Sammy Hagar on Van Halen: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

[@jimdennis9328]

In case anyone is wondering, this interview took place on February 23rd, 2016.

[@andrehendrik]

thanks

[@ronnie_5150]

Exactly. People have been re-hashing the whole VH/Sammy feud, including Sammy himself, for literally more than 2 decades.

[@vegaspowerlifting]

Every time I see Sammy it freaks me out that he is in his mid 70s.

[@Mme.Swisstella]

this is from around 2006-2008.

[@motcrue64]

@@Mme.Swisstellait’s definitely not that old

[@MichaelStBlack]

Van Halen would have burned out continuing with David Lee Roth; Sammy Hagar saved Van Halen, gave them new life and offered to go in a direction that could have never happened with Roth.

[@Slowhand871]

VH with Dave was the best imo. Same with AC/DC and Bon the first is always the best!

[@marknugent6155]

I feel the same on AC⚡️DC . Dave's Head became too Big . But it's apples and oranges . Two , great bands , 4 great Front men .

[@soeffingwhat]

@@marknugent6155 Sammy had a big ego too to be fair.

[@rickharris323]

Dan Rather doesn't realize that Sammy Hagar would have been inducted into the RRHOF even if he'd never been with Van Halen. Montrose was legit, Hagar as a 'solo' artist was legit.

[@2sc458]

The David Lee Roth years, musically, were my favorite VH years. Sorry, to each his own.

[@davidyork4162]

Agreed. Also... just disrespectful of Ed.

[@redacted2275]

Wow, daring today, aren't we? 🙄

[@oscaru5342]

Don't be sorry... The real Van Halen had David Lee Roth at vocals. Hagar is a scrub...

[@RS-oj3eb]

​@@oscaru5342David lee roth couldnt sing his way out of a paper bag, sammy is in his late 70s and can still sing, DLR deffently cant sing today, also sammy was a star before van halen, sammy didnt need van halen, on the other hand david lee roth needed van halen, when he went solo, it was horrible.

[@Steven-hk2wb]

Dan has found his calling. I love his rock star interviews. And, he seems to have taken them seriously. Love you Dan and how you get them to share their soul with you.

[@Shadow0fd3ath24]

Dave could sing his fucking ass off over 4 octaves, rythymically "play" with is voice with timing and vocalizing, and hit notes and screams in ways no one else ever could and follow the music in a unique way with lyrics that were so special....For Sammy to say he only had showmanship, and that was it, is INSANE lol. Its no wonder so many dont like the Van Hagar era stuff

[@FunClamp]

Completely agree, I love Sammy but his era of VH was nowhere near the song quality and excitement of the DLR days. Dave WAS Van Halen really, and Sammy was most definitely the 'replacement vocalist'. Also, after he joined the band, the songwriting got pretty twee, in my view. It all became pretty average.

[@johnnysupertramp1090]

Sammy is so brutally honest, this is so refreshing. Sammy is the real deal!

[@MedicFL1-bw4xs]

Loved Rock Candy from Montrose and was weird to see him in Van Halen. Running with the Devil back in 1978 changed the game for me. You from then on , knew when Eddie Van Halen was playing on a song...

[@tonyowens6802]

This is an OLD interview…

[@Mexxx65]

Oh ok. Thought it was. How old?

[@jonathanwebb3024]

​@@Mexxx65Dirt

[@tdog1983-v6c]

@@Mexxx65not important. Hagar was trash and I guess if you’re 60 now you listened to him

[@Mme.Swisstella]

SailBoar Frepche, is that you?​@@tdog1983-v6c

[@jerrywagner4690]

Sammy Hager is responsible for a lot of my hearing loss ,Thanks Sammy!

[@thenexthobby]

Sammy's got that texture in his speaking voice that hints at the performer. As for the personal interactions with other famous people (DR and EVH) I can imagine it was a wild ride. Being able to let things go isn't easy for anyone, but it seems he was better able than many to do so. Not that any of that matters to fans ... if I had to reduce it down, the DLR years were magic, and so were the first few when Hagar re-invigorated his career with VH.

[@MrMegaFredZeppelin]

Sammy Hagar is a Legend in Rock & Roll for 50+ years🎸🎤🎶ROCK ON!!!!!!!🤘🏻🤙🏻✌🏻

[@joeyhumphrey4536]

Well said Mr. Fred!

[@oscaru5342]

No he's not...

[@joeyhumphrey4536]

@@oscaru5342 If you are saying he is not a rock legend, you are mentally challenged. He starting with Ronnie Montrose in 1973. We are in 2025. That is 53 years later and he is still out on the road. The man donates tons of money to his restaurant employees which has nothing to do with being a legend. He does not get credit like he should for his guitar work. He has had Ronnie Montrose and Eddie Van Halen doing the guitar work, to of the best guitar artist in the last 60 years. He has worked with every rock N Roll legend. Oscar, go call under a rock, because you have no clue about Rock N Roll! Period

[@sethkaicer319]

Sammy Hagar convinced me that I can't drive 55 🚨📢🪕💽

[@carolk5770]

This is old but Sammy’s great!!!🤗🌞🌟😁

[@wasp4eva1]

I like the Roth stuff and the Hagar stuff. But the main difference is I don’t like the sound of Roths vocals. I don’t think he could ever sing well. Sammy on the other hand is a vocal powerhouse. He doesn’t get enough credit for what he was capable of singing. And I always thought he’s pretty humble too.

[@FunClamp]

It's funny you say that, I always thought Sammy struggled to maintain power in certain ranges - whereas DLR smashed the sh*t out of every delivery. Each to his own though, of course :)

[@RaymondLovelace]

The Red Rocker is at the top of the list in my book!

[@oscaru5342]

Must be a pretty empty book...

[@Dr_Flankensteinn]

It's sad Alex Van Halen never gave Sammy the credit he deserved while in Van Halen in Alex's book "BROTHERS"

[@AarosConcerts]

Why should he? Sammy whines about Alex everyday. Don’t blame him a bit

[@GNewcomb-q9v]

@@AarosConcerts so he whines? How do you know he is not being truthful?

[@SalamiKing7]

@@AarosConcerts Whines? All Sammy says is that he wants to get back in touch with Al.

[@oscaru5342]

@GNewcomb-q9v, Because he is whining! Hagar is just butt-hurt because Alex Van Halen(one of the original founders of the band) said the TRUTH. Deal with it... hagar was a substitute!

[@oscaru5342]

@SalamiKing7, Obviously, what you don't understand is, Alex Van Halen doesn't want to have anything to do with him! What part of that don't you understand..?? Do you think it's ok to force somebody to talk to you if they don't want to talk to you..? If you do, you have major issues...

[@mackmaloney3776]

For some reason, Dan Rather is great at interviewing rock stars

[@scottmartin6479]

It seems nobody in this band can tell the truth. No, Sammy didn't want to be DLR. He did, however, want to be Roger Daltrey. Sammy didn't want VH's image? That's funny because all of his songs with VH are about getting laid and partying.

[@soeffingwhat]

One reason a lot of people did not like Sammy in VH is because from the start he tried to make VH "his" band. They rarely played DLR songs, which I think was unfair.

[@didsomebodysaydmt8193]

I'll quote DLR. When you think of EVH, you think of an individual. when you think of DLR,you think of VH. Enough said.

[@LisaLisa-526]

He's so 🔥 ❤

[@ChargeItToTheUnderhills]

Please put dates in the title or description

[@jesusislukeskywalker4294]

great insight, great dude 👍

[@pedraw]

Alcohol addiction is bad enough on it's own but drug addiction is a whole different level of hell. My fav VH albums were the Dave era because it was a totally different sound at the time and Dave was certainly a character of his own. They pretty much lost me at 1984.

[@charles-cl6xj]

I remember your mom, Gladys, worked with her at Kayser-roth in berdoo.🥂

[@demonspoo]

So he doesn't like Dave? LOL

[@CharlesRBiggs]

Respect for Samuel.

[@jdam568]

Sammy is still winning.

[@oscaru5342]

You mean whining... Cuz he's definitely not winning. He's a substitute.

[@rantromse2051]

3,41 Best rock-photo ever.

[@cahmon3y338]

I listen to Sammy on the radio he’s a radio host

[@NightCat-2000]

VH had great success with Sammy, they had 4 number one platinum albums with him. But Sammy has not come to terms with the fact that he is indeed jealous of David Lee Roth. The Roth years are the most popular amongst fans, the first album is one of the great debut hard rock albums of all time, and the best selling VH album along with 1984. Roth was more than just a showman, he was a great vocalist. Sammy deserves to be 100% proud of his time in the band, but those songs will never be as popular as the Roth material.

[@Disciple793]

Sammy/s vocals have outlasted Dave by 20 years. I hardly believe he is Jealous of David Lee Roth. Furthermore, Sammy was leading Montrose before VH made any noise in the music industry.

[@NightCat-2000]

@@Disciple793 Yes, Sammy's vocals have easily outlasted Dave's, and he certainly was great for the 3 years or so he was in Montrose, but I was talking in regards to the Van Halen legacy, his time with the band will never be more popular than the Roth era. The Roth years are much more highly regarded amongst fans.

[@joeyhumphrey4536]

Totally wrong. Sammy jealous? Sammy is doing the interview but after that his mind is on life, business and helping people. Far from thinking about DLR. As far as David, he had a good voice in his early years but his ego got way to big! Period. Who is still going strong? Mr. Hager and still has a voice over 50 years later. Nice try.

[@redacted2275]

They were on tour together, sweetheart... they may not be best friends but no one is jealous of no one...

[@NightCat-2000]

@@redacted2275 And Sammy has spoken ill of Dave and that tour, "Sweetheart"

[@blakespower]

Sammy was the true professional he tried to look past personal squabbles and Just do the job

[@oscaru5342]

Wrong answer...

[@johnpelletier7641]

Dan is 93 and Sammy Hagar is 77. This is many years ago.

[@chrisconny2285]

77 yrs old and still rockin 🍻🍻🍻

[@ToddVondrasek-j2z]

Love is walking inn❤

[@adamvanderriet9669]

Van Hagar for the WIN!!! The debut is the only Roth era album really worth anything (2-3-4 are average at best), and it's so stale at this point I haven't been able to listen to it for years, where Van Hagar still sounds fresh and contemporary 🔥🤘

[@jamesstafford62]

Yea like elevator music

[@oscaru5342]

@adamvanderriet9669, You must need a hearing aid. Van hagar was garbage...

[@Syamhouse]

I’m being gaslighted in my own house again.

[@barrycw1]

What decade is this from?

[@Daneiladams555]

the original Van Halen was the best

[@oscaru5342]

Thank you...

[@resourcesforteachersandver6264]

i still prefer the first 4 albums over anything they did later.

[@lonedisciple1047]

Showman vs a great musician and down to earth “red rocker”

[@Dooguy]

Exactly...vh 1 was like watching Jim Carey in a comedy. Vh2 was jim in a drama. Both performances were good. But Jim was made for comedy just like the original vh was made for rock ...not pop.

[@augustdrums1247]

They did a ton of cover songs, I like them too, but this band should never have a cover song on it. That was Dave's input.

[@robpaxson4455]

@@augustdrums1247their cover of You Really Got Me is one of the best covers ever

[@AarosConcerts]

Everybody does

[@AlfredSchlegl]

Awesome

[@nightrider4370]

He said he's not jealous lol

[@arthurthompson8241]

Dave is just a showman, plenty of the old acts had a showman for glitz

[@reddeadryan78]

He nakes a solid point. But I still prefer the OG van Halen

[@AliciaBug120]

There was nobody on earth like Diamond Dave. Best front man for VH at the time. I always loved Sammy's music and he was a great front man as well but completely different than Dave.

[@Caleb-p4t]

Except for the drag queens Roth inspired lol

[@travzimmerman1340]

Diamond Dave was irrelevant before and after Van Halen.

[@johnrwalker53]

DLR was a Vegas act that started out great, but later Dave was always drunk Live and an embarrassment to VH.

[@davecampbellknowledgeleader]

2:22 Sammy, Dave is human, we all are. I love you man finally got to see you live in ND. David Lee Roth was perfect still is, ok, you too. Let’s build the world our music park now. That way you both live forever and music rocks on. Hear me? Where Eagles Fly. 88 zettabytes creating not surveilling see it? Find the project get hold of me - Dave Campbell

[@HazeOfWhearyWater]

Young Eddie Van Halen wanted to be like Montrose, not Sammy Hagar. Everyone is interested in Sammy's time with Van Halen. Not so much his time solo or with anyone else. That's why he always ends up talking about Van Halen. I have always been a big Montrose fan myself. I.e., Ronnie Montrose. That's why I continued to follow Montrose's career after Sammy was gone but forgot about Sammy until he was with Van Halen.

[@Nrustica]

How old is this? Kinda dated now that eddie is gone

[@festushaggen2563]

The old adage stands true. Never meet your heroes. I used to be the biggest Van Halen fan through all of it since the early 80's. Then the later years and the internet came and EVH just got worse and worse in my eyes. The more I learned about him and saw him making a fool of himself, the lesser I thought of him. Wish I never learned those things.

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

I love both versions of Van Halen. The Roth era was raw and electric! The Sammy era was beautiful. I enjoyed seeing the Best of All Worlds tour in Dallas, TX, August 22, 2024. It was a beautiful walk down memory lane. With that, Sammy needs to let it go. Alex wants nothing to do with him. So be it. Ce la vie. Keep playing your music. Leave Alex be. He isn’t talking about you. Move on.

[@jeffreyrivers1983]

Old video... sammy has less hair now

[@MAZorgJourneySPfan]

If the truth is whining, then so be it. Sammy, hands down, better than David. Sammy, true and authentic musician. ✌🏻Van Hagar was the best!

[@sticksbass]

of course u never thought of being like dlr, dlr was 1 of a kind.

[@stoveguy2133]

Dlr was a peacock. Loved to prance and preen and strut. Plant was a statue. Hagar was a little of all.

[@chrisgronskei5416]

I wish Sammy would have been with VH all along, could you imagine, what if? The sky would be the limit.

[@oscaru5342]

You're demented

[@bstar777777]

Sammy is so petty, guy didn't need to be this way, but he can't help himself.

[@andrewparker7029]

Sammy was the Ugly Original VanHalen for me

[@BradDrawsStuff]

is this new? what date is this? i thought dan rather like 150 yrs old

[@rareform6747]

Truth ... How popular ?

[@KyushuStagger]

Sammy was interested in Eddie’s guitar playing, and then Eddie spends the second phase of Van Halen playing keyboard and the only guitar anyone remembers is some bit with a Makita drill. Thanks Sammy for bringing us VH Lite!

[@Dooguy]

Bingo

[@HazeOfWhearyWater]

_" . . . and the only guitar anyone remembers is some bit with a Makita drill."_ You couldn't be more mistaken. Eddie's guitar work during the Sammy years was brilliant.

[@reidfarrill3917]

Very old interview but still poignant. DLR in the early years was fabulous. A great showman. It worked up to the 1984 album and the hit single "Jump". After that Roth got old and stale. Sammy was a breath of fresh air and it worked really well for a while but ultimately dissolved into profound dysfunction. Eddie on his worst night was still a genius. Only Jimi Hendrix could match his guitar chops. VH was always about Eddie, never the lead singer.

[@garytravis2534]

VAN HAGAR

[@jt-ig9el]

Dave was much better front man!!!

[@googpix540]

Dan always looks like he's going to fall asleep.

[@mz6504]

So hard to hear….

[@Woodpile63]

I can verify Sammy could play for 2+ hours at high energy. Saw him live on New Year's eve in 83 or 85....he played from 10 pm to nearly 1 am, What a show!

[@davidcase4446]

Sammy is a good singer but just way to cliche, and not as good as he thinks of himself

[@joeyhumphrey4536]

David, I thought you were talking about yourself. Jealously will eat you up.

[@richvanorden7026]

Ronnie Montrose...EVH...Sammy Hargar😂😂😂😂 Dave the best front man Ever!

[@rhythmista7707]

DLR most Probably would have been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity as a child.

[@gbmoves7902]

C'mon AXS!! how about something NEW?

[@damonstewart70]

Sounds like Eddie was on crack

[@jeffreyrivers1983]

I liked it all... but their last album.. it sucked donkeys....

[@michaelsims77]

As a guitarist in the 70’s and 80’s I loved the music of Van Halen but couldn’t stand the stage version of Van Halen due to Dave, his antics, and Dave’s obvious lack of any real musical ability. It was all show with not much vocal talent to back any of it up

[@mike4619]

Sammy is pretty high on himself. He couldn't hold DLR's jockstrap.

[@ACEDIAMOND666]

Sammy is still whining....

[@Caleb-p4t]

And you're still whining about Sammy

[@jeffreyrivers1983]

I understand

[@SomeDude998]

@@Caleb-p4t I think Sammy is the better singer, but he never stops whining. The OP is obviously correct. Learn to be impartial.

[@ajmpatriot4899]

He’s answering questions people not whining and let’s face it, the brothers and Roth were all assholes!! 😂

[@celebratingtheclassicswithearl]

Move on Sam!

[@acemacgruber6593]

Van Halen out sold Van Hagar and Sammy hasn't gotten over it to this day.

[@Redmenace96]

I like Sammy H. and his contribution to VH. His put-down of Diamond Dave is just tacky.

[@GNewcomb-q9v]

People want to complain about Sammy that he “whines”. People want to trash DLR but none of us were there, behind the scenes! You can not write off these two as problems or that they are lying! People know EVH had problems! There are videos of EVH F’ing up on stage where he was so out of it! So let’s just blame all sides for the problems with VH & members instead of one or two!

[@Caleb-p4t]

This seems to be more an interview about David Lee Roth than about Sammy Hagar, I wonder if the interviewer knows he's not David Lee Roth

[@nitpoon7982]

we need a sammy hagar / creed tour

[@demonspoo]

lol

[@nitpoon7982]

@demonspoo creed is on tour and killing it ..creed and sammy would rock..of course creed has to open for sammy

[@DanielWoods-y5z]

HUGE EGO…maybe deserved a little bit. I liked David way more.

[@plymouth1968cp]

Does this guy ever give up? Pop singer at best. Not in Roths league. Just stfu Hagar. Montrose was lame.

[@oscaru5342]

Thank you

[@gonzotravelling]

Bollocks. Superb rock singer, Roth is just a show clown.

[@Redmenace96]

One of the greatest dramas in RR history. Who is better? I'm a middle school kid and bougt VH, VH album. Dave is VH and Eddie is VH. Mom and Dad are fighting. Don't make me choose....

[@WRML778]

I saw Sammy in the Kingdome climb the scaffolding during "Ain't talkin' bout love" lean out over the crowd one handed while saying "there I stood and looked down" 50 feet up.. Talk about a man with a death wish.. One slip could have been it! 😲

[@marksaleski9890]

I liked Sammy solo. In fact, I saw him open for Boston years ago and he was fantastic. His VH years? Not so much. It just wasn’t as good to my ears. Go ahead and read Alex’s book. There’s probably a reason why Sammy is hardly mentioned.

[@frankgaitan2702]

Hagar is a 🎸 rock God

[@oscaru5342]

No, he's not...

[@starshipgraffiti]

He's on his best behavior and I still don't like him.this last tour was an insult to Eddie but Alex let him$

[@wacka2489]

Hagar "Riding on the coattails"of Van halen superior success. He was the fifth in line to be ask to be the lead singer😵‍💫 he just got lucky

[@marknugent6155]

Sammy was Successful , years before he joined VH . He kicked ass in Montrose The first song he ever wrote was Bad Motor Scooter . Headlined in Super Jams . Had Songs on Multiple Movie Soundtracks . Outstanding Solo Career before and After VH . You're uninformed.

[@TheTheratfarmer]

I feel like that kick out car windows, I love your song. Pefect tune guitar. You know what I'm stating. Thanks man, work 20 hours, stay active.

[@jasonb.7609]

Sammy is so delusional, and has a major inferiority complex. DLR writes better material, has a far more iconic voice, and is on a far higher rock pedestal than Sammy ever could. Sammy has a couple good tunes, Heavy Metal, I cant drive 55 are cool, but you can take one original VH song against anything Sammy, or any band, before or after he has been a part of and it gets totally destroyed. Two bands you dont want to follow, The mighty Led Zeppelin and the Mighty Van Halen with DLR!

[@Adam-pi9nb]

He’s equally as whiny and arrogant as Roth, without VH he’s the can’t drive 55 guy, the most bland singing voice ever

[@Caleb-p4t]

David Lee Roth is a showboat, his arrogance was his sthick, because he had nothing else to rely on. Arrogance is okay if you can back it up, Hagar delivered every single time, he can play guitar, sing, write amazing lyrics, without being a showboat

[@Daneiladams555]

@@Caleb-p4t nowhere near Roth songs of the original line up, not even close

[@travzimmerman1340]

​@@Daneiladams555 Dave was irrelevant before and after Van Halen. Sammy was Wildly successful before and after Van Halen. Sammy was a musician and singer. Dave was an entertainer.

[@Daneiladams555]

@ it doesn’t matter the music was better with Dave

[@SeanRoberts-my8lh]

@@Daneiladams555 I know lol. If I have to read one more " Sammy was technically a better singer " blah blah blah. Better at what ? Like music is a sporting event. There are a million technically superior singers on the planet that make horrible music. lol The original VH had the magic, the combination of those 4 guys and the songs they wrote. Sammy seems like a nice guy and good for him he joined VH. I could care less after 1984. Doesn't matter. Other than Montrose, Sammy is like the most generic rocker of all time. I can't drive 55 ? ha ha

[@brian-ld4vd]

Sammy Hagar Belcher needs to go away and realize that people like David Lee Roth More, it's Over Sammy. Van Halen is Finished.

[@matthewh.9544]

He doesn't need to go anywhere..

[@TheMICMusicInspirationChannel]

DLR could play guitar pretty well.

[@metallion0738]

Sammy is just pissed off that he got fired by Van Halen I get it, but to say that David Lee Roth is fake and just a show man and cannot play any instruments I don’t buy that. Dave was not only a showman in VH, he gave the last name or surname of the brothers as the band’s name because according to Roth it sounded cool which I agree, Dave also wrote songs with Van Halen and played acoustic guitar in certain songs like the song ice cream man from VH, Dave can sing even though he doesn’t sing as powerful as Sammy but Dave’s voice has just fits Van Halen like a glove not to mention he’s the original singer and voice of Van Halen. For each their own and the rest is history.

[@DannySavageJ]

Sam is a corny meatball

[@SophisticatedBob]

Without Van Halen, Sammy Hager would be on the dump heap of musical history. C'mon Sammy, give it a rest. You weren't an original member, Alex owed you nothing, and you'll never be the frontman DLR was in his prime. Move on brother.

[@akimmbo]

Is anybody tired of hearing Hammy Sagar ragging on David Lee Roth's ass already. Show of hands. 🙋‍♂ ;0)

[@LanaPallenberg]

The whole world knows who David lee Roth is ... as for this guy most people outside of The States would not know who he is.. I played in Alternate bands in the 80's and now Jazz and until recently I had never seen or heard of him until he turned up on Reels interviewing a couple of American rock stars , I did not know who he was , actually thought he was a DJ or somebody like Howard Stern ..but people like this guy who spend so much time and effort rubbishing Roth and Eddie in this interview well it only reflects badly on him...no wonder they kicked him out he and got Roth back .. he is a small minded , sad little person.

[@rmptrawler89]

Dan Rather can't make it as a news man so, he tries music ?