SAMMY HAGAR Autobiography Excerpts Available

Paul Liberatore of the Marin Independent Journal has published a couple of short excerpts from legendary rocker Sammy Hagar's upcoming autobiography, "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock", which is due on March 15 via It Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

On Eddie Van Halen just before the VAN HALEN reunion tour in 2003:

"I hadn't seen him in 10 years. He looked like he hadn't bathed in a week. He certainly hadn't changed his clothes in at least that long. He wasn't wearing a shirt. He had on a giant overcoat and army pants, tattered and ripped at the cuffs, held up with a piece of rope. I'd never seen him so skinny in my life. He was missing a number of teeth and the ones he had left were black. His boots were so worn out he had gaffer's tape wrapped around them and his big toe still stuck out."

On VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth:

"I hated Dave. The guy rubbed me wrong. I'm sure I rub all kinds of people wrong, so it's not like I'm putting him down. The guy was a great front man, great attitude in rock, and had an image from hell, but I just couldn't stand the guy. He was the opposite of what I believed in and what I am. First of all, the guy's not a great singer and he acts like he's the coolest, hottest guy in the world when, to me, he looks gay."

On taking full advantage of his rock star status during his decade as lead singer of VAN HALEN:

"I was eating in the greatest restaurants, drinking the finest wine, flying on private jets, walking on stage to sold-out audiences going crazy. The only thing missing was ... I don't think anything was missing."

Read more from Marin Independent Journal.

Hagar provides readers with incredible behind-the-scenes stories from his multi-platinum career, including his rise as a solo artist and his eleven years with VAN HALEN, after the controversial departure of original lead vocalist David Lee Roth. During Hagar's time with VAN HALEN, the band released four consecutive No. 1 albums. From worldwide stadium concerts tours to private jets, Hagar enjoyed the trappings of fame and success with VAN HALEN until he was, as he puts it, "unceremoniously fired." Hagar later thrived as a solo act, leading his band, the CABO WABOS, before returning triumphantly to VAN HALEN for an historic reunion tour after which he set off on his own once again.

Honest and compelling, Hagar's account spares no one, least of all himself. Hagar's autobiography reveals the inside story of one of rock music's most recognizable voices, from his humble beginnings in the town of Fontana, California, to his incredible business success with Cabo Wabo Tequila and the Cabo Wabo Cantinas. The book was co-authored by Joel Selvin, longtime pop music writer for the San Francisco Chronicle.