Sammy Hagar has come forward to once again share his dislike for David Lee Roth, slamming both his character and the singer's alleged lack of care towards the quality of his vocal performances.
In conversation on Steve-O’s Wild Ride Podcast, The Red Rocker began by discussing 2002's Song for Song, the Heavyweight Champs of Rock and Roll trek, which saw the pair co-headline together. Hagar states that his appearance on the tour increased the fellow former Van Halen singer's financial income "sixfold".
He says of Roth: "He wasn’t selling out. I was selling out arenas. I was selling out amphitheatres. Dave, he had that sort of a big album, one kind of a big album, but he didn’t have a solo career. He was playing small places.”
"So when he came in with me, he was making, like, $25,000 a night, I was making $150,000 a night, and they said, ‘Oh, you guys are gonna make the same money. Dave gets to make 150.’ I said, ‘He ain’t fucking made 150 in his life except in Van Halen!’ But I said, ‘I’ve gotta do this.’ So I bent over backwards. And he still always tried to fuck with the rules.”
Then, Hagar takes aim at Roth's character, noting: "He's not a fun guy. He doesn't play well with others. I'm not sure what his problem is… He just always is about, 'How can I make this guy look bad?' And not just me — in life. He's a chest-beating motherfucker. And God bless him, 'cause the early stuff is frickin' great. I personally, I've tried to say… [I thought] he'd be a fun guy to know. But he ain't like that. He ain't like his persona. When you get around him, he ain't that guy. He's some other cat."
Then, Hagar states that he believes Roth to "not care about singing", while offering some praise over his skills as an entertainer: "He's a showman. Hey, listen, I'm a showman too. But that's his gig. He doesn't care about singing. If he did, he'd take care of his voice or he'd take voice lessons and get warmed up and do something.
"'Cause the guy sang so bad last time he was doing shows, it was embarrassing… But he's a showman. Everything's show, show, show, show, show, show, show. And he doesn't care about his voice, which drives me nuts, man. I care more about my voice than I do my dick. If my dick didn't work a couple of times, I'd be okay with it — I'd be bummed out — but if my voice fucks up onstage, I'm fucking bummed, man."
This isn't the first time Hagar has aired his grievances towards Roth. In fact, a feud between the pair has spanned over multiple decades, no less worsened by the many Van Halen fans who pledge their loyalty to one of the two singers in an act of comparison.
Check out the interview below:
