Van Halen feuds are legendary and Sammy Hagar's lashing out at Eddie Van Halen easily captured the No 2 spot in our Top 11 Feuds of 11 countdown. Here it is:(Rock News Desk) Sammy Hagar's career with Van Halen started out so well the band nearly changed their name to "Van Hagar" but by the end of his time with them he was desperately trying to wriggle out of his contract.
The singer reveals he tried to quit after 40 shows of their disastrous 2004 reunion tour, during which guitarist Eddie Van Halen regularly turned in substandard performances. And he says the reason he's telling all in his book Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock is to explain to the band's fans why he did what he did.
"Eddie's always made me out to be the bad guy. He's always had the upper hand when it comes to the press, and he could tell the story and frame it the way he wanted," Hagar tells MusicRadar. "I thought the story needs to be told so the fans know why everything's happened the way it has. I didn't like what was going on at the time. I didn't like the way Michael Anthony was treated and the way they tried to treat me. Eddie and Alex Van Halen really made the experience unpleasant.
"After 40 shows I tried to quit – that's how bad it was. But they and their management had me sewn in and I was stuck. It was hell." He's not done.
