Sammy Hagar wants to put on a show, and he wants those watching to be highly entertained. That has been his driving force for decades, clearly, and he has accrued a lot of fans. Does he think he is the best at what he does, though? Well...no.
In fact, the Red Rocker strains to be just like the rest of us, going about our lives in the best way we can, finding moments of happiness among the many other dreary hours, though he does have quite a bit more money than many of us ever will. That's fine. He's worked hard to try to earn it.
In a recent discussion with Louder, Hagar talked about many topics, including how he thinks Alex Van Halen is an extremely Roger Waters-like negative person and little chance exists that the singer will ever work with the drummer again, but Hagar will survive.
Sammy Hagar delivers a refreshing answer during an introspective moment
When asked about his previous arrogance, though, he admitted regret. That comes with age, of course. One might see oneself as more important in a global sense than is actually the case. Sammy Hagar's assessment of his self-importance is quite refreshing.
When I was a kid...I’d just sit listening while all the other guys were talking all this s*** about themselves, being braggarts," Hagar said. "But after I made it, I became that guy. I started beating my chest. I started saying I can run faster, jump higher, sing louder, and play faster than any motherf***** on the planet....I look back now and it was so stupid. It was pure insecurity. Now, I’d sit that guy down and tell him: ‘Relax, you’re turning people off. You want people to like you.'"
In other words, if you knew Hagar a couple of decades ago and had one opinion about him then, you might have a different one now. To be fair, it is a good thing the exact opposite didn't happen in his case. He was confessionally arrogant, but now understands that it is meaningless. Being oneself and having a real connection with others is what matters.
Hagar also talked about not having his 2011 autobiography, Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock, made into a film that falsely embellishes past relationships he has had. He doesn't want people to make money off stories that might imply a different outcome than what occurred.
As Hagar put it, "I’m not tormented, I’m not miserable. I’m the happiest f****** guy on the planet."
One can obviously have an opinion about the music that Hagar has made, both as a solo performer and with various bands, the most well-known being Van Halen, of course, but as a person, he hopes to be liked. In other words, he's much like the rest of us, and that's a good thing.