SAMMY HAGAR: For SLASH To Try And Play EDDIE VAN HALEN's Stuff Was Wrong

Imhotep's Thiago Sarkis conducted an interview with former VAN HALEN singer Sammy Hagar. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Imhotep: Do you understand Dave's [Lee Roth] decision to not attend the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony because VELVET REVOLVER was playing instead of VAN HALEN?

Sammy: "I don't think that was it. I know the guys in that band. Dave was calling them up every day driving them crazy to get them to let him sing with them. That's why it got all screwed up, because Dave wanted to do it his way. And they were only allowed to do two songs, and he was trying to do two songs with them and not me. Dave was playing his bullshit Dave games and he fucked it all up! And 'cause they told him, 'No, Sammy's gonna sing a song and you're gonna sing a song with VELVET REVOLVER,' and Dave said, 'Fck you, then I am not coming.'"

Imhotep: He wanted to sing with VELVET REVOLVER instead of VAN HALEN?

Sammy: "VAN HALEN wasn't gonna be there. He wanted to take over the thing and make VELVET REVOLVER play the songs he wanted to play, to play David Lee Roth-era VAN HALEN songs and not Sammy's songs. He didn't want me to be any part of it. Dave tried to change that and they said, 'No, this is about two singers. Sammy sold more records than you with the band. It's going to be one song with Sammy and one song with Dave,' and he walked out."

Imhotep: How are things between you and Dave nowadays? Especially taking into account the tour you did together some years ago.

Sammy: "It was okay, it was fun, but I think it could have been much greater. Dave is not an easy guy to get along with. I like him, I like what he did with VAN HALEN but I can't say much for him now because I just feel he is still trying to be the same guy he was in 1984 and he's not. And on that tour he hired a VAN HALEN tribute band called the ATOMIC PUNKS and he took the singer out and he put himself in there. It was so stupid because he played only VAN HALEN songs and acted like he was in VAN HALEN and he hadn't been in VAN HALEN in 20 years. Some of the fans were really disappointed. No matter what you heard from the press or what he said, I'm telling you right now he bombed every fucking night. I mean, you go out and bust out with 'Running With The Devil' and the fans are gonna cheer, you do 'Jump', and the fans are gonna cheer. Those are great songs, but in the end of the night, he didn't sell any t-shirts. I know this sounds crazy, you gauge the bands that you have as an opening act, if they sell a huge amount of t-shirts, the people usually like them. He didn't sell any t-shirts. He is still trying to sell his t-shirts for five dollars a piece, on tour they are 40. He was so embarrassed that he would sell 100 shirts and I would sell 7,000, and it was completely obvious that the fans were walking way going, 'Man, what the fuck was that?' You can make people cheer any way you want, but will they come back and see you? Dave tried to get back on tour and it was a disaster because he ruined everything."

Imhotep: How do you feel about VELVET REVOLVER's tribute to VAN HALEN at Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?

Sammy: "I don't think it was very good and I really like those guys. It was unfair to take a young band like that, that had only been together for one album and try and make them try to be VAN HALEN. I think it was a little bit of a mistake but it wasn't their fault cause they are great and I like those guys a lot, they are really good friends. Slash is a great guitar player when he is playing his stuff. But for Slash to try and play Eddie's stuff was wrong. They should have had Steve Vai or Joe Satriani, or somebody like that to play the part. They should have had a legend induct and put together a great bunch of players who are more adapted to VAN HALEN to do the tribute."

Imhotep: What do you think about the new VAN HALEN bassist, Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen?

Sammy: "I think that Eddie wasn't thinking clear. Wolfie is a great kid, I love him, and if Eddie wants to play with his son it's his business and if I wanna play with my son, it's my business. The whole thing about Eddie is that he should take Wolfie and produce a record for him, so he and Al [Alex Van Halen] could play on the record and they could get a young singer that is like Wolfie, and let Wolfie start his own band. I mean, THE BEATLES didn't get Julian to replace John Lennon when he died."

Read the entire interview from Imhotep: Part#1, Part#2.