But on another topic, when I was searching for info on a
possible new album by VH, I stumbled upon a youtube interview with Sammy Hagar,
Dave’s fill-in for a few years. Sammy
kept talking about “writing my book,” or words to that effect. I’m always suspicious when folks from other
walks of life claim to be writers, so I looked up the Red Rocker’s book. Sure enough, there’s one of those “with”
authors in text so small on the cover that you can barely read his name. (It’s “with Joel Selvin,” by the way.)
I write all of my own books, here, here, and here, or
I write alongside an equal coauthor, here. (Same goes for my articles.) Given this, I’ve always wondered about this
tiny-print “with” author. Who the hell
is this person? I suspect, but certainly don’t
know, that these “with” authors take the laboring oar, i.e., they do the bulk,
if not all, of the writing. In short: I’d still bet that Sammy can write better than I can sing, but that isn’t
saying much.
I’ll also admit that part of my interest in this whole tiny-print
“with” author business is rooted in envy.
Hagar and Selvin’s book was a #1 New York Times best seller – heights that
I have not yet reached. (But hope
springs eternal; my new book is coming out in November.) Despite their success, I have a sneaking suspicion that while
I am hunched over my laptop for 12-14 hours at a crack writing my books, Sammy is kickin’ it in Cabo while his “with” author is at his side, tapping away on the keyboard with one hand and holding a tropical drink in the other. I don’t know this; I’m just speculating. Perhaps my jealousy is getting the best of me.
But enough of that. Van
Halen (or David Lee Roth or the DLR Band) had better to get back to work on some music, pronto. Let’s go, while we’re (still, sort of) young. I'm waiting.
Michael, not your usual post -- but fun nevertheless, particularly if you're a Van Halen fan. In the meantime, while you pine for their next album, there's always this to tide you over. :-)
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Absolutely hilarious! Love the link! But I've been listening to this one lately to get my VH fix. It's a cover of an underrated 1982 VH song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QipmOuIaZak
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