“So passionate”: Sammy Hagar’s favourite musician of all time
Sammy Hagar never really wanted to be billed another David Lee Roth. Van Halen had succeeded with his charismatic aura, but Hagar’s stepping-in coincided with a much-needed shakeup that would take them to the next level. He knew he was the only one for the job, but he was also acutely aware of what it looked like for another musician to step into someone else’s shows, especially considering the risk that always comes with shifting lineups.
But Hagar never really viewed Roth as an exceptional musician, either. He didn’t have anything to prove as the new Van Halen vocalist, but he wanted to be an even better frontier than his predecessor could have ever imagined and to do that, all he needed to do was be himself. In his eyes, Roth kept up the pretence that he was a well-regarded musical maestro, but beneath the curtain, that’s all it was—pretence.
Hagar knew the power of not trying too hard enough to recognise the air of mystique that followed. Often, people like Roth focussed so heavily on delivering a good performance and going overboard that the all-important indescribable quality was lost. Hagar didn’t intentionally plan to appear in such stark contrast, but his natural approach and personality came through in ways that could sometimes be viewed as mysterious, if only in relation to his internal confidence.
Of course, in interviews and elsewhere, Hagar also appears completely upfront and warm even because he embraces lightheartedness in ways perhaps even Roth couldn’t identify with. Many of his musical influences have paralleled this notion, namely in the progressive rock spaces, because many figures embody the exact characteristics Hagar values in a fellow artist—down to earth, conversational, and to the point, with an added sprinkling of je ne sais quoi.
For many musicians like Hagar, this is why Peter Gabriel became a guiding principle. His high intellect, visionary capabilities, and reserved, gentle aura proved that musical adeptness didn’t always have to be overdone, and when it was, it was on stage and accompanied by a charm that felt completely organic. His songwriting also reflects these qualities, especially the ones that take simple themes like relationships and loss and twist them into something much more complicated.
When ABC7 asked Hagar who his favourite musician of all time was in 2021, Hagar deliberated before naming Gabriel and describing him as “passionate, soulful, deep, clever, wise and unique”. His music, Hagar continued, often contains “stuff that I don’t even know what he’s talking about. And I’m going ‘yeah, I’m buying it.'”
Hagar also praised Gabriel during a 2016 Rolling Stone interview, saying, “When I write a song about sex, like ‘Poundcake’, it’s so fucking blatant. Peter puts this twist on it where it sounds cutesy-pie.”
Although Eddie Van Halen also appreciated Gabriel, Hagar seemed to have discovered a certain kindred quality in his fellow rocker, who likely epitomised everything he respected in another artist. While the many that crossed his path likely placed more importance on adhering to rock ‘n’ roll expectations without fully leaning into its creative expression, Gabriel always prioritised music and saw every song as another addition to his emotional toolbox, while everything else was mere background noise.
