Sammy Hagar on Van Halen Rift: ‘Leave Me Alone’
Sammy Hagar and Alex Van Halen’s feud continues after more than two decades.
Hagar, 77, and the drummer, 53, reportedly haven’t spoken in 21 years, according to an interview with the singer. Van Halen was founded in 1973, with Hagar joining in 1985 after lead vocalist David Lee Roth’s departure. Hagar’s initial stint with the band concluded in 1996, but he rejoined from 2003 to 2005.
Alex reportedly suffers from a spinal injury that has impacted his drumming ability. The musician didn’t mention Hagar by name in his memoir, Brothers.
Hagar stated that he believes their animosity stems from Alex’s inability to perform as he once did.
“He’s not a singer. He’s not a guitar player. He is not really a band leader,” Hagar said. “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,” Hagar said of Alex’s late brother and band co-founder, Eddie Van Halen.
Hagar and Eddie had a falling out, but they reconciled before Eddie’s passing in October 2020.
“And I think that really bothers him that Mike and I are still out there doing it,” Hagar said of the band’s bassist, Michael Anthony. “I would feel bad. If I put myself in his shoes, I would feel terrible if I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Despite his previous sentiments, he also spoke directly to Alex. “Al, you’re fine. Just leave me alone. I’ll leave you alone. Everything’s good,” Hagar stated.
“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,” he said, referring to his upcoming Las Vegas residency, Best of All Worlds, which began on April 30 and features Van Halen songs from Hagar’s era.
Ahead of his nine-show residency, Hagar released a new single, “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight,” on April 24. He shared that he wrote it after Eddie visited him in a dream.
“He had a guitar around his neck and we were having a lovefest since we hadn’t seen each other in a long time,” he said. “And he just started playing this riff, and I started singing.”
“This was one hundred percent a communication from the beyond,” he said. “There is no question about it. I dream about Eddie all the time, quite honestly.”
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