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| Nellcote |
Hagar's livin' it up with the giants of rock 'n' roll
By Kevin C. Johnson
POST-DISPATCH POP MUSIC CRITIC
Sunday, Jun. 17 2007
The only mystery surrounding Sammy Hagar selling out — in two minutes — his
Wednesday night concert at the Pageant is: What took him so long?
Ever since the '70s and with continued support from outlets such as KSHE (94.7
FM), Hagar and St. Louis have nurtured a long-running love affair.
"This is something you can't invent. You can't try to do this. It has to either
happen or not," the long-time rock veteran of Montrose, Van Halen and solo fame
says of his appeal here, which allows him to sell out venues the size of
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater regardless of what he has going on in his career.
Hagar, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee this year as a Van Halen alumnus,
heads to town to debut "Livin' It Up! In St. Louis," a concert DVD filmed July
22 at the then-UMB Bank Pavilion.
A review of that concert in the Post-Dispatch said: "Hagar's shows are never
flawless. He's too busy to concentrate solely on his performance, swigging
tequila, signing autographs, holding up banners, and donning shirts and hats
thrown to him by fans. But entertainment is the bottom line for Hagar and, on
that count, he was note-perfect all night."
The DVD features songs such as "I Can't Drive 55," "Right Now," "Mas Tequila,"
"Heavy Metal" and "There's Only One Way to Rock," as well as interviews and
videos. Its unveiling, during a red carpet, Cabo Wabo-style party, will be
accompanied by an acoustic concert featuring Hagar and the Wabos. He says it's
his first full acoustic show outside of Cabo.
"It's just not what we do," he says. "It's harder to throw a party acoustically
sitting on a stool."
And where else would he do it but St. Louis?
"There's not that many markets as intense as St. Louis. How could I say living
it up in any other city?" says Hagar, who will be a special guest at the
Cardinals game Tuesday at Busch Stadium. "I've been doing it so big in St.
Louis for so long."
In a recent interview, Hagar talked about living it up here, his spirited new
$80 million dollar deal and, of course, the "screw up" that is Van Halen.
Q. What's it like having "Hall of Famer" in front of your name?
A. It's really exciting, being there and standing next to Keith Richards and
people I looked up to my entire career. That puts my name in the same light as
my heroes, and that really affected my self-confidence and how I feel about
where I am and what I did in music. It was a feeling like I'd arrived.
Q. After all you've accomplished over the past few decades, how can you talk
about arriving and self-confidence?
A. You'd be surprised. There's always somebody criticizing me, ever since I
reinvented myself in 1996 after I left Van Halen and stopped being that heavy
metal rock guy to become the lifestyle guy. I got heat from critics and fans
who thought I was too mellow and sold out. I'm always taking shots. Now you can
shoot all you want, but be careful. You might hit Keith Richards.
Q. How did you feel about so many of Van Halen's members being no-shows at the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony? (Only Hagar and Michael Anthony
showed up; Eddie Van Halen has been in and out of rehab this year.)
A. It was a shame, the one negative in the whole giant positive thing. If Ed
had been capable of being there, and if the five of us, including Dave (singer
David Lee Roth), had been there, because he belongs there as much as me, and
we'd thrown all the crap out the window and done four or five songs, it
would've been the highlight of all inductions.
Van Halen is one of the most powerful bands in the world, and we wanted to
accept this with dignity and do the right thing. But Van Halen has never done
the right thing. Van Halen always did everything wrong and backwards, and that
was the icing on the cake. To screw that up makes all the sense in the world.
Q. What do you think of the on-again off-again nature of the Van Halen tour
this year (a planned reunion tour crumbled)?
A. I pay attention as much as I don't want to. It's like watching your brothers
and sisters screw up. I've told Alex (Van Halen) and others I'm not interested
in a Van Halen reunion at this point in my life. They need to do one with Dave
for the fans first, get that out of the way. I'm having too much fun with the
Wabos and how we approach our music and lives. It's so rewarding and fun, and I
can't imagine doing anything else now.
Q. Do you think they'll tour again?
A. Since I left, they've only toured twice, once with Gary (Cherone) and once
with me. Other than that, they've never done it. Something's really wrong. I
don't think it'll ever work. They tried again and again, and they can't do it.
I don't know what the problem is because I'm not there to see it, but it must
be ugly.
Q. What do you remember most about the St. Louis performance the night the DVD
was recorded?
A. It was the last show of the leg of the tour, and the third show in a row,
and that was hard on the band. I came to St. Louis wore out. I had been out
there for 40 shows or whatever and my throat was hurting. But the fans pulled
it out of us. That's how it always is with the fans. They're the reason I can
keep going. It was so intense that night, one of the greatest shows I ever did.
I thought about whether there was anything I could've done better, but it was
just perfect, the perfect performance, audience and setting.
Q. What makes this DVD special?
A. I've done DVDs before, but nothing in high-definition. We have 15
high-definition cameras on the front of the stage, behind the stage,
everywhere. Everything is captured. If you came to the show, you didn't see
half the stuff you'll see on the DVD. We're partying harder behind the scenes.
Q. Why did you decide to do an acoustic show at the Pageant, where you are
performing for the first time.
A. I'm not geared up to do my regular show in a smaller venue, so we're going
to do the acoustic show and watch the DVD. That way, I won't have any
comparisons to my regular show. Because of the way we're breaking down the
show, it'll be like apples and oranges or, better yet, taxicabs and pineapples."
Q. What will your acoustic show at the Pageant be like?
A. We're stripping the songs way down, changing the keys and tempos, and fans
will love it. "Dreams" by Van Halen broken down on a 12-string guitar will put
goosebumps on you.
Q. Is it true you sold a major interest in your Cabo Wabo tequila brand for $80
million to Skyy Spirits?
A. It's true. I took on some partners who are some of the biggest distributors
in the world. I needed someone to take it to the next level, so I made the deal
for worldwide distribution. They gave me so much damn money it's stupid. But
I've been a rich rock star for so long money doesn't mean that much to me. It
ain't about money, and I wish everyone would believe that. I already own
everything I want. And if Jimmy Buffett woke up with my money he would file
Chapter 11.
[email protected] | 314-340-8191
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| mojoman |
giants of rock and roll?
david crosby
ann wilson
meatloaf
wolfie |
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| sirmoonie |
Not even the Eagles have sucked as much as Sammy Hagar. Not even Bon Jovi. He sucks every which way, even sucks loose. |
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| Saint Sway |
the age old question remains.... will Sammy's "Livin' It Up! In St. Louis" dvd out sell Dave's "No Holds BarBQ" dvd???
Sammy's got his tequila money to help back distribution costs and late-night infomercial fees. But Dave, ever the valiant salesman, continues to hawk his dvd out of the back of his EMT truck....
its too close to call
[Edited by Saint Sway] |
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| Saint Sway |
Q. What will your acoustic show at the Pageant be like?
A. We're stripping the songs way down, changing the keys and tempos, and fans
will love it. "Dreams" by Van Halen broken down on a 12-string guitar will put
goosebumps on you.
^ TINGLE!!!! |
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| mojoman |
quote:
Saint Sway wrote:
Q. What will your acoustic show at the Pageant be like?
A. We're stripping the songs way down, changing the keys and tempos, and fans
will love it. "Dreams" by Van Halen broken down on a 12-string guitar will put
goosebumps on you.
^ TINGLE!!!!
i'm gonna look for my lost shaker of salt |
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| Joey |
" "Dreams" by Van Halen broken down on a 12-string guitar will put
goosebumps on you. "
I am so excited I could literally , ..... LITERALLY just Drop a Log .
Sassy Cakes !
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| Saint Sway |
Ebert & Roper call David Lee Roth's "No Holds Barbecue" the "Citizan Kane" of psychotic-midget & strippers-Kung Fu-spandex-barbecue movies.
David Lee Roth
Is Completely Fucking Nuts (Unabridged Version)
Issue 4.21
Wed, May 22, 2007
Talking to David Lee Roth is like talking to one of those really loud, really obnoxious used-car salesman on TV who tell the same bad jokes to everyone they meet in an exasperating effort to move one more sea-foam green Geo Prizm off the lot. The only difference is that Diamond Dave made the fucking sale twenty years ago, and he’s still laughing all the way to the titty bar. After what seems like eons of public bickering and possible reunions with his old drinking buddies in Van Halen, Diamond Dave has orchestrated (conceded to?) what had previously been unthinkable: a co-headlining tour with his own replacement, the Red Rocker himself, Sammy Hagar. It remains to be seen whether he’s got the stamina or agility to do split-kicks off the drum riser all night, but this summer David Lee Roth will cram his 47-year old Rock & Roll ass into the zebra-print spandex one more time and give it a shot. A few weeks ago, Diamond Dave and I sat down over a bowl of brown M&M’s to discuss the whiskey-and-cocaine glory days, not to mention, uh, his new barbecue video. No shit.
So I got the David Lee Roth “No Holds Barbecue” video in the mail the other day… I’m not sure I can make heads or tails of it?can you explain it to me?
Well, initially, it’s gonna go over some people’s heads—that’s for starters. [Laughs] Like Picasso used to say. [Laughs wildly] What you’ve got there is about 600,000 dollars’ worth of film that I wrote, directed, produced, did all the music?I ran the whole show. It’s a vocabulary I learned many summers ago when MTV was new. I now recognize it for all the ingredients it contains?somewhere between Groucho and Kurosawa is Diamond Dave. Some where between Sonny Barger and Jimmy Buffet is what I do for a living. I’m like Milton Bradley; I’m great for kids six to sixty. I transcend the generations. My shit is timeless; I’m an action figure. I’m a place you can go in your brain while you’re working at a boring drill press or sitting in some bland Formica something or other, sitting in front of a screen. If you say, ‘David Lee Roth’, it’s called up, and instantly, you’re right there. You know the back-story and the subtext even better than the text. You can sit around with nine people in a circle, accuse me of anything, and six will go, ‘Oh yeah, he did that.’ [Laughs] Most of it generated by carefully self-generated bad publicity over the last twenty-some summers. Holy mackerel, I’m as American as the golden arches; I’m as familiar as the Nike swoosh. When the two teams from New York took the field for the World Series, they both played my song. Same song! [Laughs] My voice is completely familiar to you, whether you’ve owned a record or not—especially if you haven’t owned a record. But in America, going ‘Boo!’ is even more fun than going ‘Yay!’—and don’t tell me you haven’t been to a sporting event. [Laughs] In Boston, going ‘Boo!’ is a refined art form.
At any given time, how many women in bikinis, roughly, would you say you have just lounging around your house?
Never enough. But you know what the trouble with triplets is? It’s all great until you forget one of their names. [Laughs wildly]
Your autobiography [Crazy From the Heat] has been out for a few years now, so you’ve had some time to reflect on it, I’d imagine?is there anything you’d add to it at this point?
No, it’s just an episode?it’s the first of a miniseries. A popular expression at the family dinner table when I was growing up was, ‘Well, that’s one for the books,’ as we’d go around the table and recount each other’s daily sagas and catastrophes and triumphs. Of course, my father’s most favorite expression was, ‘So, what are we pretending to not know tonight, kids?’ [Laughs] Consequently, I grew up with convictions—religious, emotional, spiritual, and prior. [Laughs like a hyena]
Did you read the Mötley Crüe book by any chance?
I did not.
There’s a passage in it—I can’t remember if it was written by Tommy or Nikki—that says you used to go over to their house just off the Sunset Strip in the early eighties, sit on the floor with a giant pile of blow and not share with anyone. Is that how you remember it?
Lies, innuendo, and rumors spread by my competition to destroy my good name. But who am I to get in the way of a good rumor? Toro! Toro! [Laughs]
I think we gotta talk about the Sans Halen tour for a minute. You called Sammy?
I called his management on the Ides of March and said, ‘Hey, what’s more poignant now? Review your Tali-vision, CNN?what’s more relevant than two warring powers making some sort of an amends?’ It’s a colorful truce, but it’s more timely than ever before, and it came out of nowhere. It’s something unpredictable; something unexpected—which is something I always look for in Rock & Roll.
Do you think he’s a little nervous that you’ll make him look bad?
Oh, you know?somebody asked me about tribute bands in a previous interview, and I said that I imagine most guitar bands after 1984 are tribute bands in some sense. [Laughs] I’m at contest with the rest of the world. I don’t know where Sam stands in the hierarchy, but it’s as familiar as, ‘Well, my arm feels good; the curveball’s dropping just right. Take it one game at a time and help the team.’ You’ve heard that how many times in interviews? It’s the equivalent of ‘I just wanna Rock & Roll, and get out there and have a good time, make a great time for the audience, have a little fun.’ What is that? That’s for sissies. [Laughs] I’m here to prove something. I have no idea what, and it doesn’t matter, ‘cause I’m like James Brown; I’m gonna prove it all night long! Hey-hey! [Laughs]
What I mean is that most people consider you to be the quintessential Van Halen frontman. David Spade said it best in Joe Dirt: ‘Remember, it’s Van Halen, not Van Hagar, dude.’
[Laughs] Or that scene from Airheads where the narc comes to the door, the undercover cop? They suspect him of being undercover, so one of the characters, Adam Sandler or somebody says, ‘Let’s test him: When Dave Roth left the band, where’d you go, with Hagar, or Roth?’ The cop says Hagar, and they go, ‘He’s a cop!’ [Laughs] And on and on. I’m a lifestyle, I’m an attitude; I’m a point of view—in my own way, much as Hefner was in his own way. I’ve created an attitude that transcends a simple list of songs or a handsome face.
So why didn’t you invite Gary Cherone along?
Gary is doing the Vagina Monologues [Laughs hysterically]
Do you still have all your moves?
I have more moves than ever. It’s a question of now of how many songs can I put into one given set? I think we’re gonna do eighteen without any break in the middle. Half my songs have that quiet part in the middle so that I can announce the dance contest winners. That’s where the quiet parts in ‘Panama’ and all those songs come from. You know, at one point, we were playing five forty-five minute sets a night. You drop it in the middle and go, ‘I wanna make a dedication tonight, but first we’re gonna have a little set change.’ Then you throw the cap away from the bottle. ‘Okay, we’re back.’ [Laughs] ‘Hey, I got a special request here from a fan?well fuck you, I’m gonna sing anyway!’ [Laughs]
What’s your relationship with the rest of Van Halen like these days?
It’s pretty non-existent. I’ve tried to make a few calls. You know, the guys are not in full control of their destiny right now—from what I’ve been hearing third hand from suspicious characters, obviously. You know who I hang with—or at least where I hang with them. [Laughs] Wait, you’re not printing this, are you? [Laughs] But, uh, I understand they’re not doing well medically, spiritually, so I’m not gonna beat up on them. I’m an antagonist, not a bully. I’m only gonna beat up on people if I stand a chance of taking a few on the chin. This is for entertainment purposes, you know? Don’t throw unless you can be thrown down upon—there’s no sport to it otherwise. I understand the Van Halens are not doing well right now and give them the good grace of a margin for error, and I hope they get better. As far as reunion, of course?
You gotta keep that rumor going?
Well, it’s not a rumor. It’s a legacy. You gotta realize I got a lot of karma to work off, but you let me worry about that. [Laughs]
When you watch MTV these days, what is your impression of the current state of affairs?
Well, two different things—audio and visual. Visually, I think the directors and editors are doing amazing things. The artists themselves have cut the corner. Of all the millions of disciplines that you can bring into Rock & Roll—whether it’s Karachi Indian music, raga-style, actually playing a sitar; whether it’s tap-dancing or kung fu?I mean, you could go up there and do Tiger Woods golf moves and possibly start a trend?of all the potential ways to communicate?I mean, I dated a girl who had a fourteen-word vocabulary, but she spoke such good body language, she’d be screaming at me from across the room. Those things have to be learned. They have to be taught to you and then brought to the table. I don’t see a lot of that at all. I see a lot of posturing. You know, grab your dick, lick your lips, that kind of thing?
Do you think it’s catering to the lowest common denominator?
No, it’s the lowest common denominator not doing their homework on the artist’s side. Somewhere between Bruce Lee and the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz is what I physically do onstage. But there are ten million other ways to go about that. There’s only one Snoop Dogg; there’s only one Dre, and after that, I don’t wanna see it again. I want the originals—great, love it babe, own the t-shirt, killer drum solo—now let’s move ahead. I don’t want repetitive remakes of a sequel. And in that respect, the artists haven’t really kept up their end of the bargain. Musically, however, I see more color—it’s the opposite of what I’m seeing visually, actually. What I’m hearing now is a lot more expeditions into the unknown—‘Big Rig Computers and the Bad Boys who Drive Them. Pro Tools Terror!’ In terms of electronica, there’s a lot of great, exciting things happening there; whether it’s downtown, below 14th Avenue rainy Sunday chill-groove or mind-blowing deep sky. There’s a lot of the unexpected?like that guy Timo Maas?there’s a lot of cool stuff there, at least on the first four tracks. I just discovered post-country?I didn’t even know it existed?
Do you like it?
No. [Laughs] But that goes back to ‘Boo!’ and ‘Yay!’, doesn’t it? And now I’m quite capable of discussing it. There’s a reason I got my direct dish?it has nothing to do with the video, primarily?it’s for those seventy categories of music. I have a particular interest in Latino music. I speak Spanish, as well as Portuguese?
No shit?
[Says something indecipherable in Portuguese]
What’s the best thing about being Diamond Dave?
I’m a list of habits good and bad, I’m a list of fascinations and enthusiasms, all of them belligerently enthusiastic and enthusiastically belligerent. I can’t walk three meters though a university campus with my hair down before someone comes running up to say, ‘Hey, you’re that white guy.’ If I tie my hair up, put on a baseball hat and wear common clothes, I can go anywhere on my bicycle. I’ve taken it to twenty-two different countries. I could ride past that same guy from the campus, and he’d have no idea. So, at any function, whatever it is—any collection of people—I can wander in completely anonymous. But when it’s time to get a good table, Dave can get us in. I got the best of both worlds.
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| mmdog |
Sway,
I noticed you put Sammy Hagar led Montrose on your list of best Stones covers ever. Surprising. |
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| Saint Sway |
its a great version of "Connection"
is Sammy the singer on it?
actually... I dont want to know. I really like the song. Its already getting ruined just thinking that it might be Sammy. |
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| mmdog |
Sway,
Sorry, he is indeed. He might even be playing Guitar on it, but I really don't know. |
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| Saint Sway |
DAMN YOU MMDOG!!! DAMN YOU!!!! |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Saint Sway wrote:
its a great version of "Connection"
is Sammy the singer on it?
actually... I dont want to know. I really like the song. Its already getting ruined just thinking that it might be Sammy.
you have been humiliated |
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| Saint Sway |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
you have been humiliated
puhleeeze Turbo.
it doesnt even rate anywhere near the bitch slappin you're taking in your "opening show" thread. |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Saint Sway wrote:
puhleeeze Turbo.
it doesnt even rate anywhere near the bitch slappin you're taking in your "opening show" thread.
I have no problem duking it out with SS, as I mentioned, he pulls no punches and is aggressive, but at the end of the day I recognize the difference between our board "characters" and reality.
I give you shit on this one because imagine the field day you would have if I told you my favorite live version of IORR was the Aragon 2002 (remember who showed up to duet with Mick?). |
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| Saint Sway |
you're a drowning man grabbing at straws here |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Saint Sway wrote:
you're a drowning man grabbing at straws here
on the contrary my friend, life is good in Chicago (aside from pitiful baseball) |
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| Some Guy |
This thread will be large. |
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| Saint Sway |
quote:
Some Guy wrote:
This thread will be large.
[Says something indecipherable in Portuguese and then laughs like a hyena] |
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| Some Guy |
Dude |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Some Guy wrote:
This thread will be large.
When we decide to "come out and play", things get livened up here real quick. It is a stress relief that I certainly needed today! |
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| Some Guy |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
When we decide to "come out and play", things get livened up here real quick. It is a stress relief that I certainly needed today!
What do you think of Biggest Bang?? |
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| Saint Sway |
quote:
Some Guy wrote:
What do you think of Biggest Bang??
it’s the lowest common denominator not doing their homework on the artist’s side. Somewhere between Bruce Lee and the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz is what I physically do onstage. But there are ten million other ways to go about that. There’s only one Snoop Dogg; there’s only one Dre, and after that, I don’t wanna see it again. I want the originals—great, love it babe, own the t-shirt, killer drum solo—now let’s move ahead. I don’t want repetitive remakes of a sequel. And in that respect, the artists haven’t really kept up their end of the bargain. Musically, however, I see more color—it’s the opposite of what I’m seeing visually, actually. What I’m hearing now is a lot more expeditions into the unknown—‘Big Rig Computers and the Bad Boys who Drive Them. Pro Tools Terror!’ In terms of electronica, there’s a lot of great, exciting things happening there; whether it’s downtown, below 14th Avenue rainy Sunday chill-groove or mind-blowing deep sky. There’s a lot of the unexpected?like that guy Timo Maas?there’s a lot of cool stuff there, at least on the first four tracks. I just discovered post-country?I didn’t even know it existed? |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Some Guy wrote:
What do you think of Biggest Bang??
a couple of good, not great songs (RJ, LIND, Back of My Hand, Let Me Down Slow) and lots of filler. Better than Bridges and Steel Wheels for me, but not near Voodoo Lounge as far as the modern stuff goes |
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| Some Guy |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
a couple of good, not great songs (RJ, LIND, Back of My Hand, Let Me Down Slow) and lots of filler. Better than Bridges and Steel Wheels for me, but not near Voodoo Lounge as far as the modern stuff goes
the new dvd! |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Some Guy wrote:
the new dvd!
I have been humiliated....
I liked it for what it was. The overdubs were a bit tough to look past, but the bonus features were very nice and I liked the setlist for the most part from the Austin show. It was worth the $30 for me. |
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| Some Guy |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
I have been humiliated....
I liked it for what it was. The overdubs were a bit tough to look past, but the bonus features were very nice and I liked the setlist for the most part from the Austin show. It was worth the $30 for me.
have the neighbors cut their grass? |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Some Guy wrote:
have the neighbors cut their grass?
I can't beleive you remembered that....thankfully yes they did once this year and since it doesnt seem to rain in Chicago anymore, his lawn is all dead. It still smells like they are butchering horses in his basement and they have a 1984 Honda Accord rotting in the driveway, but at least the lawn is mowed. |
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| Saint Sway |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
since it doesnt seem to rain in Chicago anymore, his lawn is all dead. It still smells like they are butchering horses in his basement and they have a 1984 Honda Accord rotting in the driveway, but at least the lawn is mowed.
sounds like a very exclusive neighborhood
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| glencar |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
a couple of good, not great songs (RJ, LIND, Back of My Hand, Let Me Down Slow) and lots of filler. Better than Bridges and Steel Wheels for me, but not near Voodoo Lounge as far as the modern stuff goes
You have taste in yer ass! VL is not a high point in the Stones canon. I rank it slightly below Dirty Work. |
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