Sammy Hagar 1997 | The Post-Van Halen Interview

A never-published interview with the Red Rocker Sammy Hagar. At the time of this interview in 1997, Hagar was 50 years old, freshly out of Van Halen, and promoting his new album Marching to Mars and his upcoming tour. In the interview, Hagar talks in detail about how he saw the break-up between him and Van Halen, his dislike for manager Ray Daniels, and his new musician best buddy Mickey Hart.

00:00 - Intro to Sammy Hagar interview
00:41 - A little UFO talk
01:10 - Why his new album is not more aggressive after being fired from Van Halen
03:28 - Detailed backstory on why it ended with Van Halen and him
05:06 - How manager Ray Danniels wanted more than his fair share of money
06:58 - All about greed and lack of integrity
07:37 - What he thinks Eddie Van Halen lied about
08:32 - Why did he still thank Van Halen on his new album
09:39 - The support of his fans
10:24 - His disappointment in Eddie and Alex Van Halen
11:40 - How does he think the upcoming Van Halen record with Gary Cherone will do
12:45 - How Eddie Van Halen is a musician, not a songwriter
13:28 - How Van Halen hired a 72-year-old to help with lyrics
13:50 - All the producers’ Van Halen went through
14:34 - If Van Halen’s next album fails with Cherone, how will Hagar feel
15:32 - How Michael Anthony was mistreated in Van Halen
16:40 - What Los Tres Gusanos is
17:03 - What are the stand-out songs on his new album Marching to Mars
18:18 - How he got together with Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart
19:39 - Mickey Hart as a musician
20:18 - His touring plans
21:27 - The business side of his tour
22:41 - Did he get to talk to David Lee Roth and the difference in their Gary Cherone stories
24:05 - When he finally busted Eddie Van Halen
24:52 - What would he change if he were the overlord of pop music
26:30 - What else does he have going on

#sammyhagar #vanhalen