It's no abstruse that Sammy Hagar loves cars. He's got 17 of them, with a abundant alternative for Ferraris. Endure year his neighbor, the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, told Rolling Stone that if Hagar's wife throws him in the doghouse, he comes animadversion on Weir's aperture to yield him on a white-knuckle joy ride. So if Hagar's affected accomplished out to Rolling Stone about his new collaborations album, Sammy Hagar and Friends, the aboriginal catechism was obvious: Would Hagar be accommodating to acquaint us added about it himself . . . while demography us on our own joy ride? The acknowledgment was yes.
We agreed to accommodated at his barn in California's Marin County, just arctic of San Francisco. Hagar's barn is in an biting automated complex, the aforementioned business esplanade area Weir operates TRI Studios. But it was Metallica's atom just a few afar down the alley that anon aggressive Hagar's set-up. "I adulation the one-stop shopping," he says, apropos to the actuality that his architecture is acclimated as his office, his convenance space, his recording collapsed and, of course, his car hanger, area he keeps about a dozen affluence rides.
Photos: Sammy Hagar Recalls 20 Years of Madness With Van Halen
While jumping into the atramentous Ferrari 512i Boxer from the "I Can't Drive 55" video is tempting, we opt for his 2008 custom-built Ferrari 599 GTB, which has his name engraved on the cuff box. Moments afterwards we leave the driveway, Hagar states his mission to accord the odometer a conditioning – except in this machine, even if the aggravate passes the 100mph mark, it seems as airy as a Sunday drive. We yield it out on Highway 101 and cruise up and down, traveling at speeds abundantly aloft the acceleration limit. On one of our loops, we canyon a brace accompaniment troopers on the ancillary of the road. They accept anyone pulled over and accept amorphous to seek their car. Hagar accidentally animadversion that we could go to bastille for our speed: "In afternoon cartage like this? Adventuresome driving." That may be, but he's amiss about one thing: the way he drives, it's not adventuresome at all. He's in complete control. Sammy Hagar takes his Ferrari out for a drive. (Photo: Ryan Craig)
Same goes for his career, which has been canoeing forth comfortably. In the accomplished few years, he awash his final shares of Cabo Wabo tequila and started a new rum cast alleged Sammy's Beach Bar Rum. His restaurant business is thriving. His memoir, Red: My Uncensored Activity in Rock, was a Amount One bestseller. In it he writes that the aberrant success of his liquor business has fabricated it accessible for him to yield the business out of his music. Now, if he plays, it's because he wants to.
Right now, he wants to. His new album, Sammy Hagar and Friends, which drops on September 24th, appearance collaborations with Kid Rock, Toby Keith, Taj Mahal, Ronnie Dunn, Joe Satriani, Heart's Nancy Wilson, the Dead's Mickey Hart, Journey's Neal Schon and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith, a allotment of others.
We bent Hagar in one of his appropriate acceptable moods, and he opened up to us about aggregate from absent to be added like Jimmy Buffett to why he hopes that his old pal Eddie Van Halen doesn't alarm him up anytime anon with an allure to acknowledge the band.
You accept a amount of absolute altered collaborators on this album, apery aggregate from rap-rock to country. Were you able to get anybody you wanted?
There were so abounding humans that I forgot about. I'm such a screwball. All the humans who accept played Cabo Wabo should've been on this record.
I didn't alpha with the abstraction of accomplishing this. I just started acrimonious guys one at a time, afresh I said, "Oh, you apperceive what? This is acceptable a affiliation record." The endure guy I alleged was Toby Keith. He's like my abutting acquaintance – in country, for abiding – and one of the a lot of archetypal Cabo Wabo heads. We've sat in Cabo Wabo and played "Margaritaville" there 35 times, if not more. And to not apprehend until afterwards I cut "Margaritaville" that I should get Toby to do the affiliation on it?
I approved to get Kenny Chesney to sing on here. We were traveling to do "Eagles Fly," and I beatific him my aboriginal mix – my aboriginal recording of it with Eddie [Van Halen] arena bass and all that. But he was on bout and couldn't do it.
I flew all the way down to Alabama. I went and backward a few canicule with Emeril Lagasse – we were alive on something – and we went out to see Kenny play. We were traveling to almanac the song live, but afresh the bandage didn't plan it up – they abandoned knew some added songs we concluded up doing. Kenny's a baby friend, but that guy works so hard. All them country guys do, you know?
That night I met Grace Potter, and I capital to do a affiliation with her, but I didn't accept the song. I anticipation "All We Need Is an Island," but I concluded up accomplishing that with Nancy [Wilson], and Nancy dead that thing. That's the best affiliation on the record. That's the absolute fucking duet.
I didn't absolutely ambition to say this, but I'm absolutely honest: James Hetfield is a baby acquaintance and we adhere out in Hawaii a lot. Kid Bedrock did the affiliation on "Knockdown Dragout," which he recorded for me instantly. I would've just as anon had James Hetfield do it, but I ran into Kid, because I did that Detroit appearance with him, and we were communicating about added getting and about his tour, so I just spontaneously asked him to sing on the track. And, boom, it got done. Afterwards he accomplished it, I anticipation that I would get James to sing just the "Knockdown! Dragout!" part.
I beatific it to him and told him Kid Bedrock was on there and the accomplished thing, and he got aback to me and said, quote-unquote, "I'm absolutely flattered that you would ambition my sailor-assed articulation on your record." And afresh he said, " . . . but it isn't my style." And I said, "It's OK. I still adulation you, James."
I absolutely anticipation it would be air-conditioned accepting Kid Rock, James Hetfield, Joe Satriani and Denny Carmassi on the aforementioned song with me. Whew – that would be amazing.
James has become just such a abundant frontman. He's absolutely powerful, and he doesn't bullshit. He's not up there accomplishing bargain bits to become a acceptable frontman, like I do. I'll use a brainless bandage like, "Are we accepting any fun yet?" just to get a reaction. And I apperceive how to say something appropriate afore you end a song, so the bandage ends it and you get a big behemothic acclamation because of something I said, and it sounds like they admired the song. I apperceive all them little old adept tricks. James doesn't even use that bits and he's still got allure up the ass. He's absolutely strong, man.
I absolutely capital him on there, but it doesn't fit. I was cheating by sending him that song, because if he would've heard the accomplished anthology – if a Metallica fan would've heard this anthology and bought it because he was on there, they would be pissed off. This isn't a Metallica record, you know? But he's my friend, and I would've admired to accept had him on it.
It's absorbing that you awning Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville" with Toby Keith. Afterwards all, Buffett's Margaritaville restaurants are absolute agnate to the business archetypal both you and Toby accept for yours.Toby was just on the freaking awning of Fortune magazine, and he talks about me. He makes mescal. This is what I adulation about Toby and not these added guys: He said, "The acumen I did this is that I saw what Sammy did with Cabo Wabo and he awash the abuse affair for so abundant money. I went, 'Hell, man, I'm traveling to get into the business.'" He and I are tequila guys. We'll fucking down a canteen and afresh go on up and sing "Margaritaville" onstage in Cabo. But afresh he said that he couldn't do that to his friend. I thought, "Right the fuck on."
Meanwhile, there are guys out there like [Mötley Crüe's] Vince Neil, authoritative Dos Rios tequila [the absolute name is Tres Rios]. He has a abode alleged the Something Cantina in Vegas and acts like he never even heard of Cabo Wabo. My name is never in his articles. It's OK. But that array of affair does put a little stick up my ass, I accept to admit.
It's OK – I'm happy. My wife consistently tells me to shut up if I alpha bitching about somebody not advertence me in one of those liquor articles. She goes, "Shut up. You fucking did it. You were first. You've got added money than you could anytime spend. What is your problem?" I don't know. I just ambition respect.
I aboriginal met Jimmy Buffett if he aboriginal had his tequila. He came out a brace years afterwards Cabo Wabo with his Margaritaville. I was arena at the aforementioned abode that he was arena the next night and I had a night off, so I backward in Detroit. I was sitting there accepting banquet with my wife, and he came up and said, "Who's this guy aggravating to get my job?" I said, "Oh, Jimmy, so animated to accommodated you." He's just absolutely a abundant guy, man. So I said, "Well, now, delay a minute, who's this guy I heard about who's aggravating to accomplish tequila?" And he said, "Oh, no, that's just for the Parrotheads. I ain't even traveling to advertise it commercially." He affectionate of jived me a little bit. But I said, "Oh, no, it's cool." Sammy Hagar shows off some of his car collection. (Photo: Ryan Craig)
On the new album, you chose a absolute abrupt cover, Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus." It's an absurd song, but cipher would've predicted that Sammy Hagar would awning it. It absolutely speaks to how able the song is, that you can yield it beyond genres like that, from cyberbanking to rock.
Exactly what you said. And see, to me, I attending at the accomplished affair backwards. The acumen I best that song is because an cyberbanking adaptation of that song is the weakest version. As abundant as Depeche Mode did it – I adulation that song by them. I'm not a big Depeche Mode fan, but I've consistently admired that song. It's that riff. You put that motherfucker on a ukulele and it's a beggarly riff. You could play it on the banjo. You could play it on a violin. You could sing it. I'm austere – that riff is badass, man. And that's the song.
And afresh the line, "Your own claimed Jesus" – I ambition to alarm it an actual adulation song. Everybody asks, "What's it beggarly to you?" It's an actual adulation song. To say to someone, "I will be your own claimed Jesus," or "I've got my own claimed Jesus" – I sing it both ways, acceptation it's not a banter relationship, it's a give-give relationship. You're both anniversary other's claimed Jesus. Commitment. One hundred percent actual adulation is what that song agency to me, and that's deep. And it's got a aphotic little abuse to it. But that's why I try to yield it to church, man. I went out and got actuality singers from the East Bay to sing those parts, because I capital to yield this affair to abbey to accomplish it about added religious. If you sing "Jesus," that's a able word. And I'm not even religious. I acquainted a little afflictive there. I acquainted like it was blasphemy. It's a bit weird.
I did that with the actuality singers because I acquainted guilty. I don't like fucking with the devil and I don't like fucking with God. Those things are angelic and I'm a little bit abashed of them, so it's like I don't ambition to do annihilation to cantankerous the devil, and I don't ambition to do annihilation to cantankerous Jesus, just in case there is such a thing.
And I accept no abstraction what [Depeche Mode's] Martin Gore was talking about. I apprehend that he apprehend Priscilla Presley's book, which I apprehend too, and she said at some point that Elvis was like her father; he was about God to her. And Gore anticipation that's a awe-inspiring one-way relationship. That's why, if I sing the song, I say, "I've got my own claimed Jesus too" – both abandon of the thing.
Anyways, it's a abysmal song. And Neal Schon fucks that song up on guitar. I don't affliction what you anticipate of Journey – Neal Schon is killing that song.
With all the collaborations on this album, would you anytime do a affiliation with David Lee Roth?
[Sighs]
I know, that's apparently a shitty question.
No – but it's so hard. It's so hard! Because, probably, if he came to me, fuck yeah. I'll do anything. But to go to him and put myself in that accessible position, I would get apparently the wisest fucking able that anytime came out of his mouth. I don't anticipate Dave wants to sing with me. I don't anticipate Dave wants to be in the aforementioned allowance with me, to be honest with you. I don't apperceive if I alarm him or if I piss him off or if he just collapsed don't like me, or if he's abashed of me. I don't apperceive what it is, but he and I do not get together. We tried. I gave it every attempt I had on that tour. And I could affliction less. I mean, I'm absolutely over the guy.
As a amount of fact, the accomplished abstraction of Van Halen – humans ask me all the time, "What if Eddie alleged you up and asked you to be aback in that?" I just achievement he doesn't do that. I'm so accomplished it, and I'm so blessed and appreciative of what we did, I wouldn't ambition to befoul it afresh like that '04 tour. And now what they're doing, acting like I was never in that band, just arena all that aboriginal actual . . . How can they do that?
But Dave can't sing it, so what the fuck. It is what it is, and I'd just as anon let it be. Let them accomplishment it off in their own way, and whatever happens, it's all good. I would adulation to be accompany with those guys. Michael Anthony is one of my angel friends, and I don't see why Ed and Al shouldn't be that, someday, in our lives. But until then, it's all fine.
I don't ambition to go backwards anymore. At my age, I accept a harder abundant time call and arena those old songs at a rehearsal. And I absolutely can't go aback and accept to them. I just ambition to accumulate affective forward, and I'm so afraid to play my new songs in the set that the anticipation of traveling aback and arena with a bandage that hasn't recorded aback 1994 or something like that – ewww. That sounds aching to me.
You don't ambition to go aback and re-tarnish. Van Halen was so abundant and is so appropriate for the time that they had their reign, that to leave that abandoned – they're smart, in one sense, in that they don't do a lot. If they do, everybody's amative again: "Oh shit, I got to go see it again!" I'm appreciative of getting in Van Halen. I absolutely am. I'm absolutely appreciative of that time in my life. It was abundant shit, man. 
Sammy Hagar opens the aperture to his car hanger. (Photo: Ryan Craig)
Growing up, I bethink axis on MTV if I would get home from school, and al of a sudden accepting you in my active room.
. . . singing "When It's Love." What a abundant video. What a abundant song. A ballad? Forget it! It's a fucking ass-kicking ballad. I added that to my show. I haven't done it in years, but I had to accept that song aback in the set. And Van Halen doesn't play that getting anymore, so it's my obligation. I do a 40-minute Van Halen accolade in the average of my show.
You're arena 40 account of archetypal Van Halen material? Afresh why aren't you arena the above festivals like Bonnaroo and Outside Lands? They scream "Sammy Hagar" to me.
See, now I'm upset. Because that pisses me off. I never get asked to do those things. And Chickenfoot neither. Chickenfoot capital those festivals so bad, and [there's] something awe-inspiring about my angel or something I've done to area they don't ambition me on those shows. And I begged to be on the one appropriate here, Outside Lands – it's appropriate in my fucking backyard. I alleged my manager, I alleged my agent. I ambition to do it.
I just played in foreground of 70,000 or whatever it was with Toby Keith. Here's a country [lineup] – Willie Nelson, Ronnie Dunn, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, all those people. And I absolved out there and fucking dead it. It was unbelievable. I was so proud. I was going, "Fuck!" because I didn't apperceive what to expect, right? You play "I Can't Drive 55," you play "Right Now" by Van Halen, you play "Eagles Fly," you play "Bad Motor Scooter," and fuck, man – I went down like crazy. Put me in foreground of a [festival] crowd, and I can plan them good.
My affairs for touring with this anthology is that I'm traveling to do some shows to advance it. And if it comes out and gets some traction, and I get reviews and it gets radio play – instead of a archetypal archetypal bedrock almanac area it comes out and you don't even apperceive it – afresh I will go out next year, and I ambition to abutment it. And I'm traveling to beg for festivals. Beg for them. I'll play them for free. I'll play them for free!
You acclimated to get compared to Ted Nugent. Over the years you've been lumped in the aforementioned book with anybody from Aerosmith and Bon Jovi to Jimmy Buffett. What's the one you're a lot of adequate with these days?
I anticipate the affairs affair – the Jimmy Buffett affair – is absolutely who I am. And that's why I recorded "Margaritaville." I took that song and I bare it down acoustically. I took it so far aback to just kiss the ring a little bit.
I didn't archetype Jimmy in any way. I invented my own thing. And afresh I begin out that Jimmy was accomplishing this on the side. But if I aboriginal met [my wife], Kari, I showed her what I was accomplishing down in Cabo and she went, "Oh my God, you're like Jimmy Buffett!" And I was like, "Get out of here! I'm in Van Halen! What do you beggarly I'm like Jimmy Buffett?"
But we all ambition we were Jimmy Buffett. Humans say to me, "You're a Jimmy Buffett wannabe." And I say, "Everybody wants to be Jimmy Buffett." You anticipate Kenny Chesney wouldn't ambition to be Jimmy Buffett? You anticipate Toby Keith wouldn't ambition to be Jimmy Buffett? So I'm absolute adequate with that. It's the way that I am. I didn't dress up for you today. Actually, I did – I put on my ablaze red shorts instead of my dejected ones.
If I said I was traveling to go about musically from here, though, my affairs affair would beat absolutely nice into, like, a Grateful Dead, jam bandage affectionate of thing. I adulation that. That's what I'm fabricated out of. I don't like to rehearse and plan out every part, and I don't like arena the aforementioned bits twice. So I fit into that arena absolutely well, and that's why Bobby [Weir] and I can play, that's why Mickey [Hart] and I can play, that's why Phil [Lesh] and I can play. A lot of guys can't play with humans that don't accept a anatomy like that. I apperceive so abounding guys that just cannot do that. And I adulation to do it. Just yield me on a ride – a continued airing through the woods, like Bobby would say. And I like that.
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