In this photo from a few years ago, Sammy Hagar stands outside the “Van Halen” room at Facebook’s headquarters. Talk about symbolic!
Sammy Hagar keeps knocking on the proverbial Van Halen door. The question is, do Eddie and Alex have any interest in ever opening it?
Many Van Halen fans wonder if the hatchet will ever be buried between Hagar and the Van Halen brothers. Hagar says he’s been told they will reach out to him, but he’s not holding his breath. He is, however, holding on to hope.
Hagar sat down for a career spanning interview with USA Today’s Mike Snider on March 16th during the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, TX. When Snider asked Hagar if he had heard anything from the Van Halens regarding a reconciliation, Hagar gave this interesting response.
“Everything I hear is like, ‘Hey, ya know, you’re gonna get a call. I’m going, ‘Okay…’,” said Hagar.
Unfortunately, Hagar didn’t say who told him that he’d be getting a call from Edward and Alex, nor what that call would be about if it were to happen. That leaves Van Halen nation wondering – Did Hagar hear that from someone close to the Van Halen camp? If so, have the brothers actually been considering a reunion with Sammy Hagar?
Hagar did add that, if he does end up reconnecting with Edward and Alex, he isn’t necessarily looking to rejoin the band for a reunion. He’s more interested in healing some deep wounds before it’s too late.
“I’m honestly not trying to get back in the band,” Hagar said. “It’s just, a couple years ago when we had so many deaths. I mean, look how many guys from my generation died, ya know, guys that are my age. Bowie and Glenn [Frey]. I mean it’s just like, just keep going down the line ya know and, uh, and… it really affected me. I thought like, ‘Wow!’. So the last thing I wanna do is all of a sudden, ya know, find out your sick or something and then realize you have these enemies, this bad blood. You don’t wanna take it to your grave.”
Hagar did add that if he were to rejoin Van Halen he would do it under one condition – It would have to include Hagar, Michael Anthony, Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and, believe it or not, David Lee Roth. That’s right, David Lee Roth.
“I would love to see a Sam and Dave reunion with Michael, Alex and Eddie,” said Hagar. “I think the fans would die and go to heaven ya know, so…That’s the way it should be.”
You can watch the full video below. Skip to the 10:49 mark to watch Hagar’s comments on Van Halen.
In addition to the SXSW interview, Sammy addressed Van Halen again in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle last week. “That whole Van Halen thing lurking in the woods out there, I feel there’s a sniper out there — any minute the bullet is going to come flying in that says “VH” on it, “You’re it!” We’ll see what happens. I don’t understand them. I haven’t understood them in a long time. I would only do it with Sam and Dave anyway. I’d rather Dave (David Lee Roth) go out and sing his own songs. I’ll sing my songs. That would be the ultimate show, I think. If we could do it that way, I would suck it up. It would be fun.”
This article is by VHND contributing writer, Eric Senich. You can listen to Eric live on the radio at Brookfield Connecticut’s Home of Rock And Roll, i95 WRKI every Saturday from 10am to 3pm on 95.1 FM. You can also listen online by clicking here or by downloading the radioPup app for your mobile device.