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Van Halen's Sammy Hagar Humbles Himself

  • Posted on Mar 1st 2007 4:44PM by Jessica Robertson
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While never particularly beloved by pundits or critics, Van Halen have earned the ultimate people's band induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"I'm the luckiest man in the world," former frontman Sammy Hagar tells Spinner. "I've been singing for the better part of my life, and I get paid extremely well to do it. I had regular jobs when I was young, but it's been a long, long time since I had to worry about where my next paycheck was coming from, and not many people are lucky enough to have that advantage. I'm just some guy who opens his mouth and gets paid."

Hagar and his Van Halen mates are rather humble about the Rock Hall honor, giving more credit to the band's fellow 2007 inductees. "It's pretty amazing," he says. "The fact that R.E.M. can be as functional as they are after this long is really incredible. And Patti Smith? Anyone who doesn't fall into line, she'll definitely chew 'em out [laughs]. She's one of the great, true rockers. I'm really looking forward to meeting her. Whether she'd like to meet me or not is another matter [laughs]. We're kind of the odd band out -- we're the rock-star band, not that I really think of myself that way. You've got art, and you've got a bunch of nuts!"

Read our exclusive Q&A with Van Halen's Sammy Hagar
  • Filed under: News, Exclusive, Rock Hall
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dirman

VH has the original music with Dave, but it's good to be mellow with Sammy. Why it's gonna be split out from good people for one ego person like Eddie ??

September 04 2007 at 1:31 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Big RO

I'm an old time rock 'n roller. I'm reading lots of comments about who should and who shouldn't be in the R'n R HOF. Please correct me if I am wrong, but isn't rock 'n roll a form/type of music? It has nothing to do with who puts on the best live show, or who was singing at what time. Sure, Gene Simmons is extremely wealthy from selling lunchboxes, condoms, dolls, and other crap. Their band(?) was a gimmick. If they had started out without the make-up & costumes, no one would even remember them today. Where does KISS stand on the all time record sales list? Just my opinion, but KISS did not play rock 'n roll and for that matter, they'll never be known for their musical talents, more like their lack of.

June 04 2007 at 10:12 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Don

Van Halen ,you feel like throwing in the towel
Don't be a fool
They're out to knock you out, put you down
For the count
Watch the left, watch the right, below the belt.

They'll run you round and round it's plain to see
It's never gonna stop. They'll run ya till you drop
There ain't no power around can keep a good band down
There's still some fight in you
That's what you'll always do
Hold your head up high, look'em in the eye, Never say die
Get up and make it work VAN HALEN!!!

June 04 2007 at 2:29 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
jacob swift

you need to come to utah and play and to come to consert

May 21 2007 at 1:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
T. Roy Taylor

rap IS NOT ROCK N ROLL
hip-hop IS NOT ROCK N ROLL
So what the f_ _ _ _ is the ROCK N ROLL HALL OF FAME MUSEUM doing inducting these two forms of ????
Talk about having your head up your ass!

KISS, and Gene Simmons not in there yet? Gosh, Gene Simmons opened the door to the big time for Van Halen and they are inducted before KISS? Amazing!! They have paid their dues just like CHEAP TRICK, so what more does the ROCK N ROLL HALL OF FAME need them to prove? Don't get me wrong, Van Halen deserves being inducted!

rap and hip-hop is now considered a vein of ROCK N ROLL according to the ROCK N ROLL HALL OF FAME? - BULLSHIT!

April 19 2007 at 8:40 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Jeffery Haas

It's amazing...as the years go by the Rock Hall's inductees become less and less rock and more and more "pop". They also become more and more obscure.
But the strangest thing of all is to see Tom Petty, Elton John, The Stones, Dylan and countless other luminaries ensconced while one man to whom they all owe a debt of gratitude remains on the outside...LEON RUSSELL.
Jann Wenner's continued snub against Leon IS personal, and it is well known by Leon fans.
It's okay if Wenner has a personal vendetta against Russell but it is inexcusable to see the Rock Hall render itself more and more irrelevant with its continuing inclusion of marginal acts and pop icons who don't know a lick of Rock and Roll.
Just call it the Pop Hall of Fame and get it overwith.

April 01 2007 at 11:09 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Karl

The main reason (I think) there is a R&R HoF is so that one small group of people (Jann Wenner and whomever he feels is worthy) can pay homage to the music THEY think is deserving... you'll never see bands like KISS or Rush or REO or Styx or Cheap trick, because they are not viewed as being worthy enough... Those bands commonly get slagged by the rock writers who view themselves as "elitist". It's basically a club mentality, and if you don't kiss the right ass, know only three or four chords, sell to many albums or chop up anything that leans a little to the left, then good luck and enjoy your album sales. One of the few redeeming qualities the HoF has is that the do shed some light on little-appreciated acts from the 50's and 60's.

March 21 2007 at 3:11 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
tom cleveland

Alex Van Halen couldn't make the trip without his brother? WTF 30 years in rock and roll and you can't make it to R&R hall. To be honored. It's not all about you Ahole what about the people who bought your albums,tapes Cd's. spent our hard earned money going to your concerts which were always great. Alex VH can bite me.

March 18 2007 at 12:34 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Ryan Mancao

I'm glad that it was Sammy and Mike that showed up despite the Irony of not being in Van Halen anyomre. They Had heart unlike David Lee Suck who has none but has a huge ego and an aweful Voice. The only thing that impressed me about Dave was his hair cut, at least he looks more of his age. As for Eddie, I wished he's stopped drinking and smoking but glad that he's undergoing rehab " Way 2 Go Ed". As for Alex, he's the God Of Thunder and I wished that both He and Ed showed up along with Wolfie. As for Gary, He did make a small part of history with VH despite how weak his performance was with them. Sam and Mike, Congratulations and Party on in Cabo

March 16 2007 at 1:38 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
ron yantz

Is really to bad things couldn't of been worked out, for the members of van halen, so they would of played together its really a shame. Kiss should have been in along time ago along with Iron Maiden, Judas Priest,. Not grand master flash

March 15 2007 at 10:43 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
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