Sammy Hagar Admits He’s Disappointed Over a Scrapped Van Halen Project

Sammy Hagar has publicly voiced disappointment over being excluded from Alex Van Halen’s newly announced archival project, saying he and longtime bassist Michael Anthony were never asked to take part—despite what he describes as a deep well of unreleased material from their years with the band.

Earlier this month, Alex Van Halen revealed he is working on unfinished recordings originally intended for a future Van Halen album. The project reportedly features Alex on drums, guitar parts recorded by his late brother Eddie Van Halen, who died in 2020, and bass from Eddie’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen.

“We Haven’t Been Asked”

Speaking on the Rock of Nations radio show, Hagar was asked directly whether he or Anthony were involved in the recordings. His answer was blunt.

“No. We haven’t been asked, number one,” Hagar said.

He then offered insight into just how extensive Van Halen’s archives might be, recalling his first day at the band’s 5150 studio—what he described as an informal audition that quickly turned into a marathon session.

“Mike and I, the day I walked in the studio, in 5150, to basically if you wanna call it an audition… we played for about eight hours at least. And we recorded everything,” Hagar explained.

According to Hagar, that approach was standard practice throughout his tenure with the band. “Everything that I ever did, and every time we made a record, we recorded hundreds of hours of jam and music, and then we’d cut ’em up, made songs,” he said. “So there’s so much stuff from Mike and I and Ed and Al in the studio.”

Songs Born From the First Jam

Hagar suggested that a compelling album could be assembled from those early sessions alone. He pointed to material that ultimately appeared on Van Halen’s 1986 album 5150 as evidence of how productive those jams were.

“Just the initial day that I went in there, we got ‘Summer Nights,’ we got ‘Good Enough,’ and the beginnings of ‘Get Up’ from 5150 — three songs that came from that eight-hour jam,” Hagar said. He also recalled unfinished blues-based ideas from that same session, noting that he was improvising lyrics at the time.

Despite the wealth of material, Hagar acknowledged the long-standing strain between himself and Alex Van Halen, dating back to the ill-fated 2004 reunion tour of the so-called “Van Hagar” lineup.

“There’s so much stuff that Al could really choose from, if he wanted to include Mike and I,” Hagar said. “But obviously, Al’s got a reason, and he’s Alex Van Halen. He can do whatever he wants.”

“It’s an Alex Van Halen Project”

Anthony, who had already weighed in earlier in the week, reiterated that he would be open to contributing if asked—particularly if the recordings stem from sessions he originally played on.

“If this is material that we jammed on or whatever, I’d have no problem coming in and singing or [playing bass] or whatever,” Anthony said. “It’s all good there.”

Hagar ultimately framed the effort as a personal project rather than a full-band statement. “To me, it’s an Alex Van Halen project, and it’s not necessarily a Van Halen project,” he said, while expressing lingering frustration over being left out.

“But I’m disappointed that Mike and I wouldn’t be invited,” Hagar added. “It’s like, what? Are you kidding me? We’re still alive. We’re out here doing it. We’re playing those songs. We can still do it, you know?”

Hagar and Anthony remain active, currently preparing for a Las Vegas residency tied to their Van Halen–celebrating Best of All Worlds Tour, alongside Joe Satriani, Kenny Aronoff, and Greg Phillinganes.

Hagar is now the third Van Halen alumnus to comment on Alex Van Halen’s announcement, following remarks from Anthony and Wolfgang Van Halen. Former frontmen David Lee Roth and Gary Cherone have not yet publicly responded.