Just when you thought the dust had settled on the Van Halen drama, the Red Rocker himself, Sammy Hagar, decided to stir the pot again.
In a recent, sprawling interview with Rolling Stone, Sammy opened up – or maybe just vented – about his ongoing feud with former bandmate and drumming legend, Alex Van Halen. And let’s just say, peace, love, and understanding are not exactly on the setlist.
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.
— Sammy Hagar via Rolling Stone
According to Sammy, the communication lines between him and Alex are basically dead. The Red Rocker paints a picture of Alex being unreceptive, difficult, and maybe just generally uninterested in playing nice. Hagar talks about wanting to do tribute shows, wanting to celebrate the legacy, wanting to connect with the fans (and presumably make a boatload of cash, let’s be real), but implies Alex is the roadblock.
I’ve received offers all the time to make a documentary about me...and every time I try to put anything about Van Halen in there, Alex jumps in and calls his lawyers and they stop me from using it. He stops the use of any Van Halen music. It’s like, I wrote these songs. You played drums, OK? Your brother and I wrote this song. I sang it. You didn’t sing it. You played drums. Come on, dude.
— Sammy Hagar via Rolling Stone
Look, band breakups are messy. Egos clash, money gets weird, feelings get hurt. We get it...but this feels like a particularly stubborn grudge match between two guys who shared stages, private jets, and probably more than a few questionable backstage moments.
Sammy seems genuinely frustrated, wanting to celebrate the Van Halen legacy (both the Roth and Hagar eras, he emphasizes), while Alex, according to Sammy, is holding onto...something.
Maybe it’s loyalty to Eddie, maybe it’s old grievances, maybe he just really doesn’t like Sammy’s tequila...
I’ve had this conversation with a few people, including [former VH 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.”
— Sammy Hagar via Rolling Stone
At this point, the dream of some grand Van Halen reunion/tribute featuring both eras seems less likely than finding Bigfoot riding a unicorn. It’s a shame for the fans, who just want to hear the music played live by the people who made it legendary. But hey, at least we have Sammy’s side of the story, served up hot and spicy, just like his Cantina Nachos
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