Former Van Halen and current Extreme frontman Gary Cherone recently opened up on online criticism. The third Van Halen frontman, Cherone took over when Sammy Hagar left the group in 1996. Cherone’s sole release with Van Halen, 1998’s “Van Halen III”, was a commercial disappointment. He was dismissed from Van Halen soon after the tour ended.
Gary Cherone talks about criticism
During an appearance on the latest episode of “The Chuck Shute Podcast”, Cherone spoke about how he deals with online criticism in the age of social media. He said:
“I was in Van Halen, so all the criticism I got, nothing can hurt me.”
He continued: “You’ve gotta… Not only that — just through your life, you could dwell on it.”
“It’s so funny, and I’m guilty of it — I’m sure [other] people are [as well] — you can get a hundred compliments but the one negative thing is the one you remember.”
“You mature,” Gary explained. “You get old enough to [where] it’s just, like, listen, don’t paint a picture and put it out in the world if you don’t want criticism. Some people are gonna like it; some people aren’t. Not everyone’s gonna like Extreme, and if it hurts my feelings, [it’s not like I will say], ‘Okay, I’ll quit. I’ll go home and I won’t play anymore.’ That ain’t gonna happen.”
Extreme will release new album, “Six”, on June 9 via earMUSIC. Gary has also recorded and performed with Joe Perry, while Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt has recorded and performed with Steven Tyler and Rihanna.
