| BREAKUP TIMELINE
By Jeff Hausman
& Brad Starks
After intense consultation and hours of research, we compiled this Breakup Timeline to provide a deeper perspective on the demise of Van Halen Mach 2. 2/89 -Sammy tells the band he will probably not tour for the next album due to the stresses of being on the road. 1991 - During a dinner conversation, Hagar tells a confidant that as soon as the F.U.C.K. tour is over, he is going to go out and do a Red Rocker tour without Van Halen, whether the brothers like it or not. 1993 - Sammy and/or Geffen records want to release a box set or Greatest Hits of Hagar's solo work. Manager Ed Leffler is adamantly against it, so Sammy holds off. 10/13/93 - Sammy chooses to remain in Cabo San Lucas celebrating his birthday while manager Ed Leffler is in critical condition at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, CA. 10/16/93 - Tension within the band starts after Leffler passes away and Ray Danniels (hired in 1994) takes his place, who according to Sammy, he never developed a good relationship with. 1994 - Unbeknownst to Van Halen, Sammy records two new songs slated for inclusion on his upcoming Unboxed compilation. One of the songs (High Hopes) was originally written by Sammy for Balance. 3/15/94 - With Leffler no longer around to prevent a greatest hits compilation from materializing, Sammy releases Unboxed. 7/94 - Tensions continue to mount when the Van Halen brothers are unhappy with Hagar's lyrics for Amsterdam. They don't agree with the drug use connotations and ask Sammy to change them. Hagar doesn't budge and the lyrics remain as originally writt en. 7/94 - Sammy's waning dedication to Van Halen becomes noticeable, as he procrastinates writing lyrics for Balance. In Vancouver, BC, producer Bruce Fairburn asks him to do more work on the lyrics. 7/94 - Sammy is unable or uninterested in writing lyrics for Baluchitherium for the upcoming Balance album, so Ed, Al, Mike, and Bruce decide to leave the track as an instrumental. 10/2/94 - Mysteriously, tension between Sam and the other members of Van Halen increases. Ed quits drinking for good. 1/95 (New York) - While talking about the death of Ed Leffler and the release of Hagar's Unboxed in an interview with The Inside's David J. Criblez, Edward expresses his anger about Sammy being "off doing his solo fucking career when we were suppo sed to be close." Ed also reflects "We appeared to be without a singer at the time." In the same interview, Ed states that the band will always be together in one form or another. "It might change. Who knows. I can't tell the future. I know it will alway s be Alex and me and I'm sure Mike will be there too...Sammy, hopefully." 1/95 - The Inside learns that for various reasons, the Van Halen camp is "disenchanted" with Sammy Hagar. 1995 - Backstage on the Balance tour, Sam and girlfriend Kari, spend most of their time doing their own thing, leaving Ed, Al and Mike hanging out together without their singer. 4/4/95 - Though he wouldn't do it for Ed and Al, Sammy bows to MTV's pressure to change some of the Amsterdam lyrics in order for them to air it's video. Oddly enough, MTV still doesn't broadcast the video after the changes are made. 7/95 - The band discusses playing several dates in Europe in July of 1996 to increase their fan base there, then return to the studio afterwards - but only if Sam agrees. Later, while discussing the news with The Inside, the Red Rocker angrily rep lies, "Not with Sammy Hagar, they're not." 8/25/95 - While backstage in Long Island, NY, Leslie West notices tensions among band members. The former Mountain frontman/guitarist finds it odd that they had separate dressing rooms - Ed and Al shacked up together while Sam and Mike shared their own dressing room. In addition, Sammy and Mike also share a separate limo from Ed and Al. (Sammy cites the Van Halen brothers' smoking and their lack of drinking as the cause for everything being separate). 1995 - Sammy and Alex are against Ray Danniels' idea of a Greatest Hits. Al eventually sides with the rest of the band while Sammy stands firm. Hagar is reportedly against a Greatest Hits because he'll get no royalties from the Dave era songs, and has always been adamantly against releasing or promoting anything involving DLR. 1/96 - Van Halen wants to enter the studio to record new two tracks (Between Us Two and Humans Being) for the Twister soundtrack. Sammy is tired from being on the road and wants to take a break at his home in  Marin County, CA, but reluctantly agrees. Between Us Two is eventually replaced by Respect the Wind. Sammy claims it was a trick all along - the track was always intended for the Greatest Hits and not the Twister soundtrack. Sammy considers leaving Van Halen but decides to wait it out. 3/96 - Sammy writes The Silent Extreme for the upcoming Twister soundtrack, but Ed is unhappy with Sammy's proposed lyrics. The guitarist then comes up with the title Humans Being, and Hagar rewrites the lyrics based on the new title. The band feels that Sammy no longer cares about the quality of his lyrics, and that his heart is not totally into the band anymore. One member of the Van Halen camp calls the original lyrics "garbage." 3/10/96 - 3/13/96 - Van Halen spends three days mixing Humans Being. Between Us Two is also scheduled for mixing during this period, but Sammy does not complete the lyrics, so it remains unfinished. Mysteriously, Hagar does not want to be involved with the mixing, so he does not attend the sessions. 3/25/96 - During a telephone conversation with the Inside, Sammy insinuates that it is uncool as far as Van Halen is concerned for him to "do solo projects." Hagar feels Eddie's claim that "in this band everyone can do anything they want," is "not the case with me. When I did my last solo record where Eddie played bass - that was fun for both of us! I played guitar. Ed played bass, and we went into it as a trio and did this great little record. To me, that's a solo project. That's the fun stuff. I dig doing that shit and I always will. I'd do a hell of a lot more of it if this band wasn't so unfriendly about it." The singer also expresses his feelings regarding his own solo albums. "I'll always enjoy it. It's not that I'm dissatisfied with my place in Van Halen. It's just not complete. I'm cut in half. All my fans know this." 4/96 - While traveling on business, the band's management is told by a Atlantic Records employee, "Sorry about Sam's songs not making the record," in reference to the fact that Hagar had recently written songs with Mr. Big's Eric Martin for an upcoming solo project (none of which were used by the singer). Oddly, neither the band, nor anyone in the VH camp knew of the project. 4/10/96 - Tensions are high on the set of the Humans Being video shoot. Sammy and the band have all but severed communication between each other. 4/15/96 - Van Halen meets at 5150 Studio to try to work out the growing tensions within the band. 5/29/96 - Rumors circulate on the Van Halen Internet Mailing List that the band is considering an acoustic reunion performance with Dave for MTV's Unplugged series. Valerie Bertinelli quashes the rumor with a swift "when pigs fly" reply. 6/11/96 - Band friction again increases as Ed insists Sammy change a lyric he's written for the song Between Us Two that goes "I want to touch the distant light from your star." Sammy is against it, and asks the guitarist "do you know what this song's about Eddie?" 6/96 - Michael Anthony replies "I can't say," when asked by a reporter if any of the upcoming "surprises" in the band's future include David Lee Roth. 6/14/96 - Dave telephones Ed and after 11 years of public bad-mouthing, the two make their peace with each other. 6/15/96 - Dave and Ed meet for the first time several years. 6/16/96 - Ed telephones Sammy in Mill Valley, CA, telling the singer, "You never do what I ask you to do. You're really stubborn. Your a solo artist in this band so you might as well really be a solo artist." Sammy responds with a simple "Thank you." 6/20/96 - The Inside receives a tip that the band has broken up and something involving Dave is in the works. 6/21/96 - The Inside asks the management point-blank who the lead singer for Van Halen currently is. They jokingly respond "Michael Anthony" and hint that David Lee Roth might be back. In addition, they express their own frustrations with Sammy. 6/25/96 - Word of the split leaks. Los Angeles, CA, Baltimore, MD and Houston, TX are among the first radio stations to broadcast the news. Rumors run rampant as Los Angeles KLOS DJ Long Paul reports that there WILL be a lineup change in Van Halen, while Houston radio KLOL reports that a new album and tour are in the works. Email to the Van Halen Internet Mailing List almost quadruples within a few short hours. 6/26/96 - Outside the studio, rumors continue to spread like wildfire as nearly every radio station in the US and Canada announce the rift. MTV's Kurt Loder incorrectly reports Dave is back as permanent lead singer - "It's not official, but according to a high source at Warner Bros., Dave is the once and future frontman for Van Halen." The Internet Van Halen Mailing List and America OnLine (AOL) are afire with heated debates about why the split occurred; if it was really true; and the never ending "Sammy can kick Dave's ass/Dave would eat Sammy for breakfast" arguments. Cyberspace fans quickly take sides and proclaim their shock/anger/delight at Sam's departure and Dave's return. MTV later contradicts itself as it reports on AOL that Dave is only temporary and just in to work on tunes for the upcoming Greatest Hits. Van Halen's management distributes an official Press Release stating that DLR is back to work on the Greatest Hits, Sammy is out of Van Halen and that the band is looking for a replacement. In a telephone interview with San Diego, CA's Q106 Jeff and Jer Show, Alex Van Halen states the band is doing one song with DLR and "that's as far as it goes." Some of the Internet's better known VH web pages (including the Van Halen Encyclopedia and the Van Halen News Desk) are deluged with visitors as more people turn to the Internet for information. Dallas, TX Q102 DJ Red Beard reports Van Halen were offered $60 million to tour with Dave and that Sammy is dead against doing a Greatest Hits with the former frontman. He also contends that DLR sued Van Halen for the right to have the Greatest Hits released. Tommy Nast reports that the band is recording 4 songs with DLR, but have no tour plans. Sammy releases official statement citing "creative differences" as the cause for breakup. 6/27/96 - MTV jumps on the "Dave Bandwagon" and airs a whimsical commercial featuring various Dave video clips to the tune of Welcome Back Kotter. Kurt Loder finds humor in taking small pot-shots at Sammy while broadcasting the Week in Rock. Rumors of a new album and 1997 tour with Diamond Dave at the helm are abound. News of the band's demise reaches television and newspaper as ABC News, E! News, the LA Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Marin Independent Journal are among those that report on the band's situation. The LA Times reports that DLR initially approached Ed about writing music for the Greatest Hits. The Times also reports that the band are planning a new album and 1997 tour. Howard Stern claims earlier in the year, he approached Van Halen about doing a new song for his own upcoming Private Parts movie soundtrack, but only if they had Roth on vocals. He further claims the band agreed to the offer if they were paid $2.5 million. Supposedly Stern's budget couldn't afford it, so the idea was out the window. In addition, Stern claims that he was the reason Roth and Van Halen decided to get together. Three days later, Valerie Bertinelli discredits Howard Stern's statements about the $2.5 million offer, adding he had nothing to do with the Roth merger. News of the breakup reaches as far as Germany and Peru. While being interviewed by ABC News, Sammy contradicts his statement released on 6/26 by saying that he was actually fired. 6/28/96 - Valerie vaguely reports to the Internet Van Halen Mailing List that Sammy is lying about the circumstances surrounding his departure. Rumors continue to spread that Dave has been asked to be the permanent lead singer. Rumors also trickle in about which song the band is considering recording with Dave. Covers of Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour and Led Zeppelin's Going to California are among those erroneously reported. Van Halen Internet Mailing List debates reach fevered levels as fans begin to turn against each other in an all-out Cyberspace brawl that would make even Hulk Hogan proud. 6/29/96 - In an interview with Long Island, NY's WBAB radio, Sammy claims the band went behind his back to work with Roth while he was in Hawaii. He also states he wanted to start working on a new album, not a Greatest Hits. Sammy also tells ABC News he was fired because of his dislike of a Greatest Hits. 6/30/96 - Valerie, now regularly emailing the Van Halen Internet Mailing List, states "Ed is reading as many messages as he has time for. He appreciates all the kind words." In addition, Valerie reports that Ed is "having a ball" working with DLR, adding that the rehearsals have been a "true collaboration, unlike what's been happening the past few years." 7/1/96 - While the Van Halen camp remains silent, Sammy continues to accuse the band of recording with Roth behind his back while he was relaxing in his Hawaii home, and that's why he quit. He also cites Ray Danniels, the Twister soundtrack "trick" and the band releasing a Greatest Hits as other factors that influenced his leaving. 7/2/96 - An entry in Today's Rock Fax (an industry trade tip sheet that gives daily updates on the "Hot" stories of the day) states the Warner Bros. Web page is reporting that Van Halen is currently planning to record TWO songs for the Greatest Hi ts. 7/5/96 - Internet WWW Site, Hecklers Online, polls cyberspace travelers with who the better VH frontman is. 66% of the poll takers vote for DLR while 34% give the nod to Sammy Hagar. 7/7/96 - Van Halen is scheduled to enter the studio with David Lee Roth to begin formal recording sessions for three or four songs - one or more of which are intended for the upcoming Greatest Hits. The session is postponed due to the fact that the proposed producer is tied up with another obligation to Aerosmith. Valerie Bertinelli adds "They're still trying to get the sounds right. It always takes a few days for them to get the sound where they want it." 7/8/96 - False rumors begin to circulate on the Van Halen Internet Mailing list that Sammy is once again back in Van Halen and that all that happened was a "temporary misunderstanding." The rumors cause a small stir among the lists subscribers, but quickly die away. 7/10/96 - Valerie reflects to the Van Halen Internet Mailing List about what's been happening around the Van Halen household. "When Dave came in the house the other day, he and Ed went in the living room to noodle on the piano and Wolfie's 'Time Out' chair happens to be in there. Where do you think Dave unknowingly sat? When I told Dave where he was sitting he got a good laugh out of it. He looked at Wolfie and said (in his best 'Dave' voice) "Wolfie, can you say ironic?" Wolf had no idea what he was laughing at." 7/96 - As the first member of the Van Halen camp to break the silence, manager Ray Danniels refutes some of Sammy's allegations, claiming the singer was the cause of the friction within the band. He also adds that the real reason Sam was against the Greatest Hits was because it would create comparisons and cause the public to pick one singer over the other. 7/17/96 - 10:00 am - Los Angeles, CA's KLOS reports the upcoming Greatest Hits will contain two new tracks. One with Sammy at the helm and the second with Dave. In addition, the station states a Greatest Hits tour will start at either the end of 1996 or the beginning of 1997. 7/18/96 - In response to the previous day's announcement on KLOS, Valerie reports to the Van Halen Internet Mailing List, "IF, and it's a very big IF, a tour happens it will not happen this winter." 7/22/96 - After a brief, one hour meeting with producer Glen Ballard, Ed, Dave, Mike and Al spend 8 hours in the studio, marking the official beginning of their two track recording sessions for the Greatest Hits project. 7/23/96 - The recording sessions go well, and the chances of a tour increase. The band tosses around the idea of releasing a 4- or 5-song EP of the material sometime after the release of the Greatest Hits.8/2/96- "Me Wise Magic", the first of two tracks for the Greatest Hits, is finished. The second track is almost complete, but has yet to be titled. 8/5/96- The band enters the studio to begin mixing the two Greatest Hits tracks.
| 
