Sammy Hagar and Alex Van Halen are making headlines again—and it’s not for a long-awaited reunion.
So, what’s the drama this time?
According to Hagar, the relationship between him and Alex has been nonexistent for over 21 years. That’s over two decades of complete silence between the former Van Halen bandmates.
But things get even more heated. Hagar claims Alex Van Halen’s lawyers repeatedly issue legal threats whenever Sammy tries to use Van Halen songs in his projects. Whether it’s for a documentary or any other form of media, the legal team steps in to shut it down.
The most controversial issue? A Van Halen biopic—or rather, the lack of one.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Sammy said he’s more than willing to help bring a Van Halen biopic to life, even offering to do it for free. But in his view, it’s Alex who’s blocking the project from ever happening.
“Oh, I would love it if it was done right. But Van Halen is so dysfunctional, as you well know. Because it’s Sam and Dave, and then Al. There’s no Ed now… There’s just no way we would all agree on anything. Dave wants it to be all about him. Al wants it to be all about him and Ed, nobody else matters…”
The interviewer suggested letting a skilled director take over.
“A hundred percent,” Sammy replied. “I’ve received offers all the time to make a documentary about me… And every time I try to put anything about Van Halen in there, Alex jumps in and calls his lawyers and they stop me from using it…”
“It’s like, ‘I wrote these songs. You played drums, okay?’ Your brother and I wrote this song. I sang it. You didn’t sing it. You played drums. Come on, dude…”
Sammy didn’t hold back on his frustration.
“I don’t think there’s a director on the planet that wouldn’t do it. Martin Scorsese would do it.”
When the idea of a multi-part Netflix documentary came up, Hagar was all-in:
“It should be. It should be the early times, my times, and then where everybody’s at in their life now… I’ll do it for free. I don’t want any money. Alex can have all my money that resonates from it…”
The interviewer referenced The Beach Boys documentary on Disney+, noting how it helped introduce the band to a new generation.
“Yeah, it would be wonderful. And it’s well deserved, but I don’t see it happening,” Sammy concluded. “The closest thing that can happen… is probably some kind of a… What is it? Some of these frickin’ things they’re doing with holograms and AI generated stuff…”
“That’s why my song feels so important.”
