SAMMY HAGAR... HE ROCKS, HE ROLLS, HE INSPIRES TOO!

Tony Walker

This is a picture of me with the one & only Sammy Hagar from a few weeks ago.
No I am not the scary looking guy in the middle.... You see the guy with his back to the camera? Right next to his neck you can see my nose! It's me & Sammy Hagar!!!

This may sound a little weird but Sammy Hagar has been a major inspiration to me for a very long time.
When I was a kid.... I still am a kid.... when I was a teenager I saw some of Sammy's videos on MTV, back when MTV played music videos. I became a fan of Hagar's music. Once he joined the mighty Van Halen I became an even bigger Hagar fan. I am one of the few who like Sammy better than Dave.
There was something about Sammy that caught my attention. To me he seemed like a real person. He didn't appear to act like he was a hot shot rock & roll star. All the messages in his music were always upbeat, positive, & fun which I really dug.

So then I would watch Sammy on TV doing interviews. He was always smiling & happy. He wasn't a part of some religion. He wasn't pushing a particular political view. He's not a fall down drunk. He's just a normal slob who is appreciative of his fortunes.

In 1995 I met him for the first time backstage at a VH concert so I got to see this for myself. What a nice guy. I think what draws me to him is I am the same way... I have deep spiritual views but not a supporter of the business of religions. I don't drink. I'm just a big dope who is happy to be alive, happy with the business I run & who I run it with, & love my family.

Sammy just put out his autobiography. I am about half way through & I find him more inspirational now than ever before. This is the story of a boy whose family had to move from place to place because they never could afford where they were, his father was the homeless town drunk, & when Hagar was 21 he had no steady work but was married with a baby. He still managed to pursue his dream & become a major star, a member of the rock & roll hall of fame, & still a fantastic singer & performer.
If Hagar can rise up against all these obstacles so can I, so can you, so can anyone. I highly recommend this book.

Photo courtesy of Tony Walker