“I drove a different Ferrari to the studio every day. David Gilmour and Nick Mason would wait outside to see which one”: How Sammy Hagar tried and failed to become a prog star after falling for Pink Floyd

Former Van Halen and Montrose frontman Sammy Hagar tells Prog how he discovered Pink Floyd, why he still loves them, and why he didn’t get to make his own concept album in the 80s.

“I was a progressive rock guy, and Pink Floyd are probably my favourite band of all time. I heard Money and went out and bought The Dark Side Of The Moon, and it became my favourite album ever. I

I went back and listened to the really early stuff, but I didn’t relate to it. But The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals – those records are incredible.

Montrose drummer Denny Carmassi and I were both Pink Floyd nuts, and we went to see them when they came to town. They opened with The Dark Side Of The Moon – the whole album – took a break, then came back and played the whole of Animals. That was the show where they blew those big pigs up into the roof. The whole thing blew me the fuck away.

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When I left Montrose I wanted to be in a band like Pink Floyd so bad. I was gonna call myself ‘Sammy Wilde And Dustcloud’ and I was gonna do a concept record about outer space and aliens and all of that.

I wrote songs like Crack In The World, Someone Out There, Hot Rocks and Silver Lights – that one was about the second coming of Jesus in a spaceship. They had a real progressive feel. But my producers and my record company wouldn’t let me do it, so I had to sprinkle these songs through my first few solo albums.

I really relate to David Gilmour as an artist. He’s a singer and a guitarist, and so am I. And Comfortably Numb has to be the greatest guitar solo ever. I’ve only met him once. Pink Floyd were making A Momentary Lapse Of Reason in the same studio as I was making my solo record Never Say Goodbye.

I had seven Ferraris at the time, and I’d drive a different one to the studio every day. David and Nick Mason, who is a Ferrari collector, would be waiting outside to see what I would drive.

I heard David Gilmour say he would never work with Roger Waters again. I feel the same way about Alex Van Halen. They’re just negative people. I think Dave Gilmour’s just like me – we’re positive guys.”