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Sammy Hagar: I ‘Don’t Respect’ David Lee Roth’s ‘Artistry’
We don't know what's going on with Van Halen other than the fact that Sammy Hagar definitely does not want to participate in a reunion. In a recent interview, he kept the divide open between him and David Lee Roth, downplaying the original Van Halen singer's creativity while boasting about fronting the more successful version of the band.
Whether the rivalry between frontmen is more in the hearts of the fans than the singers is arguable, but Hagar admitted to Planet Rock in a recent interview that the competition "wasn't even a blip on my radar."
The Red Rocker is understanding of Diamond Dave's significance to the Van Halen legacy, but doesn't think highly of the split-kicking singer's creative abilities. "I don't respect Dave's artistry," Hagar confessed while admitting, "but I do think he's clever and a great showman and what he did with Van Halen in the early days was fantastic. Van Halen couldn't have made it without him."
Few bands in rock history changed singers so far into their career with as much success as Van Halen and Hagar argued his time in the group yielded more success than Roth's.
"God bless Dave, but he refuses to acknowledge that Van Halen with me was even more successful than Van Halen with him, and that's very stupid of him," Hagar remarked. "That'd be like me not acknowledging what he did for the band before I joined: that would be stupid, wouldn't it?"
5150, Van Halen's first album with Sammy Hagar, was certified six-times platinum by the RIAA — six million less copies than its predecessor, 1984. This was the band's highest-selling album in the U.S. with Hagar up front. Perhaps the singer is arguing that the band's touring viability greatly increased during his four-album tenure.
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