisey]

I agree about "no one wanting to see a fave bands singer change" however, whether we like Sammy or not, they sold millions of records and many sold out shows. ((If it were Dave being replaced by Gary Cherone and VH tanking, then Eddie has a valid point).
Maybe they became too commercialized with Sammy (I have a VHS somewhere of Van Halen with Sammy on Letterman)....but you have to respect Sammy for his work ethic....since VH's "second demise" in 1997, Sammy has put out 5 solo albums (correct me if I'm wrong) and Van Halen only the one with Cherone (not counting greatest hits packages)...
So Sammy is right in questioning Eddie's work ethic..
And from what I recall, Dave had 4 solo albums and 1 talk show.
So when Eddie says they suffer from LSD (lead singer's disease), he needs to look in the mirror at his own work ethic.
Sadly, Eddie is turning into an even more reclusive version of Jimmy Page :(

[mark]

I only seen Sammy once at pnc with Skynyrd. Did some Van Halen songs good. But I'm not impressed with someone who can toos martini glasses of blue dyed tequila into the crowd. I liked Skynyrd but thought the other act was 'Hagar the terrible'.

Cop to someone getting pulled over on the way home:
'Do I smell Alcohol on you?'
Pulled over person to Cop:
'But I just left a Sammy Hagar oncert'
Cop to pull over citizen:
'Sure! Just breath in this'

[GuitarPLYR]

Sammy has put out 5 solo albums (correct me if I'm wrong) and Van Halen only the one with Cherone (not counting greatest hits packages)...
So Sammy is right in questioning Eddie's work ethic..
And from what I recall, Dave had 4 solo albums and 1 talk show.



EXCELLENT points!!!!!!!

[EVHFV]

Dave had even more than 4 solo albums.

Eat 'Em And Smile
Skyscraper
A Li'l Ain't Enough
Your Dirty Little Mouth
The DLR Band
Diamond Dave
and now his little bluegrass thing with 2 songs on someone's CD.

Here's why any type of VH reunion will never work, just like the one a couple years back (ok, so they completed the tour, but that's it. Maybe that's considered a success). Dave was every bit a part of VH back in the day. Equal say, equal input, he was a partner. Back in '96, they had him walking on eggshells...couldn't say a word, couldn't do a thing. All he could say was what Eddie told him. "Baby steps", and "We'll see how things go from here...right now it's two songs and some jamming. Maybe a tour and record....if things go well". He was a puppet. The last "reunion" was because Eddie allowed it, for whatever reasons he had. It's his band now, along with Alex. The only things that go are what they say, want, and allow. If Dave were to rejoin, he'd again be their puppet, and do what they want and how they want it. Dave would oblige out of trying to make things work. But, we see how great things have gone in the VH camp since Eddie and Alex have taken full control. OK, maybe things will reunite for a tour. Big deal, you'll see 4 miserable people onstage like last time and all the fans will say how great it is because they want it so bad....not even seeing it for what it really is. Sorry, I just can't do that. I'd rather see 4 guys play the same old songs and having a great time for 3 tours in a row with no new songs or anything just because they want to and are having fun with the music and being together, than a forced new album or couple of singles and a tour of 4 miserable guys doing it for the cash and/or sake of doing it....which it was last time, and will always be as long as they keep doing it. They say you can always go back home. Not true....you can mess things up beyond the point of any return. I think Eddie's done that. He's burned too many bridges. Sure, he can mend some of them, but not enough at this point to make any sort of reunion real enough for the whole band AND the fans. At least that's how it looks to me.

[GreggFromJoisey]

Thanks. I kinda gave up on Dave after Skyscraper. Was sad that he was not working with Steve Vai. (who will not even speak of Dave....so Dave's doesnt wear a halo on his head so to speak). What were those CD's like after Skyscraper?
I agree with you about Eddie. Sadly, Mike Anthony doesn't even know what the F is going on!
I know there aren't many Hagar fans on this board, but man did he rock on June 30. Played 1st set, his solo material, couple new songs.....then only about a 15 minute break and we hear AND FEEL RUMBLE RUMBLE the Mike Anthony ULTRA BASS Solo...into Mike singing "Running with the devil" then a whole set of Sammy era VH, for about an hour even in between was a country song (the artist escapes me), "I love this bar"...
Anthony in excellent form with bass and background vocals.
Then Sammy had a killer quote"I plan on doing this every year. I'm not ready to retire. And if "THE BROTHERS" want to get off their ass and join us next summer, they are more than welcome" Great applause for that one!

[EVHFV]

Oh it's true enough, Dave is no saint. He does seem to have been humbled quite a bit by his radio experience!!! If you read his book, he's pretty open about his persona being a schtick, everything is for the camera and media, to get attention, to sell yourself. It could be annoying, but it worked. Everyone to this day knows who he is. But yeah, that must have been hard to live, work, and deal with 24/7. He seems to have toned that down a bit. Maybe he's just tired of doing it, or not feeling the need anymore. Whatever it is, it's cool to hear more of the real Dave talking more often now. Nope, can't blame Vai. But one thing's for sure, with all the trouble in the VH camp so long after Dave has gone, you know there's more going on there than we thought before.

I saw the "Sam and Dave" tour a few summers ago. I'm not the biggest Hagar fan myself, but I do have to admit, he owned that show. He rocked and just had a great time. It felt like a huge party, and we were all part of it. Definitely a great time. He may not make the best records, but that's not his goal. He's a beach-combing partier, and likes to make music that fits that mood. He does that pretty well. His whole attitude is just so laid-back, and that of a man that just wants to have fun. It's hard to see him being the cause of such trouble when he was in the VH camp.

I've always thought Michael Anthony was way under-rated. No, he's not the best bassist alive, by far. But as straight-forward as his playing style may be, I think it's exactly that fact that makes his sound such a part of the VH sound. I really feel any other bassist or any other playing style would have changed the VH sound, and not for the better...bar none. That, and the guy's background vocals...another most-important part of that classic VH sound. Again, anything else would have changed it, only for the worse. Yup, he gets a rash for his "Ultra Bass" solo, being just a bunch of noise. OK, he's no Geddy Lee, but again, it's supposed to be a fun part of the show, and nothing more. Mission accomplished.

As for the later DLR albums, they're a bit different from the first two. A Li'l Ain't Enough is actually very good, and much overlooked. Many good tunes on it. Your Filthy Little Mouth, a different kind of record, different style, but still very much DLR. The DLR Band, a really good disc!!! It wasn't big for him, but that's nothing more than being a casualty of it being the late 90's, and any 80's star not selling well. He got a couple songs with a fair amount of radio play at the time. Really good songs, a strong early VH vibe to them. One of my alltime fav songs on that disc. Black Sand. I could listen to that song forever. I just love the mood of that song!!! Diamond Dave, I don't have yet. I believe it's more in his Cabaret style, but I could be wrong. DLR solo for me is just feelgood music. No matter what he sings, he just creates a mood. He just has his own style, and I love it. I listen to anything by him, especially old VH, and I can't help but go "oh MAN!!!!". It just brings a mood and makes me feel the way that music did all those years ago.....something Hagar VH can't quite do. It was just something special........and I don't think there's any going back. In fact, I don't really want them to. Some things, should just be left alone.

[ryank]

i think hagar is a class act. He's no dlr, because he's sammy. I saw the waboritas and you could see and feel the fun they were having. it doesn't have to be complicated (vh). If i knew that the band members were taking separate flights to avoid each other, i wouldn't want to see the concert - REALLY. That's not a band.

[Crash N' Ride]

Thats a great interview and it gives lots of hope! Come on Edward.

[macca]

WELL....looks like I'm in that minority that likes Sam with/without VH. Sam IS a class act and a team player. Saw him at HOB in NOLA and the show was incredible. He had a blast, the band had a blast, the fans had a blast, just one BIG PARTY. Like others have said, they'd love a VH reunion, but lets face it, it is NOT going to happen; especially with all the friction and BS rearing its ugly head(AGAIN). Amazing.....calling Sam and Mike Anthony hired guns. The two VH brothers might as well just bitch slap them physically.

From what I've seen and read, Ed has turned into a spiteful, miserable bastard and really likes nothing at all. Really sad for such a talent to just waste away. I had a feeling that he lost "a step" when I saw the '04 tour, but now......its all too evident. He just don't give a damn anymore. RIP VH....

[ryank]

I don't think that too many people want to see eddie destroying himself, but who can get thru to him? Alot of artistic/talented/creative people don't always have a great personal life. This reminds me of quote > "That's the artistic temperment for you, no creativity without neurosis". I really hope eddie can get over this hump and start to appreciate things. I sort of feel like he may be jealous of sammy's personality, but he may be a **** towards everyone right now. I wrote him off years ago, his thinking process was just whacked.I'm wondering if it's just the alcohol making him act this way, or if there is something eating away at him, and making him drink; or both. Or.... he could just have the swollen head syndrome, and is pissed about up and coming guitarists, and everyone having fun playing in a rock and roll band. Now that i typed it, this may be a large part of it - he's no longer king, and he's ticked. o well, it'll probably get worse for him before it gets better.

[GreggFromJoisey]

I'm still trying to hold out hope for the Dave/VH reunion and someday Rock n Roll Hall of Fame performances. Could be very interesting, do a couple songs with Dave, a couple with Sammy, then some type of jam with all of the members of VH! :)

[EVHFV]

Like they say....if you're going to dream, dream BIG!!! I don't know about that one. Eddie can barely do a full tour with Sammy after almost 10 years of separation. Even just one night at the RARHOF, to do songs with Dave AND Sammy....and then an all-member jam? Eddie couldn't do it. He wouldn't. He wouldn't even allow it to happen, much less plan it out. Hell, I bet he couldn't even have DINNER with those two guys for an hour without pissing everyone off. Sometimes it amazes me how I can still hold in such high regard his early works AND his talent back then as well as him as a person given the way I trash-talk the guy on here!!!!!!! But like they also say....that was then, this is now.

[yleekiyote]

I'm still trying to hold out hope for the Dave/VH reunion and someday Rock n Roll Hall of Fame performances. Could be very interesting, do a couple songs with Dave, a couple with Sammy, then some type of jam with all of the members of VH! :)

Perhaps they can pass out some good mellow drugs to all 5 members, so this could happen. Hell......even Doctor Phil would say no way jose.

You would think that someone would tell Eddie, "How do you want to be remembered in the year 2100? When people are walking up to your grave or when they see your statue in the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame. Or better yet, to walk up to your grandchildren and say your grandpa was a loser."

I think MTV ruined him. He was always talked about as this young, cute, amazing guitar player. Today, he's not looking to happy and we don't see the amazing guitar work that made him what he is today.

[GreggFromJoisey]

I guess stranger things have happened. When EVH goes broke what will he do? Like a lot of former stars do. Look to relive past glory, I guess, what a lot of us are thinking is, maybe he wasn't in it for the music? Just the stardom?

[cleaner]

Sammy is a blasphemer. How dare he talk bad about EVH. Van Halen is his band, not mr. I can't drive 55. People will always remember EVH in the next 100 years and not Sammy Hagar.