Q: I've been reading the VH bulletin board on AOL and the fans are going crazy speculating and theorizing. There's a lot of confusion. When did this all come down?

A: Fathers's Day, that's when Eddie called me in the morning and said, "Hey, we've gotta talk,"and I said,"what do we need to talk about." I just finished working on that song called "Between Us Two" for the Greatest Hits record. I wasn't happy about it but I was doing it to keep everyone in the band happy 'cause everybody else wanted to do it and I was out-voted. So I went down and resang it, and I rewrote some of the lyrics at the request of the band 'cause they didn't think I was into it and they were absolutely right but I still did what I thought was great. I left and four days later Eddie calls me and says, "We gotta talk, I'm frustrated with you man, you never like to do what anybody tells you to do" and I'm going , "Yeah, that's me, that's the kind of person I've always been, you've known me for 11 years. So what's the problem?" "Well, you know, I don't like that and I got so frustrated I went and got David Lee Roth back and we've been rehearsing, we're going to write some songs."

Q: Was this the first time you heard David's name mentioned?

A: Totally, I was completely shocked. This was the guy who was the enemy for 11 years. I'd never met David Lee Roth in my life and had no preconceptions about him other than I didn't like the way he sings but these guys had me convinced that he was the worst asshole on the planet, that he was devious and was the enemy. I'm sure you have interviews where they're raggin' on him. So all of a sudden they got him back and I'm going, "What in the world that I do that was so bad?" I'm the same guy I've always been. I didn't change at all. We were taking a break from the last tour just like we always have and all of a sudden I'm being uncooperative. I don't know what the fuck happened.

Q: You weren't into doing a Greatest Hits album?

A: No, I think it's wrong for this band. We a move-forward band, we could always make a new record. You do that when you want to take a long hiatus of a couple of years or when you can't write goo songs.

Q: Whose idea was it?

A: The manager's.

Q: Isn't it true that there has been tension all along between you and Ray Daniels?

A: Totally. Ray being Alex's brother-in-law and Eddie being Alex's brother, the three of them jumped in bed together and left me out of the scenario. When they started talking about a Greatest Hits record, I was pissed. They were talking about it last year. For 11 years we worked toward being a progressive rock band, trying to make records that were different from the last each time. Eddie's scenario was "I want to grow, I want to expand, have different writers in the band," and I went "Whoa, what are you talking about?" And to go back with Roth, that's a complete about face. I think it's just a way to beef up the old Greatest Hits record and I think it's the stupidest move the band could ever make.

Q: What's the GH record supposed to cover?

A: It's supposed to span the entire career, 16 songs, two new Sammy Hagar songs one of which was from Twister, Humans Being and the newer son, Closer to You, which Eddie and I had written and I think is a great song. Eight other Van Hagar songs and six DLR songs. That was supposed to be the package.

Q: And now?

A: I don't know. We were picking the songs, I was involved with that, I wanted to okay that, But it was all being kept away from me because they new I wasn't really into it.

Q: Didn't the disagreements go beyond the GH album? You wanted to do a solo album and the band didn't like that idea. You wanted to spend time with Kari and your baby daughter and they wanted you to be available here. Even if you were shocked by Roth's re-entering the picture, haven't there been some things leading up to all of this that gave you an indication something was wrong?

A: Nothing major whatsoever. I always wanted to do solo records, yes, but I didn't come to the band and say, "I want to do a solo record now." I said, "If you guys are gonna do a GH record, maybe I should do a solo record, the way you guys feel about me doing a solo record is the way I feel about us doing a GH record. I think it stinks, I think it's a waste of time and has nothing to do with the advancing of VH." I threw the solo record at them as a comparison and they said, "We don't want you doing a solo record," and I said "Fine, I won't do a solo record right now. I want to spend two months with my new baby and then I want to move back down to LA in June and start the record." They said, "We don't want to do it until September." I go "great, best news I've heard." So I split to Cabo, did the Alice Cooper thing. It was a blast, I spent four days there, then I resang the song and rewrote some of the lyrics. I said, "Cool, I'll move back down here August 15, get a house and we can get to work on ideas and start the record in September." Everything was great as far as I was concerned. I wasn't doing a solo record. I've always liked doing that but not to quit the band or ruin the band. That's why I haven't done a solo record in 10 years. I put the band first. This solo crap is not true. This time I have no choice but to do some kind of solo record but it wasn't what broke the band up. Eddie said, "You've always been a solo artist and you try to be a solo artist in this band so why don't you go back to being a solo artist and we'll go back and work with Dave." I said, "that's really what you want to do?" "It's what a gotta do man." "Okay." That was it. He hasn't called me and I have no reason to call him.

Q: And you haven't spoken to Al or Mike either?

A: I talked to Mikey a couple of times, Mikey and I are friends. We planned my Birthday bash in Cabo and we've had that fun Tres Gusanos thing, which I'm sure they won't let him do now.

Q: What does this do your friendship?

A: Nothing, we could still be friends but it takes away from our musical friendship where he and I can go and jam with other people. We'd go to clubs and during down times we'd take Tres Gusanos and play unannounced. Mike and I developed this neat little thing where we'd go out and perform Sammy Hagar songs, and it was fun for us and the fans. Hopefully Mike and I can continue our relationship but right now he's nervous, he doesn't want to jam with me in the middle of this. I think he wants to be careful and I don't want to cause any trouble for Mike or anybody else. I don't want any trouble from all this, if this is the final chapter for me and Van Halen,fine. I want to get on with what I want to do now.

Q: Eddie's wife Valerie has posted online that nothing was done behind your back, that you'd expressed unhappiness with the way things were going in the band on the tour, that it had been taking a toll on your health, your voice was shot and you didn't want to tour.

A: Not true at all. On the last tour we did 138 shows in eight months, the most shows we'd ever done in our entire career and I wasn't bitching about that. Ed was walking around with a cane and Alex had a neck brace on his neck. Those guys were breaking down, not me. I got sick the first week, I had the flu, and after that I came back and was fine. I never got sick the whole tour. I sang better the whole tour than I had sang in my whole life. There's no truth to that. It wasn't me that was breaking down. I didn't want to tour off a GH record. I don't want to be a GH band. I had a GH album out 2 1/2 years ago because I was in the band and Sammy Hagar no longer had a solo career. The company wanted to release one, and it was an opportunity for me to put two new songs on and have a little fun. If I thought that I'd be Sammy Hagar again I'd have never done a GH album because you do them when you are done making records. My only gripe about touring is that I don't want to tour with a GH record.

Q: So where did the conflict start?

A: At the beginning of the year there was talk of a GH record and I was kind of tricked to do two songs for the Twister movie. I agreed to do them and then they said the movie would only have one, the other is an instrumental with Alex and Eddie. Then the other song would be on the GH album and I was trying not to make a GH package. I wasn't cooperating very well, Okay? I never cooperate (Laughs). Anyway, they kind of tricked me into that, and it was right when Kari was due to have the baby. The video was the week the baby was due and it's her first baby so you never know. I didn't want to leave town, and she couldn't come with me, so it was difficult but I agreed to do it. I went in to do the video and the band was compassionate about it and I made it back in time, but three days later, bingo. I wasn't real happy about it but I wasn't about to blow off a $400,000 video. Then they wanted me to resing the song and I thought the song was good enough but I redid it. I'm confused by all this, I get the feeling that the band didn't want to work with me anymore, why I don't know. I feel like there was a lot of pressure being put on me. If they say I didn't want to tour, it's not true. I just did a huge tour and I didn't break down. I don't know where the real problem lies but Ray Danniels wasn't very helpful. He and I never got along. If Ed Leffler was alive this never would have happened.

Q: What do you think the chances are of this working out with Roth?

A: If they do it I'd say it's strictly business. There's a big talent difference where VH has grown to. There are fans who say, "the old stuff is great, much better." The old stuff is great, no doubt about it, but it was different. It's not the same guy on guitar and drums, they've grown into being different. To go backwards like that, I don't think Dave has grown in the same direction. I've been playing with them 10 years and these guys are great musicians. Unless they want to be a nostalgia act, and say "Lets go back to what we once had." I can understand that but I don't see it happening. I think those guys have grown so far apart it's ridiculous. Eddie and Al wanted to change and I was there and able to change and grow with them. What was wrong with this machine? It was well oiled and running like a champ. I believe that if this thing with Roth comes together and goes really well and the audiences respond to it they'll keep on doing it but I think they're afraid to make a commitment to Dave until they see how it's going to be. I think it's smart but not the way I do things. I think they're being very careful and saying it's a one time thing until the world goes crazy and gets in line and buys tickets to a tour and then they'll make a new record. They're not talking 'cause they are not sure.

Q: How much influence did the KiSS reunion have in all this?

A: It can't be that because we did unbelievable business every time we went on tour. If we had bombed, if our record sales were dropping, maybe. But it wasn't so it can't be that.

Q: Has you living in the Bay Area and Hawaii and spending time in Cabo put a mental as well as a physical distance between you and the band?

A: It's always been like that, I've always been my own person. I had a life before, they didn't take me out of oblivion. I've always lived in Marin County and always had my place in Cabo, before the band, before Cabo Wabo. I wrote the lyrics for OU812 out there. Nothing has changed but maybe they didn't like that anymore. I don't know, maybe it's when you are with someone for so long and know them so well and know where they're coming from, you start hating the way they laugh. Maybe that's the way Eddie got with me 'cause I'm a real strong, forceful person and maybe he doesn't like my lyrics anymore and maybe that's a legitimate thing. He's become more conscious of lyrics. But when he said he wanted someone else to write lyrics I said, "You might as well get someone else to sing them." It's what I do, it's my job.

Q: What do you have to say to the fans?

A: I'm awfully sorry about this. I don't think it's cool but life goes on. When I decide what I am going to do I'm going to announce it and do it with all my heart and it will satisfy people. It's not gonna be Van Halen and Van Halen ain't gonna be Van Hagar. I'm sorry it happened but hopefully they'll do something great and I'll do something great.

Q: At this point would you ever consider patching up differences and going back to the band?

A: After seeing what happened with DLR, I would never say never, but let me tell you, I'm not in a hurry to get in a room and try to work with these guys because I feel betrayed. They did to me what Roth did to them and I'm really not interested. To me it's over. Montrose, he and I got in a big argument and we fired him and I didn't want to go back, I was happy to be a solo artist and play with friends. Now I'm very interested in playing with people I trust and like again. Ten of the 11 years I was in the band, we were great friends, we made great music and we had so much fun, I can't say anything bad about the band, I refuse to. Something happened in the last year, I don't know what it was but I haven't changed a bit, I'm the same guy I was. Now I have such a bitter taste from having such a great time and having it go bad. I want to jam with people I've jammed with in Cabo over the years, I want to call them up and see who's available, write some songs. I have songs written already that I thought would be on the next VH record, I've always been a songwriter. Maybe I'll go down to Cabo and jam some more and find out who I want to play with and what role I want to be in, whether I want to be a solo artist or in a band. I want to play with people I enjoy and like, I'm going to surround myself with friends and have fun. Rock 'n' roll stinks without fun. You might as well have a real job.

Q: You have sons, and Kama is your first daughter. How is being a father once again after all these years?

A: You sit there and look at her, you look a two month old baby in the eyes and you go, "Wow, this is true love." It gives you a good, heartwarming feeling. She brings out my sensitivity a lot more. When your friends let you down, and I feel let down, I look at this baby and thank God for her, there is true love in the world. It's a nice balance for me. I'm still Sammy Hagar and I'm still a pretty positive person and I'm actually very happy right now not having any pressures and nobody bugging me to do this or that. I'm just going to decide what to do and get on with it.

Q: In Hawaii or Marin?

A: I gotta jump in traffic. I'm anxious to start playing with friends and I can't really do that in Hawaii. The first people I'm gonna call are people I've jammed with, like Matt Sorum and Danny Carmassi and David Lauser and Lars Ulrich. I know some of them are on the road. Jerry Cantrell. Not start a band, write a song, see what it's like. I've been in this band a long time and I want to get some fresh input and find out who I am on a musical level. I love life, I love everything that it brings you, good, bad, everything. Everything has it's place. All this is a big change and really cool, a new wife, a new baby. It's great. I'm not happy the way it happened with VH-if it had been a natural course where we looked at each other and said, "We're done," I'd have been fine with that. If you can't put your heart and soul into it together anymore, and you have musical differences, fine. I'm not happy with the way it happened but as soon as the dust settles I'll be fine. I'll keep you posted, My birthday bash is still on October 15 in Cabo. It's gonna be a fun party.

After the interview, Hagar told Metal Edge's Gerri Miller, "This is the most intimate I've ever talked about it. By talking with you I have it sorted out in my head a little better."

Typed by Chris Roybal, thanks Chris!!