“There was something fake about him”: Why Sammy Hagar found it hard to “respect” David Lee Roth
“He was a good frontman of that style, but that wasn’t anything I ever wanted to be growing up…”
Images: Emma McIntyre (L) and Bennett Raglin (R) / Getty
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Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth have never got along well, and in a resurfaced interview, Hagar explained why Roth felt like “the enemy” upon joining Van Halen.
Just recently, the news was broken to Hagar that Roth would be coming out of retirement to go on tour later this year, and in response he fell off his chair and roared with laughter, according to the journalist’s account. Hagar replaced Roth as Van Halen frontman in 1985, but the pair infamously toured together in 2002, a stint which didn’t exactly help to create a better bond between the two.
The tension among the pair runs so deep, that even old interviews are still relevant – in one with AXS TV, newly re-posted to its YouTube channel, Hagar explained exactly what it was that caused his distrust.
“I never really had a lot of respect for Dave. I mean, he was a good frontman of that style, but that wasn’t anything I ever wanted to be growing up. When I was saying I’m going to be a musician, I was looking at Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Pete Townshend. Mick Jagger was as close to being flamboyant as I could think about being,” he said [via Ultimate Guitar].
He added, “I wasn’t buying it. There was something that was fake about him. I know, the old Van Halen fans, had I said that in the beginning, would have crucified me. But he was the enemy. Eddie, they all hated Dave at that point. You know, ‘He quit the band! He left us high and dry! Now, Sammy’s our hero…’”
Though he did say his showmanship sure helped in garnering attention for the band, Hagar felt Roth’s grandeur wasn’t the right fit for a group like Van Halen: “It’s such a mess, now I feel confident in saying he was a showman, period. Liberace was a great showman, but he could play piano… But dude, it’s Van Halen. This is music, real music… I’m not jealous, [I don’t] dislike the guy. I don’t like him; I don’t dislike him. I was around him. He toured with me.”
Sammy Hagar recently wrapped his Las Vegas residency with the Best Of All Worlds band. David Lee Roth begins touring in July.
Rachel began writing for Guitar.com in 2021 while finishing up her degree. A proud DIY guitarist, she has been playing for over 10 years and has written for the likes of Kerrang!, The Forty-Five, and MusicTech. An enjoyer of all things heavy, you’ll find her at a festival or downtuning her guitars when away from her desk.