Sammy Hagar recently shared an old interview featuring Alex Van Halen on Instagram, aiming to challenge the drummer’s recent comments about their time together.
In the video, Alex states, “Sammy complements Ed not only vocally but also on the guitar. Musically I think the band is really expanded because Sammy plays guitar. It allows Ed to further pursue his interest in the keyboard and whatever other musical directions he goes into.”
This clip was shared by the Van Halen Archive account known as ‘Van Hagar/Other Half.’ Many fans interpreted the post as a direct response to Alex’s earlier remarks about Hagar.
The drummer had expressed that Van Halen lost its essence after Sammy joined as the new frontman following David Lee Roth’s departure. He explained that this was part of the reason he didn’t include the Van Hagar era in his new book, Brothers. Alex noted to Billboard, “What happened after Dave left is not the same band. I’m not saying it was better or worse… But the magic was in the first years when we didn’t know what we were doing, when we were willing to try anything.”
Hagar also commented on Alex’s omission of him from the Van Halen legacy. The Red Rocker shared rehearsal photos from the Rock Hall and wrote, “Cool x Kool & the Gang at Rock Hall rehearsals. (Scroll) Gettin’ ready to celebrate and induct some old friends and legends tonight.”
In response to a fan’s comment about Alex not mentioning him in his book, Hagar simply replied, “So strange?”
During the same interview with Billboard, Alex elaborated on his decision to decline joining his former bandmates for The Best of All Worlds tour this year, stating, “I’m not interested. They’re not doing the band justice. They can do what they want to do. That’s not my business.”
