Hagar Hoping Van Halen Takes High Road At Rock Hall
January 08, 2007, 8:05 PM ET
Gary Graff, Detroit

Van Halen's appearance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 12 "could go a lot of different ways," according to Sammy Hagar. That said, Hagar -- the group's second frontman, from 1985-96 -- tells Billboard.com he has high hopes that the famously combative group will take the high road on that particular night.

"My hope is that everyone lets everything go and we go there in complete respect of each other and in a loving way, with the attitude that 'I couldn't have done it without you' towards everybody," says Hagar, who received the official word of Van Halen's selection at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Mexico, where he and Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony have spent the past week jamming with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith in a newly developing side project called Chickenfoot.

But he also notes that, "The biggest fear for me is there'll be animosity and 'I won't talk to that guy' and maybe some harsh words towards each other or some sly remarks in speeches ... and it's not out of the question that that could happen. But in the end, no matter what happens, when you hear the music you're gonna go, 'That's one of the greatest rock'n'roll bands in the world, ever, and well-deserved the inauguration into the Hall of Fame."

Hagar says he hadn't spoken to anyone other than Anthony about the induction but planned to put in a congratulatory call to drummer Alex Van Halen. He expects that manager Irving Azoff "is gonna try to spin everyone together somehow" and says he'll "go with the flow" with induction ceremony plans, which Hagar expects will include a live Van Halen performance.

However, Hagar deemed talk of a Van Halen tour this year with original frontman David Lee Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen's 15-year-old son Wolfgang on bass speculative and voiced concern for that particular turn in the band's course.

"Wolfie's a great guy; I love Wolfie. But I don't think Van Halen should bring a 15-year-old kid to replace Sam, Dave and Michael Anthony," Hagar says. "That's a lot of pressure for Wolfie. Just 'cause he's Eddie's son doesn't mean he can go out and play in arenas and perform and entertain an audience for two hours. I would love to see Eddie and Alex get behind Wolfie, with a kid of his age singing, and produce the record for him and help him launch a career. I'd rather see it go that way than come out and say 'Wolfie's the bass player in Van Halen and maybe singing, too.' Van Halen's got way too much history to have that put on him."

From: http://www.pe.com/

Rocker
05:22 PM PST on Monday, January 8, 2007
By PAUL SAITOWITZ
The Press-Enterprise

Sammy Hagar was admittedly excited about the news that his former band, Van Halen, would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on March 12, but it still wasn't enough to trump the Fontana-reared musician's already ebullient mood.

After all, the announcement is just the frosting on an already charmed career.

"I'm in Cabo right now so the smile is already almost as big as it can get. ... This is kind of like a double-whammy," Hagar, who owns a cantina in Cabo San Lucas called Cabo Wabo, said. "But seriously, I feel very honored to be a part of something like this."

Hagar, who replaced original Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth on the band's seventh album -- 1986's "5150" -- was the mouthpiece for the Pasadena group's most commercially successful period. Roth loyalists dubbed the group Van Hagar and resented his acute pop sense, but his presence was undeniable.

Beginning with "5150" and follow-ups "OU812," "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance," the man known as the "Red Rocker" spearheaded a string of four consecutive No. 1 albums.

He left the group under precarious circumstances in 1996. Eddie Van Halen maintains he quit while Hagar claims he was fired, but the singer feels the Hall of Fame Induction proves the quality of the songs is more important than any personality clashes.

"You get a chemistry together when you play and it's really special," he said. "Just because it turned into a big dysfunctional family doesn't mean we all aren't proud of what we accomplished and proud of the music we wrote."

Word about Van Halen's inclusion has sparked a lot of speculation over the Internet as to whether the band will reunite during the March ceremony. Hagar, who toured this past summer playing Van Halen songs with the group's former bass player, Michael Anthony, under the name The Other Half, said he'd be open to anything, but has not yet spoken to any members of the group other than Anthony.

"I'm open-minded and I think everyone realizes that during these circumstances it's best to be on good behavior. ... Anything is possible," he said. "If the other guys aren't into it then Michael and I will go out there and play some songs; I think that either way you can expect there to be some live music."

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