Spam & Al talk smack

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  • 5150Clown
    Head Fluffer
    • Mar 2004
    • 334

    Spam & Al talk smack

    'Worlds' apart, Van Halen and Hagar back together

    July 16, 2004

    BY JIM DeROGATIS POP MUSIC CRITIC Advertisement


    The last few years haven't been particularly kind to guitar wizard Eddie Van Halen, the heart and soul of the band that bears his name. He's endured a hip replacement, a battle with tongue cancer and the end of his 20-year marriage. But now, at age 49, he is back on the road with his brother, drummer Alex, 54, long-time bassist Michael Anthony, 50, and Sammy Hagar, 56, the middle of the three singers in Van Halen's long multiplatinum career.


    For many fans, David Lee Roth will always remain the group's best frontman, and "Van Hagar" was a poor substitute. Others prefer the poppier fare of the Sammy years. On the current tour, which is supporting a new, two-disc greatest hits package called "The Best of Both Worlds: The Very Best of Van Halen," Hagar has withdrawn his longstanding objection to singing tunes from the Roth era, and the set list is about 60/40 Hagar/Roth material, along with three new songs the group recently recorded.

    Hagar and Alex Van Halen took part in a round-robin teleconference with music journalists shortly before the start of the current jaunt, which comes to the United Center for shows on Monday and Tuesday. Here are some of their comments on key issues surrounding the reunion.


    ON WHY THEY'RE REUNITING NOW:

    Alex: It just felt right. Sammy and I got together, and it was like we hadn't missed a beat. We picked up right where we left off, and the moment we hit the studio and started making music, which for us is always where it always began, then that kind of solidified that that was it.

    Sammy: Yes, it just felt like the right time. You know, once we started talking, it's like the first single, "It's About Time"-- I mean, I couldn't help but write those kind of lyrics for it because it was just such a feeling that was just unanimous. We just felt like, "Wow. The time is right, you know?" If we had tried it maybe two years ago, it could've blown up or anything, or maybe two years from now, it might be too late. Who knows?


    ON THE DIFFICULTIES OF RE-ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION AMONG THEMSELVES:

    Sammy: After getting with Al, and then Al talking to Ed first, Al probably said [to Ed], "Hey, I talked with Sam. It was great, you know?" And then the next time I was talking to Al a couple of days later, I said, "How's Ed doing?" We were just laughing about all the crazy stuff we did before -- you know, catching up -- and then he said, "Well, give him a call." I said, "Well, give me his number," and I just -- boom. I just called him, and it was great.

    The whole point of being older is, you know, time going by, water going under the bridge, whatever it is. You kind of forget even what happened or why you were mad to begin with and what all you said. All that stuff goes out the window when you see a person that you truly do have a deep relationship with -- I mean, we were together for a long time, 11 years, on the road, in the studio, making videos, rehearsing. I spent more time with him than I did with my wife, and when you spend that much time with somebody, you really do have a deep friendship, and all of a sudden you realize after time that, "Hey, forget it."

    We decided rather than go to therapy like some of these other bands and dig around in the dirt, we said, "No, no. Here's what we're going to do: We're going to pretend like it never happened. We're going to, like, rise above it," and it's really what we did.


    ON EDDIE'S HEALTH:

    Alex: He's OK. That's a simple answer to something that, again, is probably a complicated issue. But he's healthy and he's ready to go. But I will add that I personally want to thank all the fans and everyone who sent the cards and the e-mails and all the rest wishing him well.


    ON THE THREE NEW SONGS:

    Sammy: Well, the material -- nothing really affects anything, except the music itself always affects everything. When I walked over to [Ed's] studio, it wasn't to go over there to really to play music. You know, Ed's going, "Hey, man. Come on over."

    So he just happened to be in the studio when I came in there, and we went in there, and now he starts playing me some stuff they had been doing, and it was just extremely inspiring, like the first time, just like when I walked in on "5150," when we started recording that record. I had never played music with these guys before, and it was just like magic.

    Inspiration is a great, great thing, and Van Halen music has a lot of it, and it was just so simple. The song "It's About Time" was the first song we worked on, and Ed played me that, and it was just like ... No, actually, "Learning to See" was the first one, but "It's About Time" is the first one that we finished, and it was just like, "Ka-pow!" I just instantly came up with melodies, instantly came up with lyrics. I just grabbed the microphone. I didn't go there to sing, but we just started jamming, and we jammed for probably five or six hours until my voice was completely worn out.


    ON HAGAR'S ILL-FATED TOUR WITH DAVID LEE ROTH:

    Sammy: It wasn't a good idea. It seemed like a good idea at the time. At that time, there was no indication that there was ever going to be a Van Halen get-back-together with me or anything. So I mean, I wasn't thinking that way at the time, although, if I had been thinking this way -- if I'd have known we were going to have this, what we have now -- I would've never done it. It's one of those things that you just go, "Well, that didn't work so hot for me."

    I'm not sorry I did it, but I certainly wouldn't do it again. He's just not a friendly guy, and we didn't get along too good. I think it was pretty obvious -- two different people, two different planets.


    ON VAN HALEN'S ILL-FATED REUNION WITH ROTH:

    Alex: Well, it's like anything: Rumors tend to be exaggerated. You know, you drive into somebody's neighborhood, and pretty soon you've been seen visiting the house and you're buddies. There was an attempt to put something together, but it was ill-fated. It never materialized and it just went away. I don't mean to trivialize it, but there's a little expression: "An idiot is somebody who does the same thing over and over and expects a different outcome."


    ON GARY CHERONE'S ILL-FATED STINT AS VAN HALEN'S SINGER:

    Alex: The record that we made in 1998 ["Van Halen III"], you know, I didn't want to prejudge it, because you've got remember Ed's got to read this, too, and he'll hammer me over the head if I don't say something of how he saw the picture, and that is when you make music, you know, you try to be true to what comes from your heart, and once it leaves -- once it's been recorded and it leaves your hands -- it's anybody's guess what happens to it. And I think that's probably the best way to answer that question.


    ON THE NEW HAGAR-HEAVY GREATEST-HITS PACKAGE:

    Sammy: I really didn't have a vision for how it [should] be. But I think it's very cool that if you're going to do a "Greatest Hits Two" package, that we're in a unique situation where there were a couple of singers in this band, and one of them did a couple of new songs for the last one, and one of them's doing three new songs for this one. I think that's pretty cool. That's almost like karmically very good, because you know if you just did the same thing again, it's not as exciting.


    ON HOW VAN HALEN FITS IN THE POP SPECTRUM IN 2004:

    Sammy: We don't.

    Alex: Intentionally. I think there is music for everybody, and whether it was the days when we first started when disco was the most popular style of music or when the punk rock came along, you know, styles change and musical pace changes and programming changes, but I think it's no wonder that a band like Van Halen -- just like some of the other bands who have been around through the history of rock 'n' roll -- transcends that. It's not about a fad, it's not about the latest hit single, it's something bigger than that, and I wish I knew exactly what that was. It's just something intangible, and it's almost like we're along for the ride.

    Sammy: It's like we have decided that we're the only ones that do what we do. If you want this, this is the only place you can really get this. There are other bands that are great, and you could say, "Hey, Britney Spears certainly puts on an unbelievable show; the production's fantastic," but that isn't Van Halen, and if you want what we do, this is where you get it.


    Pop Music Critic Jim DeRogatis co-hosts "Sound Opinions," the world's only rock 'n' roll talk show, at 11 p.m. Sundays on WTTW-Channel 11 and from 10 p.m. to midnight Tuesdays on WXRT-FM (93.1). E-mail him at jimdero@jimdero.com or visit him on the Web at www.jimdero.com.
    "If Eddie & Dave would put asside their egos, Aerosmith would have to give up their tittle of the 'Greatest American Rock Band'"
  • Antman
    Commando
    • Jan 2004
    • 1261

    #2
    Fuck Al and fuck Sam. Fuck Ed too. Douchebags.
    When the shit hits the fan, close your mouth and duck.

    Comment

    • Bob_R
      Full Member Status

      • Jan 2004
      • 3834

      #3
      Yeah, I've read this interview before. But, thanks anyway dude.

      Al Van Gina and Spammy Gaygar are stupid motherfuckers.
      Talk Classic Rock - The Official Message Board For Classic Rock -- Now on XenForo!

      Comment

      • JCOOK

        #4
        Fuckem they deserve each other.

        Comment

        • Bill Lumbergh
          ROCKSTAR

          • Mar 2004
          • 5472

          #5
          Have you EVER seen a band so insecure about a former member? I can't believe how scared they still sre of Dave. He's still the boss, and Spam STILL wishes he was him! Long live the Diamond!

          Comment

          • 5150Clown
            Head Fluffer
            • Mar 2004
            • 334

            #6
            Thanks guys.
            You know what gets me is that these are grown men! Why don't they just celebrate what they have and give the fans what they want. If I was Ed I'd do the following:

            Ring...Ring..
            Dave: Hello
            Ed: Hey Dave it's Ed. Look, the Classic stuff was really cool, let's get together, do a tour and perhaps a record. Keep your shit under control and we'll just call it for what it is.....a one time shot for old times sake eh?
            Dave: Sure....when and where?
            Ed : 5150 studios.
            Dave: I'm on my way

            There....is that so hard?
            "If Eddie & Dave would put asside their egos, Aerosmith would have to give up their tittle of the 'Greatest American Rock Band'"

            Comment

            • Terry
              DIAMOND STATUS
              • Jan 2004
              • 12123

              #7
              Originally posted by 5150Clown
              Thanks guys.
              You know what gets me is that these are grown men! Why don't they just celebrate what they have and give the fans what they want. If I was Ed I'd do the following:

              Ring...Ring..
              Dave: Hello
              Ed: Hey Dave it's Ed. Look, the Classic stuff was really cool, let's get together, do a tour and perhaps a record. Keep your shit under control and we'll just call it for what it is.....a one time shot for old times sake eh?
              Dave: Sure....when and where?
              Ed : 5150 studios.
              Dave: I'm on my way

              There....is that so hard?
              Dave shouldn't bother setting foot in 5150 studios. Fuck giving EVH home-court advantage.

              Dave keeping his shit under control? Is that a euphemism for kissing Ed's ass? Roth's out-of-control attitude went a long way towards define what the classic lineup was all about. Why soften it now?
              Scramby eggs and bacon.

              Comment

              • DavidLeeNatra
                TOASTMASTER GENERAL
                • Jan 2004
                • 10715

                #8
                Originally posted by Terry
                Dave shouldn't bother setting foot in 5150 studios. Fuck giving EVH home-court advantage.

                Dave keeping his shit under control? Is that a euphemism for kissing Ed's ass? Roth's out-of-control attitude went a long way towards define what the classic lineup was all about. Why soften it now?
                A M E N ! ! !
                Roth Army Icon
                First official owner of ADKOT (Deluxe Version)

                Comment

                • Samsonite
                  Head Fluffer
                  • May 2004
                  • 221

                  #9
                  If any of you guys spent as much time with DLR as Eddie or Alex did...you would probably not want to do a reunion either...

                  Comment

                  • DavidLeeNatra
                    TOASTMASTER GENERAL
                    • Jan 2004
                    • 10715

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Samsonite
                    If any of you guys spent as much time with DLR as Eddie or Alex did...you would probably not want to do a reunion either...
                    if you spent as much time with a real girl as you spent alone with your little wiener you'd probably not talk that much shit?
                    Roth Army Icon
                    First official owner of ADKOT (Deluxe Version)

                    Comment

                    • Samsonite
                      Head Fluffer
                      • May 2004
                      • 221

                      #11
                      Originally posted by DavidLeeNatra
                      if you spent as much time with a real girl as you spent alone with your little wiener you'd probably not talk that much shit?
                      How would I not talk that much shit? If anything I'd have more confidence...

                      Comment

                      • Big Train
                        Full Member Status

                        • Apr 2004
                        • 4013

                        #12
                        How is it that one guy can be so "hard to get along with". Nobody had a problem for 10 years hanging with the guy, who steered the ship to riches and fame. If they didn't have the money in their accounts, I wonder how hard Dave would be to deal with. It is complete rewriting of history they are attempting and for Daves sake, it is kinda sad. Then again, the fans know the truth and I truly believe Dave's stock is rising cause of all this sham stuff. You can only tell so much bullshit. Roth is actually the underdog, as he has been pummeled in the press for so long by 4 adults...

                        dave is the better man, the better singer and the better boss. End of story.

                        Comment

                        • Viking
                          Veteran
                          • Jan 2004
                          • 1774

                          #13
                          I wonder if they all have a communal circle jerk before they hit the stage......

                          Comment

                          • scottydabodi
                            Crazy Ass Mofo
                            • Jun 2004
                            • 2541

                            #14
                            This interview is nothing but mindless JABBER from two fruitcakes who are scared of DLR because they know that HE'S the one that put them on the GODDAMN MAP!! No Dave, No VH, end of story!!
                            If you listen to fools
                            The Mob Rules

                            Comment

                            • DLRdelight!
                              Veteran
                              • Jul 2004
                              • 1501

                              #15
                              How could they say doin the same thing as the last best of ( the two tracks with dave) wouldnt have been as excitin. it would have put more excitement than any of this crap

                              Comment

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