Video Interview: Michael Anthony

July 21, 2011 150 Comments

It is impossible to tell you how cool we feel to have this video interview with none other than Michael Anthony! Currently the bassist for supergroup Chickenfoot (with Sammy Hagar, Chad Smith, and Joe Satriani), but best known as a founding member of Van Halen, Michael is one of the most loved and revered rock bassists out there. Period. If nothing else, who doesn’t want a bass shaped like a bottle of Jack Daniels? But seriously, Michael is one of the nicest guys around, and plays all kinds of beautifully. We’re not sure what your favorite interviews on Bass Frontiers are, but we’ll admit that this is definitely one of ours.

Filed Under: Michael Anthony

JasonBourne

Everybodys an expert …
Halen High

Sparks in ’11 says:
“I had originally hoped with Dave’s return at the end of ’06, that we all would have seen a bit more of a return to the work schedule from the days of old, or atleast close to it. With the summer flying out the window, the band has accomplished nothing more than the one US tour in the 5 years since Dave’s been back in the fold.”

I hear you Sparks. I was originally hoping for more by now. But a new album this year, then hopefully a world tour, will represent a pretty good effort over a six year period.
freddiegirl

Halen High…see Dancing in the Streets ain’t so bad.. The music is killer and fun! I saw that rumor on the Roth Army; hope it’s true! And yes…it’ll still be summer here until mid-October!
Wilkster5150

I love this site and get a kick out of the pissig an moaning that goes on (especially from the Spammy lovers) but I finally have to post. Why is it some so called “fans” think it has always been fine for Sam and Mike to go out and play with whoever and perform VH songs but these same fans trash Ed an Al for playin with anybody BUT Mike?
Get over it. As has been stated many times, there would be NO VH if Wolf wasnt there. Hagar and Mike have moved on to Chickenshit, so should you. Wolf did a fine job on the tour and is only going to get better IMO. As for Daves vocals, all the shows I had the honor of seeing live, he sounded great. The only thing he cant do is the rabid screams. Atleast he wasnt overstraining like Sam in 04. Everybody blames that whole debacle on Ed and, yes he played poorly, but for me Sam was terrible as well. Being a drummer, IMO Al was the show on that tour!
I for one am a glass half full guy and I believe the boys will come out swingin and hit the ground running on this album. Sorry for rambling, just my two cents.
Oh and before the Spammy Heads rip me to shreds, I love every VH album (the six pack th best!) but Sam is just a douche now, plain and simple.
anythingleftinthatbottle

Put Wolfgang on keyboard and rythm guitar and bring back Mike. Everybodies happy. And can some of you guys PLEASE come up with a new term to describe Mike Anthony.I.E….’Good Guy’…’Heck of a fella’…Stupendis human being’…’Swell dude’…Sensable man’…etc. Thanx.
Halen High

freddiegirl says:
“Halen High…see Dancing in the Streets ain’t so bad..”

Yeah okay – you got me – after all these years, you are the first person to get that song to grow on me

“I saw that rumor on the Roth Army; hope it’s true! And yes…it’ll still be summer here until mid-October!”

One of my fellow Roth Army dudes emailed the DJ who announced it. He got a reply and posted it for us – it seemed to confirm the date. The anticipation is killing me!

When the new album is out I hope we get some interviews with Eddie, with him talking about how it all came together like he did in the early years. He was always so enthusiastic about his music and the fans in those days. His interview with Rolling Stone a couple of years ago, in which he talked about writing with Dave, reminded me of THAT Eddie. It’s like he’s in a happy place again and more like his ‘young’ self
3hater

Here’s the problem that most “classic” rock bands have. If they record a new album they can take 2 routes…stick with their known sound or experiment with new ones.

If they stick with their old sound people tend to say “same old stuff, heard that a million times, etc.” Take Metallica latest album which was a return to their original sound, it sold OK but didn’t blow anyone away. A few bands can get away with doing the same thing forever, like ACDC or Motorhead, but these tend to be band that never slowed down or took a break.

If they try something new people tend to say “this doesn’t sound like so-and-so, their past their prime, etc.” Take Def Leopard’s “Slang” album. A major departure from their established sound and it sold nothing. Some bands can get away with experimenting though, like U2, but these are usually not “classic rock” bands, more like “alternative”, one that have always experimented.

Same goes for playing live. When you pay to see The Stones, you want to hear “Satisfaction” and “Jumpin Jack Flash” not some song they recorded last year and nobody knows.

It’s a catch 22. These bands made their mark and already changed music in some way, it’s near impossible to do twice. I look at it this way, any band that’s been around long enough to create 5 or more great albums has achieved something rare. Anything new that a long standing band produces is just icing on the cake.
http://www.ievolvedintothis.com Ken A

Mike is a great singer, a good bassist, and by many accounts a nice guy. But I think the role he played is being exaggerated just a little bit. He did not write the music. When the issue came up of renegotiating who got what percentage from the publishing, he voluntarily reduced his share so that Ed, Alex, and Sam would get more. That wasn’t charity. It was an acknowledgement that his contribution was insignificant compared to theirs.

When someone plays on an album without writing anything, they’re a studio musician. When they tour without writing anything, they’re a touring musician. When they do both, I suppose that’s enough to be considered a member by technicality. But that isn’t much, and not nearly enough to treat him as if he were as indispensible as the others.
Jake

I wish that Wolfgang would play rythm guitar, Eddie all the lead guitar and actually play the keyboard parts live. Bring back Michael Anthony and let him have less restricted bass parts like in Chickenfoot. This would make sense too since when they play live a lot of the backing guitars get left out.
Sparks in ’11

@3hater- You’re right. Alternative bands get away with switching up or experimenting more often traditional rockers. Compare RHCPs Californication to their early stuff. You almost can’t say that it’s the same band. I know they’ve had line up changes but still. It’s kind of a bummer that it is that way because that hinders musical growth. Def Lep may have been excited about forging a new direction with Slang, instead, had no other choice but to be a nostalgia act to earn a pay check. With Van Halen, a rare unique opportunity has presented itself. They are creating new music rooted in elements of their own past with the youthful exuberance of a man (he ain’t a kid anymore) who still has more nay sayers to prove wrong. These new classic style songs will definitely be more in demand than, let’s say, a cd full of songs like “Once” or “Cheatin’ Heart Cafe”. As moody as I am about the time that’s been wasted, I am so far beyond the edge of my chair. I can’t stand it!
Panama Red

Enjoyed this interview, it will be interesting if we hear some of Mike’s trumpet playing on a new Chickenfoot song, like he hinted at. I’m so glad Mike is still kicking ass in a great rock band. What I really like is that his playing seems to be even more utilized and appreciated in this band than in VH where sometimes it seemed like Mikey was barely even there(in some of the studio albums)

Kayser Sozay said:
“I always thought that VH’s excuse of “Mike quit” or Mike hanging with Sammy during the VH down time never made any sense at all. I’ve always wondered if perhaps Ed used that as a pretext for showing Mike the door so they could replace him. It’s not a very cool way to go about breaking up with someone when you want to be with someone else, but overblowing slights and getting angry so you can storm out rather than having to be honest and breaking someone’s heart happens all the time.”
Hey Kayser, a while back on another thread I was discussing the possible reasons of Mike’s departure from VH. It’s always been a mystery to me, the real reasons behind Ed’s disliking of Mike. I was trying to make sense of it and I was coming up with a few different theories about what happened with Mike. Anyway, what you said in your post was the same speculative theory I thought of as far as the timing of Mike’s departure from the band and Eddie using the opportunity of Mike jamming with Sammy to say Mike quit so he could replace him ( Even though Mike NEVER QUIT! )
As usual I appreciate reading your posts Kayser.

I’m just dreaming here, but like others have suggested, maybe someday Mike will be brought back (probably not, like I said just dreaming) and Wolf could play the parts in the songs where Eddie usually has to use pre-recorded tracks during the Live shows, since he can’t play everything at once, like some keyboards and rhythm guitar parts/over-dubbed guitar parts. Wolfgang could be the fifth member of VH with Mikey still on bass. The fans would go nuts and I guarantee you VH could sell even more tickets/perform more shows because the fans would be so stoked to finally see all four of the original members kicking ass together again.

SCOTT – Both of your posts perplex me in a frustrating way. Mike didn’t “betray” Eddie by going on the road and playing Van Halen songs while Eddie stayed in his cave and probably hadn’t seen sunlight in years. If anything Mike helped keep the Van Halen spirit alive and kicking. He and Sammy also made it possible for many fans to rock out to those songs again, something people had been dying to do for a long time. To think of that as Mike betraying Eddie is …how can I put this….oh yeah, fucking ridiculous!
While Ed was home marinating in resentment and alcohol or whatever the fuck he was doing, Mike and Sammy were partying with fans. How are Mike and Sammy the bad guys in this equation? For a long time Ed and Al pretty much called it quits on their fans but Sammy and Mike are the assholes?!

About your Chickenfoot comments — You don’t think selling 49,000 albums in the first week is a lot??!! Holy fucking shit you must be incredibly high!
I’m curious, how many albums has your band sold in the first week? Also, about your statement that the album “barely went gold after a year of being released”
Well, lets’s see, Chicknefoot’s debut album went gold in LESS than FOUR months.
Not that album sales mean much to me but it rubs me wrong when people present BS as Facts.
Chickenfoot’s album (it’s worth noting that it was their debut album) was released on June 5 ‘09 and certified gold on Sept. 10 ‘09. That’s a little over 3 months.
Try to Get your facts straight before you talk shit about something.
For a debut album to make it to gold status like that is an even more impressive feat these days with what state the music industry is in (with more variables to consider because of changes in the marketplace)

freddiegirl…
“I actually love some of Roth_Leaps’ posts but I agree that I think sometimes that he just likes to pick fights with the redheads. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy his ‘battles’ with his ‘arch-nemesis’ Panama Red…who I actually think is a thoughtful poster and member of this community.”

HaHahahah. Thanks freddiegirl. Believe it or not I don’t hate Roth_Leaps_83. In fact, I’ve enjoyed a few of his posts about CVH / DLR. I respect everyone’s opinion as long as it’s stated as an opinion, but when opinions are stated as “Facts” it really annoys me. I also get tired of debating stuff when I think the person on the other side has a permanently closed mind on a specific topic or is unwilling to open their mind to another person’s point of view. But anyway, maybe we’ll battle again, maybe we won’t. The only thing the really matters is the music anyway, and that speaks for itself.
anythingleftinthatbottle

Well put 3hater
DreamIsOver

I love how the Roth fans keep saying that VH just came off their biggest tour. Yeah not by attendance but by money made. Could the fact that tickets cost $150 have something to do with that? There were multiple open sections at 5/30/08 and not sold out at all.
Lupercal

3hater:

Ironically, that is what was so good about the III Tour – it was the best of both worlds in terms of the setlists. I’m sure that many people didn’t mind Gary up there when they got stuff like “Why Can’t This Be Love” followed by “I’m The One” with a few new ones sprinkled in. Its a shame that they didn’t stick with Gary for another album or two because it might’ve slightly solved the problem you’re talking about – it was a new sound, but some “golden” stuff in the set-list. Eddie was also playing really, really well. Such a shame that a Gold album wasn’t a happy thing for him – the whole MTV thing has been discussed about a thousand times but it definitely would’ve helped the sales of III if Roth hadn’t have been rumoured to come back. Hopefully the new album will be some of the old and some of the new.

When I see bands touring on a new album I want to hear the new material – I remember seeing Incubus a few years ago on their Light Grenades tour, and they played 3 new songs and went back to fan favourites. I hope that isn’t what Eddie plans to do. Maybe they should scale down the venues and just do more shows if arena fans are too hard to keep in their seats?
3hater

@Panama Red – am I the only one who sees a parallel between the Michael Anthony and the Jason Newstead (of Metallica) departures? Bass players get no respect…don’t forget Brian Marshall from Creed and Alec John Such from Bon Jovi! They should start a support group or something.
Halen High

DreamIsOver says:
“I love how the Roth fans keep saying that VH just came off their biggest tour. Yeah not by attendance but by money made. Could the fact that tickets cost $150 have something to do with that? There were multiple open sections at 5/30/08 and not sold out at all.”

Keep dreaming. Anti-Classic Van Halen types like you are fooling no-one. And what’s next? Van Hagar sold 80 million albums? You are as delusional as your favourite frontman.
Hillbilly Jim

motorscooter says:

Thanks Sparks. Other than parts of WACF FW (which are albums I cherish BTW) Im burnt out on VH. I hear them in grocery stores, clubs. I mean when you hear something all the time from a band you love, burn out sets in.

Then get the fuck lost dude. Everybody is sick of your downer attitude and constant crying about MA.
Wilkster5150

@motorscooter
NO WAY would I ever get tired of VH being played in public or my cd player. When I was 16 I listened to WACF 3 times a day for about 6 months straight and to this day I cant go more than a week without playin the whole thing. Its my White album. Burn out???
jeff adams

How can anyone get burned out on the first 6 albums? It’s just not possible in my world anyway.
Panama Red

Like I said in my previous post, in response to SCOTT’s posts, I don’t put a whole lot of importance in album sales or if albums went, Gold, Platinum, where they are on the charts, etc. etc. It doesn’t really matter that much to me but I do get irritated when someone tries to prove a point with incorrect data (deliberately or not).
But apparently I was even off by a few thousand. I thought Chickenfoot’s debut album sold 49,00 units in the first week but according to Billboard these are the numbers for the first and second week of Chickenfoot’s debut album:
Week one: 52,000 units (#4 on charts, 3 days of sales)
Week two: 79,000 units (still at #4 on the charts)

@3hater –

“Being a bass player is like being Rodney Dangerfield. The bottom line is, no matter how great we play, we don’t get no respect!”

“But hey, I’m used to it. I’ve played alongside Eddie Van Halen and Joe Satriani. Really, when you’re sharing the stage with dudes that amazing, who’s going to look at the bass player? It’s just not done!”
~ Michael Anthony
SCOTT

@panamared..so do you get irritated when sammy inflates van hagars album sales in his book saying he sold more than Dave era VH ?? for someone of sammy and mike stature chickenfoot should of went double platinum not gold,but the true fact is the fans was Dave & Eddie not sam & mike..face it mike is not Paul Mccartney ..mike was replaced..by a teenager and the fans didnt care.
http://none Dirty Duck

Panama red:

You are one of the most down to earth people on this site, no doubt. But I have to say that I’m a little dissapointed by your stance on sams book. I dont get how you can be a huge vh fan, read that, and not stand back and go WHAT!?
VOA on the same level as 1984? His tours just as big and popular as VH? Die hard fans arent stupid man. We know the bands history like the pledge of allegiance. As much as i know your neutral between roth and sam there are certain things that should not be overlooked. I’m also a little suprised that VHND didnt pick up on a lot of these lies…and im sorry p-red, but they are. He’s seems like a very bitter person for someone who supposidly the happiest man in the world. And it shows…..
Lupercal

@ SCOTT

Albums just don’t go platinum nowadays man. Its a sad truth but a Gold album these days is something pretty fantastic. It doesn’t matter what “stature” they’re at – we can mostly agree that VH’s & Sam’s best CD-selling days are behind them. Not to say that the new material won’t blow our minds, but to expect it to sell literally millions is pretty optimistic, unless they have a massive advertising campaign behind them. And CF are getting there early, as we all know.

Some fans care that Mike got replaced. Do they care enough NOT to see the first tour with DLR in 20+ years? No, they’re looking at the bigger picture.

I’ll probably be flamed to death for this – Sammy’s figures aren’t technically wrong. The Sammy era of VH did sell more records, but Sammy is counting both his records with VH and the “6 pack” as well. So it isn’t particularly flawed, its just technical. But more records were sold in the years of Sammy than with Dave. Whether they were Dave or Sammy records however, is beside the point in Sammy’s mind. I’m not saying that he should go around particularly saying that, but he increased the group’s popularity as people heard albums like 5150 or OU812 and then went to the back catalogue. Its what comes with coming off of a huge record like 1984, following up with something as successful as 5150 and gaining loads of exposure. Its technical fact.
Panama Red

@ SCOTT – No it doesn’t really irritate me if Sammy says VH sold more albums with him. Hypothetically speaking, If VH sold more albums with Hagar and then Dave came out saying that VH sold more records with him it wouldn’t irritate me either. I’m not exactly sure why it doesn’t irritate me like it does some people but I suppose it’s because I don’t give two shits how many albums were sold with either singer and that is probably because I love both eras so it is not a competition in any way whatsoever to me. So that in itself makes album sales of very little importance to me.
Fair Warning is a brilliant masterpiece and it sold much less than any other VH album. (Except for VH3) But Fair Warning is still a masterpiece regardless of how many units sold in comparison to any other album in the world.
I just don’t really put much stock in albums sales. I don’t believe album sales is the yardstick to measure a bands talent, skill, or artistic integrity. There are great bands out there who have not sold many albums and there are awful “artists” that have sold shitloads of albums.
If Sammy Hagar is mis-remembering something and is inaccurate while making a statement, I don’t spend the time to get pissed off. If I felt Sammy (or anyone) was intentionally lying, then that changes things.

Y’know you confuse me a little. You criticize Sammy and Mike for not selling more albums in Chickenfoot (even though their album sales were very impressive) and then you say :
“for someone of sammy and mike stature chickenfoot should of went double platinum not gold,but the true fact is the fans was (sic) Dave & Eddie not sam & mike.”
That is a conflicting statement within itself. You are personally holding Sammy and Mike to an extremely high standard and then at the same time dismissing them and their importance and appeal to their fans.
I think it’s pretty obvious why you would make such a contradictory statement. Because your views are biased and prejudiced to the point that you cannot give fair, objective and honest opinions when it comes to discussing Van Halen and Chickenfoot.
First you dissed Mike and Sammy ‘cause of their sales numbers in their first week and how long it took for the album to get certified Gold, which you were wrong about on both counts. And Now their success should be discredited or dismissed because their album didn’t go Double Platinum?! Says who? You?
The truth is there are many fans of music that don’t pick sides, because music isn’t a silly competition, no matter how many ridiculous attempts are made to turn it into a competion by some “fans.” So the truth is there are a lot of people out there who want Sam & and Mike, as you say, (Chickenfoot) and there are plenty of us who ALSO want Eddie and Dave (Van Halen)

And then you offer this ridiculous nugget of absurdity : “mike was replaced..by a teenager and the fans didnt care.”
Where have you been dude? The VAST majority of VH fans DO CARE. From what I’ve heard and what I’ve read most fans were absolutely not happy with the situation with Mike and would love to have him back in the band. But there isn’t much we can do about that. I guess the only thing we can do is to accept it and be happy for Mike, because he is happy in Chickenfoot. It doesn’t mean we don’t care and it also doesn’t mean that we won’t enjoy the new VH album, but most of is would enjoy it even more if it was the true original line up. Seriously that was a ridiculous thing to say, the fans didn’t care… gimmie a break.

Van Halen and Chickenfoot are Two separate bands, two great bands, two bands that are comprised of some of the best musicians in Rock. Thank God I get to enjoy both and I don’t have to go around being pissed off about one or the other.
Panama Red

Dirty Duck – it’s cool to converse with you again, even though sometimes I disagree 100% of what you are saying (lol remember that?) But it is true, sometimes I disagree with you completely and vehemently but I’m still glad you’re back. You were gone for a long time, I wondered if you were coming back and I was hoping you would.
I think Sammy’s success was much more than a lot of people try and make it out to be. Despite what some people repeat continually, that he was a nobody and he rode on DLR/VH’s coattails, Hagar was selling tons of tickets/albums, going on world tours, and had a very large fan base before he was asked to join Van Halen.
But what I take into consideration when reading or hearing someone speak of themselves is…their EGO. I’m guessing 95% of us have an unnecessarily inflated ego. I think when people recount things in the past, especially accomplishments that they are proud of, there is a chance things get exaggerated or a little distorted.
I’m being honest with you Duck when I say that I don’t think, I’m using the word “think” as in my personal opinion, not that I know for sure, but I think Sammy didn’t intentionally lie or deliberately falsify events when describing what took place or how things happened. Like I said, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t some inaccuracies in his memory or recounting, but I’ve been a Sammy Hagar fan for many years and I just don’t see him as the type of person who would knowingly tell lies. He may be wrong on some things about the past but that doesn’t mean he is intentionally being dishonest.
Dirty Duck, I guess we’ll have to just agree to disagree on this.

But do I think Hagar and his band were as big as Van Halen? Hell no. Do I think V.O.A. was as big as 1984. Hell no. But in 1984 Hagar did have a substantial amount of momentum going on tour. He had a pretty large and extensive catalog of music behind him. Two Montrose albums, H.S.A.S. and eight solo albums under his belt.
But anyway back to the book, I don’t even really remember the parts in the book that people complain about. I know I read them, I guess I just kept reading. I didn’t stop and say “GodDammit that pisses me off, Damn that Sammy Hagar!” I just read the book and took it for what it was and enjoyed the read.

But no, I don’t think Sammy Hagar and his band were as great or as popular or as successful as VH. Well, the successful thing is debatable because it depends on your definition of “success.” Hagar was probably making the same amount of money (or more) than VH because he was better with that kind of stuff, but that’s a whole other thing and it doesn’t really matter to me anyway.
Also Duck, I’m trying to be completely honest here, maybe I don’t get as upset about stuff because I don’t see that it’s really that important. If Sammy says VH sold more albums when he was in the band and that’s not an accurate statement, Sammy making that statement doesn’t really change anything or make it true. I just don’t get pissed off about it. If he said DLR was a talentless hack then yeah, I would be like WTF!! That would get a rise out of me, because that is a personal attack on a Rock Legend’s abilities and success. But fudging the album sales numbers just doesn’t get my blood boiling.
Anyway, after all the dust settles, it’s the music that matters not what was said, the squabbles and all that stuff. I will do something though, I will reread Hagar’s book sometime in the future and I will keep in mind to pay attention to the details and see if I feel differently about it.
I need to go back and find that stuff Adam posted about the inconsistencies in Sammy’s book. I’ll try to do that too.
There’s just no way to know if he is intentionally lying about anything. I guess it’s a judgement call on the individual reader. And my judgement of Sammy is that he is not a liar, he may be wrong about some stuff, but I don’t think he is a liar.
That’s just my two cents…er, I mean 75 cents. Hey it’s me, whadya expect?!
Panama Red

Lupercal – You actually make a good point about album sales. I never really thought of it that way. It never really occurred to me because like I’ve said I’m not very concerned with the whole album sales issue.
But you know what, I went to my first Van Halen concert in 1991, I didn’t have any VH albums, I wasn’t familiar with their songs (except what they played on the radio Jump, Panama, Dance The Night Away.) I really didn’t care about VH at all. I was obsessed with Metallica at the time but losing interest quickly because of the direction/sound Metallica was going, they were changing. Anyway (sorry) When I saw VH for the first time I was completely blown away and I immediately started buying all of the old albums. If VH would have been a defunct band at the time, if they had not recruited Hagar than I most likely would not have gotten into Van Halen and bought those CVH albums. At least not at that time and not at that level of fanaticism. Yes, it’s about EVH more than anything but Sammy Hagar helped keep the band going so he was partly responsible for me buying those CVH albums and he was one of the reasons that I got into the band and have been a huge fan ever since.
Still, I agree with you that Sammy doesn’t need to go around saying that stuff about album sales. It’s unnecessary.
Halen High

Lupercal says:
“The Sammy era of VH did sell more records, but Sammy is counting both his records with VH and the “6 pack” as well. So it isn’t particularly flawed, its just technical.”

Sammy is clearly trying to create the impression in the media that Van Hagar sold more albums than Classic Van Halen – period. And the fact that CVH sold so many albums while he was in the band had nothing to do with him. While he was in the band, they certainly appealed to a wider audience with a more acceptable, pop-oriented approach, but they also lost a lot of their original fans, with each new release getting further from what they were once all about. By 1986, ‘Van Halen’ was THE biggest brand in hard rock, yet their sales dwindled despite their mainstream approach, and despite the fact that their genre was now at its peak in the late 80s. If Van Hagar was really successful, 5150 and OU812 should have sold 10 million plus each.

I can remember during the Van Hagar era, particularly the latter years, reading numerous articles in Guitar World, Metal Edge, Metal Hammer etc, about the CVH era. People were missing it. Many of these stories would include quotes from other artists, explaining how CVH inspired/influenced them. That is what turned a lot of people on to their back catalogue.
SCOTT

@panamared.It`s pointless to reason with you since it seems you already have your biased mind made up..You are the confused one..Can`t wait for VAN HALEN 2011-2012 TOUR AND NEW CD !! WOOHOO !!! BIG ROCK IS BACK !!!
SCOTT

@panamared..P.S. You have way to much time on your hands..lol
Halen High

Panama Red says:
“There’s just no way to know if he is intentionally lying about anything.”

Red – if I was ever in trouble I would love to have you in my corner. You really do see the good side of people.

Sammy lied. No question. Does that make him a bad person? No. It’s just an unfortunate character trait.

Probably the worst example was highlighted by a regular here, Adam, from Sammy’s book on page 113: “Before I joined the band, Van Halen didn’t have a particularly tight show. Roth would talk. They’d do another song. Ed would play a 20 minute guitar solo. They would do another song. Roth would talk some more, another song, Al would do a drum solo for 30 minutes. On the 1984 tour…they were doing 8 songs in a 2 hour show. They ended every song the same way.”

A blatant lie, born from the insecurities of a guy who never respected what came before him. And this was nothing new. During interviews for the release of LRHRN, Sammy was saying the same thing. Then there’s the whole “we sold 80 million albums” nonsense. That’s no simple error. That’s an obvious attempt to manipulate the media into elevating his tenure in the band to a higher status.
Panama Red

@ SCOTT – It’s not pointless to try and reason with me. I’m very reasonable and I’m not biased. I’m fair and honest about how I feel regarding DLR, Hagar, VH and the ‘Foot. That was a Lame comeback dude. I always try to make a conscious effort to remain objective when I’m talking about something and that includes music, i.e. Van Halen and Chickenfoot. Judging from your comments it doesn’t look like that’s a mutual thing between us.
I’m curious, what do I have my “biased mind made up” about?
And you think I’m “confused” Really…
The only time I was confused was when I read your assessment of how Chickenfoot should have sold more albums and reached double platinum status but in the same sentence you said people don’t care about them anyway. That doesn’t make much sense to me.
“@panamared..P.S. You have way to much time on your hands..lol”
What can I say, I had a slow day and it was very nice. Besides my electricity in my house going out for a few hours it was a pretty uneventful day and I enjoyed it. Again though, lame comeback
.
“I did absolutely nothing, and it was everything I thought it could be.”
~ Peter Gibbons “Office Space”
SCOTT

@panamared DON`T CALL IT A COMEBACK..You are a very biased longwinded rambling kind of guy i guess..if i have to tell you how you are biased ,then you oblivious..sammy and mike called themselves the other half/chickenfoot.i did`nt..and if you call yourselves the other half of van halen don`t you think millions of fans would be waiting in line to get their hands on the newest cd ??? well..THEY DID`NT..all i know is VAN HALEN 2011-2012 TOUR & NEW CD..WOOHOO !! BIG ROCK IS BACK !!! millions of fans around the world wait for the real thing..
Panama Red

@ SCOTT – I find it pretty ironic that you are calling me oblivious. I think you won’t tell me how I’m biased because you know that’s bullshit. I don’t think you can’t give me an example without me being able to shoot it down. I don’t lie, there’s no reason for me to. I’m only talking about music here, I’m not a politician running for office.

“…sammy and mike called themselves the other half/chickenfoot.i did`nt..and if you call yourselves the other half of van halen don`t you think millions of fans would be waiting in line to get their hands on the newest cd ??? well..THEY DID`NT”

“The Other Half” was a fun thing that Mike and Sammy did so they could play VH songs for the fans and have a blast doing it while Ed and Al were on a hiatus. They didn’t set out to be a groundbreaking band, or to win a grammy or to even release an album. It was entirely for fun and to try and keep the party going on the road VH style while the rest of the band was pretty much defunct at the time. That was the closest thing to a Van Halen concert at the time and a lot of people had fun. That was it.

Chickenfoot isn’t “The Other Half” it’s a separate band. They didn’t even play any Van Halen songs on tour. They wanted to establish themselves as a new rock band first and foremost, without relying on their past musical endeavors and they did just that. They successfully established themselves as a solid rock band with all new original material and they kicked ass.

You are right about me being long winded and rambling, but not biased though, that seems to be your bag. But whatever, I don’t want to keep going back and forth with you if all you can say is that I’m biased and not really have a point. That is pointless. Very rarely am I ever glad I got myself into a vhnd squabble. I don’t know why I do it, it usually always degrades into something silly. It’s starting to get dumb. You’re biased. No, you’re biased. No way, you’re oblivious. No I’m not, you’re oblivious. Ugh. Neverfuckingmind, have fun hating on Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony. Knock yourself out dude.
It’s time to put on Girl Gone Bad or D.O.A. and get back in the right frame of mind.
=VH=
Panama Red

Halen High said: “Red – if I was ever in trouble I would love to have you in my corner. You really do see the good side of people.”
Thanks. I’m not always positive though, trust me. But when speaking about music, particularly Van Halen, I usually can’t help but to get in a positive frame of mind, it just happens…unless I get myself into a dumbass argument

You said: “Sammy lied. No question. Does that make him a bad person? No. It’s just an unfortunate character trait.”

Like I said to Dirty Duck, we’ll have to agree to disagree about him being a liar. We all have different perspectives, that’s how it goes.

I don’t see Sammy as being an unabashed liar. I don’t know the dude personally or anything but I have seen and read a crapload of interviews with him and he seems like a very upfront, sincere and honest person to me. I’m sorry if that makes some of you throw up in your mouths a little or something but that’s how I genuinely feel.
Like I said earlier, I’m not saying that everything that comes out of his mouth is 100% accurate and on target. I believe he is human like the rest of us and his emotions contribute to his opinions and recounting of stories and how things happened. That however doesn’t make him a stone faced, manipulative liar in my book. Just human.

About his recollections of how the VH shows were back in the day. I wasn’t there so I don’t know how the shows were on every tour with DLR. But I have heard a few other people say that they didn’t have a particularly tight show with Dave. Specifically Eddie Trunk said this, and I think he has some credibility and respect when it comes to knowing music and he is also a huge VH fan. But he is only human after all too and has his own opinions like everyone else, it doesn’t necessarily mean he is spot on about how it was back then either. But I remember him talking about (on “That Metal Show”) how he would get frustrated at VH shows because he said so much of the show was Dave doing his schtick and waiving swords around and doing Martial Arts. He said they could of cut a lot of that out and played several more songs instead. That irritated him very much thinking about how he could be hearing more VH songs.
So I don’t know if that’s how it really was, and if it was that way I don’t know if it was always like that. On what tours/shows was it like that? I don’t know, there were a lot of different tours and shows so I don’t know how often it was like that, if it even was, I’m just repeating what I’ve heard from a couple of people that saw them back then.
I have seen some early footage of VH where they were On Fire, firing on all cylinders and kicking ass. I have also seen footage where Dave was very sloppy in his performance/singing.
Whatever, it is what it is. They are a legendary band regardless and I‘m sure I will be a fan for life.
Now it’s time for Light Up The Sky. God I love Van Halen. Enough of the bickering, I need to Rock Out!
Halen High

Dirty Duck says:
“Panama red: You are one of the most down to earth people on this site, no doubt. But I have to say that I’m a little dissapointed by your stance on sams book. I dont get how you can be a huge vh fan, read that, and not stand back and go WHAT!?”

I wonder if Sammy was surprised by the reaction? The level of anger towards him, from many who said they had remained ‘loyal’ during the Van Hagar era, was huge. I think it was THE moment when many began to see Sammy the same way as many Van Halen fans had for so many years – as an outsider – with no genuine regard for the band that hired him. It is stupid in the extreme for him to behave like this, and he was doing it back in Van Hagar’s early days. If he had any chance of being accepted and staying in the band, despite Van Hagar’s shortcomings, you would think his manager would have told him: “don’t alienate the fans by trashing their band’s original era, or join in the mudslinging between them.”

Dirty Duck says:
“VOA on the same level as 1984? His tours just as big and popular as VH? Die hard fans arent stupid man.”

In Australia, prior to joining Van Halen Sammy had no profile here. I and other Aussie fans have said it before, to this day we’ve never heard a Sammy solo song on our radio. Now we do tend to follow US trends here. If Sammy was as huge as Van Halen in the US(LOL!), why had we not heard of him?
anythingleftinthatbottle

@panama red…..You say your not biased, but yet, isn’t inflating the truth the same as ‘lieing’?
Halen High

Panama Red says:
“About his recollections of how the VH shows were back in the day. I wasn’t there so I don’t know how the shows were on every tour with DLR. But I have heard a few other people say that they didn’t have a particularly tight show with Dave. Specifically Eddie Trunk said this, and I think he has some credibility and respect when it comes to knowing music and he is also a huge VH fan. But he is only human after all too and has his own opinions like everyone else, it doesn’t necessarily mean he is spot on about how it was back then either. But I remember him talking about (on “That Metal Show”) how he would get frustrated at VH shows because he said so much of the show was Dave doing his schtick and waiving swords around and doing Martial Arts.”

I’ve read a few comments from Eddie Trunk over the years – he is an Eddie Van Halen fanatic. He probably bought into the Dave versus Eddie war, and he also likes Sammy, hence his criticism of Dave. I can probably name 30-40 famous artists off the top of my head, with more cred than Trunk, who grew up attending CVH concerts and all I’ve ever read from these guys is stuff like “fucking incredible”, “it was a life changing experience”, “spectacular” etc etc.

Most people on the internet who say they were at a CVH show and somehow find a way to diminish the experience are Van Hagar fans. That is, people who prefer Sammy era VH. They don’t like the fact that Van Hagar is never celebrated in the way Classic Van Halen is – so they come up with nonsense like “they weren’t very tight” in a desperate attempt to find something to critcise. What Sammy said in his book is 100% crap and he knows it. He was talking about the whole of the CVH era, not just some show that in his delusional mind saw the band only peform 8 songs.

Of course they were ‘sloppy’ at times. They were OFF THERE FACES LOL!!! And the fans loved every unpolished minute of it.
Panama Red

@ anthingleftinthatbottle – My definition of a lie is making a false statement knowingly and intentionally. It is deliberately fabricating an occurrence, past or present. Some of the comments I’ve read here about Hagar make me think that some people apparently believe Hagar premeditated lies to try to change the history of Van Halen or rewrite the past. Well, I don’t think that’s possible (even if that is Hagar’s intentions which I don’t take that idea seriously anyway) But what has happened in VH, happened. Sammy or anyone else can’t change that by writing that it happened differently than it did. I think in some of ya’lls heads you might be giving Hagar more power than he actually has. If you know something to be true, then that’s all that matters. It doesn’t really matter what anyone else says, nothing changes.

My stance is this (Man I’m really starting to get tired of talking about this now) I personally don’t believe Hagar premeditated lies or conciously set out to intentionally make claims that weren’t true or tell stories that he knew were inaccurate. Listen dude, I have killed so many brain cells in my life that I don’t even want to think about it, I know what having a bad memory is. His memory may not be as good as he thinks it is.
I guess I will also reiterate some other factors that may muddle up someone’s story of themselves. Ego, emotions, their personal perception of an event and my main memory issue, Father time. I can’t even remember hardly any of the claims people have made saying that Sammy intentionally lied about. That’s why I said I will reread the book sometime and reference the claims made by Adam and see if I feel any differently. But I just don’t care that much because if someone says something in their autobiography that isn’t 100% accurate it doesn’t really change anything anyway. Things happened the way they happened. Nobody can change that. If I wrote a book and told a story through my point of view and mis-remembered something or otherwise made an error it wouldn’t make it true, even if it was a purposeful embellishment.
I understand that some people think Sammy Hagar intentionally lied about some stuff regarding Van Halen. If you really believe that then I’m sure it can be very irritating and even piss you off because of your passion for the band and the music. I’m not trying to coerce anyone into a different way of thinking. I don’t care that much about it. I am just sharing my opinions on the subject, that’s all. Everyone is entitled to feel how they feel. It just seems to me that some people have a fear or concern that Van Halen’s reputation could be tarnished and they need to defend Van Halen. I don’t think that’s necessary at all. I understand the passion and the urge to speak up if you feel like something is BS but nothing can change what really happened in VH whatever that may be.
Nothing anyone says or does can change the past and the reality of what really transpired.
It’s for that reason and the fact that I don’t believe Hagar set out to consciously lie about anything is why I’m not up in arms about any inconsistencies in Sammy’s book. It just doesn’t matter to me that much because nothing can make me love Van Halen’s music any less, Nothing! And that’s what matters.
Halen High

Panama Red says:
“I understand that some people think Sammy Hagar intentionally lied about some stuff regarding Van Halen. If you really believe that then I’m sure it can be very irritating and even piss you off because of your passion for the band and the music.”

Red – I think the thing is, most fans discovered the band during the Classic Van Halen era and therefore have an allegiance to that band, while those who discovered Van Halen during the Hagar years don’t have the same level of loyalty for the original version of the band. So when Sammy trash talks them, for his fans it doesn’t hit a nerve. For us, it confirms our view of him as a disrespectful outsider or imposter. I think Sammy has always underestimated the loyalty of the fans for the original four.
Panama Red

Hey Halen High, I’m feeling pretty good right now, if you know what I mean. Hey even though some of us don’t agree on everything, man I bet if we all got together we could have one hell of a good time partying our asses of. Most of us aren’t that young anymore but I bet if you put all of us crazy 5150 Van Halen fans in the same room together, give us a fully stocked bar and crank up Fair Warning we would end up partying like we were 18 again.
Hey man, you know what, since I’ve been coming to vhnd the last few years I’ve started to get a better understanding of what it was like for guys (and girls) who were fans early on. I didn’t get into VH till pretty late in the game so I could never fully grasp what it was like to be a hardcore, loyal fan from the late ‘70′s early 80′s. After all these years of being a Van Halen fan I’m finally starting to be able to see different points of views from fans who were there, back in the heyday with Roth. It’s pretty cool to hear stories and occasionally get a brief look through a VH fan’s eyes who was there back then.
Hell, if I was 10 years older and was a hardcore fan in the 70′s and early 80′s maybe even I would be cursing Hagar these days. Hahahaha!!
But I am thankful that I can be just as happy listening to both eras. I love ‘em both And nothing’s gonna change that.

Hey, I went to a movie tavern earlier tonight, they play old 80′s movies twice a week and tonight it was “Back To The Future.” Hearing those few seconds of Ed and Al made me excited for the new material. Seriously though, those few seconds in the movie when Marty McFly (as Darth Vader) is blasting VH in his Dad’s ears sounds so bad ass! I wish Eddie and Alex would use that in a new song, it kicks ass.
Anyway, I enjoy shooting the shit with the guys and girls here.
Hey SCOTT, it’s all good. We take this shit to seriously sometimes, including me.
Van Halen is all about having fun. The thing we need to try and remember when we come here is that it’s Rock and Roll. What’s Rock and rRoll about?…having fun, partying and making great memories! It isn’t bickering, arguing and locking horns (and egos). Rock and Roll is a party and Van Halen was born from that spirit. We need to keep that in mind, ALWAYS!
Rock On my VH brethren. Life is short, we should have A LOT of fun with it!
=VH=
jeff adams

Panama Red – I want an invite to that party. What a blast that would be. We would be like a bunch trekies, but cool trekies w/ VH blast’in in the background and a boat load of booze, and well you know. Bring it on, make it happen.
Halen High

Panama Red – sounds like you were having a great time last night. I was having too much of a good time with a bottle of cabernet sauvignon. It’s 10.45am and my head still aches. Yes, it would be an awesome party. Great people, great music……I may even get a dance with freddiegirl

Those movie taverns sound interesting. We don’t have them in Australia (as far as I know). I’m a movie buff, so I’d probably love hanging out at them. Yeah, that was a great scene. The first Back To The Future was the best. I have it on DVD and watch it now and then.
No Mas Tony

Send me an invite to the party, RED!

Oh yeah, best use of a Van Halen song in a movie… ZOMBIE LAND. Woody Harrelson blowing zombies heads off while “Everybody Wants Some” plays in the background— classic.

Right on, I love both eras of the band. My first ‘tape’ was Diver Down. And the one chapter in Red’s book didn’t really bug me so much as the promotion of the book, specifically the crap video montage that was posted on here a ways back… and then all the damn interviews on Dr Drew and all that crap. BUT, having said that, I still dig “Summer Nights” and “Best of Both Worlds” just as much. And not gonna miss new Chickenfoot next month. It’s all about the music to me.
freddiegirl

Halen High…I’ll dance with you..it has to be ‘Dancing In the Streets’ though..
Halen High

freddiegirl – I’m honoured. And thanks to your influence, I must now admit I could not think of a more appropriate song to dance to
freddiegirl

Halen High..
Panama Red

@ jeff adams No Mas Tony and Halen High – I wish I had the ability to put a party together like that. We’re all scattered around the country and some like Halen High are on another side of the globe. It would be cool though. Man I bet it would get crazy. I have a feeling uniformed people with badges make might make an appearance.
But I would like to hand No Mas Tony a double shot of Cabo and see him look at me and say “No Mas, No Mas.”

No Mas Tony – Zombieland was a great movie.
-I just saw Eddie Van Halen
-Really?
-How is he?
-well, he’s a zombie.
The look on Woody Harrelson’s face at the end when he catches the twinkie made me laugh out loud.
Hey No Mas, Mike Anthony said the single “Bigfoot” would come out in July, well tomorrow is the last day of July. I’m hoping Mikey’s words are still right. Oh Yeah!

Halen High – Yeah man the movie taverns are cool, especially if they are playing old classics. A bucket of beer and a pizza and an old favorite movie on the big screen. It’s pretty cool, too bad they don’t have ‘em down under but Van Halen is gonna be down under soon! Tell us about it will ya?
Yeah Halen High, I had a pretty good time the other night too. I was acting like I was 18 again even without having the party with all of the other VH fans here. LOL! I know what you mean about the day after, Whew, it takes much longer to recover from those nights than it used to. I am definitely not 18 anymore even though I try to pull off acting like I am sometimes
Halen High

Panama Red says:
“@ jeff adams No Mas Tony and Halen High – I wish I had the ability to put a party together like that. We’re all scattered around the country and some like Halen High are on another side of the globe. It would be cool though.”

It sure would be cool. If it ever happened, maybe I could have a life size cardboard cut-out made of me and mail it over to you. Just stand me up somewhere and when Dancing in the Streets starts up, freddiegirl can whisk me around the dance floor
freddiegirl

Panama Red and Halen High: AWESOME!
ron

sure wish mike was back in van halen and was on the new up coming van halen cd.why would anyone fire mikey the guy is very cool.vh without mikey sucks!