Michael Anthony: “I Was Really Given Total Freedom” on “III”

September 26, 2011 52 Comments

The last time we spoke with legendary Chickenfoot bassist Michael Anthony a few months ago, we hadn’t heard the band’s new album ‘III,’ which vocalist Sammy Hagar describes as “the best record I’ve ever made.”

Now that we’ve listened to (and reviewed) it, the record certainly lives up to Hagar’s hype, and we were happy to get a chance to dig into the inner workings with Michael with a fresh interview to find out how it all went down and what we can look forward to on the band’s upcoming tour:

Is there a particular song on ‘III’ that surprised you as far as the direction that it went?

God, there’s actually a few of them, you know? Obviously, we’ve got the rockers like ‘Up Next’ and ‘Last Temptation.’ But songs like ‘Different Devil’ and ‘Something Going Wrong,’ are kind of a little bit of a different direction for us. I think just the fact of the studio time we’ve had, being out on tour and hanging out and being more comfortable with each other musically, the band is really evolving now.

‘Different Devil’ is one that has classic vocals from both you and Sammy.

Yeah, obviously as far as the vocals went, the music just really lent itself to some great background parts for me, and I think it’s probably some of the best background stuff vocally that I’ve ever done on an album.

Leading up to the release of ‘Chickenfoot III,’ we heard that your contributions would be more prominent in the mix for the new album. Was there a particular catalyst for that?

No, not really. But in this band, it’s so great that everybody is really allowed to put their 100% of what they want to do into it. I don’t think there was one song on this album where like Joe or myself said to each other “hey, why don’t you try this” or “why don’t you play that.”

So I was really given total freedom, which is great. Because you know, as time went on in Van Halen or
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Filed Under: Chickenfoot, Michael Anthony

Brian

Freedom to play your part. Must feel like the chains have been taken off. I am really happy for him after what he has been through. Looks like things have worked out the best for Mike after all. The album really rocks and I can’t wait to buy it tomorrow!
dirtywaterdog

Grabbing it in the morning…
Johnh

Finally.. Mikey gets to bring it all to the table… good on him. Thanks for the music.
Evhmess11

Is it possible to get the guys from Foot to provide insight without reference to Van Halen ? Love Mike to death….he signed a bunch a stuff for me back on the ’04 tour at the NJ Meadowlands…but really…Sam says this is the best record he has ever made ? Listen to your lyrics Sam….the stuff is weak at best…..Ed and Al extended your career by 20 years….do the Foot stuff and go away…..not even worth discussing VH in the same conversation…..
Hey Man, That Suit Is You!

Let me go ahead and say it first… He is a “class act.
freddiegirl

Good ole Mikey/Cannonmouth! I’m glad he’s in a happy place with his music..
B.Y.

“COME CLOSER” would be cool to hear as a piano version as an
added track? Just my $.02
Sparks

I love Mike (no, I’m not just saying that ’cause he said he reads this sh…stuff) but I still can’t help but agree with whomever said that a mention of Van Halen in a Chickenfoot interview will get Foot an instant pull-up when you enter VH in a search engine. Van Halen is even high lighted in the story. Why? I said before that I loved the way the guys sound in the pod casts, especially since they come off sounding like there is no point discussing VH. They site early ’70′s influences for this record which I think is great. But come on, every time I hear talk like “chains being lifted” and “now you can bring it to the table” I can’t help but think that if things were so bad as for so long with not being able to contribute to the music, wouldn’t that have been a battle worth fighting? Mike, please write a book and tell us how it all really went down. The angry opening to Sam’s book is a bit telling but I can’t help but think that there is much more to the story.
F’n Rockstar

evhmess didn’t listen to the CD! These are his best lyrics! I mean they aren’t ‘Hot Dog and a Shake’ but good!
No Mas Tony

Evhmess11 says:

“Is it possible to get the guys from Foot to provide insight without reference to Van Halen ?”

Dude, Michael Anthony was there from the beginning. He has the right to mention being a part of the greatest rock band in history for like 30 years of his life. He spoke honestly about it. Küdos for him.

I will agree that Sam brings up VH a little too much. But in his last interview on USA today, he only mentioned VH briefly in that he is excited about the new album, like he was with his first VH releases. Either way, it’s like having an interview with Robert Plant and not expecting to hear Zeppelin brought up.

@ freddiegirl — well said.
kayser sozay

You’re right Evhmess11 – Mike should have compared his experience in CF to all of the other bands he’s been in besides VH. By the way, yes, Hagar is capable of writing cringe worthy lyrics but other than one or two tracks on this album, the lyrics are great.

Your name reminds me . . . how come just about everyone who obviously would never give CF III a fair shake has some reference to VH or Roth in their name?? Roth Leaps, Diamond Dean, VH5150 (or some 5150), Evhmess11, Halen High, just to name a few.
Michael C.

I hope that a day will come that Chickenfoot can just be judged on their own merits and not in the same breath as VH. Sam and Mike need to play a bigger role in making that happen. I really enjoy their new stuff, but as long as Chickenfoot is displayed on a VH website, I’m afraid we will be easily drawing comparisons. And that’s not fair for anyone. I really hope CF and VH are both successful and happy going forward.
JACK N SAM

It seems like every time Sam needs to promote something he does an interview and talks about VH.

But to be fair to both Sam and Mike – 99% of the time, the interviewer does ask something VH specific. They can either not answer, or say ahead of time, “I don’t want to mention VH”, or they can just answer the question, which is what I think Mike does.

I find it a little annoying too, but a lot of it is media driven. I think Sam takes advantage of it more than he should, but whatever.
Denny

The late Kelly Groucutt from ELO was another great singing bassist, just like Mike.
Halen High

kayser sozay says:
“Your name reminds me . . . how come just about everyone who obviously would never give CF III a fair shake has some reference to VH or Roth in their name?? Roth Leaps, Diamond Dean, VH5150 (or some 5150), Evhmess11, Halen High, just to name a few.”

Geez kayser – it is the Van Halen News Desk. And my objective review of CF III will be written shortly – bet you guys can’t wait to read it.

@ No Mas Tony – I agree – Mike can talk about Van Halen as much as he wants. He earned the right. Sammy on the other hand should shut up and stop blatantly trying to generate google hits for his band.
BrianG

The album taken as a whole is sounding much better than the snippets by themselves indicated. I’m very happy with this release. Good stuff all around.
SPANKED

“Mike can talk about Van Halen as much as he wants. He earned the right. Sammy on the other hand should shut up and stop blatantly trying to generate google hits for his band.”

Get over it, Sammy was in the band for 11 years, he can talk about VH whenever he wants.
Carnal Knowledge

Jack N Sam: “It seems like every time Sam needs to promote something he does an interview and talks about VH.”

So, let’s review. Sammy held a press conference on top of his soapbox in downtown san francisco and proclaimed something about Van Halen? Or….did/do the interviewers always ask him something regarding Van Halen?

Plus, he was in the band officially longer than David Lee Roth. So, ofcourse he has as much right as any member to talk about the band.
Brian

So, besides of course Mike being a class act (lol) how is his actual playing now that he’s free, and wild and untethered and all that good stuff?

Is he actually a good bass player after all?
Since this is a CF thread, I’ll just bring this up….I don’t wanna listen to the record because I’ve grown to really not like Sammy at all. And I used to think he was really cool back in the 90′s; so I’ve had a major change of heart towards him. Just can’t listen to him anymore.

Honest opinion…..how is Mikes playing?
Pete Kabutski

I’m a huge Sammy Hagar fan – more so than a VH fan, but I had to laugh when I read the full article and Mike said “And Sammy was already singing and going “yeah, yeah, yeah, for the chorus”. Sam – ya got to come up with something new! What happened to your Standing Hampton days or 5150 days or Marching to Mars days?
Brian

Lets see. You can’t mention your past. Act like it never happened at all. Seems fair….. NOT!!! Didn’t hear you guys bitching about Dave when he brought up Van Halen. Or was he even interviewed after the first two years. Get over it people. He can talk about anything he wants. We get it, you hate him. Geezz man, quit bringing it up. It’s not fair!! Cry me a freaking river!!!
Halen High

Carnal Knowledge says:
“Plus, he was in the band officially longer than David Lee Roth. So, ofcourse he has as much right as any member to talk about the band.”

You are so Sammy Hagar with your ‘exaggerations’. Sammy was in the band from 1986-96 and 2004. That equals 12 years.

David lee Roth was in the band from 1974-1985 and 2007-2011. That equals 17 years (and counting).

Then there was your claim that the last Van Halen tour ended almost 6 years ago!!! It ended in June 2008. That is just over 3 years and 3 months ago. Did you attend the Sammy Hagar school of PR?
JACK N SAM

Didn’t mean to start a statistics war – I was just commenting on what vhmess11 said about them mentioning VH in their interviews. Just take it easy, take it easy. Wipe your nose, it’s okaaaay. Settle down.
freddiegirl

Brian-I think Mikey’s playing is fine; you can actually hear him more in the mix than you ever did with VH. The big plus for me is just simply hearing Mikey’s awesome background vocals.
Anthony

Dave has been in the band longer, and this doesn’t count 85 when he left or 96 when he came back for BOV1. People forget he has been back since 2007. Oh, and BTW, Dave era outsold hagar era also by almost a 2-1 margin. But you actually have to go to the RIAA, or VH official site (when working) to verify that. Otherwise, the less informed may be inclined to believe sammy.
Evhmess11

So here’s the deal…..I dig everything in Sam’s portfolio…..from Standing Hampton, Three Lock Box, 5150, Carnal Knolwedge….Mike is absolutely a class act and got a raw deal….but what grinds my gears is the constant put downs…especially Sam on the VH years…..and EVH in particular…..parts of his books were showed no class….his best years were with VH…musically…lyrics…..as a fontman….Foot is a nice band and he seems to be having fun…which is what Sam is all about….but you can not compare what they are doing to VH….Ed & Als’ sound has been and will always be unmistakenable….no matter who is singing…the Kid is in the band because it inspires the genius which is EVH….so promote the Foot and respect the Halen…the VH body of work speaks for itself…EVH’s contributions as a song writer, composer, guitarist, pure musician speaks for itself….there is no Satch with EVH….period…..there is clearly a point to volume of releases vs. quality of releases….and VH is about to take the title back…..
pete2

ya,where does mike get off acknowledging he was in van halen for 30 YEARS!!!!….(rolling eyes)BTW i got the new CD and its pretty good.
Dawn

can’t wait to see Chickenfoot again! They were awesome on the first tour, hoping to make it to Chi-town for the Nov. show!
19845150

I discovered VH during 5150/OU812. I didn’t know who Sammy Hagar was and had only heard the song “Jump” a few times. After further investigation I bought Fair Warning & Diver Down and was an addict ever since (collected bootlegs for a long time too). I understand the need for a rivalry (Bon Scott vs. Brian Johnson, Peter Gabriel vs. Phil Collins, etc.) But I don’t care…I just like good music. Chickenfoot makes good music for the most part (about 3-4 songs I really don’t like).

But you can say the same for Roth-era. Let me say I’m not a big fan of: Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now), Little Dreamer, You’re No Good, Could This Be Magic, One Foot Out The Door, Dancing In The Streets. I also don’t like some Sammy-era stuff: Inside, Finish What Ya Started, Spanked, 316, Can’t Stop Loving You.

Chickenfoot makes good music, VH makes good music. Just for kicks here’s my top five of the eras/bands.

VH Roth: 1) Panama, 2) Unchained, 3) Drop Dead Legs, 4) On Fire, 5) Light Up The Sky
VH Hagar: 1) 5150, 2) Cabo Wabo, 3) Poundcake, 4) Right Now, 5) Amsterdam
Roth solo: 1) Yankee Rose, 2) Hina, 3) Tobacco Road, 4) It’s Showtime, 5) Goin’ Crazy
Sammy: 1) Bad Motor Scooter, 2) Heavy Metal, 3) I Can’t Drive 55, 4) Make It Last, 5) Red
Chickenfoot: 1) Future Is The Past, 2) Soap On A Rope, 3) Big Foot, 4) Down The Drain 5) No Change
pete2

it is nice to really hear mike do his thing on this album.im not sure if eddie couldnt see what he had in mike or just didnt want too and if van halen actually puts out an album im sure itll be pretty good but no matter what…mikes backround vocals will be missed.
Shine On

It’s wonderful to hear Mike’s bass and background vocals so prominently in the mix on the new Foot CD. It’s EXTRA cool that Mike is on the cover!! Congratulations to you, Mike, for an awesome job, and best wishes to you!
Shine On

“I really hope CF and VH are both successful and happy going forward.”

Well said, Michael C. So do I.
Shine On

“The late Kelly Groucutt from ELO was another great singing bassist, just like Mike.”

Good call, as I was starting to forget about him, Denny. “Don’t bring me DOW-OW-WOW-WOWN…”
paul wilkinson

a bit different from vh3,he didnt sing and no ones sure whether he even played bass on it…..?!
Shine On

“a bit different from vh3,he didnt sing and no ones sure whether he even played bass on it…..?!”

Mike sang some backing vocals on that album, Paul, but not as much as on previous VH albums, unfortunately. And it’s been said that Mike only played bass on 3 tracks (“Without You”, “One I Want”, and “Fire In The Hole”).
Shine On

Mike’s diminished participation on VH3 is, I think, one of the reasons that album suffered in quality.
Shine On

19845150, it’s always interesting to read people’s like/dislike lists when talking about these particular stars. Thank you for sharing yours!
SPANKED

Mike’s playing is way more interesting in Chickenfoot than in Van Halen.

His biggest contribution to VH was the background vocals.

Now he is playing the bass like a mad man. Similar to John Entwistle.
Shine On

Yes, Mike’s bass playing on the new Chickenfoot album is noticeably more sophisticated and energetic to what he was relegated to doing in Van Halen. Mike has every right to live his own life, and hope he never feels he has to try to go back.
Shine On

Sparks: “I can’t help but think that if things were so bad as for so long with not being able to contribute to the music, wouldn’t that have been a battle worth fighting? Mike, please write a book and tell us how it all really went down.”

It would easily be a best seller.
Shine On

Michael Anthony: “But songs like ‘Different Devil’ and ‘Something Going Wrong,’ are kind of a little bit of a different direction for us.”

Really, the band should release “Something Going Wrong” as a single. It would be a really gutsy move!
Panama Red

@ Shine On – I agree that “Something Going Wrong” should be on the radio airwaves. It’s amazing (and my personal favorite from the album)
Shine On

Panama Red, glad you can see the potential of “Something Going Wrong” being the choice of the second single, as well! It’s a unique tune for Chickenfoot, and everything doesn’t have to be hard rocking in order to show the band firing on all four cylinders. It makes a nice style contrast, too, in following “Big Foot”.

It’s hard to say if making a video for “Something Going Wrong” is a good idea, though. Something really downbeat visually doesn’t sound too good, but I don’t know how a video script writer could do a humorous take on that tune…
Phillster

Michael Anthony Wasn`t given “total freedom” in Van Halen?
I guess that explains why he never changed one friggin` note in his bass solo for 30yrs…What a load of shit.
Cry me a new one Mikey.
Shine On

Phillster: “I guess that explains why he never changed one friggin` note in his bass solo for 30yrs…”

I first saw Mike’s bass solo on the “Hide Your Sheep” tour in 1982, and much of it was loud noise effects and him pounding on the bass strings with his fists, up to the point he ended the solo by starting “Runnin’ With The Devil”. I saw his bass solo again in 1992 (the “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” tour) and half of his bass solo was him playing some complicated, intricate-sounding melodies on his bass
Shine On

..So, in less than 10 years’ time (7/20/82 – 5/17/92), I saw that Michael Anthony had changed about 50% of his bass solo, giving it a LOT more variety.
Phillster

I have Bootlegs from EVERY tour Shine On.You have memories.I have Proof.The “complicated,intricate-sounding melodies”you heard was a delay pedal…Variety my ass.
Shine On

Well, since I can’t listen to your bootlegs, Phillster, it’s your word against mine. But, my memories can’t be THAT far off, and I remember Mike playing some complicated-sounding stuff during his bass solo when I saw VH in 1992. It wasn’t just him banging and slamming his bass (though there was some of that, as well).
Shine On

Michael Anthony bass solos from 1982 and 1993 can be found on YouTube, and there’s more than a note’s difference between them, so I’m calling BS on you, Phillster.
Panama Red

Shine On said – “Panama Red, glad you can see the potential of “Something Going Wrong” being the choice of the second single, as well! It’s a unique tune for Chickenfoot, and everything doesn’t have to be hard rocking in order to show the band firing on all four cylinders. It makes a nice style contrast, too, in following “Big Foot”.
It’s hard to say if making a video for “Something Going Wrong” is a good idea, though. Something really downbeat visually doesn’t sound too good, but I don’t know how a video script writer could do a humorous take on that tune…”

@ Shine On,
I think “Different Devil” was already chosen for the second single but I really wish they would make a video for “Something Going Wrong”
The video doesn’t need to have a humorous take. “Something Going Wrong” is a serious song and the video would be weird if it was humorous. Just because Chickenfoot put out a couple of silly videos, it doesn’t mean silliness defines what Chickenfoot is all about. They can have fun and goof around sometimes and make sillier videos for the more lighthearted songs. a And then they can make more serious videos for the songs that are about deeper or more heavy topics.

Have you ever seen the video for “Hurt” by Johnny Cash? (NIN cover) Johnny Cash sang some silly, light-hearted songs during his career and he also sang serious songs about deeper subjects. And his video for “Hurt” is one of the best videos I’ve ever seen.

Cheers Shine On