Sammy Hagar has heard Alex Van Halen call him a “complete idiot,” and he is not playing along. The singer appeared on Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM to respond to Alex’s recent comments about Hagar’s 2011 memoir Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock.
In a recent interview, Alex was asked what he thought of the book. He replied, “I don’t know what he wrote, and I don’t wanna know. In my opinion, Sammy Hagar is a complete idiot.”
Hagar’s Response
Hagar told Trunk he does not know what Alex’s problem is. “If I wanted to get into a tug-of-war again, but you know, there’s so much clickbait going around now. It turns on you every time. And I’m always honest. I tell the truth. And I have never lied in my book. None of those are lies. Those are all truth. All those things happened.”
He then pushed back against Alex’s attempt to erase his history. “We sold 40-some million records, four No. 1 albums, and you just scratched that off of your brother’s legacy, saying, ‘No, that never happened.’ That’s deep. That’s weird. That’s not right for Eddie, for me, for Mike, for anybody.”
The Photoshop Incident
Hagar recalled a specific moment that shows how far Alex has gone to remove him from Van Halen’s story. “When [Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie’s son] joined the band, Alex took all the old catalog, all the records, all the photos that were on their website, and Photoshopped Wolfie in and took Mike out. He did that for about two weeks, and then the people gave him so much shit he fixed it.”
He called the current situation similarly foolish. “It’s like, dude, don’t pretend like something never happened.”
What Hagar Wants
Hagar is not looking for a fight. He wants a reason. “Just come clean. What’s your problem? Is it the book? Say it. Is it Cabo Wabo? Say it.”
He also floated a practical solution. “I want to hire you. I want to know how much you charge an hour to see if you can mediate this thing.” Eddie Trunk offered to arbitrate a truce between the two if the opportunity arises.
The Vegas Residency
Hagar is currently set to play a five-night residency in Las Vegas beginning tonight, September 18th, with his “Best of All Worlds” band featuring Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, and Kenny Aronoff.
The Legacy Question
Hagar sees Alex’s actions hurting more than just himself. “To me, he’s doing a lot of stuff wrong for the legacy of Van Halen.”
He is willing to live with the fallout. “It’s all good. It’s not changing my life. And it doesn’t really even bother me anymore because I think the fans really know it’s wrong.”
The feud has simmered for years, but Hagar’s response cuts through the noise. He is not the one acting like nothing happened. He is the one asking for a straight answer.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Las Vegas residency begins | Tonight, September 18th |
| Figure | Role |
|---|---|
| Sammy Hagar | Singer, responding to Alex’s comments |
| Alex Van Halen | Drummer, called Hagar a “complete idiot” |
| Eddie Trunk | Host, offering to mediate |
Hagar’s honesty is the point. He told Trunk he has never lied in his book, and he means it. The facts are settled. The question remains: what is Alex’s problem?
For now, Hagar is moving forward. The residency runs five nights, and the band plays tonight. The feud will have to wait until the final encore.
See the video the story is built around at Consequence.
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