Does the "Eat 'Em and Smile" Reunion talk say anything about the future of Van Halen?

[Nitro Express]

The thing about Hagar's love of making money via the "music business" doesn't reflect a lack of integrity or anything else. It is the music business - the whole point is to make money. So Slappy trying to maximize his take home or using the bidness solely to make money doesn't bother me at all. Think about it - we grew up expecting rock stars to be rich as shit and have Ferraris and Lambos and big houses and we expected those guys to basically do nothing aside from cut a record, tour, party 24/7, rinse repeat. I certainly never wanted my "rock stars" to be broke and miserable.

I have not read Sam's book. So I'm going by what I've read online. But I don't see why using rock to get paid is a bad thing. It IS a product, it's a thing you can sell to people and the more people that buy it then the better for the "artist". And every single person here goes nuts when Sammy exaggerates his record sales with VH compared to Dave's sales. Why? Why does it matter how many records they sold? If money doesn't or shouldn't matter and the only thing that matters is the product then who cares how many records got sold? See - it does matter because we equate success with dollars. So I have no problem with Sam actively trying to maximize his profit. That's kinda what it's all about.

The idea that "rock stars" do it for the love of the music is kinda silly. Look at Dave, for example. The dude apparently owns a house and a low rider and some dogs and that's about it. Who knows what he's done with the money he's made, aside from dropping a mill plus on the BBQ video. What he did do is use the music bidness to fund his love of traveling the world. The guy appears to love living in hotel rooms and only wants to travel and the music bidness allows him to do so. That's no different than Slappy using the bidness to promote his liquor businesses and find whatever it is he does outside of show time.

Physical assets have to be managed. Owning a lot of property is a chore. You have to find people to manage it for you and you have to stay on top of them. It's much easier to have less and if you have less property and a lot of money in the bank you are one free son of a bitch and I think that's how Dave rolls. Sure he has his dad's old house and I'm sure he's got sentimental value for it and his sister lives there with him. She might look after the mojo dojo. I think the important part is to have good songs and put on a good live show. If you are into the Gene Simmons money trip fine. If you want to be a minimalist that's good too.

[Nitro Express]

I don't think you will see Sammy ever back in VH. Sammy don't need the money. Why would Ed have him back and why would Sammy want to be back?

[Seshmeister]

Sammy would do it because he would get to play to 10 000 people again and he could pretend again that his time in the band was equal to Dave's. He could look on his Van Halen career like a game of musical chairs where he wins because he's last out - at the moment he's a footnote and that will bug him with his insecure personality.

As for Eddie? Who knows?

[Seshmeister]

Well according to the folks at melodicrock.com Daves contract is up with the band [ I think we all knew that ] and according to sources its highly unlikely they will record or tour again.They also state that Hagar and VanHalen are not in any negotiations. I say its eat em and smile time !!

If you counted up Melodicrock statements and predictions over the last 15 years about Van Halen they are correct about 1 in 20 times.

Turns out that there isn't that much inside reliable information about Van Halen to be found in Tasmania...

So prepare to celebrate that rarest of things, an accurate melodiCrock post.

[Terry]

The thing about Hagar's love of making money via the "music business" doesn't reflect a lack of integrity or anything else. It is the music business - the whole point is to make money. So Slappy trying to maximize his take home or using the bidness solely to make money doesn't bother me at all. Think about it - we grew up expecting rock stars to be rich as shit and have Ferraris and Lambos and big houses and we expected those guys to basically do nothing aside from cut a record, tour, party 24/7, rinse repeat. I certainly never wanted my "rock stars" to be broke and miserable.

I have not read Sam's book. So I'm going by what I've read online. But I don't see why using rock to get paid is a bad thing. It IS a product, it's a thing you can sell to people and the more people that buy it then the better for the "artist". And every single person here goes nuts when Sammy exaggerates his record sales with VH compared to Dave's sales. Why? Why does it matter how many records they sold? If money doesn't or shouldn't matter and the only thing that matters is the product then who cares how many records got sold? See - it does matter because we equate success with dollars. So I have no problem with Sam actively trying to maximize his profit. That's kinda what it's all about.

The idea that "rock stars" do it for the love of the music is kinda silly. Look at Dave, for example. The dude apparently owns a house and a low rider and some dogs and that's about it. Who knows what he's done with the money he's made, aside from dropping a mill plus on the BBQ video. What he did do is use the music bidness to fund his love of traveling the world. The guy appears to love living in hotel rooms and only wants to travel and the music bidness allows him to do so. That's no different than Slappy using the bidness to promote his liquor businesses and find whatever it is he does outside of show time.

Doubtless making money is important...to anybody. And doubtless virtually every musician who embraces music as a profession/vocation wants to get paid...and hopefully paid well.

However, for me, my appreciation of the musicians I do like isn't based on their earning power. I find the business mechanics of popular music fascinating. One of the better rock bios out there is one is called KISS AND SELL, which concerned itself with the business dealings of KISS from 1976 to 1988.

Even having agreed with all of that, after reading the Hagar and Stanley books I was reminded of something Dave used to say in interviews years ago. Something along the lines of there being a lot of businessmen up onstage pretending to be musicians. In HIS book, Dave talked about the mechanics of the music business also, but did it in a way that was informative, witty and not really boastful. Juxtapose that with Hagar and Stanley, who spend large chunks of THEIR books cataloging their business success, far larger chunks than those dealing with the music that made them successful.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

I could give a shit less about the monetary implications of any potential reunion with Bette....

The bottom line is that a Bette-fronted Van Hagar is a vastly inferior product to the band being fronted by DLR. All of the backstabbing in the press just fogs up that bottom line - Van Bette is watered-down, Mickey Mouse, sappy ballad-dominated pop rock.....

And while it's true that these past three tours with DLR were far from perfect each time around - EVH was shaky in '07-'08, DLR afterwards, and of course no Mikey - it showed the people that a DLR-fronted Van Halen can still fucking bring it, even into their 60's....

I absolutely LOVED seeing those Tweets from kids in their teens and '20's having their socks blown off watching the band kick their ass.... You really think that's gonna happen after two hours of "dig it ya'll", "ow", "love, love, love" ??.... FUCK NO.....

Bringing Bette back into the equation ruins whatever stage cred a DLR-fronted Van Halen had regained after all those years, years in which the name "Van Halen" had turned into a party joke with lousy songs, HORRIBLE lyrics and an embarrassing stage presence.....

So is it gonna happen? If I had to wager, I'd say eventually yes. I think they've shot their load with DLR at his age and voice. I'm also hearing some other things that leads me to that conclusion, although nothing directly related to Bette and/or Mike.....

[DLR Bridge]

Curious. What other things have you been hearing, VA?

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Curious. What other things have you been hearing, VA?

Sorry, asked not to disclose it.

Nothing earth-shattering, really....

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Sorry, asked not to disclose it.

Nothing earth-shattering, really....

new striped beanies!!!!

[Grit]

if we stand the test of time?

Shit, did I actually say that? FUUUCCCKKK!

It's hilarious when Spamaddicts try to claim that Hagar is this awesome lyricist and somehow better than Dave. Most of that crap he wrote you could get off of a Hallmark Card . . . so damn deep. He may have had a couple of decent songs by the vast majority is cheesy fluff.

[DONNIEP]

Sorry, asked not to disclose it.

Nothing earth-shattering, really....

Ed's dog said he doesn't want to be his friend anymore?

As far as Slappy re-joining VH, which I think is gonna happen and that's purely because I am evil, I hope they do a new record. If it's half as bad as the last couple songs they did together it should be comedy gold!!

[DONNIEP]

new striped beanies!!!!

Striped Dickslings!!

[Grit]

I don't think you will see Sammy ever back in VH. Sammy don't need the money. Why would Ed have him back and why would Sammy want to be back?

Sam would do it in a heartbeat. The prick talks about Van Halen constantly because he is still bitter that he has been reduced to a Casino Act. He has absolutely zero dignity and even after saying "I would be a hypocrite if I went back at this point" he so wants to be relevant again and the only way to do that is to reunite with Van Halen. I just don't believe that Eddie would do it after Hagar's continuous trashing over the last 10+ years and throwing him under the bus in his Mostly BS book.

[saint]

I absolutely thinks Sam would do it, the questions is how he would explain doing it without Mike?

[DONNIEP]

I absolutely thinks Sam would do it, the questions is how he would explain doing it without Mike?

Nah, no way he'd do it without his little buddy. Which would suck cause Ed would probably give in and then we'd have Mike back up there but no Dave. I can see Ed doing that just as one more big Fuck You to the fans.