Iconic vocalist Sammy Hagar was recently asked by VH1 Radio Network‘s Dave Basner if he still keeps in touch with his former bandmates?
Hagar responded (as transcribed by blabbermouth.net), “I figure [former Van Halen bassist] Michael Anthony and I are the other half. Ed [Van Halen, guitar] and Al [Van Halen, drums] are always going to be Ed and Al. [I] love the guys, [but] we don’t get… I can’t say ‘we,’ [because] I get along with Al, but I can’t get along with Ed.”
He continued: “That last reunion tour was just a horrible experience for me. I wrote about it in my book, and I’m not sorry I said all those things. I was kind, in my opinion, to what really happened on that thing. It was really a bad deal.”
Sammy added: “Those guys, I hate to just say it, but I gotta say it, those guys fucked me around about four times and that’s it. I mean, how many times are you going to let somebody just fuck you? Look at what they did to Mikey. I mean, come on, they didn’t even tell him that he was out of the band; he reads it in fricking Rolling Stone [magazine] or something that Wolfie [Van Halen] was the [new] bass player in VAN HALEN. The guys that do that, it’s just not cool, and I don’t care to be around people like that or play with them, so we don’t have a relationship.”
Despite Hagar’s harsh words, he still remains proud of the albums he recorded with the band.
“To say anything bad about the body of work, not a chance,” Hagar said. “To say anything bad about the musicianship, not a chance. [They are] great, great guys on their instruments and we wrote some great songs and we had about nine years of some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life in any band or in any situation. We partied, we loved it, we had a blast and had so much success, but they turned on me, man. I don’t know what happened.”
Hagar’s current band, The Circle, also includes Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham and Vic Johnson.
45 Responses
Hey Sammy we’re down here at 5150 to plug in tomorrow. Well I got things to do here in Frisco, you know, Sammy stuff, so maybe sometime later. Ed: adios amigo.
I wish artists would start refusing to answer questions like these, since we know clueless interviewers won’t stop asking the same old tired questions. Who cares what Sammy Hagar thinks of Van Halen, or whether he still keeps in touch with Alex and Eddie? It’s been 10 years already – ENOUGH ALREADY!!! Hell my local radio station morning DJ interviewed Rob Halford by phone a few days before their scheduled show. Guess what one of the questions was? Yup, about Rob being GAY!!!
Mike and Sam got the last laugh in the end! There out there doing there thing while Ed and Al sit around doing nothing! Al I’m sure regrets a lot that want down but house bro steers the ship. You can say what you want about Sam but he’s a very honest knocks the hell out of himself just as much as he knocks Ed plus the only people who really know what happen behind closed door us the four guy who lived it and to knock him for what he says is pointless unless you were a fly on wall when all that stuff went down anyone who knows anything about Van halen know how f-ed up Ed was so it’s not as if Sam made any of it up if you get mad at anyone get mad at Ed he screwed up the van halen brand with his major drinking problems. There are know angels in the van halen camp except for Mike he is the only one who got rail roaded
That’s the longest sentence I’ve ever read.
You can say what you want about Sam but he’s a very honest knocks the hell out of himself just as much as he knocks Ed plus the only people who really know what happen behind closed door us the four guy who lived it and to knock him for what he says is pointless unless you were a fly on wall when all that stuff went down anyone who knows anything about Van halen know how f-ed up Ed was so it’s not as if Sam made any of it up if you get mad at anyone get mad at Ed he screwed up the van halen brand with his major drinking problems.
full of typo’s! my bad typing screwed up what I was saying! Dumb ass I am but my key board is broken but it’s my bad typing in the end know body else! 😉
Don’t worry about it Brian, we all f–k up once in a while! 🙂
I can’t read
I totally disagree because when roth came back they had the 2 most successful tours in the bands history!
That is only because the Cheapest seats for the “07/08” tour were $175.00, I have a ticket stub from the infamous recorded show at Oakland Alameda Coliseum from the fair warning tour $10.00. Big difference in total box office sales of 12000 X $175.00 versus 12000 X $10.00.
Why does everyone bag on Sammy? Eddie hired him, 2/3 of the 5150 album were tracks Eddie had in the bag from prior years, the band stated so many times there were hoards of tape on the floor of stuff that never made it to vinyl that Eddie had left lying around.
Question for you all, what would you all be saying today if Eddie had hired Patti Smyth (sp) like he first leaned towards? HMMMMMMMM
I hate coming here or the the VHND site and seeing where people say Sammy ruined VH, s–t he just got hired to be the singer!! They made four #1 records and some ass kicking music.
Sammy’s merits alone should have him in the RRHOF
Sammy kicked that band in the ass…love Sammy and he blows Roth off the stage…BUT, Roth is great in his own right, just not the singer/songwriter Sammy is…two great lineups, but Roth could never do Sammy stuff, while Sammy adds much to his interpretation of the Roth era stuff
I agree 200% with that last statement, George.
I kind of think of Roth VH and Sammy VH as two different bands. Very different styles and sounds. I like them both on their own merits. Sammy is a much better singer, and allowed the band to try things Roth either couldn’t or wouldn’t, but the Roth era is still the “definitive” VH and Dave is the right guy for those songs. If there’s one thing I wish was different about the Sammy era, it would be to have done more flat out cranked up rockers of songs. There’s a handful of them in there, but nothing like the earlier albums. They were more of a “hits” type of band with Sammy.
B.S….I was at 5 shows on the 07/08 tour and not one ticket was anywhere near $175! Roth with VH was the epitome of balls to the wall rock and roll…and was quite possibly the greatest American rock band of all time. Hagar came in and that was all over. I’ve heard heavier songs in an elevator!
Guess you missed the last tour averaging about 9,500(not bad, but not their best) and the last 30 dates being canceled due to sales ?) Love the Roth Era, it is VH to me but no use in lying aboutit just to make it look better. Still wonder how much Ed will rag them and Aerosmith if the much rumored about Co Headlining tour (that Steve has been begging for)happens next year. Guess they have to do what they have to do, not everyone can play dinner theatre at BB Kings.LOL
I think Ed and Al have earned the right to just “sit around and do nothing”. If Van Halen did nothing from now on, no touring, music, or albums, they would still be considered one of the greatest and most influential rock bands in history. Sammy Hagar….not so much. Sammy needs to relax and he needs to stop slamming his former meal ticket for if it weren’t for being in the band, no one would even care about him.
Yes they will be…with BOTH Roth and Hagar…
Same s–t, different day with this clown!
…that’s the second longest sentence.