On SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”,singer Sebastian Bach confirmed that there was “a little talk” of him joining Van Halen right after Sammy Hagar left in 1996:
“[Skid Row manager] Doc McGhee had me up at the office, and Ray Daniels was managing [Van Halen] at the time, and Ray and Doc were talking. But they didn’t want [Van Halen guitarist] Eddie [Van Halen] to smoke weed. And I go, ‘That’s funny,’ because I was smoking weed with Ray Danniels. I go, ‘So you can [smoke weed] but I can’t. What the f*ck? The lead singer of Van Halen can’t smoke pot? What?’ But that was a discussion.
“I was summoned into Doc‘s office, and there was talk about it,” he reiterated.
“At the time, they were looking for a singer. But I didn’t get to audition. I don’t think Doc was into me leaving Skid Row either; there was something about that.
He added:
“I mean, when they’re looking for singers and they pick Gary Cherone, they’re thinking in ways that we’re not. I mean, I love Gary. He’s a really nice guy, but you can’t be a really nice guy and be the lead singer of Van Halen. It just doesn’t go together. You got to kick some a**, man, and he does kick a** in his Gary Cherone way.
“But David Lee Roth was doing kicks off of the drum riser and flying 40 feet in the air. It’s a tough act to follow. I can’t do that, but I can sing the Sammy Hagar stuff and the David Lee Roth stuff. I’m not bragging, I’m stating a fact.”