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Perth Now
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Sammy Hagar: 'The best was yet to come from Van Halen'
Sammy Hagar believes "the best was yet to come" from Van Halen. The 77-year-old rocker - who was frontman of the 'Jump' band from 1985 to 1996, before returning in 2003 until 2005 - was in touch with late guitarist Eddie Van Halen before his death in October 2020, and was keen to work with him again after learning he was playing the cello and experimenting with different instruments. Speaking on Detroit's WRIF radio station, Sammy was quoted by Blabbermouth as saying when asked if he has any regrets: 'Oh, hell no. Oh, no regrets whatsoever. 'I regret that we broke up, just to see what else we could have done. I would've loved to have made another record or two with Eddie writing.' Sammy loved his songwriting partnership with Eddie. He reflected: 'Eddie and I wrote some great songs together, and I think the best stuff was yet to come; it could have been yet to come, because Eddie was really reaching out on instruments. 'Last time I talked to Eddie before he passed, I said, 'Man, what are you playing?' He said, 'Oh, man, I've really been playing a lot of cello.' And I'm going, 'Cello? Holy shit.' [Laughs] 'Play me something, dude. I'm ready to write a song with you on cello.'' The Red Rocker went on to claim that his arch-nemesis, David Lee Roth - who Sammy replaced as frontman in 1985 and had three tenures with the legendary group from 1974 to 1985, 1996, and 2006 until they disbanded in 2020 - wouldn't give Eddie the space to experiment like he did. He said: 'As artists, Eddie and I were really capable of doing a lot of stuff that he couldn't do before me because the other guy didn't want keyboards. 'And when I walked in the room with Eddie, he showed me two guitar songs when I joined, on [the] 5150 [album] – he showed me Good Enough and he showed me Summer Nights. Those are two riffs he had. And then what did he do? He went and sat down at the piano and he started playing all this stuff. 'And I'm going, Whoa. What? He starts playing the riff to Dreams. He's sitting there playing Love Walks In. He's just playing all these things on keyboards, and I'm going, 'Whoa, I had no idea he was that good of a keyboard player.' So, he really wanted to expand as a musician.' Sammy believes Eddie had only touched the surface of what he wanted to achieve musically, because he was held back by the people at the top. He concluded: 'To me, I think that's what his dream would've been. 'And it was always held back by the record companies and the people around him. I think we would've broken out of that within a year and started doing some really crazy stuff.'
Fox News
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Sammy Hagar slams David Lee Roth, 'wanted to break the guy's f---in' neck' over concert no-shows
Sammy Hagar recalled why he "wanted to break" David Lee Roth's "f----'" neck when they toured together in 2002. In 1985, the 77-year-old singer-songwriter replaced Roth as the frontman of Van Halen, joining guitarist Eddie Van Halen, Eddie's brother and drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony. Hagar parted ways with the legendary rock band in 1996, but later rejoined Van Halen from 2003 to 2005. Roth was Van Halen's lead singer from 1974 to 1985 before briefly reuniting with the band in 1996. He returned as a full-time member of Van Halen from 2006 to their disbandment in 2020. As Hagar and Roth fronted Van Halen during different eras, they maintained a rivalry for decades. However, the two teamed up when they co-headlined the "Song for Song, The Heavyweight Champs of Rock and Roll" tour, though they clashed behind the scenes and in the media. During a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Hagar weighed in on whether he would ever consider sharing a bill with Roth again. "The circumstances would have to be right," he said. "Dave always wants too much. He always tries to upstage. He tried to pull stuff on the Sam and Dave tour [in 2002]. The nights when he was opening, when we flip-flopped … which I would never do again. I would never bother. But look, I'm not an opening act for anybody." The Red Rocker claimed that Roth would let fans down by pulling out of shows at the last minute when they were touring together. "On those nights, he would call in and say that the bus broke down, 10 minutes before he was supposed to go on," Hagar said. "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----' neck." "And the stupidest thing is, he did the worst when he headlined," he added. "He couldn't follow me with a band of kids playing Eddie's guitar solo note for note and playing 'Eruption' and s---. 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." Hagar rose to fame in the early 1970s as the lead singer of the rock band Montrose and later established himself as a successful solo act before becoming a member of Van Halen. While speaking with Rolling Stone, Hagar shared that he felt "so fortunate" to have had a solo career prior to joining 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," he said. "And so I'm saying, I'm a very fortunate guy, and I have my own music and my own image." Hagar also noted that there are "a lot" of famous singers who continue to perform though their voices have deteriorated over time. He insisted, however, that he will only sing songs that he is confident he can perform to the best of his ability. "If I can't sing the songs, I ain't going to sing the songs," he declared. "And fortunately, I got a lot of songs. I got about 600 songs I've written in my life between all my bands and my solo career where I can pick enough songs where I could probably do a show that are low enough to where if I can't hit the high notes." "But I don't even want to do that," Hagar added. "I don't want people out there screaming for 'Dreams.' And I can't do it."
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sammy Hagar: Alex Van Halen Is 'Angry' Because 'I'm Out Doing It' and 'He Can't'
The post Sammy Hagar: Alex Van Halen Is 'Angry' Because 'I'm Out Doing It' and 'He Can't' appeared first on Consequence. Sammy Hagar and Alex Van Halen haven't been on speaking terms in 21 years, and the Red Rocker has a couple theories as to why the drummer is upset with him, with one being jealousy. Hagar recently released the new single 'Encore, Thank You, Goodnight,' inspired by a dream he had about Eddie Van Halen. The singer and his all-star backing band of Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, and Kenny Aronoff are set to kick off their 'Best of All Worlds' Las Vegas residency on Wednesday night (April 30th) at Dolby Live at Park MGM (pick up tickets here). Get Sammy Hagar Tickets Here Back in 2022, Hagar revealed that he'd been completely cut off by his onetime Van Halen bandmate, saying, 'Alex has got a stick up his ass about something with me still.' Alex then completely ignored the Van Hagar years of Van Halen in his 2024 memoir, Brothers, with Hagar insisting that not mentioning that era of the band was 'blasphemy' to Eddie Van Halen's legacy. Now, in a new conversation with Rolling Stone, Hagar said, 'I dreamt about Alex the other night, man. It was crazy. And it was so friggin' real. I was saying, 'What are you pissed off at me about, man? What the fuck? Now just tell me what your problem is. What did I do? Just tell me.'' When the interviewer suggested that the feud may be because Hagar detailed 'the worst period of Eddie's life' in his own 2011 memoir, Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock, Hagar dismissed that notion. 'I don't think that's it,' responded Hagar, '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.'' He added, 'To that I said, 'How the fuck 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.'' For his part, Hagar thinks it has more to do with the fact that he's still recording music and playing shows, while Alex has been relatively inactive for the past decade or so. 'I think Al's angry because I'm out doing it, and [bassist] Mike [Anthony] and I are out doing it, and he can't,' surmised Hagar. '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. Dave and Eddie wrote the songs, and so we can go out and do them.' He continued, '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.' The interviewer then mentioned that Alex's bitterness could do with recent health issues that have prevented him from performing, as well as Eddie's passing in October 2020. Hagar answered, 'Yeah, I'd say so. And I'm okay 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.' Popular Posts LAPD Releases Body Cam Footage of Shooting Involving Weezer Bassist's Wife Jillian Lauren Katy Perry Goes Viral for Cringe Choreography at "Lifetimes Tour" Kickoff Phish Snubbed by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Despite Winning Fan Vote Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 2025 Class: The White Stripes, OutKast, Soundgarden & More Hans Zimmer Announces 2025 North American Tour Kneecap Respond to Sharon Osbourne, Tell Her to Listen to Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" Subscribe to Consequence's email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.
San Francisco Chronicle
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Sammy Hagar says his new song was made during a dream visit from Eddie Van Halen
Sammy Hagar got some help from beyond the grave when writing his latest single. The Bay Area rocker claims that 'Encore, Thank You, Goodnight,' came to him in a dream that featured Eddie Van Halen, who died in 2020. It was written 'as a long overdue thank you to Eddie Van Halen for the music, the good times and the dream that inspired this track,' Hagar declared in an Instagram post about the song on Monday, April 21. The Mill Valley resident said the track has been in the making for roughly three years. 'About two months ago, I had this dream and Eddie came,' he told Ultimate Classic Rock in 2022. 'He's going, 'Man, let's write some music!' I said, 'Yeah, f— it, man. Here, let's go!' Hagar went on to describe that during the jam session in his dream, his former Van Halen bandmate 'did this harmonic thing and he slid it up to a chord, like a slide guitar. We wrote a song with that lick. 'I remembered it. I got up in the morning and I wrote the song. I used the f—in' lick that he showed me in the song,' he concluded. Now, the Red Rocker is finally ready to share the track with the world. The song is set for release on Friday, April 25. Eddie, who served as the rock band's guitarist, died during the pandemic due to ongoing complications from throat cancer. He and his brother Alex co-founded Van Halen in 1972, and Hagar served as lead singer for more than 10 years. Hagar was booted from the group in 1996 after a public fallout with Eddie, but the two made peace shortly before Eddie's death. Most of Hagar's Best of All Worlds band — Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony and Kenny Aronoff — have now come together to record the special track in honor of the late rocker. Last year, Hagar launched the Best of All Worlds tour — a nod to Van Halen's 2004 Best of Both Worlds Tour — to celebrate Van Halen's legacy. Hagar, who has lived in the Bay Area for nearly 50 years, has a plaque in his honor on San Francisco's Bammies Walk of Fame and owns a recording studio in San Rafael.
