Sammy Hagar Has Only One Bad Thing to Say About Joe Satriani

Sammy Hagar heaped praise on bandmate Joe Satriani before revealing the one bad thing he has to say about the guitarist.

The pair have been on the road with their Best of All Worlds show, which has featured a range of Van Halen numbers.

In a recent interview with Guitar Player, Hagar explained why he was delighted to have Satch representing the late Eddie Van Halen.

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“Joe knows exactly what Eddie was playing,” the singer said. “He studied it. He watched live tapes, he saw him live, he listens to the records and knows exactly what Eddie was doing.

“That’s the difference between him and some kid in a music store playing ‘Eruption’ exactly like Eddie. Joe knows what he’s doing, and he knows what Eddie was doing, and that’s different from simply emulating somebody.”

Hagar added: “He’s a genius, honest to God. I’m not joking about his intelligence. He’s super smart. When you interview him, his answers are so thoughtful and so deep. I love the guy.”

He went on to compare Satch’s work to that of the late Jeff Beck. “[H]e can make the guitar sing. He’s got the tone and the touch – his vibrato and the way he uses his whammy bar – like Jeff Beck. Songs like ‘Summer Song’ or ‘Surfing With the Alien’ sound like there’s a singer in the band.

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“When I go see an instrumentalist, by about the third song I’m going, ‘Well, when’s the singer coming out?’ … But Joe will play the next tune and you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s a cool melody!’ In my head, it’s like he’s singing it.”

He continued: “I think Joe could be one of the best guitar players on the planet right now. Look – he taught Steve Vai how to play, so Steve will never be better than him. He taught Kirk Hammett how to play, so Kirk will never be better than him. ’Cause you can’t outdo the teacher.”

Then came the punchline: “Lemme say one bad thing about him so you don’t think I’m kissing his ass too much: He plays too f---in’ loud. And he doesn’t need to play that loud ’cause he has in-ears.

“But he’s used to not having a singer, so he thinks, ‘I gotta be the loudest thing!’” Hagar laughed: “We’re still working that out.”