No band epitomized the excess of its era -- big riffs, big attitude, big hair -- as perfectly as Van Halen, a band that that could comfortably accommodate both guitar geeks looking to pay homage to the fleet-fingered Eddie Van Halen and piquant pepperpots seeking an audience with uber-lascivious frontman David Lee Roth. While never particularly beloved by pundits or critics, Van Halen have earned the ultimate people's band induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Southern Californians managed to turn out some of the most titanic tunes of the late '70s and early '80s -- until Van Halen the immovable object and Roth's irresistible force caused the band to spin off its axis.

But the remaining members went out and found another irresistible force -- namely peripatetic veteran Sammy Hagar -- to fill the void. Hagar, formerly the frontman of '70s hard rockers Montrose, not to mention his own successful solo career as the crimson-clad singer-guitarist best known for his speed-limit protest song 'I Can't Drive 55,' brought to Van Halen his own peculiar blend of rock, raunch and roll. The results were another run of chart-topping hits along with a different sort of creative tension. Sammy is currently involved in several musical projects with ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony -- that's when he's not urging on the bacchanalia at his Cabo Wabo nightclub in the Mexican resort town of Cabo San Lucas. In fact, that's where Spinner caught up with him.

How did you find out you were about to become a Hall of Famer?

Mike [Anthony] and I both high-fived and did a couple of shots of Cabo [Hagar's tequila brand]. We were backstage at the Cabo Wabo and getting ready to go on and jam with Chad Smith from the Chili Peppers. I have to admit when I first found out that Van Halen was going in, it didn't hit me. But now, when I'm getting gas or buying groceries, people are congratulating me, and that drives it home. I'm really excited.

Did being inducted make you stop and take stock of what you've done over the years?

It might be the first thing to ever make me really do that. I'm the kind of guy who's constantly moving forward. I don't even know where my gold and platinum records are. I've never been one to look back. This made me hit pause for a second. I can actually say I am in the Hall of Fame. As a singer, that's a crazy thing to think about.

And after pausing, what did you come away thinking?

That I'm the luckiest man in the world. I've been singing for the better part of my life, and I get paid extremely well to do it. I had regular jobs when I was young, but it's been a long, long time since I had to worry about where my next paycheck was coming from, and not many people are lucky enough to have that advantage. I'm just some guy who opens his mouth and gets paid. The entrepreneurial part, the tequila and all that, is just a byproduct. Singing, though, is such a personal thing.

Obviously, you weren't a rookie at the time, but was the idea of stepping in as Van Halen's lead singer intimidating in any way?

We all had a bug about me stepping in and replacing David Lee Roth. When I first joined the band, none of us wanted to do any of the old songs. We just were gonna say, "Hey, no, we're gonna do the new record," and then as we went along we said, "Well, maybe we better throw a couple in." But, you know it was almost like we were trying to prove a point. Well, all that's been done. Now I look at Van Halen as being a band with an amazing catalog and to leave any of that out is totally wrong.

What's been keeping you busy most recently?

Well, this whole [induction] thing has really given me a little kick in the ass. I own a studio, I have a band on call 24-7, but I've been a little casual about music -- treating it like a hobby. Now I realize that every time I do something, I've gotta do it on the level of being a Hall of Famer; I've gotta be like Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett. So I just demoed two songs that are real interesting -- they're with my main project, Chickenfoot, which also includes Chad and Mikey. The band is like Cream, without the jazz, and with funk mixed in. We'll get up, do a verse of a song and then just go for 20 minutes. It's pretty great.

What do you think about the class of '07?

It's pretty amazing. It's a really eclectic blend this year, and that's always a good thing. The fact that R.E.M. can be as functional as they are after this long is really incredible. And Patti Smith? Anyone who doesn't fall into line, she'll definitely chew 'em out [laughs]. She's one of the great, true rockers. She's so special. I'm really looking forward to meeting her. Whether she'd like to meet me or not is another matter [laughs]. We're kind of the odd band out -- we're the rock-star band, not that I really think of myself that way. You've got art, and you've got a bunch of nuts!

--David Sprague


More exclusive Rock Hall interviews:

R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe

The Ronettes' Ronnie Spector

Van Halen's Sammy Hagar

Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five

Patti Smith