Happy Sammy Hagar Birthday to all who celebrate. I’m celebrating by sharing my Sammy six-pack with you. Because Sammy rules.
If you listen to me on the regular–weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., online at rock929rocks.com if you’re not near a radio–you know I’m a Sammy guy. Now, I’m not going to sit here and discount or discredit the David Lee Roth era(s) of Van Halen. The band’s debut album was groundbreaking and will go down in history as one of the greatest rock records of all time. And Dave is a big part of the reason why. His vocals, style, attitude, and antics are what helped put Van Halen on the map. I respect the brightness of his star in the rock universe.
I also happen to think he’s a friggin’ clown.
Is it because DLR indirectly cost me my job and I’m still bitter about it? Sure! I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. But it’s also because I’ve always thought Dave was a cornball. By the time Van Halen was on my radar in the mid-to-late ’80s, Dave was all over MTV–both solo and with the band–and he was always goofing around. I know, I know: that’s his shtick. I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now.
A Sammy Hagar Birthday Six-Pack
See? I got so riled up about David Lee Roth that I went and made this all about him. It’s Sammy Hagar’s birthday, for crying out loud. Good ol’ Sammy, showing up to video shoots in what looks like pajamas, swilling his tequila, paling around with Michael Anthony, just being an all-around good dude with a great voice and solid stage presence. I’ve shared a half-dozen of my favorite Sammy Hagar Van Halen tunes below. Maybe some of them are your favorites, too.
