By Dean Goodman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - One of rock 'n' roll's oddest soap operas took a new twist on Tuesday when the two former lead singers of Van Halen said they would tour together now that the hugely popular rock band has run aground.
Original singer David Lee Roth, 47, and his replacement Sammy Hagar, 54, told reporters they would hit the road in May for a co-headlining tour of U.S. arenas.
The tour is subtly billed as "Song for Song: The Heavyweight Champs of Rock And Roll," a reference to Hagar's pugilist past and to Roth's enthusiasm for martial arts.
Tuesday's news conference, at a trendy Hollywood bar, marked only their second meeting, and it underscored the huge differences between the pair.
The flashy Roth, dressed in black nylon trousers and shirt, was accompanied by three bodyguards, three masked catwomen in fluorescent unitards and a beer-drinking midget sporting an Andy Warhol wig. Hagar turned up solo in jeans and T-shirt.
Roth, the consummate salesman, charmed the crowd with witty one-liners and double entendres. Hagar brought things back to earth with sensible comments.
In the past, Roth has referred to Hagar as "a mediocre talent," "a complete failure," "a mindless little bridge-troll drone" and "my bitch."
Both seemed ready to bury the hatchet, although Hagar admitted, "It's not like Dave and I are old buddies or anything." Instead, they view the tour as a friendly competition, seeing who can blow the other one off the stage. They have not yet decided who will open for whom.
Asked to predict the reaction from the Van Halen brothers, Roth told reporters said he did not know and did not care. Neither has communicated with the Van Halens in several years. Hagar hoped Anthony would come out on the tour with him.
The Roth/Hagar tour will allow fans to hear such Van Halen classics as "Panama," "Runnin' with the Devil" and "Why Can't This Be Love" -- albeit without the fiery guitar of Van Halen's musical mastermind, Eddie Van Halen. The influential rocker has been battling cancer, but is now reportedly cancer-free.
