If you have any semblance of Van Halen fandom whatsoever, it’s safe to say you have a little bit of preference when it comes to the argument of David Lee Roth Vs Sammy Hagar. From 1974 to 1985, Roth was the lead singer of the band whereas from 1985 to 1996 Sammy Hagar was the frontman for the group. Altogether, Van Halen is one of only five rock bands with two studio albums to sell more than 10 million copies in the United States and is tied for the most multi-platinum albums by an American band. Additionally, Van Halen has charted 13 number-one hits on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. A Van Halen bombshell was recently dropped by this big name.
During a recent interview with Mitch Lafon and Jeremy White, former Van Halen bassist, Michael Anthony discussed the key differences between David Lee Roth and Hagar. In doing this, Anthony revealed how he allegedly believed Sammy Hagar had no intention of joining the band but solely just wanted to see if the group’s drug fueled rock and roll lifestyle and reputation were true. Credit to Ultimate Guitar for the following.
“When he first came in as a solo artist, played on a few shows that Van Halen had done. There were some outdoor shows that we did where he was an opening act or whatever. And I never knew him, though. I mean, I knew his music as everybody does. All the bands, know each other. I know Eddie had met him, also, but I never actually met him until he walked into ‘5150.’
After he and Eddie jammed, he decided to come in and see what this Van Halen thing was all about. I don’t even think Sammy had any intention of joining the band at that point. I think he just wanted to come to the studio, and see if the party, drugs, and drinking rumors were true. [laughs]”
“My introduction to him was just as the new lead singer. But we became fast friends. Because let’s put it this way – I owned two cars when he joined Van Halen. I had one and my wife had one. And by the next year or whatever, I owned 10 cars, and my wife hated me for that. She owed it all to Sammy Hagar. [laughs]”
