Sammy Hagar

As rock star biographies go, gotta say I think this one was better than most, simply because Hagar's voice shone through the narrative. When he's talking about ignoring someone, he "shined them on". When he was burned out, he was "crispy around the edges". Things like that. That was fun. It was like being in the room with the guy.

And overall, it really was like listening to a guy who's maybe twisted up some of the stories, or forgotten and simply rewritten them. Despite Michael Anthony's foreword, I don't think you can take everything as gospel. Anthony says Hagar's honest. "If he said it happened, it happened." Yeah well, probably, but not definitely.

I say this because Hagar peppers the story with all-encompassing, sweeping statements. He ends a chapter early in the book, as he's building his music career, by stating, "I never worked another day in my life." Of course, you expect to read the next chapter and find him growing his music career. Instead, he talks of driving a truck for $10 a day. Sorry, dude, you worked.

Sammy also states that he never did drugs. Yet, a few chapters on, he's talking about sitting in the back of a limo with Eddie Van Halen, drinking and doing bumps of coke. In fact, there's several times when he mentions the coke. Was it an addiction? Doubt it. But yeah, Sammy, you did drugs.

Finally, he (and Michael Anthony before him) state he's an honest person. He likely is, for the most part, but the fact that he was humping anything with lady parts throughout his marriage, and then flat-out admitting that he had to not only lie to his first wife about that and, out of necessity, lie to those around her, he's not quite as honest as he says.

The major shocker for me--and, yes, I admit, a disappointment--was to find out this guy that's successfully in charge of several booming businesses is a flake. Aliens, psychics, premonitions...they all factor heavily into his world view. That's fine, but when he talks about being a math genius, then goes right into how numerology is a big factor in his life...yeah, he's definitely letting his flake flag fly.

And hey, good for Sammy. It's obviously worked and it absolutely does nothing to detract from the fact that he's a hell of a musician and business man and, even at an age when most rock stars are packing it in or have been dead for decades, he's still kicking ass on and off the stage. So, I may think he's a flake, but a lot of people know his name and no one knows mine, so who's doing better at the game?

A fun bio, overall.… (mais)

Sammy's life follows the standard trajectory for a rock star. He grew up poor with an abusive parent, barely finished high school, got the lucky break, and rode that break to a life of fame and riches. One thing about Sammy that seems different than most rock stars is that he seems to be more intelligent. He diversified early on, and today makes way more money from his various businesses than he does from music. Although he certainly did his share of drugs the way he presents it they never controlled him, and given the lack of rehab and the fact that he has maintained his career I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that. Some of his stories from the late 60s and early 70s do sound like he is mixing up real memories and acid trips though. The chapters on his time in Van Halen are great. It would be interesting to hear Eddie's version of that time, but if Sammy's account is even half-true it's doubtful that Eddie remembers any of it.

Fun book, and definitely recommended if you are a fan of his music.… (mais)