So, tequila salesman/singer Sammy Hagar is starting a new band, Chickenfoot. It’s a “Supergroup”, big time lineup; Joe Satriani on guitar, Michael Anthony on bass, Chad Smith, from the Chili Peppers on drums and Sammy on vocals and hype. I’ve been hearing, from various sources, that Sammy has been going around and already comparing Chickenfoot to Led Zeppelin, even though the band hasn’t recorded a lick. That’s good hype-man stuff there, people are going to react when you compare yourself to Zep, it’ll make them look.
Anyway, I wanted to read more about Chickenfoot and the first thing I found was this article from the Canadian Press. Apparently, Sammy is up North selling some tequila and playing a few gigs. So, I read this article and, the majority of quotes are about Eddie and the rest of Van Halen. Now, Sammy has got to say something about Van Halen, I realize that. And, the writer may have talked to Sammy about Chickenfoot for two hours and decided to print the VH stuff, who knows? I just found it interesting that Sammy would choose to go this route.
“I love Eddie, but we don’t love each other,” Hagar said during an interview Thursday.
“I heard that he got cleaned up again. Hopefully he stays that way and doesn’t die, because before we both die we have to be friends again.
“But like I said, people have to be level-headed and have to be healthy before you can settle a feud.”…
Although it’s “great that they finally did the reunion with Dave,” Hagar said he had no desire to take in the show.
“Mikey should have been there. It’s ridiculous,” he said.
“(Seeing the show) just wouldn’t interest me in the least, all the hoopla and all that around something without it being the original.”…
“I’m really not interested in being in that band right now. I’m so much more interested in our little Chickenfoot project,” Hagar said.
“To me that’s 10 times Van Halen, because it’s functional, we all like each other.”
I’m not going to say Sammy’s taking the low road; I’m not going to go that far.
You what this reminds me of? It’s like a guy who gets a divorce and then starts dating a really hot chick. You see him at a party with the new girlfriend and he’s like; “Oh, yeah, she’s hot”, and then he talks for two hours about his ex-wife. It’s like that. It’s sort of human nature to do that, I guess. But, usually what happens is, the new, hot girlfriend gets pissed off and dumps the guy.
Related posts
Tags: chad smith, Guitar, joe satriani, Led Zeppelin, michael anthony, sammy hagar, Van Halen
Sans Direction wrote,
From the bit, it might be Hagar bringing it up, or it might be that the journalist was asking the question, bringing it back to Van Halen.
But yeah, it’s a bit unseemly.
Sans Direction’s last blog post..Songs You Know By Heart
Link | May 26th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Pribek wrote,
At this point in Sammy’s game, it’s hard to fathom a reporter getting the upper hand on him. He’s been dealing with this stuff since the ’70s (before most current entertainment reporters were born).
So, you just have to assume that Sammy isn’t saying anything by mistake.
I guess there is the possibility that he’s being misquoted by the Canadian Press-just seems like that would be a little odd.
One thing from the article, that I did not put in the post, may give a little insight to Sammy’s mindset.
“Last year, Hagar sold an 80 per cent stake in the company to multinational spirits company Campari for a reported US$80 million.”
$80 million, well that’s getting into real money there, isn’t it?
It may be that Sammy has reached that place where he just says whatever the hell he wants with no qualms.
Busting on a guy about his rehab trouble while, at the same time, pimping tequila might not be breaking the code of the road road but, some would view that as a low blow.
Link | May 26th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Sans Direction wrote,
Yeah. Low blow. You’re right.
Sans Direction’s last blog post..Songs You Know By Heart
Link | May 26th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Pat Darnell and friends wrote,
I bet this goes over like a lead zeppelin. Don’t you think it might be time for a chicken hot foot? Somebody should contact Burt Reynolds.
I suggest it is master showmen’s at work… der maestros made it once, and with Michael Anthony at anchor bass, he just might slap the prima donas in line with a heave ho, a-diddly ho, diddly-diddly a-heave again ho…!! But I seriously doubt it. I hear Barry Bonds is available.
If I was looking for salvation, would I go to the flim flam man? [Van Halen is the main guy in that movie "Bloodsport," right?]
I lay down a twenty that the resultant album sounds like Steely Dan… with a twist of Ravi Shankar, no? any takers?
..choo’ said it mang: and that is the truth of that.
Pat Darnell and friends’s last blog post..Updated: thanks, dad
Link | May 26th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Ovidiu - GuitarFlame.com wrote,
I ask myself if this project will actually turn real. If so, frankly, I would love to have it. With such a line up…
Ovidiu - GuitarFlame.com’s last blog post..What’s the story with a relic? Tell me about it!
Link | May 27th, 2008 at 12:35 am
MacEric wrote,
When Roth left and found Vai and Van Halen called upon Hagar, I said, “Great! This will be like double the music I love each year.” Unfortunately, Vai left after two albums, Roth’s LPs went downhill, and Ed became an egomaniacal lush.
Fast forward two decades — It’s not just Sammy that Eddie now hates, but Michael, too. He puts his son on bass, pulls Roth out of Vegas, and then delays the reunion tour to go back into rehab. If you ask me, Chickenfoot has a much better chance of putting out albums and sticking with the touring than Van Halen does in it’s current incarnation.
I don’t doubt Hagar is irked — Fool me once, shame on you (post-Balance fiasco). Fool me twice, shame on me (1st reunion tour). Ether way, he’s the only one knocking out regular albums and tours for the fans. Time will tell.
Link | August 4th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Pribek wrote,
Thanks for weighing in, MacEric. You know, I haven’t heard anything about this project since Sammy issued his first couple of salvos.
I can’t disagree with anything you say there. Sammy has been knocking out shows and, I know he’s been putting out records too. I got to say though, I can’t recall hearing much from those records. He’s kind of flown under the radar on that side of things. But, I sure do hear about the Tequila biz plenty.
This thing will come down to whether or not Chickenfoot has the songs.
I may be assuming that Sammy is the primary songwriter. Just looking at the line up, I lean that way.
You are always going to have egos to deal with when starting a band. When you got a bunch of guys that have had success, sometimes that’s a bigger deal too. But, it still comes down to the songs.
Hey, I’ll give it a listen, that’s for sure.
Link | August 4th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
MacEric wrote,
Here in Chicago, it’s my understanding that Hagar’s albums sell very well and they do get airplay on local radio. I heard Open on the way to work before I even knew it was available on iTunes. Back on the Marching to Mars tour, Hagar even made it a point to specifically thank Chicago for how well record sales were doing in this region.
Looking back, I think Red Voodoo and Not For Sale have been my favorites post-Van Halen LPs. Livin’ It Up was a nice change of pace, but if that represents the direction he’ll go with the Waboritas, then I’m glad this Chickenfoot project will come together for my dose of arena rock.
Ed seems intent on burning his bridges as well as burning himself. Let’s hope these guys pull together something special and are content with simply making good music — period.
Link | August 5th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Corey Mor wrote,
I hope this proves to be good. Sammy and the wabo’s doesn’t quite do it for me, and Sammy is one of my favorite singers. Van Halen with Hagar was awesome! Sammy wrote his best lyrics when he was with Van Halen, and he sang those lyrics unbelievably. It was like Eddie and Sammy fed off each other, because Musically Eddie’s writing with Sammy in the band was much more technical, basically harder stuff to play than the music he wrote in the early days with DLR.
I loved early Van Halen too. I’ve seen live them four times. 81, 84,95,04. I had no desire to see the DLR reunion tour though. Dave can’t even sing his own songs anymore and without Mike on bass, with his trademark backing vocals, how could I tarnish my image of the band. Check out what you can find on the 07 tour, its really brutal.
Lets see if this lineup has the same type of result as the four Van Hagar albums. Inspired songs one after the other without having to skip half the album. Unlike Sammy’s solo stuff where maybe there’s one good song. Good luck to these guy’s and then hopefully good bye Wabo’s.
Link | October 17th, 2008 at 12:09 am
Pribek wrote,
I think you nailed it there Corey. I thought at the time Sammy first started with VH that, here we have a band that’s evolving, it’s some songs about some things that grown-ups think about. Nothing against songs about chicks and cars and such but, it’s hard to keep making that statement fresh. And, I agree that it seemed to have pushed Eddie as well, it wasn’t all about writing a riff that was a set-up for a solo. Now, it’s like a nostalgia thing. Revisiting not visible evolution and the revisiting rings hollow because the guys aren’t the same people who made those statements in the first place.
If Sammy still has the drive to write some interesting lyrics, a guy like Satch who has been working a different side of the fence for so long might have some really fresh things to add. Could be real good.
Link | October 17th, 2008 at 1:12 pm