Anyone see this before?

[Blue Falcon]

Found this on the Rush board:

Sammy Hagar Book Would Have
Questioned Rush Manager's Loyalties


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A chapter in a book about the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar, to have been published in 1999, detailed the alleged circumstances resulting in his leaving Van Halen. These circumstances involved their hiring of long time Rush manager, Ray Danniels, who has managed Rush since their debut album. The book was never released, as Sammy Hagar won an injunction preventing its release and Ray Danniels threatened the author with lawsuits.

Apparently the main problem with the book was "the inclusion of stories detailing Hagar's leaving the band". Based on this fact, the authenticity of these stories should be questioned.

Shortly after partial transcripts made their way to the Internet in May of 1999, the following was posted to various Hard Rock news sites:

"Ex-Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar blocks book! "Red Rocker" Sammy Hagar recently won an injunction from a court keeping the release and sale of a book about him from hitting the stores. At one time Sammy was a part of the project, then following a financial dispute bailed on the book. Author David Huff filed a lawsuit against Hagar citing breach of contract. Sammy in turn claimed rights to certain materials used to complete the book. There are also issues over the inclusion of stories about Hagar's' split from Van Halen. Author, Huff has also been hit with possible suits from Ray Danniels, manager of Van Halen. Danniels isn't comfortable with parts of the book that mention how he figured in Hagar and Van Halen separating. More to come! "

Below is a segment of the chapter detailing the hiring of Danniels. It begins shortly after Ed Leffler, Van Halen's previous manager, succumbed to cancer in 1993. This led to a search for a successor which eventually led to Ray Danniels, Alex Van Halen's brother in law at the time:



The next day the band got together for further discussions over the management situation. When Hagar arrived for the meeting, another figure was present. It was Alex's brother-in-law Ray Danniels. The voice behind the whisper in Eddie and Al's ear now had a face. Apparently the brothers had enlisted the Canadian to be their unofficial advisor in the management hunt.

"Ray was in the room with us discussing the different management proposals," the singer stated. "Immediately he tried to sell himself to us by stabbing every other manager we had talked to in the back. Instead of coming into this thing telling us what he could offer, he did the opposite. He says, 'Well, if you want to use so and so, that guy steals money from his clients. Oh, you want to use that guy, he was caught doing drugs. That guy there, oh, he's hated by every record company.' You know what I mean. He had something negative to say about every single person, and Ed and Al are going, 'Oh really!' I'm sitting there listening to this guy saying, 'Bullshit!' Then he started attacking Shep and Johnny, two of my very best friends. He said quote unquote, 'Shep stole money from Alice Cooper. He made side deals with promoters. Johnny Barbis will burn you guys; he's a promotion's man, and all he'll do is sell you guys out - and sell you cheap.' When he said that shit, I said, 'Listen you fucking asshole. Those guys are my friends. Don't ever say anything bad about them in front of me again, because I'll punch you in the fucking face.' Outside of Ed Leffler, Shep was one of the most brilliant managers I knew. Johnny was just a great guy, and the brothers knew that. They would never do the things Ray Danniels was accusing them of. I was so damn mad, I went off and busted him on the whole thing. I said, 'You're a piece of shit for the way you've come into this band talking to us. I would never allow you to be my manager.' After that, I had to get out of there. Later I heard from Michael Anthony that Ray stayed up all night with Eddie and Al slamming me. He said things like, 'Sammy wants his guys in there so that he can make side deals. Him and Ed Leffler made side deals. Him and Ed Leffler stole from this band.' It was all total bullshit, and these guys, I'm telling you, it was really, really bad."

The subject of Danniels handling Van Halen's affairs was closed as far as Sammy was concerned. However, Ray was far from being out of the picture. From the very moment Hagar confronted him with the lies he was spreading about other managers, then threatening to punch him out, a dangerous enemy had been made.

"Ray Danniels is a cunning snake," declared Hagar. "He's like the devil where he can tell you everything you want to hear. When it came to me, Ray couldn't pull off that shit. From that day on, the two of us never got along.

......Hagar says he was appalled at the negative comments directed toward Rush by Alex Van Halen that he attributed directly to Ray Danniels. Sammy was even more offended at the fact that Al's brother-in-law wanted to manage Van Halen so badly, he was willing sell out his other band to get the job. For over two decades, Danniels had stood behind Rush. From what Hagar was hearing, apparently that was a thing of the past. The Red Rocker even spoke to Ray himself about the Canadian trio and was astounded by the answers he received.

"Ray even bad-mouthed Rush to me," said an incredulous Hagar. "Can you believe it? He was saying shit like, 'If they had a good singer, they could have made it on pop radio.' He was telling me that with the kind of music they play, Rush would never be any more than they already have been. I started hammering him with questions. I said, 'Ray, Rush should have been the Canadian Led Zeppelin. Why don't they sell records? Why did their last record only do 400,000 or 500,000 records?' He said to me, 'If they only had a singer.' He was crazy to say that, because Geddy Lee has one of the most unique voices in rock. Rush's big problem is they never had any videos - which is one of the major complaints I had against Ray. I knew his dealing with MTV would bury us. I even called over there and asked them about their relationship with him. They didn't even know who Ray Danniels was. When I told them he was the manager of Rush, they said, 'Well, we never had a relationship with Rush. We've only had a couple of videos from them.' In other words, Ray had no clout with them whatsoever."

[NealIsGod]

Very interesting. Danniels sounds like a real asshole, which probably explains why he is a manager.

[The Cimmerian]

Thanks for the read.

Personally, when I pick people I'm going to do business with (builders, realtors, musicians, artists), and I hear them badmouthing other businesses, I am immediately turned off. Why the need to be antagonistic? If you have to prove your worth by shitting all over someone else, then that means something's wrong with you.

By the same token, with the guy being AVH's bro-in-law, then what assurances would Sammy have that any future deals would not favor the VH brothers over him?

Very interesting.

[NealIsGod]

Thanks for the read.

Personally, when I pick people I'm going to do business with (builders, realtors, musicians, artists), and I hear them badmouthing other businesses, I am immediately turned off. Why the need to be antagonistic? If you have to prove your worth by shitting all over someone else, then that means something's wrong with you.

By the same token, with the guy being AVH's bro-in-law, then what assurances would Sammy have that any future deals would not favor the VH brothers over him?

Very interesting.

Excellent points. Sammy is savvy enough to pick the right people to represent him.

[Red13JoePa]

The Van Nepotisms must FUME every time Hagar opens his mouth in an interview. Because he just hemmorhages info on their paranoia and he could care less who knows.

[Voyager]

Great post. Thanks for the info. I am a big Rush fan, and a Sammy/VH fan. It's too bad this dude tried to snow VH. Hell, he may be one of the reasons Al and Eddie are paranoid and holed up inside their mansions, isolated from the world.

[*Laura]

What an interesting read,thanks for posting it.
Maybe Danniels is behind some of the nasty rumors about Sammy.Like that affair between him and Eddie's wife...

Too bad the VH bros. had such a low life in their entourage.

[Red13JoePa]

What an interesting read,thanks for posting it.
Maybe Danniels is behind some of the nasty rumors about Sammy.Like that affair between him and Eddie's wife...

That was a Cherone rumor, wannit?

[NoMoreTails]

Daniels was also manager of Extreme if I recall correctly, Sammy out/ Gary in.
Never heard the rumors, but didn't Ed and Gary stay on supposedly good terms after Gary was let go?

[*Laura]

What an interesting read,thanks for posting it.
Maybe Danniels is behind some of the nasty rumors about Sammy.Like that affair between him and Eddie's wife...

That was a Cherone rumor, wannit?

Was about Sammy.
Just trash, now I'm sure.

[Red13JoePa]

Daniels was also manager of Extreme if I recall correctly, Sammy out/ Gary in.
Never heard the rumors, but didn't Ed and Gary stay on supposedly good terms after Gary was let go?

Yea, I think Cherone up and quit on the Van Eccentrics in the middle of laying down tracks for the f/u to III.

[NoMoreTails]

Daniels was also manager of Extreme if I recall correctly, Sammy out/ Gary in.
Never heard the rumors, but didn't Ed and Gary stay on supposedly good terms after Gary was let go?

Yea, I think Cherone up and quit on the Van Eccentrics in the middle of laying down tracks for the f/u to III.

I've never heard this, smart guy. Eddie probably wanted to sing more

[Red13JoePa]

The album ends @ Ballot Or The Bullet for me. HMSI? is just so very bad as to be cringeworthy. I remember the reviewer in Rolling Propoganda mag was a total EdHead who raved about this song in his "review."

Kinda like how I will find reasons to love Valory on Gone Crazy.

I love how Sammy said Ed was trying to do everything on that record including drums ( ) on some parts of III.

[*Laura]

I love how Sammy said Ed was trying to do everything on that record including drums ( ) on some parts of III.

Well,before becoming an awesome guitarist,Eddie played the drums and Alex the guitar.
Thank God they switched.

[WalrusOct9]

I'd love to read more of this...is there anything else posted anywhere?

[The Cimmerian]

Excellent points. Sammy is savvy enough to pick the right people to represent him.

Thanks. This guy was like Gollum personified. And the VH success was his ring. You could also say that he played Sammy into becoming his enemy, just so he could "spin-doctor" Sammy's refusal by telling the bros. that Sammy only wanted someone who would "screw" them. He could've had all of that masterfully planned like a Corleone hit, cue the moody orchestral music.

Man, fans have it wrong. They look to the bands for information on personnel changes. They should be looking at the management, and who their clients are... that's where the REAL shits going down.

Talk about creating paranoia! I wonder if this guy's dark reign had long-term effects on the VH bros., and if they are now paranoid about doing business with anybody. If I'm not mistaken, they (the bros) severed all musical ties (business, management, record label) recently, and went with new folks. I wonder if Danniels was one of those that got his papers. I don't know who they're with now.

Having been dipped too long in the Ray Danniels water may have resulted in some permanent damage!

[Voyager]

That was a Cherone rumor, wannit?

Now it is.

[Red13JoePa]

That was a Cherone rumor, wannit?

Now it is.

Nah, remember hearing this in 11/99 went it all went wrong for the III lineup.