Sammy Hagar, former frontman of Van Halen, reflects on his hazy recollections of the band's tumultuous touring past, attributing it to the group's excessive partying and high-speed lifestyle.
Decades after his time with rock legends Van Halen, Sammy Hagar admits to having a fragmented memory of the band's wild touring days. In a recent interview, the now-76-year-old singer reveals that his recollections of that era are often clouded by the excessive partying and high-speed lifestyle they embraced.
Sammy Hagar's Amnesia: The Lost Memories of Van Halen's Wild Days
Hagar's revelation stems from his encounter with a New York state trooper who pulled him over for speeding in 1983. The incident served as the inspiration for his hit song "I Can't Drive 55." The trooper, whose identity remains unknown, has been immortalized in Hagar's memory as a symbol of the band's reckless abandon.
"I had been traveling for 24 hours with a young boy, 9 or 10 years old, and my wife," Hagar recalls. "I was cooked. I was driving 62 by accident. I was unconsciously driving 62 miles per hour, not even trying to disobey the speed limit."
Sammy Hagar's Amnesia: The Lost Memories of Van Halen's Wild Days
The solitary nature of his journey and the late hour contributed to the trooper's decision to stop Hagar, who, unbeknownst to the officer, was a rising rock star at the time. Despite his celebrity status, the trooper remained oblivious to Hagar's identity.
The traffic stop sparked a flurry of inspiration for Hagar, who began dictating lyrics to his wife as they completed their drive home. "The hit just started to write itself," he says. "It was just like automatic writing. It was just coming out of me."
Sammy Hagar's Amnesia: The Lost Memories of Van Halen's Wild Days
Hagar's encounter with the "bored" state trooper would eventually inspire the lead single on his 1984 album "VOA." The music video for "I Can't Drive 55" depicts a dramatized version of the incident, with Hagar playing electric guitar on the judge's bench and leading police on a high-speed chase.
Despite his fondness for the trooper who inadvertently became a part of music history, Hagar admits that his hazy memory of the incident is representative of the band's wild lifestyle at the time. The constant partying, excessive alcohol consumption, and reckless behaviors took a toll on their cognitive abilities.
Sammy Hagar's Amnesia: The Lost Memories of Van Halen's Wild Days
"We were just having a hell of a time," Hagar says. "It was a great time in my life, but I don't remember a lot of it."
While Hagar's memories may be fragmented, the impact of Van Halen's music and their tumultuous touring days continues to resonate with fans worldwide. The band's legacy as one of the most iconic and influential rock groups of all time remains firmly etched in rock and roll history, even if the memories of those who lived it are somewhat faded.
