Sammy Hagar has a knack for making you like him.  He is a guy who you would want to go to the party with.  Hell, he is the guy who throws the best parties you have ever been to.  Hagar retains the teenage spirit of freedom and adventure.  The Red Rocker seems hell bent on enjoying life, having fun and spreading good times to all who come around him.

Groomed to be a boxer by his alcoholic father, Hagar learned how to fight battles both outside of himself, and internally.  He fought to rise above humiliation and to strive to make the world a better place.  Despite his father's shortcomings, young Samuel still learned from his dad to work hard and to believe that he could really become the champion of the world. 

When boxing went by the wayside, rock n' roll became Sammy's outlet.  He joined Montrose in the mid 1970's before embarking on a solo career.  By the middle of the 80's, Hagar's solo career was in full swing.  He became known for hard rockin' anthems including "Heavy Metal," "I Can't Drive 55" and "There's Only One Way to Rock."  Just as it seemed that Hagar was reaching for the brass ring, opportunity came knocking in the form of Van Halen, who were searching to replace departed lead singer David Lee Roth. 

As the lead singer for Van Halen, Sammy finally hit # 1.  Over time, Van Halen has been a love/hate affair for all involved, including Hagar.  His main angst being the lack of material written by the band and their unwillingness to continue to make new music.  After several much publicized band arguments, Hagar went back to being a solo artist.  His backing band, the Wabos, keeps Sam young.  His club, Cabo Wabo, gives him a place to call home and the millions he made from selling 80% of his Cabo Wabo tequila give him the freedom to do what he wants, when he wants and how he wants.

In this interview, we discuss Hagar's latest offering, a rockin' set of tunes titled Cosmic Universal Fashion.  It is a party album with a few surprises.  Surprise number one is a song co-written with an Iraqi musician that Hagar has yet to meet and even has a hard time recalling his name.  Surprise number two is the inclusion of two songs written for the Planet Us collaboration that never happened.  The third surprise is learning that Sammy is a fan of the Beastie Boys.  Sam aslo discusses his latest supergroup, Chickenfoot.  Yep, that is the name of the band featuring Sammy, Joe Satriani and Michael Anthony.  We discuss some of the reasons Hagar is no longer a member of Van Halen as well.  

What follows is an up-close and personal look into the heart and soul of the Red Rocker.  He has had ups and downs throughout his career, but now, in his 60's, he seems to be taking the best from both worlds.

Jeb: Cosmic Universal Fashion is the debut album on Tom Lipsky's Loud & Proud label.

Sammy: Going back with Tom is really cool. He has been a fan for a long time. He signed me on Sanctuary after he had been out trying to sign me forever. As soon as I did the record, the label folded up, so that didn't turn out so great. I like Tom because he is such a music guy. He comes from the mold of John Kalodner and Ted Templeman. It is a business but there is love of the music too. That is why I like Tom and am going to give him another chance.

Jeb: Well, you outdid yourself on this album. It rocks.

Sammy: I am really proud of it. I didn't go into the studio to make a record. I had all these little songs laying around like "24365" and "When the Sun Don't Shine." I had these songs sitting around but I didn't have a reason to finish them. As soon as I did the song "Cosmic Universal Fashion" with that guy from Iraq, which is unique itself... When that song was finished, I was so happy and proud of the way that turned out that it forced me to pick up the pieces and finish the other songs and make an album.

Jeb: You did not even meet the guy from Iraq that you co-wrote the title track with, did you?

Sammy: I still haven't. I can't wait to meet him. I can't remember his name. It is a very strange name that does not sound very Iraq to me. He sent five songs to Miles Copeland, who releases a lot of world music. He sent them to him and he told him that he wanted to record these songs with Sammy Hagar. Miles asked me if I was interested and I told him, "Not really." I don't usually do that. If I wrote songs with fans of mine that wanted to write music with me then I could get myself in a situation where I was writing every second of my life. The music might not necessarily be great all the time. I usually ignore people who send me music. I asked Miles if it was any good. He said, "It's pretty good." I told him to send it to me.

When I played the first song, I didn't go any further. I knew this was going to be the new "Right Now." We are at war with this country and two musicians can get together and write a song and have no conflict whatsoever whereas the world leaders can't. This is a political statement, an environmental statement and a world statement. Right now, this is how I feel about everything. Right now, this is about everything going on in the world. The song wrote itself.

Jeb: The one I keep cranking up is "Loud."

Sammy: Who would ever think that I didn't write that song? I could have written that song back in 1981. It would have worked on any album that I ever recorded. That song is a true classic rocker. John Eddie opened a show for me. My old bass player from HSAS, Kenny Aaronson, was in his band. I didn't know it at the time, but when I got to the gig I was so happy to see him. I became friends with John, who had never seen me perform. He decided that he wanted to write a song about me. He asked someone what they thought of when they thought of Sammy Hagar and they said, "Loud." I am not going to deny it! I played that song at my birthday bash--for all eight shows at Cabo. My fans, halfway through that song, without ever hearing it before, had their hands in the air. It was an anthem. It was "Heavy Metal." It was "I Can't Drive 55." It was "There's Only One Way to Rock." It is a Red Rocker classic and I love that song.

Jeb: When I first heard that Sammy Hagar was going to do a Beastie Boys song, I thought you had lost your freakin' mind.

Sammy: I have; you're not far off. I have been playing it for four years. I had to scramble to make the deadline for this CD, so instead of writing another song, I decided to include it. It is already a mini-anthem for me. That song rocks; it is my favorite Beastie Boys song. I like the Beastie Boys in general, people might not think so, but I do. Normally, in concert, I sing "Summertime Blues" or something else, instead of the first verse of the lyrics. When I went to get it okayed by their attorneys, they said I had to put the original lyrics on the recording. Come on! The world has changed. Rappers would have just stolen it and went on. Just so I wouldn't have trouble down the road, I went ahead and did it. I am not crazy about that first verse because it is kind of silly. I love the second verse. My production manager becomes Bling Bling and comes out on stage and sings the second verse.

Jeb: I love the acoustic "Dreams/Cabo" live cut that you included. You are a great guy and good person. You sum up who Sammy Hagar is with you stage rap before the song kicks in.

Sammy: I really do believe that one of the things that comes with fame and fortune is that you can feel good about who you are. I think that is the gift from the fans. They say that they love you. If you have been honest about your music and image—which I totally am now—it allows you to be totally honest with everything you do in front of them. They have given me the confidence and ability to be honest and true. I don't do a fake set and then have to go play it every night. I do a 'for real' show every night. The things that I say in front of "Dreams" are different every night. I basically just start talking about how I feel and what I think we need in our lives to make us feel better.

That was a magical moment because it was the first time we introduced the song that way. I don't remember everyone who was up on that stage with me, but I do remember that Toby Keith, Ted Nugent, Michael Anthony and my band and a bunch of other people were there. We were probably all up there because we had just done a crazy set. The audience didn't recognize the song at first, but when they got it—I still get goose bumps on my arms every time I hear it or even think about it. Everyone on that stage had tears in their eyes. It wasn't recorded well at all because it was just a couple of microphones in the audience, but it had to be done. That moment had to be recorded to be given to the rest of the world. If I didn't put it on this CD then it would never come out because it would be old. My rap that night was the first time I had ever done it; it is how it all started.

Jeb: Another great song on the album is "Psycho Vertigo." What is the story behind that one?

Sammy: Neal Schon and I wrote that song for Planet Us. "Peeping in a Hole" was written for Planet Us too. Michael Anthony is on bass, Deen Castronovo is on drums, Neal is on guitar and I am singing. We wrote and recorded those two songs for Planet Us at my house and then the Van Hagar reunion came up and put the project on hold. By the time the year was up for the Van Hagar reunion, and writing those few songs we did, Journey was out on the road. It never came back together.

"Psycho Vertigo" was the first song we wrote. Neal was playing that lick over-and-over again and I couldn't sing on top of it. I loved the lick and the feel of the song but I couldn't figure out what to sing. I said, "Why don't you stop and I will sing in the holes like a slowed down 'Black Dog.' I will sing in the holes and you play again." I sang that melody and I came up with the theme that the whole world is so afraid to rise up to a new height. I thought that world has vertigo. It was a really artsy-fartsy, unique concept and I really liked it. I threw the Alfred Hitchcock reference in with 'vertigo' and decided to call it "Psycho Vertigo."

It seems like every time the world begins to raise itself up, something comes along and knocks it down. We had the hippie generation, where we had peace and love going on, and then the drugs showed up and ripped it apart. The next thing you know you have a bunch of rappers out there shooting each other. It went from the 'peace and love' generation to the 'let's kill each other' generation'. How did we do that? We have vertigo; we are afraid of heights.

Jeb: Rock music aside for a moment; was it hard to give up 80% of Cabo Wabo tequila?

Sammy: I didn't have to give it up. Well, I did in order to make that deal. They wanted the whole company but I told them that the whole company wasn't for sale. I wasn't even planning on selling any of it. When I figured out that Campari has one of the best worldwide distribution systems in the world, then that met my goal of taking this tequila to the rest of the world. I had no idea how to do it. I would have had to quit everything else I was doing in life to figure out how to make this go worldwide and they could do it with a push of a button. I would have rather not sold 80%. I would have rather sold 49% but they gave me a lot of control with my 20%. They consult me on anything they do to change the way we did it before or to make any new moves. They are awesome people. They are all younger than me and they have great ideas. I am real proud of that deal and I am not afraid at all over what I did.

Jeb: It is an awesome success story but it had to be like watching your kids leave home.

Sammy: I have the tattoo on my arm. I was afraid I was going to have to give up my arm! At first, I was worried about a multibillion-dollar corporation taking over my little company and squashing me or making it too commercial. If you have noticed, they have not done any of that. They have remained status quo. It makes their company look hipper and more cool with my image. It really works together really well.

Jeb: Does Cosmic Universal Fashion give you any freedom from being away from Van Halen?

Sammy: The eleven years I spent in Van Halen, and the one-year reunion we did, are deep in my roots and my soul. I could never say I was never in the band. It was a huge part of my life and I am proud of the music we made. I would still be happy to be in that band if it weren't for the fact that they can't seem to be able to make a recording anymore. They could have Dave or Sammy for a singer if they wanted. Eddie can play bass, drums and keyboards. He owns his own studio in his house. He doesn't even have to leave his house to record. His brother plays awesome drums and lives down the street. Why can't they make an album?

When I did the reunion with them in 2004, my idea was to make a CD first. Everyone said okay. We went into the studio and four months later we barely had three songs done. To be quite honest with you, they were semi-inferior to the level of recording we had done in the past. It was impossible trying to get music out of that organization. We ended up having to rush out on tour without a new CD. I was part of another greatest hits package, which is why I got thrown out of the band the first time, because I was rebelling against a greatest hits package. My point is, that the last record we made was in 1993. They have done one album after that with Gary Cherone. What is wrong? Everyone is going, "Why can't Sammy get along with these guys?" The first reason is that I need to make new music and go out and tour constantly because I love it. It is not about the money. I need to do it. I can't sit around seven or eight years twiddling my thumbs waiting for someone to write a song. I am much more prolific than that. With that said, that is what happened to Van Halen.

Jeb: You have always been about the music. From the Wabos to Van Halen to your solo career to Montrose. I think the fans recognize that and that is why they love you.

Sammy: The reason I have a loyal following is because I have delivered time-and-time again. Whether you like my music, my band or my songs, I am out there doing it. I will keep doing it and I will dig it. Hopefully, my new band, Chickenfoot, will fill that Van Halen gap for myself and the fans. You have a super guitar player, Joe Satriani, and you have Chad Smith on drums and Mikey on bass and singing. We have the early Van Halen chemistry. When we get together, we start laughing and having a good time, and the music just comes pouring out of us. I am so happy to be in a creative environment like that with other people again. My band is creative; don't get me wrong. They are my solo band and they will always be my band. It is like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band; they back up Bruce properly. When you put together another kind of band, where everyone inspires each other, and tries to out play each other, and pushes each other to the limit, and I am not running the show—that is what Van Halen was. I love that feeling. It was like that in Montrose and HSAS. Everyone brought things to the table and it is not a solo thing. I am really enjoying this time with Chickenfoot.

Jeb: Is the name Chickenfoot going to stick?

Sammy: Say we change the name tomorrow to The Brown Boys. We will put a new album out and people will say, "Have you heard The Brown Boys?" People will go, "Who are they?" They will answer, "They used to be Chickenfoot." No matter what we change our name to everyone will refer to us as "Chickenfoot." To me, it is more than a silly name. This band is funky and it is like a chicken foot walking around a barnyard. It is down and dirty.

Jeb: Have you set dates?

Sammy: Hopefully, it will be done by the summer of next year. We want to have a CD out and go out on tour. We want to take it to the world; this band is too good. Just looking at the four parts then you can tell it is good. Now, imagine if the four parts have great chemistry, then you know how good it is going to be. Everyone takes each other to a different level. You can put the best musicians in the world in a band, and if there is no chemistry then the music stinks. You can put good musicians in a band, and have good chemistry, like the Beatles had, and you have the greatest band in the world. You can't compare George Harrison to Eddie Van Halen on guitar but the creative process that those guys achieved, you can't compare to Eddie Van Halen, me or anyone.

Jeb: You grew up and were into boxing. Your father had his problems. I am wondering how growing up with an alcoholic like your father shaped you to go forward and become the person you are now.

Sammy: To be quite honest with you, I came from a small town and my father was an alcoholic, who was the town drunk. He would go into bars and get into fights with my girlfriend's father. I was always embarrassed and humiliated. When I got to be 16 and some of my friends had cars, we would go driving around and we would see my dad walking down the street drunk. I would go, "Oh that's my dad. How embarrassing." Some of my buddies would rag me a little bit; you know how kids are pretty cruel. I think that little bit of humiliation drove me to say that I was going to be somebody. Instead of falling prey and saying I was a loser like my dad, or allowing people to beat me down, in my soul, I am a fighter and I rebelled. My dad always said I was going to be the champion of the world. He wanted me to be what he never was able to be, which was the champion boxer of the world.

The combination of my dad having me believe that I was going to be the champion of the world, mixed with the humiliation, caused me to be a fighter. I didn't care what it was, I was going to get out there and win. On the other hand, I had my mother, who was an Italian, heart and soul, kitchen mother. She made sure the kids went to school and went to church on Sunday. My mom caused me to be honest and true. She taught me to treat others, as I wanted to be treated. She taught me all of those old school, European family values. The mix of her upbringing and my dad's praise and humiliation made me want to go out and be successful, by hook or by crook, but without making enemies and without screwing people. My philosophy is to never screw anyone to get what you want. You can get what you want but you need to make sure no one suffers for it. I think that has allowed me a clean path and has afforded me some opportunities that others have not had because they have a different style of how they want to go get what they want.

Jeb: You took the best of both world-no pun intended.

Sammy: My parents really gave me love. As crazy as my dad was, he would beat up anybody over the drop of a hat, he was my protector. He put the boxing gloves on me every day that I came home from school. God forbid one of my buddies came home with me after school. He would say, "You guys are going out in the yard, putting on the gloves and having a little scrap." My buddies would be like, "I have to go home now."

Jeb: Because you are so honest I want to get your take on something. I didn't make it to see the last Van Halen tour. But I can't help thinking that Michael Anthony got fucked. I want to know if you think Mike got fucked.

Sammy: Absolutely. I am dragging Mikey around the country—I have a bass player who can play and sing. I still choose to drag Mikey around the country with me. I love the guy. He is more fun than the rest of Van Halen put together. Because he got fucked, I can't stand to go out and play a show anywhere in the world without saying to Mike, "Do you want to come?" Ninety percent of the time he says, "Yeah." He got fucked and it was horrible. I am not going to go on about 'why and what' because I have no idea. Once again, they can't make a record for fifteen years and then they throw Michael Anthony out of the band right before they do the reunion that the whole Van Halen world has been waiting for since the 80's. They have been waiting for this reunion and they [Van Halen] did it wrong. It is one more strike against those guys. They are not healthy, mentally, and they make bad decisions. They don't take the fans in mind for one second and it is not good.

Jeb: Last one: I heard that Eddie and you got into a fight in an airplane, while in the air, and Eddie actually tried to smash out a window in the plane. Is that true?

Sammy: Yes, it is true. He tried to smash the window out with his hand until he hurt his hand. Then he tried to smash it out with a wine bottle until Alex jumped up and took the bottle from him and calmed him down. I was going to quit the band the next day, but there were forty more shows and I couldn't do that to the fans. I thought that it was not cool to burn the fans. I knew they [Van Halen] would make me the bad guy. I refused to fly with the guy ever again. He was completely out of his mind drunk. He was completely wasted. He was so wasted that he was actually stupid enough to take twelve people down. People that act like that shouldn't be allowed to fly on airplanes, and they probably can't, but we were flying privately. I said, "The only way I will continue to do this tour is if I have my own airplane." They paid for my own airplane.

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