The post Sammy Hagar: David Lee Roth “Sang So Bad … It Was Embarrassing” appeared first on Consequence.
Sammy Hagar has once again taken a position at former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth, bashing Diamond Dave’s singing abilities and egocentric personality in a new interview.
During an appearance on Steve-O’s “Wild Ride!” podcast, Hagar praised his counterpart’s charisma as a “showman,” but said it comes at the expense of Roth’s singing ability and dedication to the craft.
“Hey, listen, I’m a showman too,” Hagar said [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]. “But that’s his gig. He doesn’t care about singing. If he did, he’d take care of his voice or he’d take voice lessons and get warmed up and do something. ‘Cause the guy sang so bad last time he was doing shows, it was embarrassing.”
Hagar continued: “But he’s a showman. Everything’s show, show, show, show, show, show, show. And he doesn’t care about his voice, which drives me nuts, man. I care more about my voice than I do my dick. If my dick didn’t work a couple of times, I’d be okay with it — I’d be bummed out — but if my voice fucks up onstage, I’m fucking bummed, man.”
Reflecting on their improbable 2002 co-headlining tour together, Hagar said that he “bent over backwards” to accommodate Roth’s demand that the two split an even payout of $150k per show despite the fact that — in Hagar’s estimation — Roth “didn’t have a solo career” at the time. Hagar has previously said he would never tour with DLR again, and that the two almost got into “fisticuffs” during the ill-fated track.
“He still always tries to fuck with the rules,” Hagar told Steve-O. “He’s not a fun guy. He doesn’t play well with others. I’m not sure what his problem is… He just always is about, ‘How can I make this guy look bad?’ And not just me — in life. He’s a chest-beating motherfucker. And God bless him, ’cause the early stuff is frickin’ great. I personally, I’ve tried to say… [I thought] he’d be a fun guy to know. But he ain’t like that. He ain’t like his persona. When you get around him, he ain’t that guy. He’s some other cat.”
David Lee Roth Suggests He’s Not Really Retiring, Hints That Van Halen Tribute Tour Might Happen
While Roth is ostensibly in retirement, he has continued to release archived material and recently performed with an all-star cover band at a private event in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Sammy Hagar continues to perform and tour with his band the Circle, including several dates scheduled for May and July (tickets available here).
You can stream the full interview with Hagar and Steve-O below.
Sammy Hagar: David Lee Roth “Sang So Bad… It Was Embarrassing”
Jon Hadusek
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