SAMMY HAGAR: 'I Don't See A New VAN HALEN Record Happening'

MusicRadar.com recently conducted an interview with legendary rocker Sammy Hagar about his upcoming autobiography, "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock". A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MusicRadar.com: Apparently, VAN HALEN are recording a new record. Do you think we'll see it soon, or at all?

Hagar: "I don't. No, I don't think... Look how long it's been. They've had every opportunity. Eddie [Van Halen] owns his own studio. His brother's his drummer and lives about a mile away. They have Wolfie [Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen] on bass — they had Michael Anthony for a while, and they had him sittin' on his ass for years and years. And they've had two singers — me and Dave [Lee Roth]. With all of that, they haven't made a record in…who knows when? If it takes that long to make a record…I just… I don't see a new VAN HALEN record happening. I don't see Dave and Eddie being able to work it out. I've heard stories about what's going on. And I don't see Wolfie and Dave working in the same studio together. I don't know…"

MusicRadar.com: Let's talk about David Lee Roth. When the two of you toured together several years ago, you didn't hit it off. I would've thought that perhaps the two of you might've sat around trading war stories.

Hagar: "I tried. When we did the Sam and Dave tour, that's how I envisioned the it — the two of us getting together after the shows, having some drinks and crackin' up and laughin' about shit. What I really hoped was that it would've forced the Sam and Dave VAN HALEN reunion, where we all do it together. That would've been a super fan tour. That ain't about me, it ain't about Dave, it ain't about Ed and Al, it ain't about Mikey — that's about the fans. But VAN HALEN are not friendly towards their fans. All VAN HALEN have ever done is drive a wedge between themselves and their fans. They've made great music, but they don't do anything for the fans. I'm very different in that respect, as you know. I owe it all to my fans and I never want to have the wall between us.
MusicRadar.com: Did you even get to talk to Dave about doing a big reunion tour with everybody involved?

Hagar: "I'll tell you, Dave's a strange guy. I don't like to talk about him because I don't know him. He is, without a doubt, the weirdest fucker I've ever met in my life! [laughs] You can't get close to him. He's all fake. It's like there's nobody there. You talk to him and it's like you're talking to a friggin' robot. The guy's got his raps down, and that's that. You do an interview with him and you'll get the 10 answers to every question that he's got prepared, but you'll never get anything else. He doesn't dig in.

MusicRadar.com: You're saying that he's scripted.

Hagar: "All scripted. Dave's the opposite of me. I have never had a script, and I couldn't follow one if you gave it to me. We're so different, and that's why the tour didn't work. I don't even care about that guy. I don't care about him being in the band. He's so off my radar, he's so not in my world, it's like he doesn't exist. He's talented, he's got his thing, he's cool for people who like that show-biz shit. He's fine. But as far as VAN HALEN making a record…I don't see how Dave and Eddie can spend 15 seconds in a room together. That goes for Al, too. And I heard they don't, so I don't see them making a record."

Read the entire interview from MusicRadar.com.