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Top Stories

Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham 2024 Tour DATES/TICKETS w/ Loverboy – Van Halen – Howard Stern

Sammy Hagar:

🎸 You ready for it, Redheads? The “BEST OF ALL WORLDS” 2024 tour is a GO! Join me, Mad Anthony Bassman, Jason Bonham, and, Joe Satriani.

Ticket pre-sales with the code REDHEAD begin Wed, Nov 15 at 10am local & Public on-sales begin Fri. Nov 17.

MORE INFO

Sammy Hagar Talks 2024 Tour on Howard Stern – Invites David Lee Roth & Alex Van Halen

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Flashbacks History Music Top Stories

Sammy Hagar in 1967 w/ The Mobile Home Blues Band

Sammy Hagar:

My first real band, 1967, The Mobile Home Blues Band. You can see a little touch of bro’s drums, he was 14, I was 19. I had my Eric Clapton look going from the fresh Cream record. That was my first real guitar. The one I talked about in my book that I snatched out of a music store.😩 I must admit, I’ve never seen this photograph before in my life. Someone sent it to Andrew Hagar, wow! The other guitar player is Mike Lofie, not sure what he’s up to. #flashback #fro #muttonchops

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History Listen Music Top Stories

Sammy Hagar’s 60’s Psych-Pop Duo Samson & Hagar – Listen to “Reach Out to Find Me” from 1968

Jordan Runtagh:

Sammy Hagar was in a psych-pop duo called Samson & Hagar, who released the single “Reach Out to Find Me” in 1968:

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Music Top Stories

Sammy Hagar: The Lost Casks – Beach Bar Rum – 2022 – ORDER

Sammy Hagar:

Sammy’s Lost Cask is available now for purchase! Some buyers will get a special treat: a random selection of 75 bottles, out of the release’s 500, will be autographed by Sammy. Go get ‘em while they last!!

ORDER HERE

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Sammy Hagar on His Relationship with Michael Anthony: “Back in the early Van Halen days, Eddie would get all jealous” – 2022 – INTERVIEW

Guitar World: Sammy Hagar on his all-time favorite Van Halen album, and why Michael Anthony’s bass playing is better than ever on The Circle’s new album, Crazy Times.

You can read the entire interview @ this location. An excerpt from the conversation has been provided below.

Many would attest to the musical chemistry of Van Halen. But I would wager what you share in The Circle rivals that.

Sammy Hagar:

“Oh, for sure. The chemistry in The Circle is unique because we all grew up on the same music. When one of us brings up a song like Won’t Get Fooled Again, we all know what we’re talking about. We don’t have to explain anything, and we don’t have to argue. We all carry the same reference points, which helps us stay on the same page.

“But as far as rivaling Van Halen, I cannot drive this point home enough: Jason Bonham plays exactly like his dad. I never played with his dad, but I’ve seen Led Zeppelin so many times, and Jason has the goods. When Jason plays, you close your eyes, and you’re hearing his pop play.

“And Alex Van Halen: all he ever wanted was the John Bonham drum sound. With every producer, Alex would say, ‘I want my drums to sound like When the Levee Breaks. I want to sound like Bonham.’

“So, you’ve got Jason Bonham on drums, and then you’ve got Michael Anthony, who plays better now than he ever played in Van Halen, and you’ve got Vic Johnson, who is an absolute maestro on guitar.”

Why do you feel that Michael plays better now than with Van Halen?

“Because in Van Halen, Eddie was so busy with the way he played guitar that there wasn’t much room for Mikey to do anything. Eddie played lead, rhythm, melody, and in some ways, the bass line all at once because he was just a master.

“So, Mikey rarely got to stretch out, but the truth is that he’s up there with John Paul Jones, John Entwistle, Geddy Lee, and Jack Bruce, but he never got to show it with Van Halen. But now, we’ve got Mikey off the leash, so we get more from him than we ever got when he was in Van Halen.”

How do you measure the importance of Michael Anthony on you personally and musically?

“Mikey is like my brother from another mother. So much so that back in the early Van Halen days, Eddie would get all jealous. Because Mike and I would get into these soulful conversations for hours, and Eddie would be on the outside looking in.

“And this was when we were all getting along great, not towards the end when our marriage fell apart. But even in the early days, Eddie would say, ‘Hey, I wanna hang out like you and Mike do.’ And I was like, ‘Cool, man. Let’s do it. So, what’s the problem?’

“The way it was in Van Halen was Eddie and Alex would get together and do their family thing. And Mike and I would always be the ones that would get tacos and margaritas and talk about life when we were on the road. And in the end, when we were arguing, and Van Halen was falling apart, me and Mike had our own plane because they were trying to keep Eddie and me apart.

“I guess Mike and I are cut from the same cloth. Eddie hated it, would get mad on stage, and called it stupid, but we had our inside lingo and were always very close.

“And that’s accented by the magical sound of his background vocals layered over my lead vocals. It’s a unique sound that can’t be described and that I’ve never had with anyone else.”

You can read the entire interview @ this location.

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Music Top Stories

Wolfgang Van Halen on the Curse of Van Halen: “It was difficult to make plans even when the band was active” – 2022

Wolfgang Van Halen:

I implore you to read the full interview when it actually comes out. Not this “pull quote to get biggest reaction” shit social media is so privy to.

Weird thing to pull quotes from an interview that ISN’T OUT YET that talked about many other things, but gotta get those clicks🤷‍♂️

Classic Rock Magazine: Wolfgang Van Halen suggests VH reunion is off the table, says former members are too “dysfunctional” to organize it anyway.

In a new interview with Classic Rock magazine, Wolfgang Van Halen states that he thinks the likelihood of a reunion happening is slim and says that he personally is not interested in taking part.

When asked by Classic Rock’s Dave Ling to clarify the rumors and the reunion’s yo-yo-ing likelihood (WVH previously said he didn’t “see it happening” but later machinations were detailed involving the guitarist in the press, suggesting that he was going to be involved) he replies: “I think I already did it with the Taylor Hawkins tributes. I feel a lot of closure because my part of the show was a tribute to my father.”

Across the two shows, in London and Los Angeles, Wolfgang VH played three Van Halen classics – On Fire, Hot For Teacher and Panama – alongside Dave Grohl on bass, Josh Freese on drums and The Darkness’s Justin Hawkins on vocals.

In Classic Rock, Wolfgang goes on to say that the Van Halen camp is “dysfunctional”, and therefore difficult to organize any large projects with.

“When it comes to Van Halen and entities surrounding the band it’s unfortunate, certainly compared to Foo Fighters who have their shit together with inter-personal relationships” he says.

“I don’t know what it is with some bands, but certain personalities just can’t get over themselves to work collectively for one purpose – that’s been the curse of Van Halen for its entire career. So, my playing at the Taylor shows delivered that catharsis without the stresses of dealing with the Van Halen camp, and the players involved. Their camp is very dysfunctional – everyone! – hell, it was difficult to make plans even when the band was active.”

Dave Ling also asks Wolfgang about Hagar’s recent comments in the aforementioned Rolling Stone interview, in which he admits that he’d “love to play those songs again”.

“He said that, but he also said he wouldn’t” says Van Halen. “Sammy said two different things. No… I feel that I’ve said my piece, and if the Taylor concerts are all that happens then I’m happy with that.”

You can read more from Wolfgang Van Halen in an upcoming issue of Classic Rock magazine.

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Sammy Hagar & the Circle: LISTEN To Samples From Each Song Off The NEW ALBUM ‘Crazy Times’ w/ Animated Cover – 2022

Sammy Hagar:

Celebrate the release of ‘Crazy Times’ with a look at the full animated cover and an album medley to get a taste for the sounds of the whole album. Let’s push this record to the top of the charts! Redheads, show your support for ‘Crazy Times’ 🤘

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Sammy Hagar & Ted Templeman on Capturing Van Halen’s Background Vocals – Michael Anthony & Eddie Van Halen – 2022

On Sammy Hagar and the Circle’s new album, ‘Crazy Times’, producer Dave Cobb wanted to get the most out of Michael Anthony’s signature backup vocals, especially that signature Van Halen sound 🎤 With the help of VH/Sammy/Montrose Producer Ted Templeman, he cracked the code & then kept going, showcasing Mike’s voice in a new way!

Sammy Hagar:

Mikey (Michael Anthony), I want to hear those Van Halen vocals. Those classic background vocals, that car horn (sings the line “Right Now”). I go, “I want to hear that all over this record,” and he got it. We called up Ted Templeman, who produced all the Van Halen records right up to For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and then I worked with him before Van Halen and with Montrose.

I called up Ted and said, “Ted, how did you record Mikey’s voice on the Van Halen records?” We didn’t pay attention to that. He said, “Oh, we triple-tracked it, and then he double-tracked one vocal on the second harmony that he was doing with me. Then we ran it through this and that and used a certain kind of mic,” and we did it. It was like, “Whoa, there it is.” It just captured everything.

The greatest thing we got out of Mikey was we let him sing all the background vocals. I just did parts with him, and Vic (Johnson) did one song or two songs on a little part with us. Jason (Bonham) sang a couple of little parts. It was the epitome of that Van Halen, high – Mike’s background vocals are killing it. I bet he spent more time on background vocals on this record than he’s ever spent on any record we made before because we just layered them and came up with all these ideas.

When Dave Cobb heard what Mike could do, he was going: “Wow, try this. Oh, wow, let’s try that.” Then all of a sudden, I’m going: “Man, Mike’s been in there eight hours. I’m going to dinner, man. I’ll be back when Mike’s done.” He really utilized it, and he got excited when he heard what he could do. It inspired him as a producer, sounds like “Here Comes the Sun” or something, some of this stuff. It’s not beautiful…it’s beautiful, but it’s actually kind of dark and kind of vibe-y. This record is vibe-y. Crazy Times.

During a conversation with Ultimate Classic Rock, producer Ted Templeman pointed out that Eddie Van Halen’s voice was also an important ingredient in the band’s indelible vocal alchemy.

Ted Templeman:

“Ed’s background parts are part of the sound of Van Halen. A lot of people don’t realize that. They think about him as the guitar hero, but he was part of that youthful sound that came out right away, at the very beginning, even on ‘You Really Got Me.’

“The thing that got me, I’m watching Ed and Mike sing and I’m going, ‘How do these guys … ?’ Ed sings so great for [being] the guitar player, you know? Most guys who play that kind of guitar don’t sing that well. But he had this great, youthful voice. He’s part of the sound, that California Sunshine sound [of] heavy metal. That was all part of Ed’s sound.”

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Cool Chitz Funny History Listen Music New Releases Top Stories

Shinedown’s Brent Smith on Eddie Van Halen During Their 2004 Tour: “The most incredible rock n’ roll story that is 100% true”

SiriusXM:

Brent Smith from Shinedown plays ‘A Moment When’ and recalls when he first met Eddie Van Halen, the strangest fan gift he’s received, performing at a venue when the power went out, forgetting the lyrics to “Simple Man” on tour, and much more.

You can listen to more stories from Brent Smith via the embedded YouTube clip below. The Eddie Van Halen excerpt has been transcribed.

EXCERPT (transcribed by full in bloom)

Brent Smith:

On the first record, we got the opportunity of a lifetime to do two months with Van Halen. And then over time on this tour, me and Eddie (Van Halen) just developed a friendship. One of the sweetest, most amazing human beings on the planet, but if I’m going to be honest about what I remember from this tour, which is probably one of the most incendiary moments of all time.

Eddie would always come in around five o’clock. They flew private everywhere, so they would come in around five o’clock. Eddie never wore a shirt. He was always wearing camo pants and combat boots. He always had his guitar around him, and he was always smoking a cigarette. He would drink Yellow Tail wine, so he always had purple around his lips. It’s everything you want him to be (laughs).

This one day, he comes into the dressing room, and I hear him come in. I’m in the bathroom, and I’m washing my hands. He’s like, “Hey, where’s Brent?” They’re like, “He’s in the bathroom.” So, I come out of the bathroom. I’m like, “Eddie, what’s up?” I hadn’t dried my hands all the way, so I gave him a high-five, and he’s goes, “Ah, dude, what?” I said, “Oh, you know, I just had to handle my business in there.”

He walks over to our deli area, like craft services in the room. He then proceeds to urinate on the deli tray and take a piece of turkey and rolled it up and put it in the center. He took his cigarette and stuck it in the top of the turkey. Then he handed me the deli tray with the urine and said, “Give this to your tour manager, it’s called a smoking gun,” and he walked out of the room.

The most incredible rock n’ roll story that is 100% true that I can think of from the past. I miss Eddie so, so much. Seriously, he’s one of the sweetest human beings in the world, and I miss him every single day, but also gave you a killer story.

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Awards Music RIAA Top Stories

Van Halen Album Sales List – Roth vs Hagar – Numbers – History – RIAA Certified – GOLD/PLATINUM – Certification Dates

VAN HALEN
US ALBUM SALES – RIAA CERTIFICATION DATES
The Studio Albums


VAN HALEN I – Over 10 Million Copies Sold
RELEASED: FEBRUARY 10, 1978

VAN HALEN I – Certification Dates:
10x Multi-Platinum | August 7, 1996
8x Multi-Platinum | July 11, 1994
7x Multi-Platinum | September 29, 1993
6x Multi-Platinum | February 1, 1989
5x Multi-Platinum | October 22, 1984
Platinum | October 10, 1978
Gold | May 24, 1978


VAN HALEN II – Over 5 Million Copies Sold
RELEASED: MARCH 23, 1979

VAN HALEN II – Certification Dates:
5x Multi-Platinum | May 12, 2004
4x Multi-Platinum | July 5, 1990
3x Multi-Platinum | October 22, 1984
Platinum | May 8, 1979
Gold | April 3, 1979


WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST – Over 3 Million Copies Sold
RELEASED: MARCH 26, 1980

VAN HALEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST – Certification Dates:
3x Multi-Platinum | August 4, 1994
2x Multi-Platinum | October 22, 1984
Platinum | June 2, 1980
Gold | May 29, 1980


DIVER DOWN – Over 4 Million Copies Sold
RELEASED: APRIL 14, 1982

DIVER DOWN – Certification Dates:
4x Multi-Platinum | May 21, 1998
3x Multi-Platinum | February 22, 1989
2x Multi-Platinum | October 22, 1984
Platinum | June 30, 1982
Gold | June 30, 1982


1984 – Over 10 Million Copies Sold
RELEASED: JANUARY 4, 1984

1984 – Certification Dates:
10x Multi-Platinum | February 8, 1999
9x Multi-Platinum | August 8, 1996
7x Multi-Platinum | July 11, 1994
6x Multi-Platinum | July 1, 1987
5x Multi-Platinum | January 23, 1985
4x Multi-Platinum | October 22, 1984
Platinum | March 12, 1984
Gold | March 12, 1984


5150 – Over 6 Million Copies Sold
RELEASED: MARCH 24, 1986

5150 – Certification Dates:
6x Multi-Platinum | May 12, 2004
5x Multi-Platinum | August 17, 1994
4x Multi-Platinum | January 18, 1989
3x Multi-Platinum | October 10, 1986
2x Multi-Platinum | May 28, 1986
Platinum | May 28, 1986
Gold | May 28, 1986


OU812 – Over 4 Million Copies Sold
RELEASED: MAY 24, 1988

OU812 – Certification Dates:
4x Multi-Platinum | May 12, 2004
3x Multi-Platinum | January 18, 1989
2x Multi-Platinum | July 26, 1988
Platinum | July 26, 1988
Gold | July 26, 1988


FOR UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE – Over 3 Million Copies Sold
RELEASED: JUNE 17, 1991

FOR UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE – Certification Dates:
3x Multi-Platinum | August 17, 1994
2x Multi-Platinum | November 8, 1991
Platinum | August 22, 1991
Gold | August 22, 1991


BALANCE – Over 3 Million Copies Sold
RELEASED: JANUARY 24, 1995

BALANCE – Certification Dates:
3x Multi-Platinum | May 12, 2004
2x Multi-Platinum | March 29, 1995
Platinum | March 29, 1995
Gold | March 29, 1995


VAN HALEN III – Over 500K Copies Sold
RELEASED: MARCH 17, 1998

VAN HALEN III – Certification Dates:
Gold | August 19, 1998

FROM CHARTMASTERS.ORG

VAN HALEN WORLDWIDE SALES

MORE INFO @ CHARTMASTERS.ORG

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Sammy Hagar on Being Visited by Eddie Van Halen: “I’ve got goosebumps, head to toe” – 2022

Ultimate Classic Rock: Sammy Hagar intends to share composing credit with his former bandmate. You can read the entire article @ this location.

An excerpt from the article can be found below.

“I shouldn’t be hyping it now,” Sammy Hagar tells Ultimate Classic Rock. “Nobody knows this but Michael Anthony, Jason [Bonham] and Vic [Johnson]. About two months ago, I had this dream and Eddie (Van Halen) came. We were in a room like this, [with] a bunch of people around. It was just like he’d been gone. It was not like he was passed, but he had just been out of my life, and we hadn’t seen each other for a while.

He’s going, ‘Man, let’s write some music!’ I said, ‘Yeah, fuck it, man. Here, let’s go!'”

In the dream, “he did this harmonic thing and he slid it up to a chord, like a slide guitar. We wrote a song with that lick,” Hagar adds. “I remembered it. I got up in the morning and I wrote the song. It’s called, ‘Thank You.’ I used the fuckin’ lick that he showed me in the song. I told Jason, ‘I just really don’t know what to say lyrically.’ I’ve got goosebumps, head to toe, [talking about it]. So I wrote it [about that experience], and we’ll do that song someday.” –READ MORE

You can read the entire article @ this location.

During a 2019 interview with Howard Stern, Hagar shared some eerie stories about visits from familial ghosts and otherworldly beings:

You know, there’s something going on. I don’t know what it is, Howard, but I’ve been touched in weird ways, sometimes in dreams and while I’m awake. You’re thinking it’s a dream and things happen. My father visited me, my manager, when he died, they visited me the night they died.

What you’re saying to me is, your father, hard drinking man, a tough guy.

Died under a park bench, basically. I mean, the back of a police car, but they had pulled him out from under a park bench.

The night he dies, there’s a knock at your door. You hear a distinct knock. You were sleeping or were you awake?

I got up and answered the door and, in my house, the person that was with me, the baby was with me – I had a little two-year-old with me – I answered the door and it was my dad. He was like in his twenties. He was drunk and he was going crazy, saying, “Great day for the Irish,” and all this stuff. I said, “Don’t ever come over like this in front of my baby, you woke him up,” and it all happened. It was like a dream. Slammed the door, went and laid back down.

God’s honest truth. I mean, you can’t make this shit up. Someone knocked at my door, and I go, “Ah, that fucker is back.” I went and opened the door, and it was my next-door neighbor, who had a telephone that was an emergency number for my sister and family because I was living with my band. We were all sleeping in the same house. Anyway, he goes, “Your sister is on the phone.” I just went, “Wow,” I knew. It was four o’clock in the morning. They had found my dad. That’s happened to me twice.

What was the second time?

Well, my manager, Ed Leffler, when I was in Van Halen, and we were having hard times – Eddie Leffler died, and the band broke up. Ed Leffler was my manager forever, and then he took over for Van Halen. I was sitting there. We were going through hell with the band, and they hired this manager guy who they ended up suing and everything. We won’t mention names. But long story short, I was laying in bed, and I just didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to quit the band, but I knew it was over. We were really at odds.

Ed Leffler comes to me and kneels down next to my bed. I’m going, “Fuck, I smell him.” He was a cigarette smoker. He had a certain smell about him. I go, “Damn, Ed, what am I going to do?” He goes, “Don’t worry about it. It’s going to be ok, man.” He just came and flat said that. It straightened me right out. I said, “Fuck it,” and the next thing you know is, I was thrown out of the band and life was good for me.

So, do you believe in the afterlife?

Yeah. I believe in dimensions. I think there’s a lot going on.

Why is everything happening to you and not me?

You can have this shit.

Does it scare you when it happens?

Yeah, it’s scary.

Were you visited by aliens as well?

Yeah, I had a UFO experience. That was in ’67/’68.

And you weren’t high or anything?

No. I didn’t do drugs. I didn’t drink back then. They just randomly picked me, and I woke up while they were doing it. I’m like, “What the fuck is going on?” My room was white. I couldn’t see anything. It was a complete whiteout. I laid there and couldn’t move. All of a sudden, they said, in another language, telepathy, they yelled a numerical code that was obviously like your passcode to get into your shit, right? And, boom, it was almost like a wire. I woke up, and it was black. I was shaking and couldn’t move.

Did they put a catheter up your penis?

No, no. It was from a distance. They programmed into me. Wireless.

Do you think they programmed that you would one day be the lead singer of a band?

No, I think they opened my mind. It was like a big acid trip, brother.

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Music New Releases Top Stories

Sammy Hagar Said He Was Approached For Van Halen Tribute: “It’s really not Van Halen without Eddie” – 2022 – Interview

The News-Herald: The Red Rocker, who made his first major mark with the band Montrose in 1973 and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 as a former member of Van Halen, is as famous for his business acumen as his music. You can read the entire feature @ this location.

An excerpt from the article can be found below.

INTERVIEW EXCERPT:

He is, however, bemused at chatter earlier this year about renewed Van Halen activity — specifically rumors about a tribute show under the auspices of drummer Alex Van Halen. Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted was the first to talk about it, then guitarist Joe Satriani confirmed the discussions and original frontman David Lee Roth has chimed in, albeit enigmatically.

Michael Anthony spoke about it to SiriusXM host Eddie Trunk, “just because there was all this talk about Jason,” Hagar says. “What’s that about, Jason Newsted playing bass for Van Halen? Great guy. Great musician. But in Van Halen? No, not when Mikey’s still here and alive to do it.”

Hagar said he, too, had been approached by Van Halen’s management with a similar idea but is not interested. “I’m so happy with everything I’m doing now, I don’t think I’d go back there,” he says. “Maybe if Alex was interested, it might be something to talk about, with him and Mikey and a superstar guitar player. But it’s really not Van Halen without Eddie, so…I just don’t know.”

You can read the entire feature @ this location.

Joe Satriani on Jason Newsted’s Van Halen Tribute Tour Leak: “It has only caused grief in the family” – READ IT on full in bloom

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Sammy Hagar & The Circle “Crazy Times” NEW SONG/VIDEO/ALBUM – 2022 – Michael Anthony – Jason Bonham

Sammy Hagar:

“Crazy Times” is OUT NOW! Listen to the title track from Sammy & The Circle’s new album ‘Crazy Times’ out 9/30 on CD & digital, 10/28 on vinyl🤘The band recorded w/ producer Dave Cobb, showing a whole new side of The Circle.

PRE-ORDER
—————–

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Sammy Hagar to Joe Satriani & Jason Bonham: “Happy birthday to 2 of my favorite musicians I’ve ever played with” – 2022

Sammy Hagar:

Happy birthday to 2 of my favorite musicians I’ve ever played with. Chickenfoot, The Circle, Van Halen & Montrose, that’s saying something love both you guys hoping you have the happiest of happy birthdays🥂 Jason, I got you covered in Vegas tonight🍰 Joe Satriani. Jason Bonham.

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History Listen Music Top Stories

Joe Satriani on the Era that Birthed His Band, Squares – 2022 – VIDEO

Joe Satriani:

Happy 3rd anniversary to ‘Squares’! Head back in time with Joe’s band from the 80s through these original recordings, restored and turned digital in 2019 with the help of engineer John Cuniberti. Watch Joe discuss the record & decade that started it all:

Check out the ‘Squares’ playlist on YouTube.

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Cool Chitz Funny History Music New Releases Top Stories

David Lee Roth on Sammy Hagar in 1986: “Eddie’s new singer has zoomed up out of oblivion” – 2022

SPIN recently posted an old school David Lee Roth cover story. The interview was conducted in 1986 and offers some insight into what the frontman’s mindset was shortly after leaving Van Halen. You can read the entire interview @ this location.

“I promised everyone if we’d make it, we’d all do blow together. -David Lee Roth”

INTERVIEW EXCERPT:

Bali Hai Dave

David Lee Roth:

A lead guitarist is married to a television star. I came back from one of my trips about two years ago. It was a camping trip in Tahiti. Spent two weeks camped on Mt. Bali Hai, where the cloud cover is so rich it’s like a ceiling. You could literally put your hand up into it and it disappears up to the elbow. We went into those clouds and stayed there, waiting for the ghosts. When we came back, all sunburnt and everything, we were at the airport, the band’s getting ready to go back out on tour.

There’s the guitar player and there’s the television-star wife, the TV star. She says to me, “So where did you go on vacation this time, Dave?” Well, we just got back from Bali Hai Mountain in the South Pacific. Did you ever hear of it? She says no. I say OK and go into overdrive. Television star. I say, “Uh, you ever see the play South Pacific?” No. “Ever hear of the movie?” No. “Come on, you don’t remember her beckoning to the French guy and singing, ‘Bali Hai is calling’?” No.

I go into hyper drive. “You know the band Led Zeppelin?” Yeah. “Remember the tune, ‘Immigrant Song’?” She said, “Yeah.” I says, “He probably stole that melody from ‘Bali Hai’.” To this day I’m sure she thinks Page wrote South Pacific.

Dave’s Promise

I really believe in postal instant press. Go to the magazine, rip off the format, use the print type, whatever, take a picture of yourself jumping off a building, and put it up everywhere. Even if you’re not playing, announce that you are. After a while, people will get used to seeing the name. We used to think, “What kind of audience would want to see us play?” While Aerosmith was happening, we’d go down to the stadium where they were playing, and I’d be out papering cars, running from the security police, jamming flyers into windshield wipers. Ultimately, we had 14 people running around in the rain. You take this high school, I’ll take this. I promised everyone if we’d make it, we’d all do blow together.

Dave’s Fave Van Halen Rumor

My favorite item about Van Halen is that Eddie’s new singer has zoomed up out of oblivion and suddenly he’s got the microphone. Here’s a guy who’s bad-mouthing me, and I never even shook his hand. Never met this guy in my life.

There was an incident though when I was recording the EP and I was in the studio with Ted Templeman, and Ted was doing Sammy Hagar at the same time. And the telephone call comes, and it’s the singer and he’s frantic. He just got his first big shot with some song, and he’s got the video, and evidently, he says the word “ass.” Standards and Practices are all over him. They’re not going to play his video. There goes the last 10 percent of the career down the toilet. “What am I gonna do?” he asked. Ted turns to me and says, “You’re into video. What should he do?” I get on the phone and ask him what’s happening on the screen, what’s the transition before it? So, he tells me the transition. “Well, that’s cool. If the guy’s slamming the door when that word pops up, just pop in the sound of the door. You can go down to editing. They probably have 20 different doors for you. They’re in the Yellow Pages.” And that’s exactly what happened.

The next thing I know, this guy’s all over the press, with mindless word-drool, and they are bad-mouthing me and talking about how they suffered and struggled through the last 12 years, put up with my shit. Poor little Eddie Van Halen. Struggled to survive a continuing onslaught of platinum records and Lamborghinis. Poor little Eddie. Forced to live a lie.

You can read the entire 1986 David Lee Roth cover story @ this location.

Valerie Bertinelli on David Lee Roth during a conversation on Rob Lowe’s Podcast:

After Ed and I became involved, all of a sudden, there was this rule that there were no girlfriends, or no wives allowed on the road. I got along great with Al and Mike. Someone else didn’t like me. I don’t know why he didn’t like me. I was always nice to him. I honestly don’t know.

One day, I’d like to sit down with him and go, “Dude, what did I do?” I’ve always been a fan of yours. I think you’re a brilliant frontman. I think you’re a brilliant songwriter. I love your lyrics. Why don’t you like me? What did I do?

On Van Halen’s Music Videos, Bertinelli said:

That was all Dave and Dave’s imagination. He really had a lot to do with those videos. He was so brilliant. Dave, why do hate me? I’ll talk you up, dude. I still think you’re an amazing artist. I’m a very nice person if you get to know me.