Sammy Hagar Defends Michael Anthony After Being Disrespected by Eddie Van Halen

 
For those of you who are fans of the soap opera that is Van Halen, you're in luck. A new episode aired today when former lead vocalist Sammy Hagar posted a video to YouTube in defense of the band's former bassist Michael Anthony after some rude comments were made about him by guitarist Eddie Van Halen in an interview with Billboard.

Eddie said:

“Every note Mike ever played, I had to show him how to play. Before we’d go on tour, he’d come over with a video camera and I’d have to show him how to play all the parts.”

Furthermore, Eddie went on to knock Anthony's well noted vocal contributions to Van Halen, saying:

“Mike’s voice is like a piccolo trumpet. But he’s not a singer. He just has a range from hell. Mike was just born with a very high voice. I have more soul as a singer than he does. And you know, people always talk about Mike’s voice on Van Halen songs, but that’s a blend of Mike’s voice and my voice. It’s not just him."

Needless to say, Hagar was not to pleased to hear about these comments at all and was quick to swoop in and stick up for his friend, saying:

“That is the biggest line of bulls— I’ve ever heard in my life. I was in that band for 11 years. There was never a video camera involved of Eddie showing him what to play. Eddie would tell him what to play once in a while and say, ‘No, Mike. Don’t play that many notes. Just stay on one note [demonstrates] so that I can f— up and nobody will know it. It was that kind of s—.

I’m telling you straight up, especially on the ’04 reunion tour. If Mike would have played any more than one note, it would have shown that Eddie wasn’t playing the right chords again and again and again. I couldn’t sing to him. You couldn’t play bass to him. So that is a lot of bulls— and I don’t know why they go after him like that. He doesn’t deserve it.

Michael Anthony is a bad motherf—–. F— you, Eddie Van Halen for saying that about Mikey. You’re a liar [...] I’m so pissed about that. A–hole [...] Michael Anthony is the greatest guy on the f—ing planet.”

Though Hagar has been known to exaggerate a bit from time to time, I still have an easier time believing him than Eddie in this case. That was a pretty rotten thing of Eddie to say about someone who was never anything but kind to him and dependable. Even if you aren't happy with him, it's still extremely unprofessional to make such remarks. It only makes you look bad and makes fans and other people lose respect for you. Thank goodness Anthony has good friends like Sammy Hagar when people like Eddie say such things.

I was kind of hoping Anthony would stick up for himself, but he chose to take the passive route. If anything though, that makes him more respectable in my book. He is taking the high road and not giving Eddie more fodder. That being said, props to you Michael Anthony. You're a bigger man than most people will ever be. As for you Eddie, you're a talented musician but a rotten human being.