Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock

As rock star biographies go, gotta say I think this one was better than most, simply because Hagar's voice shone through the narrative. When he's talking about ignoring someone, he "shined them on". When he was burned out, he was "crispy around the edges". Things like that. That was fun. It was like being in the room with the guy.

And overall, it really was like listening to a guy who's maybe twisted up some of the stories, or forgotten and simply rewritten them. Despite Michael Anthony's foreword, I don't think you can take everything as gospel. Anthony says Hagar's honest. "If he said it happened, it happened." Yeah well, probably, but not definitely.

I say this because Hagar peppers the story with all-encompassing, sweeping statements. show more He ends a chapter early in the book, as he's building his music career, by stating, "I never worked another day in my life." Of course, you expect to read the next chapter and find him growing his music career. Instead, he talks of driving a truck for $10 a day. Sorry, dude, you worked.

Sammy also states that he never did drugs. Yet, a few chapters on, he's talking about sitting in the back of a limo with Eddie Van Halen, drinking and doing bumps of coke. In fact, there's several times when he mentions the coke. Was it an addiction? Doubt it. But yeah, Sammy, you did drugs.

Finally, he (and Michael Anthony before him) state he's an honest person. He likely is, for the most part, but the fact that he was humping anything with lady parts throughout his marriage, and then flat-out admitting that he had to not only lie to his first wife about that and, out of necessity, lie to those around her, he's not quite as honest as he says.

The major shocker for me--and, yes, I admit, a disappointment--was to find out this guy that's successfully in charge of several booming businesses is a flake. Aliens, psychics, premonitions...they all factor heavily into his world view. That's fine, but when he talks about being a math genius, then goes right into how numerology is a big factor in his life...yeah, he's definitely letting his flake flag fly.

And hey, good for Sammy. It's obviously worked and it absolutely does nothing to detract from the fact that he's a hell of a musician and business man and, even at an age when most rock stars are packing it in or have been dead for decades, he's still kicking ass on and off the stage. So, I may think he's a flake, but a lot of people know his name and no one knows mine, so who's doing better at the game?

A fun bio, overall. show less

I'm super disappointed in this book. Although Sammy Hagar does a great delivery I didn't like what he was talking about. And the absolute cherry on the top was when he mispronounced San Rafael. He made a mistake that no local would make. Bay area natives frequently mock people for mispronouncing San Rafael. The book is mostly just him bragging about how completely awesome he is and yes Sammy Hagar is an awesome guy and he's really well spoken and he seems like the sort of guy that you could just sit down and have a cup of coffee with but that's an illusion. I don't think he's really like that. I think he's difficult and competitive especially when he mentioned some of the shocking things he did when he was opening up for Kiss. The only show more reason they were booing him is because he insisted on playing Donovan covers for an audience that wanted to hear Kiss. And then he smashed a beautiful and expensive guitar. So I continued listening to the audiobook and I got to the point where he leaves his wife. He deceived his wife by pretending he was just on a vacation by himself when he had actually left his wife for a younger woman who he is married to to this very day. Sammy Hagar is frequently interviewed on YouTube podcasts and he seems like the nicest man in the world who's totally open but when I read this book I know there's there's another terrible side to him. show less

Love Sammy, loved his book. He tells it like it is, and you have to appreciate his honesty. It was pretty brutal hearing about the break-up of Van Halen (Van Hagar), but it had to be told.

As a Detroiter, I’ve loved Sammy Hagar ever since I heard Montrose’s Rock Candy on WRIF (or maybe it was WLLZ) for the first time. I knew Sammy’s tell-all was going to be THE tell-all of all tell-alls, and it was. The man doesn’t know how to keep a secret, and I like that about him! This book is just filled with fabulous sex, drugs, and rock and roll stories.

What I love most about this book is that Sammy comes from humble beginnings. He worked his ass of for many years before finding huge success with Van Halen, but his life has continued to show more be filled with high and low moments. He comes across as a regular type of guy, despite living in the rock ‘n’ roll world. Sure, Hagar made a lot of money with his tequila business and bar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. But he also had a mentally ill first wife, he had an abusive, alcoholic father, come from a poor family who picked fruit and raised chickens, and toured for years with other bands before making any money, not to mention suffering through the loss of his beloved friendship and partnership with Eddie Van Halen. show less

The Red Rocker cuts loose with an unvarnished look at his life in the music business. As a Van Hagar fan, it was tough to relive the implosion of the most successful Van Halen line-up to date - but interesting to see the carnage from an insider's view. Sammy comes off as the adult in the scenario (it is his book after all), and proves that living well is the best revenge. The most shocking revelation for me? Not just a rock star, Sammy's also an incredibly successful businessman. He once ran the second largest fire sprinkler company in America.

A solid biography of a rocker, but not a great one. In many ways, its a story that's been told time and again. Humble beginnings, the lucky break, conflict within the band leading to breakup, and of course -- plenty of booze, drugs and sex. What's different about Sammy Hagar is that he's been a good business man (sprinkler systems, mountain bikes, tequila, and nightclub/restaurants) and (if you believe him) he kept his drug use somewhat toned down. His self aggrandizement got a little old, but hey -- its his story to tell.

I listened to the audio version of the book and was impressed with the narration. It was written in a casual tone and listening to it was like hearing Sammy tell his story to a group of friends. Sometimes he would ramble off on a topic (think groupies, drugs and rock & roll) and I’d think, “I can’t believe he’s really saying this”; but it does work. The narrator even sounded a bit like Sammy. For me, I believe it would not have been as enjoyable if I read the book rather than listened to it. It was straightforward and entertaining.

The book begins with background on Sammy’s childhood and growing up in Fontana, California. He candidly talks about what it was like having an alcoholic father and being poor, his early years in show more music and how he came to join the band Montrose before eventually leaving for a successful solo career. He also speaks openly about his first wife’s mental problems and his efforts to take care of her while he was on the road. For those interested in hearing about the Van Halen years, he doesn’t disappoint. A lot of those stories were already made public and I found his assessment of the band and Eddie to be believable.

I didn’t discover Sammy’s music until he released the song I Can’t Drive 55. It’s still one of my favorites. He explains the story behind that song and talks about making the video. Apparently he really does have a hard time driving the speed limit!

One of the more fascinating aspects of Sammy are his other businesses. He has made many successful investments. Early in his music career he started his own publishing company and kept control of the songs he wrote. He owned one of the first mountain bike shops, founded Cabo Wabo Tequila and The Cabo Wabo Cantina, bar, restaurant and concert hall. He discusses the difficulty he had establishing the cantina and makes it clear that he has worked hard for everything he has.

I listened to this over a few days time. It was a seven hours of audio and would probably be a quick read if one read the book instead. One warning, at times the language and subject matter is R rated. Overall it was enjoyable and highly recommended to Sammy Hagar fans. show less

Sammy's life follows the standard trajectory for a rock star. He grew up poor with an abusive parent, barely finished high school, got the lucky break, and rode that break to a life of fame and riches. One thing about Sammy that seems different than most rock stars is that he seems to be more intelligent. He diversified early on, and today makes way more money from his various businesses than he does from music. Although he certainly did his share of drugs the way he presents it they never controlled him, and given the lack of rehab and the fact that he has maintained his career I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that. Some of his stories from the late 60s and early 70s do sound like he is mixing up real memories and acid trips show more though. The chapters on his time in Van Halen are great. It would be interesting to hear Eddie's version of that time, but if Sammy's account is even half-true it's doubtful that Eddie remembers any of it.

Fun book, and definitely recommended if you are a fan of his music. show less