Sammy Hagar compares Alex Van Halen to Roger Waters, says he’ll never play with him again: “I feel that way about Alex Van Halen. They’re negative people”
There’s clearly no love lost between ex-Van Halen bandmates Sammy Hagar and Alex Van Halen. With a new record reportedly in the works – and Toto’s Steve Lukather rumoured to be involved – Hagar’s absence seems all but guaranteed.
The former Van Halen singer has long criticised Alex for sidelining his era of the band in his book and for “not doing his brother’s musical legacy justice”.
Speaking with Rolling Stone last year, Hagar laid out the source of their acrimony: “I think Al’s angry because I’m out doing it, and Mike and I are out doing it, and he can’t. He’s not a singer. He’s not a guitar player. He is not really a band leader. And he seems like he doesn’t want to play drums or can’t play drums anymore, and he can’t go write a new record.”
READ MORE: Michael Anthony thinks Alex Van Halen’s archival Van Halen album should be purely instrumental, “if they wanted to do it justice”
Now, in a new interview with Classic Rock, the 78-year-old Red Rocker likens his feud with Alex to the legendary rift within the Pink Floyd camp.
“I’m the biggest Pink Floyd fan. I see David Gilmour say: ‘I will never play with Roger Waters again’, and I know what he means,” says Hagar. “I feel that way about Alex Van Halen. They’re negative people.”
The singer also shares that he now feels “more comfortable” performing material from his own Van Halen era, particularly after Eddie Van Halen’s passing and Alex selling his drum kit.
“Because frickin’ Mike Anthony’s in the band I feel good about playing a lot of Van Halen stuff, cos no one will ever hear it again,” says Hagar. “And that was the biggest part of my career, and everybody’s career, for god’s sake. It was the biggest band in the world.”
Looking ahead, Hagar also remains candid about when he might finally retire from the microphone: “When I can’t sing any more. When I walk up to that microphone and I sound like some of those other guys out there touring, that will be it,” he says. “I can’t see that happening yet. I can hit a falsetto, I can sing low, I can do my screams, I can sing any song I’ve ever written. I’m still great at what I do, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing this. And when I’m not, I won’t. But I still don’t have a plan.”
The post Sammy Hagar compares Alex Van Halen to Roger Waters, says he’ll never play with him again: “I feel that way about Alex Van Halen. They’re negative people” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
