Friday, March 25, 2011

Sammy Hagar's Autobiography

Sammy Hagar, of Montrose, Van Halen, and solo fame, has an autobiography called "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock". Available at Amazon and lots of other places, it's a must read if you love rock bios as much as I.

Michael Lefsetz has some things to say about it in his Encore Newsletter column.

Here's a bit of his column:

I don't believe every word in this book. Especially about Sam's early days, growing up in Fontana. And there are historical inaccuracies, stating that Sam's band played the cuts from "Who's Next" before it was released, and even John Kalodner's name is misspelled, but when it comes to the inside, Sam gives us his take, unvarnished, and it's like being backstage, the real dressing room where your heroes are spent and drugged-out and wasted and arguing after performing for ninety minutes and getting blow jobs under the stage.


I just got the book, and have just started reading it. I don't believe every word either, but some of the stuff about his time in Van Halen is compelling, and there have been too many similar tales about Eddie Van Halen in particular from different sources to write Sammy's account off entirely as sour grapes from an ousted band member.
If you have any interest in the soap opera that has been Van Halen, check it out.

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