In Early 2002 Sammy was putting together Planet US. Mike Anthony gave a few interviews talking about it, Sammy's website stated that the Waborita's were going on tour with Journey, and then the Dave Vs. Sammy thing happened.
Roth/Hagar Press Release
April 16, 2002 -
Here's the official press release for the Dave and Sammy tour. Details about the press conference held earlier today will be on this site later today.
For Immediate Release
SAMMY HAGAR & DAVID LEE ROTH
TOUR 2002: SONG FOR SONG,
THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPS OF ROCK 'N ROLL
LOS ANGELES, CA - April 16, 2002: In a Los Angeles press conference today, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar announced they have joined forces for an unprecedented concert tour kicking off Wednesday, May 29 in Cleveland, Ohio.
This is the first time these legendary rock'n'rollers will be sharing a stage, each performing their arsenal of hits on this co-headline tour.
Tickets go on sale April 20 for the Cleveland, Detroit (May 31) and Indianapolis (June 2) shows. Future on-sale concert dates will follow.
Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone lines, at all Ticketmaster retail ticket centers, via ticketmaster.com, and the venue Box Offices.
Tour dates follow....
DLR: I think there was some competition between myself and Sam Hagar. Initially I said to Sam, look, we will do all the songs as a retrospective of one of the best barbecue bands in the history of the sport, Van Halen. I said, “I'll do my 20 songs, you do 4 or 5.” Oh! I can't get anything past you guys... (Laughs) I thought it was late enough to try.. Okay (laughs) Whether Sam warms them up or cools them down, I don't care. You know? We had a good time. At worst, I feel like the older brother holding Sam by the top of his head and he's swinging his little arms at me but they don't reach. (Laughs) I won't tell him you laughed.
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APRIL 28th, 2002
Michael on KOMP 92.3
April 28, 2002
For your reading pleasure, here's a brief rundown of Michael's conversation with KOMP 92.3's Big Marty on April 26. Check it out as Michael talks about Van Halen, Planet Us and his plans to join Sammy on stage in Las Vegas on May 17th and 18th!
On Planet Us:
Big Marty: This sounds like such a good lineup -- yourself Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Neal Schon of course from Journey, Deen Castronovo. He was in a band here and won a Battle of the Bands here in Vegas many, many years ago.
Michael Anthony: Really? I've have to ask him about that. He's a kick-ass drummer I'll tell ya - one of the most incredible drummers I've ever played with.
BM: I heard there's possibly, you guys could possibly get in the studio, do a full album, and maybe even do some tour dates. Is that possible?
MA: Anything is possible at this point. Van Halen; we've been on a break right now, and we're still kind of not doing anything at the moment. So Sammy had asked me if I wanted to do this thing, and we thought 'hey, kind of a great little side project thing to do.' And so we're actually talking about seeing how far this thing will take us. And you know with everybody's schedules and everything, we're definitely lookin' towards possibly recording some stuff and comin' out and playin' some shows.
On playing with Sammy Hagar
BM: Well that's cool. I can't wait! I know you guys have already recorded like two or three songs. I can't wait to hear those in one way, shape, or form sooner or later. Because I know those are going to come out. Correct?
MA: Oh yeah. It's great and ya know Sammy's goin' out on tour, and I found out that he was playin' out there in Vegas, and I said 'Sammy, how could you go to Vegas and not invite your buddy Mikey out?.' So I'm here to officially say that when he does his shows on the 17th and 18th of May I'm going to be there. I'll probably do a couple shots of Jack Daniels, and I'm gonna be right up on stage too.
BM: Michael, it's going to get ugly. I'm moving in to the Hard Rock Hotel that whole weekend. So, I'm sure we're just gonna have a blast and tear it up. I can't wait.
MA: I just want to make sure that you keep the pool atmosphere and all that happenin' 'til I get there.
BM: Oh man, we look forward to seeing you. Michael, it is going to be great to see you up on stage and jammin' again.
MA: Oh, it's gonna be great. We're gonna tear the playhouse down!
On Van Halen:
BM: Alright. Ya know, all the calls we get at the radio station, at KOMP, all the Van Halen fans .... The Van Halen fans, they wanna know, they wanna know one thing. Will Van Halen be a band again? Is it still gonna happen?
MA: Van Halen will be back. It's just there are certain things... kind of dictated us taking a little bit more time off than we actually wanted to. Because you know, of course, the most important thing to all of us is getting out there and playing for the fans. Because that's been the life's blood of this band for the last, God ...next year is going to be 25 years. But Van Halen will be back.
So tell all the Van Halen fans not to worry.
BM: Michael Anthony that is great news!
MA: I'm just havin' me a little fun in the meantime here, while we're on a break.
BM: Well, I bet it's good to get out of the house, ain't it?
MA: Well actually my wife's the one who's happy for me to be out of the house.
More on playing with Sammy on May 17th and 18th
BM: Oh, Michael Anthony -- can't wait 'til May 17th and 18th. You're gonna be here with Sammy Hagar and the Waboritas.
MA: <maniacal laugh> I wish I was there right now, doggonit.
BM: Well yeah, it's a good time here at the pool.
MA: I'm plannin' on comin' out a little early. So anybody hanging out around the area there -- look out.
BM: Alright. Michael Anthony will be in town and ready to tear it up. Alright, well you tell Sammy, you tell Neal, you tell Dean ... all you guys .. hey good luck with this Planet Us project. We hope it turns into something, a nice little side project that you might take out on the road, and maybe even bring here to Vegas. And in the meantime we'll be lookin' forward to you and Sammy and the Waboritas on May 17th and 18th here at the Joint, at the Hard Rock.
MA: It's going to be Armageddon.
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PLANET US: Hard Rock Supergroup Make Unnannounced Appearance At CALIFORNIA MUSIC AWARDS
April 28, 2002 0 Comments
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PLANET US, the side project band featuring Michael Anthony (bassVAN HALEN), Neal Schon (guitarJOURNEY), Sammy Hagar (vocalsex-VAN HALEN), and Deen Castronovo (drumsJOURNEY), performed two songs at the 2002 California Music Awards this Saturday, April 27th at the Henry J. Kaiser Arena in Oakland, California. The tracks were described as very heavy and different to anything the artists involved had done before a bit along the lines of H.S.A.S. (another Hagar/Schon project) but heavier, according to one eyewitnessand were reportedly met with a very enthusiastic reaction from the near-sold-out crowd, who went nuts when the music started. The event also included a full live performance from Hagar, who will be embarking on a US co-headlining tour with fellow ex-VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth at the end of May.
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DLR on MICHAEL ANTHONY
Michael Anthony has played some dates with Sammy, and he’s actually playing with Sammy here in Nashville. What does that say about his willingness to come out and take part in the tour? And, will he play any tunes with you?
No and he’s not going to. There won’t be any fragment or piece meal. If Eddie or Alex figuring that they would just pop up along the way and tag along on the coattails of what we’re doing here, then they’ve made another error in judgment. When they or any other musicians that I work with are ready to crack the sky and do completely 110% the whole project then I’m willing to take the call. But, piece meal, well, we’re not really sure and then there’s suspense. Hey, if you want suspense take some valiums and smoke Marlboros in bed. You want some adventure, there’s better ways to do it.
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Let's talk about David Lee Roth. You obviously don't like the guy, even though you did a co-headlining tour with him in 2002. What specifically about his personality grates on you?
SH: Straight up? He's not a friendly guy. He's not a nice guy at all. And he's no freakin' fun. Here's a guy who makes an image out of being a party animal, getting the babes and having a good time. But on tour, you knock on his dressing room door and he won't come out. It's like that Cheech & Chong skit. "Dave's not here, man." He doesn't want to jam on stage, he doesn't want to listen to music and do a few shots of tequila, he doesn't want you to bring a few girls to his dressing room. He is not the guy that I expected him to be. He's just an act. Or maybe he just didn't like me. Maybe I'm too much fun for him. Or maybe I sing too well and it scares him. I don't know.
When you toured with him, did he have any sex tents?
SH: Naw. [Laughs.] He had five big bodyguards, ex-football players, around him at all times. No babes could get near him, nobody could get near him. And the crazy thing is, Dave wasn't at the top of his game at that time. It's not like he was the biggest star in the world anymore. He was just out there pretending and pushing people around. That's the only thing I have against him, is that he's not what he pretends to be.
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April 29, 2002 - The following was provided by Matt @ WMMS in Cleveland.
Van Halen, in particular, the Hagar era, has always been a religion for me. All of my very best friendships in this world, were started around musical discussion that led us to discover that "5150" was definitely our favorite album ever recorded, and when it came to live videos, there was definitely nothing that could touch our well worn copies of "Live Without A Net". Any TRUE Van Halen fan knows that the Hagar and Roth eras are two very separate periods of time, and one, does not mix with the other–or does it? In what could be a possible sign of the apocalypse, Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth have united for a tour this summer, and the tour opens right here in Cleveland, on Wednesday, May 29th. I had an opportunity to catch up with Sammy and discuss many things on a Friday afternoon, and here is just a bit of what the Red Rocker had to say!
MBL: You guys have said some pretty colorful stuff about each other in the past. How is it in 2002 that you guys are touring together?
SAMMY HAGAR (SH): First of all, Dave said a lot of colorful things about me, and he said a lot of crazy, wild, goofy things about me because his feelings were hurt because I joined the band that he thought he was going to die with, and we took it right straight down the road. I understand why he was a little upset about that. If you look at some of the things that he's said about me, it's just pure angry stuff like, "he's a no talent troll. He's my bitch." And I'm going, "Oh, boy."
MBL: That was my favorite - "He's my bitch, and when he says my name, we just sell that many more records."
SH: Yeah. For him to even say that–Take a look at me and take a look at him together. It kind of looks like he's really my bitch, but I'm not claiming that. The only thing that I ever said about Dave was the truth. We did have a rivalry. As many times as he's went back into Van Halen and tried to make it work–they've thrown me out and try to get him back in, then throw him out and get Gary Cherone in, throw him out and get Dave back, throw him out, get him back again. I'm going, "hold on here." I called their attorney and said, "why can't we just do the Sammy Hagar 'Sam and Dave Tour'? Tell Ed and Al, "Don't worry. We'll all travel separately and meet on stage, and we just do the show." They threw that out, you know, don't even want to talk about it. I think that we had both just had enough, and he just called up and said, "let's just do it together - The Sam and Dave tour." I said, "Right the Hell on!" It came together. When we met in a room for the first time to discuss the whole thing, Dave stood up and shook hands and said, "I don't care what's gone on in the past and what's been said in the past, we're just meeting for the first time. Let's just start from there." I said, "right on." That's the way we approached it. So far, so good. But now, what hasn't happened yet has been us going out on stage - not together. He's got his band, I've got mine. But in Cleveland, the very first show, on the coin toss Dave closes that show, and we go every other one. I close the next show, then Dave closes Chicago and I close whatever is next. The problem is that we haven't addressed yet is, "what's Dave gonna do when I've finished my hour and a half on stage?" That's gonna be the problem. That's all I'm going to say. Everyone's going, "what do you see as a problem." I'm saying that the problem is that Dave has to walk out and follow me, and that's all I've got to say. We'll find out what the man's made of.
MBL: So, the coin toss has already been made and he's going to close in Cleveland?
SH: Yep, so get there early, folks!! Even if I was closing in Cleveland, it wouldn't matter. This is really about the whole show. We have this big 30'x40' video screen that we're going to put together. Dave's putting 10 minutes of his career together. I'm putting 10 minutes of my career together–you know, little footage of things like Ronnie Montrose wrestling with me backstage and stuff.
MBL: Does any of that footage include any letters like, "Four #1 albums with Van Halen?"
SH: (laughing) I'm not going to brag, but we're going to put all the little pieces of video clips together. I don't know what it's all going to be, but we each have 10 minutes, and then we're going to hire a guy - a filmmaker - to put all that footage together into a 20 minute video that's going to be shown before the show starts. Anyone that misses that probably just shouldn't even come. It's going to set the whole thing up so well, and then boom! It's going to be an hour and a half each. We both get full production. It's not like the opening guy that night gets short changed. The opening guy that night gets the full stage. The other band's gear is completely off the stage. When I finish, they wipe the stage and put Dave's stuff up. We've spent a lot of money on technology, getting things that roll out. We built this whole high tech stage so that we can switch over in 20 minutes and people don't have to wait while we set up for the whole next production. It's all good. I've got my waitresses and my 50 people with me on stage from the Cabo Wabo, and I've got my bartenders and my 20 cases of Cabo Wabo Tequila. I'm just throwing the big Cabo Wabo tequila party every night. It's going to be a last.
MBL: So, the Cabo Wabo remains intact then.
SH: Yeah. I had to redesign it, because it had to move quicker, but it's more high tech now. We've got bleachers that fold up, and they are all scrimmed and painted up really fancy. We get 25 people on each side around the screen, so 50 people. The bleachers are connected to the big screen. It's just a big party.
MBL: Is anyone going to document this for DVD purposes?
SH: I hope so. We're having troubles with that. Dave has his rules. For some reason, Dave's a control freak.
MBL: Well, so would you be to a point, don't you think?
SH: No.
MBL: No?
SH: I say, "Anything goes." I'm saying, "Dave, you can control your set. When you are up there for an hour and a half, you're in control. I have no say so. I don't even want to know what you did. I could care less! You can bring 50 naked women up there and you can do anything you want. That's what you're here for - to entertain these people. They've got to walk away happy." But when I'm on stage, you've got no say so. But he said, "I want to make sure that you don't do this and you don't do that." And I'm like, "Dave, forget about it." This is like a competition. This is like Ultimate Fighting Championship. You go in there and you can bite, scratch, pinch, pull hair, anything. Hit below the belt - legal.
MBL: Was there anything that went into Cleveland being the official launching pad for the tour, or is that just how it happened?
SH: It had a lot to do with the logistics of starting in a place that had the individual places that were available. This tour came up kind of late, and a lot of the places where pretty stacked–a lot of the venues. So, it worked out that if it started in Cleveland, which we were all good for a–you know, it's not like it's not the rock and roll capital of the world or anything. But it really worked out routing wise, because then we go to Detroit, and then to Indianapolis and then St. Louis. So, it really routed nicely starting the tour out there. If we started on one of the coasts, it wouldn't have worked out. Of course, I would rather it would have started in my hometown so I can stay in my house a week longer, but it didn't work out that way. It's just going to be a blast. I'm not doing all Van Halen. Everyone knows that. I'm going to do my handful of the Van Halen hits; the Van Hagar hits or whatever, and Dave's doing exclusive Van Halen. It's all good. You are going to get a big dose of Van Halen, and you are going to get a big dose of some fun rock and roll, you know, "55", "One Way To Rock", "Heavy Metal", "Three Lock Box," "Mas Tequila" - what am I going to do? I can't not do those songs for the RedHeads out there.
MBL: I think that whether you have 2 1/2 hours or an hour like you did for us about a year ago at that nice little club show you did, you have the power to deliver.
SH: I like to have fun, but I don't need to apologize for liking to have fun, do I? Matt, come on! I told Dave that it ain't about who can scream the loudest, jump the highest or play guitar the fastest. It's about who can throw the best party, and if you can out party me, pal, then God bless ya. I'll be in your dressing room the next night.
MBL: Initially we heard that there was going to be the sets by you guys, followed by an end of the night jam with all of you. Now as the tour comes to fruition, it seems that the jam has gone away. What happened?
SH: I wanted it to be that way. I had seen Elton and Billy on tour, even though this is not much like Elton and Billy (laughing), although it might be more like a WWF version. I thought it was a great show the way they co-mingled and the way they started together acoustically singing each other's songs. The first thing I presented, I was like, "Dave, we can really do something great for the fans doing something like that," and he said, "Absolutely not. I've never jammed with anybody. I've never sang anybody else's songs and I'm not going to start now." And I was like, "Fine." I've got no problem with any of it. Like I said, anything goes with me. I just felt that when I'm out on stage that I don't want to hear from anybody else about nothing until I'm done. When I'm done, then I'm done. Dave doesn't want to do it. At the press conference, he had a little bit of a change of heart, a little bit. He said, "well, once we get out there and get to know each other and see what each other's doing, you never know. Anything could happen." So I'm saying, "OK." I'm a jammer. Any town I'm in, if there's another musician on the side of the stage, I'm inviting him out. That's just the way I am. That's why I build the Cabo Wabo, to jam with my friends and stuff. I'm really open to that, and hopefully it turns into that, but I wouldn't guarantee that. Really, it's just two bands and two solo artists going out there and trying to make the other guy wish he wasn't there.
MBL: It sounds like it's a good anything goes thing going into this tour.
SH: It's a good fan thing. If I was a fan sitting in the audience, I would be like, "all right. I get to see these guys go at it. It isn't about even trying to cheer for your favorite guy. This is about entertainment. It's about hearing all these great songs and jumping up and down and cracking up and having a hoot. It's going to be a good, good, good, good time rock and roll.
MBL: For me, I grew up with the Hagar era of Van Halen, and I never got a chance to see Roth live, so this is a chance for me to see that on a curiosity level. I guess you really do get to see the best of both worlds as a Van Halen fan.
SH: Absolutely, and you nailed that right on the head. There was so many of the Van Hagar fans that thought it and a bunch of the Roth era that never came on board with the Van Hagar era and always said, "Roth was the best, and it ain't the same anymore," and then the Van Hagar fans and the Sammy Hagar fans that joined the Van Halen crowd that said, "Oh, this is so much better than it ever was." It is a chance, kind of, to maybe see kind of a touch on that. But it's not a pure Van Halen thing. This is just, in my opinion, two legendary rockers going out and doing their thing, and it's very interesting to see the seasoning on each of us that really brings together the two of us. Together I think you are going to get the best of both of us. For me, when I finish, I want this guy to go, "Oh my God. I don't ever want to follow that guy again," and I know that he feels the same way. I'm going to give Dave all the credit in the world. If I have to be following that knucklehead, I'm going to be going, "I'm going to kill that guy." It's good, man. It's good. I'm excited. I'm so up for it. My band, they are like mountain biking to rehearsal. They are coming in and they are pumping iron to get ready. We are up for this mother, man.
MBL: I've got to think that with one wrong look, Mona's gonna take Dave out!
SH: Well, that's gonna happen. That could be the whole highlight of the tour, baby. Someone will go, "What was the highlight," and I'll go, "Well, one day Dave was walking down the hall making some sly remarks, and Mona walked out and decked him (laughing). I'm telling you, she'll deck him. We talk about it all the time. Mona keeps saying, "Oh God, I hope I can keep from punching this guy in the face." And I'm going, "Mona, just wait until the last show, OK? (laughing) I want this tour to happen.
MBL: To talk about something else, you have this really cool other project in the works called Planet Us. What is going on with that?
SH: Well, Michael Anthony is at my house right now. He stayed last night and he's staying for the next three days. With my band, we are rehearsing during the day, and with Planet Us, we are trying to write some new songs at night and trying to get as many songs in the can as we can, so that when we start recording in the fall, we'll have a lot of material there. We really postponed the project until the fall because I'm on tour and Journey is also on tour this summer. Poor Mikey is sitting around scratching his head going, "Why aren't I out there playing?" We're writing, and it's really an exciting project. I don't want to hype it too much it's so brand new, but the energy between us is so unique. Everyone knows that Slash was originally asked to do it, and he was in, but as soon as we started rehearsing, he never made it. Finally, we recorded two songs without him, and it was so good that we were like, we don't really need anybody else because it was so good with Neil. Neil's a very busy guitar player, and Deen Castronovo is an unbelievably busy drummer and Mike is a very busy bass player, so it was kind of like really rockin'. It's like kind of early Zep meets Cream meets Van Halen maybe, and meets Tool maybe. It's a little more modern like Tool. It's very intense, and kind of Rush-y. It's not like any of that, really, but it's on that ilk of bands. It's very musical. I'm very excited about it. If it wasn't for the Sam and Dave Tour this summer, I was going to work exclusively with Planet Us, because it's that exciting. I'm not leaving my band. This is a project, and it's really, really good.
MBL: Going back to Michael Anthony, it was really obvious that you and him had the most camaraderie together. It was always Sammy and Michael during the Van Halen years. Then, after you left, there was no more Sammy and Michael hanging out at the Cabo Wabo.
SH: I know, but that's all changed now. He's not only joining me for my birthday bash from October 1st to the 13th this year, but Planet Us is joining me to do, and we're going to do a Los Tres Gusanos reunion, which is myself, my drummer and Mikey. That was the original band down at Cabo, Los Tres Gusanos - Three Worms. Then Planet Us is going to play a night. My band is going to play a night, and then the guys from MetallicaÖI don't know if the whole band, but for sure Lars and Kirk are going to be there, and we'll put together a jam band. Some of the guys from Nickelback are going to come, because they had to reschedule from last year when the hurricane hit and we had to blow out the Mexican Meltdown. So, it's going to be the craziest week of rock and roll ever. And it's justÖMikey and I are back. We both said, "we don't care about 'the brothers'. They can't tell us who we can have as friends." I don't care anyway, but I've always been protective of Mikey anyway because he's in the band, and I don't ever want to destroy that for him. If he ever got thrown out of that band, it would be terrible because I can't add him to my band unless Mona quits, and I can't fire her because she's the greatest. She's been loyal and all that stuff. I'm kind of in a predicament, but I'm definitely on his side. Right now I'm calling Mikey "Switzerland" - he's neutral. He can do anything he wants.
MBL: Well, I'm going to let you run, and let you go on to other things.
SH: I've got to go to rehearsal. I've got to go to my favorite thing in the world, man. I've got to go play music.
MBL: We will see you here in Cleveland on the 29th, and I can't wait, man.
SH: I want to thank everybody for waiting in line and camping out and stuff for those tickets. We're already at about 7,000 in Cleveland. Half of the place is sold. I just want to say that that is really fantastic for me. It makes me feel really good that the fans really care about me and this tour. We won't let you down, so come on. Buy the rest of those tickets.
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David Lee Roth Drops Lawsuit Against VanHalenStore.com
Everything that VanHalenStore.com sells is 100% legal and legit.
April 29, 2002 - Both parties have agreed to the following statement regarding the outcome of the lawsuit:
"David Lee Roth and Jeff Hausman, owner of VanHalenStore.com and The Inside magazine, have settled all of their disputes to their mutual satisfaction. Mr. Roth has determined that nothing illegal has been done by Mr. Hausman, The Inside, or VanHalenStore.com and he has decided to drop his lawsuit in this regard."
I ha¬ve personally known Jeff for years. I ha¬ve ordered a lot of Official Van Halen merchandise from his company and I ha¬ve always known that the items were authentic. I a-m sure this lawsuit perplexed all of us die-hard fans who have ordered merchandise from him over the past eight years. Surely we would have known if we were being sold fraudulent or bootleg items! Obviously Van Halen had no problem with his business, since Van Halen themselves listed Jeff’s business address in the last two Van Halen CDs and sold The Inside magazine on tour.
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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY – MAY 2002
EW You once said that you want to: ''make music and sing and dance...make ya smile, make ya cry -- and charge ya $8.50.'' So why do seats on this tour cost as much as $65?
DLR You're saying I'm not worth it, homeboy? What you have here is an entire retrospective of a piece of Americana. I've got more hits than Beethoven. You know da-da-da-da [Beethoven's Fifth]. While you're struggling to hum the next one, I'm going to recite the index to your life: ''Hot for Teacher''...''California Girls''...''Jump''...
EW Looking back, do you regret the buttless pants?
DLR It's more au courant than ever. I still have them. Don't you antagonize me -- I might just show up at your office wearin' 'em.
EW Just between us, whaddaya think the teacher's gonna look like this year?
DLR She's gonna be a Korean grad student with dreadlocks, neoprimitive tattoos, and a tongue bolt. She does Tae-Bo three nights a week, speaks four languages, digs Timo Maas and Supa DJ Dmitry mixes but secretly knows every lyric to Big Daddy Diamond Dave's litany. She even knows what a litany is.
EW Which is the more poignant Van Halen lyric: Sammy's ''Only time will tell if we stand the test of time,'' or your ''Got an on-ramp comin' through my bedroom''?
DLR Well, obviously what I speak ain't poetry. And if you thoroughly understand that, then you see the poetry in it. Sam seems to have repeated himself within the space of 18 syllables. I will forever be cursed as an artist, but he could become a congressman.
EW Is one ever too old to ride around the stage on a giant inflatable microphone?
DLR Nevah. Just because you're young doesn't mean you rock. Look at Jon Secada.
EW What's Eddie doing as he's reading this interview?
DLR I think he's talking to himself and his key words are probably: ''Uh-oh.''
EW Don't tell Sammy, but you were my favorite singer in Van Halen.
DLR Oh, thank you much. That means a lot. God bless.
EW On a scale of 1 to 11, how hard are you partying right now?
SAMMY HAGAR I'm lying down, I've got my f -- -in' feet up and you know what? That is a form of partying.
EW So...on a scale of 1 to 11?
SH I'm on a 3.
EW Looking back, do you regret Dave's buttless pants?
SH Yes. Even I wish he'd never done that. And it works to my advantage that he did. Dave's bold. He believes his own s---, let me tell you. If he brings that s--- out on this tour, I'm gonna have to sleep with the light on, man.
EW How many shots of your Cabo Wabo tequila does it take to wipe out the memory of that sleeveless yellow getup you wore in the "I Can't Drive 55" video?
SH Actually, it took about four or five cases over the years to erase that.
EW What's harder: driving 55 or turning 55?
SH Driving 55. Getting old's a piece of cake.... I got a car that I drive, a 427 Shelby. In third gear, at 85 miles an hour, if you just step on it, without popping the clutch, the wheels start smoking. How can you drive 55 miles an hour in a car like that?
EW Which is the more poignant Van Halen lyric: Your "Only time will tell if we stand the test of time," or Dave's "Got an on-ramp comin' through my bedroom"?
SH Dave came up with some good lyrics, little clever lines like that. But none of them really meant anything. When you're in your 50s and up there singing, "I've got a freeway runnin' through my bedroom" or whatever the f--- that line was, it looks bad. Talking about the test of time--then you're talking about a true relationship and you can sing that when you're 50 years old.... I'm giving myself the edge.
EW Sammy, why can't this be love?
SH [Sigh] I wish it could, but Dave's said a lot of bad things about me in the past.
EW Can it at least be...like?
SH You know what? I can like him. He's an entertaining fellow.
EW What's Eddie doing as he's reading this interview?
SH He's thinking, "Boy, did I f--- up."
EW Don't tell Dave, but you were my favorite singer in Van Halen.
SH Oh, right on. You have taste. Peace and love and happiness.
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MAY 17th, 2002 – VEGAS
Great Sammy gig where at the end he brings out Planet Us, a rock supergroup featuring Neal Schon (guitar), Sammy Hagar (vocals), Deen Castronovo (drums) and Michael Anthony (bass). They performed the tracks “Vertigo” and “Peeping Through a Hole.”
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DAVID LEE ROTH – EDDIE TRUNK INTERVIEW: 2013
Discussing how it felt to go from playing in front of 20,000 people to playing in front of 2,000 people:
“That will make you look in a mirror and confront exactly everything you don’t want to confront. ‘Mirror, mirror on the bathroom sink, you used to say my shit didn’t stink, you bitch.’”
Speaking about whether he ever ran out of money:
“No, but I did have to stay working. Playing state fairs, casinos, clubs, theaters, etc.. You what though? I do miss those state fairs, they’re a hoot.”
Did he ever get along with Sammy Hagar?:
“Um, no…well, define long.”
What about the Sam and Dave tour?:
“[That] was a collision course as well. We had our antagonisms, but…I think it was his people…I think our change up was dignified until agents, managers and other people got involved.”
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MICHAEL ANTHONY
Van Halen was on a hiatus, and I wanted to go out and play, I didn't want to sit around and do nothing. Sammy put together this tour with David Lee Roth, we were playing the Sammy and Dave tour, and he asked me if I wanted to come out, and guest on some of the shows, which I did maybe half of the shows On that tour. I would come out and play a few Van Halen songs. And uhhhhh, Well just say that, uhhhh, the powers that be were not too happy that I was doing something like that, and I kind a got backed up against a wall. I wanted to go out and play. So I decided to go out and play, you know I thought that I would be waving the Van Halen flag high when there was nothing going on with the band at the time. It just kind of blew up from there. And I'll just leave the rest to your imagination. That's basically how it all happened.
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(ALEX ON MIKE 2004)
"You know, I think at the time when Sam and Mike went out on tours, it's, you know, musicians go out and play, and that's what they do, and my brother and I were doing something different. So you know, as adults, you make your own choices, and it was neither here nor there, as far as we're concerned. I mean that sounds like a simple answer to something that from the outside may look like a complicated question, but it really isn't, you know? Sammy likes -- he likes music. He likes to go out and play, and (Mike) wanted to join him."
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BILLBOARD MAGAZINE MAY 2002
For more than 15 years, the prevailing sentiment was that the only way former Van Halen singers David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar would share a stage would be at a ceremony when receiving a major industry award.
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For more than 15 years, the prevailing sentiment was that the only way former Van Halen singers David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar would share a stage would be at a ceremony when receiving a major industry accolade for the band. But despite their publicized acrimony, the two frontmen shocked fans with the announcement of their co-headlining Song for Song: The Heavyweight Champs of Rock'N'Roll tour, which kicks off Wednesday (May 29) in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
"Every time I did an interview last year, the rumor was [Van Halen] couldn't work with Dave anymore and now they were going to call me again," Hagar tells Billboard.com. "Some of their camp had called me and [Van Halen bassist] Michael Anthony had been working with me a little bit on a side project. Mikey would be saying, 'I don't know, Ed and Al (Van Halen) keep asking where is Sam's head at?' And I'm going, 'My head is the same place it's always been!'"
"The only way I would be interested is if we [both Roth and Hagar] do it all together because that would really be great for the fans and they're the ones who have been getting screwed all of these years," he continues. "So Dave called and said, 'They can't get it together. I can't get it together. Let's you and I do it,' and I said, 'right on.'"
The tour will find Hagar and Roth alternating opening and closing duties, with each playing a 90-minute set. Roth will fill his stage time entirely with Van Halen material, while Hagar plans on spanning his whole career, which essentially is no different than a normal solo show with his backing band, the Waboritas. "I usually play two-and-a-half hours, so I've taken an hour out of my set and I didn't take any Van Halen out," he says. In a unique twist, Anthony is expected to join Hagar's band for various shows, including the tour opener.
There's no disguising the rivalry that exists between Roth and Hagar, who will finally have a venue in which to exhibit their talents head-to-head. However, there's a certain degree of instability associated with Roth and his career. Diamond Dave's last major amphitheater tour came over 10 years ago in support of his 1991 release "A Little Ain't Enough." Considering Hagar must have heard stories while in Van Halen about their erstwhile singer, does he have any concerns about Roth's behavior?
"Of course, the few times I've been around him, he's definitely on the edge of going one way or another," Hagar admits. "I don't think he's quite as stable and consistent a human being or a performer as I am and I think he could easily do something. I'm worried about it because it's not going to change my life but I think it would really hurt the fans and the credibility of this tour if he pulled out for some reason."
"I'm telling you right now, if he does that to me ... first of all, I will go on anyway and I'll play for two-and-a-half hours," Hagar adds. "I'll play every old Van Halen song I know. I would call up Michael Anthony. I would call up Eddie Van Halen and say, 'Eddie, here's a million dollars, get your ass out here and play a couple of nights with me because Dave pulled out.' I would go that far with it if he pulled out. I will ruin him if he does that to the fans. It would be a horrible thing."
Depending on ticket sales (which are quite healthy so far) and how well Roth and Hagar get along, the tour may expand to a second leg. Asked what fans can expect when the tour opens next week, Hagar proclaims, "things could get ugly right out of the gate."
In other Hagar news, he recently finished recording a new album, tentatively titled "Sammy Hagar and Waboritas: Not For Sale" and slated for release in September. His Project Us side project with Anthony and Journey guitarist Neal Schon and drummer Dean Castronovo will also record an album, with an eye on a spring release and summer tour to follow.
Here are the Song for Song: The Heavyweight Champs of Rock and Roll tour dates:
May 29: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (Blossom Music Center)
May 31: Clarkston, Mich. (DTE Energy Music Theatre)
June 1: Tinley Park, Ill. (Tweeter Center)
June 2: Noblesville, Ind. (Verizon Wireless Music Center)
June 4: Cincinnati (Riverbend Music Center)
June 6: Bonner Springs, Kan. (Sandstone Amphitheatre)
June 7: Maryland Heights, Mo. (UMB Bank Pavilion)
June 8: East Troy, Wis. (Alpine Valley)
June 10: Peoria, Ill. (Peoria Civic Center)
June 11: Columbus, Ohio (Polaris Amphitheatre)
June 14: San Antonio, Texas (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre)
June 15: Dallas (Smirnoff Music Centre)
June 16: Houston (C.W. Mitchell Pavilion)
June 18: Albuquerque, N.M. (Journal Pavilion)
June 19: Denver (Fiddler's Green)
June 21: Phoenix (Cricket Pavilion)
June 22: Devore, Calif. (Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion)
June 24-25: Hollywood, Calif. (Universal Amphitheatre)
June 27: Fresno, Calif. (Selland Arena)
June 29: George, Wash. (the Gorge)
The David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar show at Darien Lake that was cancelled because “Sammy was ill”was right at the height of the two singers bickering. Roth and Hagar had a huge backstage blow up two weeks earlier. Roth was trying to grab the spotlight at any cost. Hagar had called Roth an “expletive- bald headed- expletive” in a newspaper article and Roth was telling audiences that he was “Sammy’s Boss”. The two nearly exchanged blows in North Carolina on August 17, 2002. The Darien Lake show was August 31. Looks like Sam had enough. Hagar had hoped the Sam and Dave tour would lead to the biggest Van Halen show ever with both singers, but he was wrong. He regrets ever having toured with Dave.
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MAY 1st, 2002
SAMMY HAGAR Speaks Out On ROTH Tour, PLANET US And Possible Jam With METALLICA
May 1, 2002 0 Comments
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METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist Kirk Hammett will team up with former VAN HALEN frontman Sammy Hagar in a jam band that will make its live debut during Hagar's week-long birthday celebration in early October at Sammy's nightclub, Cabo Wabo, in Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico, according to an interview with Hagar that aired via the Cleveland station WMMS (www.wmms.com) last Friday. My band is going to play a night, and then the guys from METALLICAI don't know if the whole band, but for sure Lars and Kirk are going to be there, and we'll put together a jam band. Some of the guys from NICKELBACK are going to come, because they had to reschedule from last year when the hurricane hit and we had to blow out the Mexican Meltdown. So, it's going to be the craziest week of rock and roll ever.
Hagar also downplayed the possibility of a jam with fellow VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth during the pair's upcoming co-headlining US tour, which is scheduled to kick off on May 29th in Cleveland. I wanted [the two of us to have a jam at the end of the night], Sammy said. I had seen Elton John and Billy Joel on tour, even though this is not much like Elton and Billy (laughing), although it might be more like a WWF version. I thought it was a great show the way they co-mingled and the way they started together acoustically singing each other's songs. The first thing I presented, I was like, 'Dave, we can really do something great for the fans doing something like that,' and he said, 'Absolutely not. I've never jammed with anybody. I've never sang anybody else's songs and I'm not going to start now.' And I was like, 'Fine.' I've got no problem with any of it. Like I said, anything goes with me. I just felt that when I'm out on stage that I don't want to hear from anybody else about nothing until I'm done. When I'm done, then I'm done. Dave doesn't want to do it. At the press conference, he had a little bit of a change of heart, a little bit. He said, 'well, once we get out there and get to know each other and see what each other's doing, you never know. Anything could happen.' So I'm saying, 'OK.' I'm a jammer. Any town I'm in, if there's another musician on the side of the stage, I'm inviting him out. That's just the way I am. That's why I build the Cabo Wabo, to jam with my friends and stuff. I'm really open to that, and hopefully it turns into that, but I wouldn't guarantee that. Really, it's just two bands and two solo artists going out there and trying to make the other guy wish he wasn't there.
In the same interview, Sammy offered more information on PLANET US, the band that he formed with VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony, JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon, and JOURNEY drummer Deen Castronovo. Michael Anthony is at my house right now, Hagar revealed. He stayed last night and he's staying for the next three days. With my band, we are rehearsing during the day, and with PLANET US, we are trying to write some new songs at night and trying to get as many songs in the can as we can, so that when we start recording in the fall, we'll have a lot of material there. We really postponed the project until the fall because I'm on tour and JOURNEY is also on tour this summer. Poor Mikey is sitting around scratching his head going, 'Why aren't I out there playing?' We're writing, and it's really an exciting project. I don't want to hype it too much it's so brand new, but the energy between us is so unique. Everyone knows that [former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist] Slash was originally asked to do it, and he was in, but as soon as we started rehearsing, he never made it. Finally, we recorded two songs without him, and it was so good that we were like, we don't really need anybody else because it was so good with Neil. Neil's a very busy guitar player, and Deen Castronovo is an unbelievably busy drummer and Mike is a very busy bass player, so it was kind of like really rockin'. It's like kind of early ZEP meets CREAM meets VAN HALEN maybe, and meets TOOL maybe. It's a little more modern like TOOL. It's very intense, and kind of RUSH-y. It's not like any of that, really, but it's on that ilk of bands. It's very musical. I'm very excited about it. If it wasn't for the Sam and Dave Tour this summer, I was going to work exclusively with PLANET US, because it's that exciting. I'm not leaving my band. This is a project, and it's really, really good.
Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/sam...1078CoRcok2.99
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HOWARD STERN INTERVIEWS BOTH ROTH AND HAGAR AT THE SAME TIME
May 4 2002
HS: There's David Lee! And look at him! Looking Good! Looking happy and healthy! Hey David! Hey man! What's happening brother? Take a seat. David always looks so happy (laughs).
DLR: I'm delighted to be here!
HS: Good! Let me get Sammy on the phone. Have you met with Sammy face to face by the way?
DLR: I've met with Sam twice now, uh we're actually colleagues, uh, Sam are you there?
HS: Sam are you there?
SH: Hey Howard..
HS: Hey, how ya doin' Sammy?
SH: I'm doing pretty good.. How ya doing, Dave?
DLR: Outstanding!
HS: Well, I gotta tell you something, I never wouldah - never believed that the Russians would be our friends, and more importantly, I never wouldah believed that you two would work together...
DLR: Bono called me and told me I had to do it for world peace Howard!
RQ: (Ha Ha Ha) Bono put (inaudible)
HS: Let me go to Sammy first! Sammy, I'm assuming.. You've always told me over the years, you don't need money. So, it's not for the money you're doing this! Are you?
SH: Absolutely..
HS: Why are you doing it?
SH: I'm doing it cuz Dave called me, and said.. Well, he had someone call me and see if I was interested.. I said, I think it's a great, great idea! I think the whole concept of just to do with rock and roll, just to do with the history of Van Halen, and it's just to do with shoving it up the brothers' asses!
RQ: AHHHH HAH HAH HA!
SH: (inaudible due to Robin) Now get off their asses!
HS: That's what I thought. Is this a big FU - Dave - to the guys in Van Halen? In other words?
(A lot of people talking at once)
DLR: As you can..
SH: That ain't all of it, but that's what motivated me a little.
DLR: As you can see, Sam and I can get along. I can pretty much hang with anybody. I think um, in retrospect… it is a little bit for Eddie Van-Heiniken.
HS: In a way, will this? Will this motivate you two to be friends? Because even Robin said to me, how long do you think these two guys with their egos -
SH: You never know Howard! You never know. We haven't hung, we haven't even done one show yet!
RQ: Right!
SH: And, and honestly I'm looking forward to it, I think it's totally cool. I don't plan on hanging that much with my man Diamond, but if he wants to hang and we start doing that, that's one thing, but this is really, it's a little -
DLR: I think we have two different approaches here. Sam is going to throw a helluvah party, and I am the party!
SH: It's a Party for Dave every night!
HS: But Dave!
RQ: So whaddaya gonna sing? Let's'get down to the music?
DLR: I've got more hits than Beethoven Robin! Come on!
HS: David Lee Roth! David Lee Roth has! David Lee Roth has 7 albums with Van Halen! Sammy Hagar has 6 albums with Van Halen, between the two of you, you've got a lot of hits!
DLR: Prolly close to 100 million in record sales, not including the bootlegs!
HS: Now how does it work? Who? How do you? Are you guys only gonna sing Van Halen songs?
DLR: I'm going to pretty much dwell on it, in the times when I was quarterback for the band, that's as familiar as the Nike swoosh or the McDonalds arches in America!
HS: Because that's what the audience wants right?!
DLR: Absolutely!
HS: Sammy would you agree!?
SH: No. Uh, I mean, I'll prolly do about 6 Van Halen songs, out of about 15.
HS: And what will you do, some Sammy Hagar solo material?
SH: Ofcourse!
HS: Okay! And Dave you'll --
SH: I might even play some Howard Stern songs! You know?
HS: And Dave, you will stick mostly to Van Halen?
DLR: It's so familiar Howard when both New York teams took the field for the world series, they both played Running With the Devil! How can I defy something like that?
HS: And how do you go about finding a band? What? Now who can play Van Halen - Now
DLR: Well once you've already created the material -
Originating the material is the magical trick, but once it's on a record 1 in 10 million may be able to do it, and I think I've found that kid! And he's brand new! And he's (interrupted)
SH: Dave! Are you reading this Shit?! (Studio laughs)
RQ: Take it easy Sammy!
DLR: No I'm not actually Sammy, would you like me to slow down?
Or just more space? (Laughs)
SH: It's. 5:30AM my time man! On the West Coast, man, you've gotta slow down a little bit!
DLR: I haven't been to sleep since the late 80's', knock it off!
RQ: See there, it's already started! (Laughs loudly)
HS: Sammy! What's' your point? That Dave uh..
RQ: Never takes a breath (BWAHAHA)
HS: Dave never takes a breath, and doesn’t let you talk? (Studio laughs)
SH: (inaudible) really good man! This tour's gonna be great!
DLR: This tour is going to be superb! Are you kidding?! In a rivalry like this, and there's the harshest element of any rivalry I think between Sam and I, and I've said this before, there's nothing that can't be solved with a shot of Cabo Wabo tequilla!
SH: (huh huh huh)
RQ: Now wait a minute Dave! Is there anything to the fact though that you probably think your Van Halen material is the strongest material?
DLR: Ofcourse I do! (Studio erupts with laughter)
HS: (HE-HE-HA-HA-Huh) Is there really a rivalry?
DLR: No this is a like little bit.. Not only is this a fiesta, but it's also a lot like a Nascar, stock-car race!
SH: It's like Tyson and Lewis not Elton and Billy! You know what I mean?
HS: Now take me back to - Dave, you're sitting at home, and you have this idea, a brainstorm, and I get this brainstorm, and you say wait a second, Van Halen thinks they hold all the cards, they have the band, but meanwhile, their effort to get a new frontman in Gary Cherone failed. They really can't go on tour. Noone want to see Van Halen without a frontman.
RQ: And then you know actually, that is a tribute to both the frontmen!
HS: Right!
DLR: Well, we were the frontmen of one of the most familiar sounds in the history of the sport.
HS: So, you're sitting at home, and you go over and you say wait a second. If Sammy Hagar and I go out on tour, that creates excitement! It screws these guys in Van Halen who won't let either one of us back to doing what we do!
RQ: and they can't really go on the road and do the music!
HS: How do you then?
SH: They can do anything they want, but truthfully, this is a great tour, this is pretty much, you know, they tried it without either one of us, and it didn't work for them. And I don’t think the fans want to hear another singer in that band.
DLR: I think what you have here is a lifestyle -
SH: Van Halen is kinda like done otherwise. One of us would probably be back in that band (talking over one another)
DLR: You've got a point of view - what you have here is a genuine action figure
HS: Well, let Sammy say what he's saying here first
SH: I'm gonna go back with my same band from the day that I left Van Halen. I got the same band, The Waboritas, we got the same band. Vic Johnson, Mona, Jesse. You Know? David. The Redheads know who this band is. And we're going to do this thing we've always done, and it's just we're going to team up with Dave, and we're going to go out and do it together. And hopefully you guys are going to get this coin flip the hell over with so I can go back to sleep and (inaudible) bed
DLR: I wanna flip Jenna Jameson and call tails.
HS: Now wait a second! Now Sammy! Alright I'll let ya!
SH: Are you gonna flip a girl?
HS: Yeah! I'm going to flip It honey!
HS: But let me just say something Sammy, you do sound hostile.
SH: Robin! Let's flip Robin!
HS: You do sound hostile. I have a feeling that there's going to be 2 separate dressing rooms.. Your guys paths will nev –
RQ: Will you ever take to the stage together?
SH: I don’t think Dave wants --
DLR; Let me ask you a question! Now Sam! Let me ask you a question!
RQ: Hold it! Hold it! We're trying to get down to something.
HS: Now let Sammy! Would you ever take the stage with Dave?
SH: Absolutely!
HS: You would!
RQ: And Dave?!
SH: I'll play guitar on any of them tracks! And let Dave sing em --
DLR: Sam has sung a lot of my songs, I don't think I've sung any of his.
SH: But first
HS: Would you ever sing one of his?
DLR: Ummmm No..
HS: (Snickers) yeah
SH: (chuckles) We gotta make sure we could do this. I'd like the comparative side. I've been doing an evening with ever since I've left Van Halen, for like almost 400 shows I've done. And you know? You get a little lazy sometimes, and walk out there with all your fans just kinda roll around the stage you know, and sing your ass off and whatever, and it's all good, but.
HS: Dave is saying he will not sing one of your songs!
SH: I don't blame him!
RQ: And Sammy says it will be fun dealing with the people that love Dave!
DLR: You know what? I've already met everybody I know, I wanna meet everybody Sam knows! And I think there's a little cross training there.
RQ: See!
DLR: (inaudible) audiences to share.
HS: Dave! Dave, is this your way of proving to the audience at large that you're not the guy who broke up Van Halen, that you're actually easy to get along with and that Van Halen is difficult to along with?
DLR: Again, it's not my original ambition, you know? But in retrospect that certainly demonstrates it.
SH: (laughing on the phone)
HS: What was it like when you sat home and came up with this idea to tour with Sammy Hagar - what, what, what
RQ: I'm amazed that he was the guy who made the phone call!
HS: Who did -
SH: He put somebody up to it!
HS: Who did you have make that phone call?
DLR: I had my new assistant Matt do it, and we called Irving Azoff, Sammy's' manager.
HS: Ok. And what was that phone call like when you first - I guess Sammy said, ok to your assistant, I would like to talk to Dave about this. What was it like when you called Sammy?
DLR: I didn't speak to Sam on the phone, I met him at a meeting, and the first thing I said is, "Hey, there's' been an acre of bad blood, a river of bad blood through us here
HS: Right.
DLR: And uh, it's time to go on, you know? Something in the future, impunity, I think maybe you even said it if we can do it, next stop Palestine huh?
HS: Right! It does seem amazing to me, and and - And Sammy, when you were face to face with David Lee Roth was there revolution at first? Out of all the negative things he's said about you - were you
SH: Nah, Nah, Dave never said anything that was true about me, the only time things hurt Howard is when someone says something true about ya, deep inside, something you know is really true, that really bothers ya, the kinda things Dave said, I'm sure, you know, you were there, you got em right in front of ya, you can read the list, right down there.
DLR: Well Sam, at least I didn't call ya a goofball huh?
RQ: (Laughs)
HS: Here's David Lee Roth on Sammy Hagar!
SH: I knew you had it!!! I knew it!!
DLR: (from an older interview) Well, Sammy is a mindless little bridge troll drone. You Know?
HS: yep
DLR: Everything that comes out of his mouth is word barf. You know?
HS: Right!
DLR: And its, Sammy is my boy, he works for me man! He's my bitch!
HS: He's your dog! He's your Bitch!
DLR: And when he says my name we just sell that many more records,
HS: That's right.
DLR: Which just reminds people of the glorious past even more, he doesn't even know it.
HS: Is that still true Dave?
DLR: I hereby regret saying anything bad about anybody in my entire lifetime.
RQ: Well apparently Sam has stopped singing those songs and paying Dave! (Laughs)
HS: Yeah, Uhhh, Sammy!
DLR: Actually I think Sam's bass player Mona is going to punch me in the mouth!
HS: Sammy, any comment about that?
SH: Oh Me?
HS: Yeah!
SH: No, do I look like somebody's bitch?
(Studio Laughs)
HS: Dave, you are a master of Karate, I know that for the truth
DLR: Call me Grouchy Tiger
HS: And I know that Sammy is a Professional boxer almost - Uh, If you two were to fight, who would win?
DLR: Absolutely Sam
SH: (Laughs Hysterically)
HS: Really!!?
DLR: Yeah, guy outweighs me by about 40 pounds.
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And the I's Have It!
June 2, 2002
Michael showed up completely unnannounced at the Tinley Park, IL stop of the Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth Heavyweight Champs of Rock and Roll tour last night and joined the Red Rocker on stage to bash out several Van Halen songs including "Top Of the World," "Why Can't This Be Love" and "Dreams!"
Word has it that they bashed so hard, Michael's gonna thumb a ride over to Indiana and join Hagar again at the Verizon Wireless Music Center tonight before returning home. Catch it if you can!
DLR Interview
Prior to the creation of the Backbeat Online blog, Westword conducted plenty of Q&As with plenty of rock stars, schlock stars, rising stars and fading stars -- and oftentimes only a small percentage of the conversations made it into the finished articles. So in the coming weeks and months, we hope to bring you some extended flashbacks -- beginning with a wacky June 2002 chat starring David Lee Roth, resurrected just in time for the February 1 Van Halen sort-of-reunion show at the Pepsi Center.
The yakfest, conducted for an article headlined "Diamonds Are Forever," took place as Roth was promoting a tour that teamed him with none other than Sammy Hagar, the singer who replaced him in Van Halen. Diamond Dave riffs up a storm on this topic and plenty of others, declaring one of my queries to be the stupidest question he's ever heard (I've never been more proud) and practically daring the Van Halen boys to hit the road with him again. Almost six years later, they've finally taken that challenge, and not a moment too soon. Note Roth's declaration that he's "tired of paying top dollar to watch fat bodies waddle around on the stage giving me representations of something that was way mo' better way mo' long ago."
Hilarious? You ain't read nothin' yet...
Westword (Michael Roberts): Whose idea was the tour?
David Lee Roth: I thought of this on the Ides of March, March 15. I was trying to come up with something that would be a little unpredictable, because predictability is the cardinal sin of the music industry. How many more times are we going to listen to, "What are you going to do next, Lenny?" "I'm gonna make an album." "Oh, great. What's after that?" "Well, um, gonna go on tour." "Killer. What's after that, Lenny?" "Um, I'm gonna make a video." Come on. That's kind of like when a family member breaks down and tells you they're taking Prozac, and you have to pretend you don't know anything about it: "Really? What's that do?" But when you hear about Roth-Hagar, it's unexpected, yet it's patently obvious. And I think if you watch CNN at any point these days, what is more poignant than two warring superpowers finally showing a little unity? Jesus Christ, if Diamond Dave and Slap-happy Sam can make this happen -- anything's possible!
WW: Did you pitch Sammy about the tour personally?
DLR: No, I called his manager, Irving Azoff, and he knew it was perfect. I mean, between the two of us, how many tens of millions of album sales have we had? Sam's voice is as familiar as an air-raid siren, and I'm a part of Americana that's as familiar as the Nike swoosh or the McDonald's arches.
WW: Have you known or interacted with Sammy over the past several years?
DLR: Not at all.
WW: What was that first meeting like, then?
DLR: I just went through a quickie meeting to shake a hand and tell him my idea, which was to split everything fifty-fifty, make it a co-headline, and flip a coin to decide who goes first -- I don't really care either way. Azoff and his minions, they didn't say much, and Sam sat in the corner of the sofa and probably five or six times just kind of mumbled to himself, "Diamond fuckin' Dave." Really!
WW: Are there plans for the two of you to do any songs together?
DLR: No, because it's not written in any spiritual contract that if you're going to play rock and roll, you must jam. I think the purpose for jamming is to come up with something colorful and maybe slightly dangerous, and I don't think fourteen drunks playing "Long Tall Sally" for fourteen minutes is colorful and dangerous. Besides, we have a very different approach to stagecraft. Sam has a big production and loads of people on stage and a lot of things and stuff. And I take it from what I learned from watching The Ed Sullivan Show -- four amps, a drummer and an attitude.
WW: I interviewed Sammy five years ago ("It Was All Eddie's Fault," August 28, 1997), and he spent a lot of our conversation ripping on you. At one point, he said, "David Lee Roth quit the band because he thought he was the guy; he quit the band and tried to fuck them. He was a bad guy. He said shit about that band and about those guys that was bullshit -- and I know, because I was in the band then." I'm sure you've seen quotes like these over the years...
DLR: He's still doing it today! But it doesn't bother me. Sam has a passion for this, and I think it's a great opportunity for him to finally find some closure.
WW: Closure to what? To following you in Van Halen and having to listen to legions of fans saying they want him out and you back?
DLR: Sam has had to sing my songs and Sam has had to labor in the shadow of one of the great American bands in the history of the sport. But this is a chance to let people see that there's two halves to the Super Bowl. And you can make a comparison if you want, but I think it's greater than our list of songs. This is a confirmation of some sort, in the same way that going to a Rolling Stones gig used to be -- somewhere between Limp Bizkit and Jimmy Buffett. Because what I sell now better than anything is young and impulsive, and I can make you feel that from 300 meters even without a microphone.
WW: Have you said nasty things about Sammy over the years? I did a quick Internet search, and I didn't find much.
DLR: There hasn't been much, really, because I've been around for long enough not to care about that kind of thing. It's hard to say at what point that happens in your career, and it's different for everyone. I mean, by the time young Beoncé Knowles looks up at the clubhouse wall, the other two girls in the rhythm section have evaporated, proverbially speaking. But after, I don't know, five summers or so, I'd built up a reserve of confidence that defied competition with anybody else. I became Popeye: "I yam what I yam what I yam." And for me, it's never really been about a contest anyway. I'm at odds with the entire planet, much less little Sam Hagar. I'm a black man trapped in a Jewish body! Every time I step on that stage, I'm proving something, and just like James Brown, I have no fucking idea what! It doesn't matter to me or to you. It's just, "Prove it, baby!"
WW: A lot of people in your position would think they don't need to prove anything anymore.
DLR: I've always taken a very confrontational approach. I'm a trigger hippie. You give peace a chance. In fact, give it three chances -- and if it doesn't work, I've got you covered. Which makes sense, right? Because, after all, what animal in the forest makes the meanest, loudest noise? Answer: The one that's the most frightened. Another question: How many musicians have you been surprised to find out are smaller than Prince? Answer: Plenty. What do these musicians have in common? Fury. The world didn't deal them really good cards when it comes to physical stature or whatever. So why are the best artists always the most fucked-up? Why does the best music always come from heroin addicts, crackheads, wife-beating losers, neurotic party dads? Because it's a shout of fury or a cry for help. But I don't come from a high-arts bias. I come from a sports bias. Follow? The high-arts bias is, learn to live with it and let it be, let it be. And my approach is, let me find a weakness and ax what it is, and I'll meet you at the titty bar at eight.
WW: Is it satisfying to you that there are still people out there who treat the day you left Van Halen like some kind of tragic anniversary?
DLR: It's not even an anniversary. It's a steadfast refusal to let that band or the memory of it fade, just like we treat Hendrix or the guy in the Doors. It transcends simple melody, and it transcends lyric writing. It becomes part of your history -- and that never ages, does it? Think of your first girlfriend. Think of your first car crash. Think of the first time you drank too much beer and barfed. It's all like it just happened yesterday, isn't it? And as soon as you hear the soundtrack that happened along with all of those colorful and important events, you're right back there. As soon as you hear the beginning of any of the twenty songs I play back to back, during every single one of them you're going to be kneeing and elbowing strangers next to you and saying, "Oh, my God, I graduated to this!" or "Oh, my God, I flunked out to this!" I get cards and letters constantly: "Dear Dave, I got sent to jail because of this." "Dear Dave, your music got me through jail." "Dear Dave, I'm still in jail." And on and on. People have pinned the most singularly important events of their lives to music like mine and Sam's. Well, I'm not familiar with Sam's catalogue, but I'm familiar with mine, and it's definitely true about me.
WW: Is that the legacy of your career that means the most to you?
DLR: No, my favorite legacy is the last three weeks, when I've been receiving cards and letters from my home base at the Mojo Dojo from all kinds of ex-girlfriends: "Dear Dave, I'll be attending St. Louis. By the way, I'm married now -- but don't worry." I kid you not!
WW: Do you have them lined up all along the tour?
DLR: They're lining themselves up! It's all over but the winning, coach!
WW: It's been a few years since you've seen a lot of these women. Do you think you can handle that much action?
DLR: That may be the single stupidest question I've ever heard.
WW: Sorry about that.
DLR: You should be.
WW: I think a lot of critics are sorry, too -- sorry they didn't give Van Halen its due, way back when. Does it please you when you hear them admit that, or does it just prove they're as out of touch now as they were then?
DLR: I think we attach popular music to who we are or who we think we are. For most folks, it's the soundtrack that goes with their community that's the most important. Like, if you wear a cowboy hat and drive a pickup truck, then country-Western is your vibe -- but if you have a tongue bolt and pink hair and your pant cuffs trail a block and a half behind you and you live below 14th Street, chances are you aren't going to want your friends to find you listening to country unless you pass it off as kitsch. But even though I've always lived next door, I've never been the boy next door -- and I've never paid attention to boundaries. I was one of the first to publicly proclaim, in Metal Edge magazine, that I listen to dance music constantly. That's blasphemy! That sends you to the seventh level of hell in many people's minds. So it's no surprise that the critics didn't understand what I was doing. But I didn't change then, and I'm not changing now. Who am I today? Same guy I've always been -- somewhere between Groucho and Kurosawa. Call me Grouchy Tiger.
WW: Was one of the reasons you left Van Halen because it became too limiting for you?
DLR: Van Halen music was changing. Van Halen music when I was the quarterback was belligerently enthusiastic and enthusiastically belligerent. And in the mid-'80s you heard the music swing in a very different direction. I was "Hot for Teacher" and when they took on another singer, it was "Why Can't This Be Love?" You see the difference, right? But I'm an antagonist, not a bully. I love to mix it up but not with anybody smaller than me, and certainly not with somebody who can't give a little back -- because I know people are watching, and it's all for entertainment value anyway. The Van Halens are not doing well medically and spiritually, so I'm going to leave off of them. I hope they do great, and I look forward to a reunion tour. I'm a no-notice lead vocalist, babe. You don't have to call me -- just send a car.
WW: That should be good news to the folks behind the "Fan Halen" Web site. They're trying to whip up a reunion petition campaign, and they say, "Your fans don't care who's getting along with who. We just want to rock." Is that the bottom line with you, too?
DLR: No, it's not, because I think there's an incredibly high mark of excellence here, and if you can't reach it, fuck off. I'm tired of paying top dollar to watch fat bodies waddle around on the stage giving me representations of something that was way mo' better way mo' long ago. Half-assed? Then I want half my ticket price back, thanks. How many times have you thought that? How many times have we seen our colleagues in so many different rackets of music complete their long journey to the middle. The Bible says "Go forth and multiply," not "Waddle forth and calcify!"
WW: I guess that means you don't want people who come to your show to think they're going to see a David Lee Roth who's twice the man he used to be.
DLR: I want them to know that if you come to see Diamond Dave -- in any sense of the words -- you'd best wear tight shoes, because you're going to flip right out of them. If the Van Halens are ready to go for that, spectacular. Otherwise, remain with the dream.
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