Andy Greene of Rolling Stone spoke with Sammy Hagar, excerpts from the discussion, appear below.
Rolling Stone: I [Greene} think I have a pretty good idea why Alex [Van Halen] doesn’t want to talk to you.
Sammy Hagar: Why?
Rolling Stone: He’s an extremely private guy, especially when it comes to his family. Your memoir went pretty deep into the worst period of Eddie [Van Halen‘s] life. That surely didn’t sit well with him. Also, you talk about the band a lot in public. You speak your mind. He’s the complete opposite. I imagine he sees you as a loudmouth that refuses to shut up.
Sammy Hagar: No. I don’t think that’s it. And I’ve had this conversation with a few people, including [former Van Halen manager] Irving Azoff. I’ve asked him, ‘What’s the problem?’ And some people have said to me, ‘Oh, Cabo Wabo. At one time, Van Halen, when you built it, you guys were all partners in that. And then they didn’t want it anymore when it was losing money, and they gave it to you, and you turned it around and made hundreds of millions of dollars on it. And they’re angry. Alex is angry about that.’
To that I said, ‘How the f–k could they be angry about that? They gave me the damn thing, they walked out on me, left me with it. And they made me indemnify them in case I got sued and lost everything. They made me sign off big time.” And I’m going, “I hope it’s not that.’
The book has been brought up. The book was honest. It was well documented that Eddie was a mess on that tour. But I don’t want to drag Eddie through no coals now. That’s just water under the bridge.
I think Al’s angry because I’m out doing it, and Michael [Anthony] and I are out doing it, and he can’t. He’s not a singer. He’s not a guitar player. He is not really a band leader. And he seems like he doesn’t want to play drums or can’t play drums anymore, and he can’t go write a new record. Alex wasn’t the songwriter in the band. He was the drummer. Eddie and I wrote the songs. David [Lee Roth] and Eddie wrote the songs, and so we can go out and do them. And I think that really bothers him that Mike and I are still out there doing it. I would feel bad. If I put myself in his shoes, I would feel terrible if I couldn’t do it anymore.
But I’m the happiest guy out of all of them. That pisses people off in itself. Being too happy, people don’t like that.
Rolling Stone: He’s had real health issues. Obviously, his brother died. None of this has been easy for him. He has reasons to feel bitter.
Sammy Hagar: Yeah, I’d say so. And I’m OK with it. Al, you’re fine. Just leave me alone. I’ll leave you alone. Everything’s good. I’m making you money, by the way, Al. I’m out there selling Van Halen records and keeping the name alive, keeping the music alive.
Rolling Stone: Speaking of that, let’s talk about your upcoming Las Vegas residency, with Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, and Kenny Aronoff in the band. Will the set list be different than your show last summer?
Sammy Hagar: It’s going to be a little bit different because, number one, when we went to Japan last year, we added a couple of different songs that were huge hits in Japan, like I Can’t Stop Loving You. That was Number One for five weeks in Japan, was the song of the year, the number one single of the year on the charts and awards and all that. So we had to add it.
I plan on changing about three or four songs on the three nights. We play on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and there’ll be about three songs at least different each night. Now, you have to play certain songs like I Can’t Drive 55, Right Now, Why Can’t This Be Love?, 5150, Summer Nights, Mas Tequila.
Rolling Stone: I want to bring up Jason Bonham for a second. He was a little upset when you gave his slot to Kenny Aronoff. Are you in communication with him?
Sammy Hagar: Oh, well, Jason and I talk all the time. No, we’re all cool. Of course, he’s a little disappointed. But listen, he’s the one as much as me that bit off all these things he’s doing. He’s in Europe with the Black Country Communion and stuff. He can’t be here for rehearsals, can’t be there for the residence. He could have got back the day of the residence. No, no, no, no, no. We got to make more time for this band.
But that isn’t all of it. His mother was sick, we all know that. And he left in the 23rd show, after 23 shows on that tour, and we only had four shows to go. And he just had to up and go. I gave him my blessings. I said, “You do what you got to do, but I’m not canceling this tour. There’s a guy named Kenny Aronoff. If you give him at least five minutes notice, he can roll one song.” So 24 songs, 24 hours later, 24 songs on the 24th show of the tour, Kenny flies in.
The first night in Cincinnati, Ohio, he made less mistakes than I made. He’s unbelievable. And his energy is so up. He’s just so positive. He brings love and joy to every show, and no drama. He’s the happiest guy in the world to be there. So when it came for the residency, even if Jason would’ve been available, I felt guilty for Kenny coming in like that and doing what he did … and then he’s been there. And then he lives here on the West Coast. Jason would have to fly home every Sunday and fly back on Tuesday, because you can’t fly in the day of the show. I know he would’ve called in, “Dude, me plane. I missed me flight.” I’d have been calling Kenny anyway.
Rolling Stone: That makes sense.
Sammy Hagar: It does make sense. I’ll play with Jason again. I was thinking about this October. I don’t know what Kenny’s doing for my birthday bash in Cabo. I don’t know if Kenny’s going to be around. Joe works more than anybody, but if Kenny can’t make it, I’m just going to call Jason and say, “Jason, you hanging out this October, come down to the bash. Let’s do the bash again.” That’s how we started our band was him being in Cabo anyway.
Rolling Stone: So, David Lee Roth is unretiring this summer and playing some shows. [Hagar [reportedly] literally falls off his chair, roaring with laughter, out of the frame of the camera]
Rolling Stone: Why are you laughing so hard?
Sammy Hagar: It ain’t over until it’s over. Listen, he may not … Let’s see if he makes the shows. Who knows what Dave is up to?
Rolling Stone: Imagine if some promoter called you up and proposed another Sam and Dave tour or even just one show. Would you consider ever sharing the bill with him again?
Sammy Hagar: The circumstances would have to be right. Dave always wants too much. He always tries to upstage. He tried to pull stuff on the Sam and Dave tour [of 2002]. The nights when he was opening, when we flip-flopped … which I would never do again…Im not an opening act for anybody.
On those nights, he would call in and say that the bus broke down, 10 minutes before he was supposed to go on. And because I care about my fans, I would go on. And I did that about four times. I wanted to break the guy’s f–kin’ neck.
And the stupidest thing is, he did the worst when he headlined. He couldn’t follow me with a band of kids playing Eddie’s guitar solo note for note and playing Eruption and s–t. He did his whole Van Halen show from 1983, and I’m going, “What an idiot!” He should have represented himself a little more like who he was as a solo artist.
I’m so fortunate that I had a solo career before I joined Van Halen, because even Mick Jagger and people will tell you, being in the biggest rock band in the world and then trying to go solo ain’t the easiest.
Rolling Stone: [Let’s discuss your new single] Encore, Thank You, Goodnight?
Sammy Hagar: It’s Van Halen-esque, and I’m not trying to cheat on it or anything. This is real. I had this dream. I love this song. I loved Eddie like a brother. I miss him so bad. Every time I play music, every time I pick up a guitar or go to rehearsal or jump onstage or try to get with Joe Satriani rehearsing a song we might want to play or write, I miss Eddie.
Joe is the closest thing on this planet for me, not for the world, but for me, to Eddie Van Halen. The way Eddie and I wrote, Joe and I, we write that way, and it’s very special. Joe’s music inspires me to sing a melody and inspires lyrics to come out. That first Chickenfoot record is a good example. The second one we struggled with, because of timing. We were too rushed. But the first record, that’s a great f–kin’ rock record.
Eddie, I’m telling you, I could be sitting around dry, laying on the beach, not a thought in the world about music. And Eddie could walk out there and start humming or start noodling a song out in my front yard, across the fence when we lived next door to each other. He’d come out with the guitar around his neck and go, “Hey, listen.” He’d go, “Nah-nah-nah …,” like 5150 or something, and I’d go, ‘Holy f–k!’ I would drop everything, jump over the fence, go in there, and we would write a song. His music was so inspiring. The world knows.
Read more at Rolling Stone, and watch the official video for Encore, Thank You, Goodnight, below
12 Responses
The 3 point shot has ruined the NBA/College basketball for me. It used to be a rare shot attempt. Now EVERY player is firing up 3’s……..even if their shooting percentage is awful. Time for basketball to LIMIT the number of attempts allowed or implement a “last 4 minutes of a period” type rule.
Sammy Hagar joining VH was fortuitous for all of them. Addicts, drunks will ALWAYS blame others…….until they finally look in that mirror.
Pyramid Theorem (band) is the best music you have never heard. Don’t worry ….you’ll thank me later. (Listen to Beyond the Exosphere album)
Celtics shooting 25% from behind the arc. As usual…..you wuz right.
The 1984 album sold 10 million copies alone. He saved VH? The VH he supposedly saved turned into a wimpy assed band that wrote songs for grandmothers. Nothing can ever convince me otherwise. Roth just has to show up and people go bananas. You cannot buy that kind of cool. They were a bad ass band and then turned into oh love me I love you blah blah blah. No effing thanks. You want to listen to that tripe, have at it.
Yea I don’t think too many grandmothers would care for “Finish What Ya Started” Or “Poundcake,” etc… However my grandmother did like “Dance The Night Away”
Remember the days when we just had pictures of the band to look at? Maybe, afford one of their records and there where only Circus and Hit Parader magazine to read something on the artist? Or when they came on the fm radio it was a big deal? Such simpler times!
Yes….you had to save your snow shoveling money to buy albums that were $ 8 each….then the rest of your money went to Circus and comic books…..loved it !!!