A caller on Eddie Trunk’s show accused Sammy Hagar of blowing Michael Anthony’s chances of reuniting with Van Halen after he revealed that management contacted him 6 months ago about a possible reunion. Alternative Nation reporter Mike Mazzarone transcribed the conversation.
A caller said, “Hey Eddie, love the show, I have a question for you. When Sammy was on the other day and he mentioned about Michael Anthony getting a call from the Van Halen camp. I felt that if that if Michael Anthony wanted that news out, he would of said something. I felt like Sammy might have jeopardized Anthony’s chances of getting back in that band. I want to see Mike back in the band, I just don’t know why Sammy would say something. Mike is a grown man, he can speak for himself. You know, I would have preferred if he told you off the air or something like that, know what I mean? I’ll let you answer on the radio, brother.”
Trunk responded, “Not a bad point, thank you for your call and I understand where you’re going with that but I don’t think Sammy did that maliciously and I don’t think he did that with any intent. I think he probably didn’t realize that wasn’t public news, and Sammy is a pretty unfiltered guy, you know? It’s sort of one of the things I love about him, he just tells it as it comes to his mind. Yet look, he loves Michael Anthony and I don’t think he by intentionally in any way it was anything to jeopardize that situation for Michael. Also, Sammy said it had been a number of months and there had been no communication since, so I think in Sammy’s mind it was kind of like, because I brought it up to him about all the rumors being out there and if he’s heard them and he said, ‘Yeah.’
And if you hear the audio, Sammy said the whole thing very much in passing. The big question I had to Sammy about it was, if Michael was offered the gig back in Van Halen, would you be cool with it given that you probably also wouldn’t be included. He said, ‘Absolutely’
That’s when he went on that whole thing saying that Anthony should be back in, they should it, I hope they do it and he’s got my blessings. Then I asked if you’ve heard anything more and he said no, ever since he was contacted a few months ago it’s been all quiet, and then we just moved along. That’s when when I said, ‘Well that’s news, hold on a second.’
I think in his mind it was probably the kind of thing like, well that was something that a call four to six months ago but it’s been radio silence ever since, so it’s probably a dead issue. I honestly don’t think he thought he was spilling the beans or jeopardizing anything. I think he was just making conversation and more to say, well there’s been no talk of it since that call and that’s when I jumped in and a lot of other people like, ‘Whoa, there was a call?!” Because we just, nobody knew.”
Sammy Hagar discussed rumors surrounding Michael Anthony’s return to Van Halen with Eddie Trunk last week on SiriusXM.
“As usual, Mike’s hearing about it through the news, just like the way he heard about when Wolfie [Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen] replaced him [back in 2007]. It was, like, ‘Oh, I guess I’m not in Van Halen anymore.’ He read about it instead of these knuckleheads giving him a call and just being straight up with him. So Mikey’s still sitting in that same position again to where all these rumors are going around.”
Hagar is “sure [the Van Halen camp is] trying to put something together. Whether or not it’s gonna materialize, I wouldn’t have a clue; it’s nothing to do with me,” he said. “But I told Mike, ‘If this happens, you freakin’ have my blessings. You go do this. You’re a founding member in that band.’ And for the fans, he needs to do it. He is the missing element right now. If you want my opinion, without Mike, it just doesn’t seem quite the same. Mikey, he’s the flag barer — he walks out there with the flag, the VH flag. He holds it high, like the guy in the cavalry. And he’s a special guy and he has my blessings. And when they’re done, [The Circle will] go back out — if they do it; if it happens.”
Hagar ripped the rumors that Anthony and Wolfgang Van Halen would split duties on bass.
“The things I’ve been reading, it ain’t gonna happen,” Hagar continued. “They think Mikey’s gonna come out and do his bass solo with the Jack Daniels bass and say goodbye and stand on the side of the stage and watch Wolfie play his songs all night. I mean, I don’t think the fans are gonna go for that either. That’d be real hard on little Wolf — he don’t deserve that. So I don’t know what to think. Maybe it’s just a rumor. Who knows? Those guys, they don’t tell me nothing, ’cause I don’t wanna know. But you’d think they’d at least tell Mike. [Laughs].
Hagar is “not trying to hide anything” about the Van Halen reunion. “Mike and I have had the conversation. I’m telling you, Mike don’t know shit. They’re gonna have to eventually… Somebody’s gonna have to give the guy a call. I mean, he got a call six months ago from [Van Halen’s] management saying, ‘Are you interested?’ And he said, ‘Yeah. I’m doing a record with Sammy right now. We’re booking shows, so you’d have to work around it.’ And they said, ‘Okay. We’ll get back to you.’ And that was it. I can tell you that much.”
Sammy said that Anthony “totally” has his blessing to play with Van Halen. “I’m an easygoing guy. First of all, I don’t wanna go out and play six months. So [The Circle is] gonna go out and play a couple of months. And if this happens, he can go play with [Van Halen] a couple of months, and then I’ll go out in the fall again for a couple of months. I just know that Mike’s committed to these shows we’ve got going on right here. If those guys get it together, a hundred percent he has my blessings. I love the guy. And I think he knows that The Circle is really important for his long-term thing, because Van Halen is so sporadic.”
